K.I.S.S. keep it simple stupid or overkill?

-
waggin

waggin

moving on ain't easy if you drive a Ford :p
Joined
Apr 9, 2008
Messages
6,623
Reaction score
434
Location
Floral City Florida
I see a lot of guy's new to building cars going way overboard with part's purchases or expectations of a cars build on limited funds only to see the project rot into the ground or be sold for pennies on the dollar.Nuthin wrong with wanting a ten second car until the big picture comes into sight.for most guys startin out it's best to work on the car starting with brakes,then steering suspension,then paint and body work then interior and upholstery then move on to what the engine and trans needs to be road worthy.after that moving on to upgrades to the rear end(gears,suregrip,stronger axels) transmission(shift kit,manual valve body,stall convertor) then engine upgrades(endless list of goodies) or to a diffrent engine trans altogether(needing k frame,torsion bars,disck brake setup,upper control arms,transmission,engine,bigger radiator,bigger rearend,headers,exhaust system,and all those lil' things I forgot to mention.meanwhile the car is now in a kazillion pieces all over the yard and dad's garage and interest will soon go away and eventually so will the kazillion pieces parts due to cmplexity of the puzzle that has been created due to lack of focus on the little thing we call the "big picture" the point being is when you want a nice car,focus on the car in little pieces and keep it as together as you can while those get finished up and make it nice and roadworthy the upgrades can come later and you can keep the car in driver condition and keep the interest high and the complexity of the project low...... some people work best with cars taken down to nothing and putting them back together that way a piece at a time.if you have limited funds or limited experience K.I.S.S. Hope this is helpful...Wagg's
P.s. theres nuthing wrong with a project that runs and drives.especially when you don't like pushing it in and out of the shop to work on the other stuff it needs.
 
Waggon good advice! I pulled my dart in the garage on a Friday morning. Monday morning i loaded it onto a trailer and headed for the sandblaster.
HOLY SH&T THERE'S ALOT OF NUTS AND BOLTS TO A CAR!!!!!!!
my opinion on a big project is ORGANIZATION things go easier went your organized!!
 
Good advice there Waggin. I know people that have approached the tear down as you describe without seeing the whole pic. Parts galore and wondering if it will ever come together. It takes a lot of money and a job to handle a real project. I have a 68 Sattilite as we speak setting in the garage and as of now i'm gathering parts for it and will not start until all parts are in hand. The idea of making big bucks in the end is a pipe dream unless you have a very desirable car and it is done in a perfect nut and bolt manner and you find the one person with deep pockets that is wanting that one car. Alot of ifs here. Myself, it's a hobby and hobbies seldom make people rich.
Small Block
 
theres nuthing wrong with a project that runs and drives.especially when you don't like pushing it in and out of the shop to work on the other stuff it needs.
Click to expand...

That's it in a nutshell.:thumblef:

I've a friend who is into El Caminos and has a nice running '78 with a 305 under the hood. The car is in desperate need of a paint job and has a ratty interior but priority one for him is building a 350 to stick in it. He doesn't have a building to store the car, much less work on it or a 350. I just know the minute he pulls the 305 it'll be "Stick a fork in it, it's done" pfffft!
 
The first thing I did with my complete granny cruizer is stripped the interior, pulled the drivetrain to a rolling shell, and worked on a plan.
Luckily I became friends with some very knowledgeable Mopar guys who guided my build to get the most bang for my buck.

I decided to mini tub the car, build a cradle for a fuel cell, install an 8 pt roll cage, and massage the rear wheel opening for tall tires, cut the floor and install 4 spd hump, subframe connectors, steering, suspension, brake upgrade.

Got al that crap out of the way while the body was still in original trim.

Then came the waiting and saving game, and the first nightmare body shop that ruined the body panels with sandblasting when media blasting was promised.

Body shop#2 took a full year to correct the body panels, paint and stripe the car.

Then began final assembly of the engine, drivetrain, aftermarket wiring with a custom fuse panel in the glove box, custom dash, interior, and all the other goodies.

This whole process took 8 years before I turned the key and was able to drive it.

Then I isntalled all the glass, windows, trim.

I have been driving it for a year now, but it is still not finished as i have to save and collect for some nicer interior and trim parts, but it turns heads at shows but it is not finished, nor perfect by any stretch.

I was very patient in this build and got frustrated during stagnant times with no money to put into it, but thanks to guys here and my buddies at home encouraging me to stick with it, I was able to get through the stagnant periods.

The biggest thing is working out the plan and being very patient without putting your family's financial need in jeopardy over car parts.

The more you can do yourself, the better off you are.

If I ever do another one, I will take body shop classes and do all the body/paint myself to save tons of money.
 
cudaspaz said:
The biggest thing is working out the plan and being very patient without putting your family's financial need in jeopardy over car parts.

The more you can do yourself, the better off you are.
Click to expand...


I have to agree with wag's if you've got a rolling project, especially for those who might have a rolling project to begin with. But this, spaz, is what I'm going to give the biggest points to, since two of my projects are stripped to the gills to begin with. I want to do them once and do 'em right, my way. Since they're stripped, I might as well start from there. The Satellite, well, it'll have to be stripped to start the process of coming back to life.
 
Good point Waggin,It,s good to make a plan of your build.If you already have a car thats a bonus.Guys seem to forget the TIME and MONEY it takes to build the way you want it.I made a plan for my 66 Dart and getting a donor car was a big plus(mostly for disc. brakes setup)plus I knew I was going to be laid-off for 3 months(at the start of 09)...TIME..I,m 46 and have worked since I was 11 years old,most recent job 23 years.So I saved for said plan..MONEY..But of course things change and I,ve stepup the build for a better performer at the track,which also costs more money.Anybody can disassemble a car,it,s putting it back together,finding the right parts,having the time and money,the knowhow,the place to do it.You see alot of guys just walk away and sell,at a huge loss.You can never retrieve the money spent for a unfinished car.I,m not selling!:read2::cheers:
 
Coming from a guy who cut a 4-dr in half to make it a 2-dr!!! j/k, of course
 
who cut a car in half????seriously I drilled the spot welds for the door post and removed the rusted dented crappy four doors,bolted on a clean set of 2 door hardtop doors and a section of 1/4 panel welded in place,I saved a ton of time fixing them old four nasty doors. My whole build was less than six months and less than 3000$ including the car and picking it up.but then again all the parts are used except a few gaskets,freeze plugs,brake parts,and fuel pump.This ain't my first rodeo though.the thread was intended for the newbies to the hobby.
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/vbpicgallery.php?do=big&p=5261
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/vbpicgallery.php?do=big&p=5262
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/vbpicgallery.php?do=big&p=6911
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/vbpicgallery.php?do=big&p=5248
When and if I decide to upgrade the waggin I can do it a step at a time without a lot of downtime.....Iv'e been gathering parts so it will happen but it wont be sitting in the garage for long,baby steps will get me there the slanty will be in there till all of the other upgrades are finished
 
I agree totally, my car is my first build and I knew from the begining I just wanted a really nice driver. Not a performer yet, my first plan was to get it running with a 318 I had and make the car look really nice. I don't want an over the top build. I want a car that looks completely stock with the exception of the wheels. I wanted to build a car that could have come from the factory so I added disc's and an 8 3/4 but I am also using the budget thing too. I have bought all my parts used and I have access to almost everything I might need with the execption of the interior. I too have seen a lot of "projects" being sold because of lost interest, interest was lost because took them apart not knowing the work and money it would take to put the car back together properly. Once again I love FABO here's my build so far.
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=75828
 
I also agree with waggin. My duster still has slant in it but so far has been upgraded to 83/4, KYB all around,new t-bars, new disc/drum,plus all new ball joints and tierod ends and wiper trunk seals. I try to have a car to drive all summer. I know some guys ben working on thier cars for years and are not close to having them ready to drive. I work a piece at a time what ever can be finished and paid for in each winter. Wife doesn't always understand how all the time and money is spent and car looks the same.
 
Well said and the enjoyment of driving it more often,the slanty's a good mill to save gas with and will get out in traffic with ease,my 340 in the duster will get up and go but I can't afford to drive it everywhere with these gas prices so the waggin is my daily driver of choice,the ranger pickup is.......boring and the dually is super gas hawg,the point is to make aware that doing a little at a time is just as kewl...if not kewler than diving in to a big project all at one time and taking years and countless dollars to be able to enjoy it
dusterny said:
I also agree with waggin. My duster still has slant in it but so far has been upgraded to 83/4, KYB all around,new t-bars, new disc/drum,plus all new ball joints and tierod ends and wiper trunk seals. I try to have a car to drive all summer. I know some guys ben working on thier cars for years and are not close to having them ready to drive. I work a piece at a time what ever can be finished and paid for in each winter. Wife doesn't always understand how all the time and money is spent and car looks the same.
Click to expand...
 
I agree had I know then what I know now the Aspen wouldn't be in pieces everywhere.

With the dart I did the engine, painted the engine bay and suspension swap (spool mount disks) first got it driving again even thought I knew I would have to take it apart and then proceeded to do the body work and paint, now all I have left is the rear end swap and finish the interior and it should be good to go.
 
In a nutshell, keep it simple and go for overkill later as funds come in. A good base is all you need to spring board from.
 
That's a good way for seasoned car builders such as yourself or crazee people like myself,I have a lot of projects but I tend to em as time and funds allow and don't have to worry about dad kickin my butt over the mess...Heh Heh he's got key's to all of my rides that are completed and a few of his projects always take priority at my place,as was said it's a thread to get the newbies goin in the right direction.
daredevil said:
daredevil said:
go big or stay home lol not a very popular opinion
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
K.I.S.S. is a very good attitude for the time game as well. I wanted to do a conversion to a 4spd on one of my Dusters but got sick of all the $'s wanted to do it. Held out for a couple of years ended up buying a 76 Aspen with EVERYTHING I needed for 500. Save a little cash over what time frame you can or accumulate trading materials. I am doing the accumulation on my 63 Valiant now for the upcoming repair/replace /build. Car is still drivable and I have the spare motor for build up as well as getting the body parts together. Right now the biggest expense is going to be the floorpan so am saving for it or will be selling off the spare parts that I have for other cars. My bonus is I have the property to do it on, no neighbors, and when I got married I made sure my wife understood my addication (DOUBLE BONUS: My wife now shares my addiction! She has her own 73 Duster and a 51 Ford Custom).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top