[Ronald G. Stephenson]

Somehow, I share your pain, and it is hard to accept the fact that things do not work out as quickly as one would hope. As to value, I will leave that up to others who are more expert at such things. The early Bristols never caught my eye, but I have been chasing the 409-410 models in hopes of finding a half-way decent example at a fair price. So far, and it has been at least ten years now, no luck. I am stricken with the older American Chrysler Imperials from the 50's, and it turns out to be just as difficult to find spares for these cars. One would think that higher production numbers would make life easier in the parts chasing, but that is not the case. When parts are found, they are in worse shape than mine. Your Bristols have to be a labor of love, and short of finding a good panel beater who is also proficient with aluminum welding and a stout budget to hire such a person, I have little advice other than to consider handing them off to someone with the time, enthusiasm and wherewithall to tackle them. I sometimes wonder it the time spent on a couch in a therapist's office would be less expensive and more beneficial. Sometimes I just hate the old car hobby.