How long have you been working on your current build? Too long? Are you trying to find the balance between, “I have the time, but not enough money,” and, “I have some money, but really no time”?
You, my friends, are not alone. The struggle is real, and these trucks, our hobbies at times, are just that—a hobby! We have all been there, and it can be frustrating to see a project in your garage or side yard just taking up space and not progressing the way you had initially planned.
I was recently in Auburn, California, for the second annual “C10 Intervention,” and I got to meet a lot of great people and fellow C10ers. One build stuck out to me: a killer 1966 short bed C10 owned and built by Tony Stoops (@66shortc10).
Tony said he started with nothing more than a $500 “rust bucket” truck and a dream. That dream took more than 13 years to complete, but with the help of his very supportive wife, Tony was able to stay the course and finish his amazing truck.
One of the coolest things is that Tony had a son early on during the project. Because it took more than 10 years to build the truck, his son, Mason, was able to help with the build. Mason even picked the wicked orange color, after his favorite baseball team.
I bet the day that he rolled the rusty ’66 C10 into his garage back in 2006, he never thought that his son would be picking the color and helping him complete the build. I am also willing to bet that he wouldn’t have it any other way now.
Stay the course with your build, find motivation and balance between money and time, and eventually, like Tony, you will be driving your dream truck, too.
The crazy thing about life is that life is going to happen. Happen day in and day out, whether we like it or not. Stay the course with your build, find motivation and balance between money and time, and eventually, like Tony, you will be driving your dream truck, too.
So, get out there and find your truck. Buy it, bring it home and build it. Maybe it takes two years, maybe it takes 10. Either way, enjoy the ride and know that you are building your truck, not just dreaming about building it!
If you are currently in the build process, and maybe you have stalled a little over the years, please let this article and Tony’s story help push you to get out there and recharge the process, as you are not alone. Who knows? Your resurgence may also motivate someone else.
I look forward to talking to you about your truck soon, so start wrenching, and stay the course.
“You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky