Need to get motivated

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doogievlg

doogievlg

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I haven’t laid a finger on my car in almost 6 months. Engine is on the stand and the entire front suspension and steering is off it. Whenever I have spare time I always find something else to mess with instead of working on the car. Usually I say “don’t force yourself to do a hobby or you will hate it”. Screw that. This needs to be finished. Any advice?
 
Story of my life. I'll go month after month without touching the Duster, then hit it hard for a month or two. Just can't seem to string them motivated spurts together. So unfortunately, I have no advice :( Upside is, you are not alone! LOL

Pat
 
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Make a list of all that needs to be done and cross them out as they are done works as motivation for me sure is nice when nothing is left.
 
Put a TV out in the shop. Find some drag racing, car movies, Mopar historical documentaries, hot rod type anything DVD's...put some tunes on, throw in some car magazines, some SA Design How-To Performance engine, trans, suspension setup books, stick BEER in a micro fridge out there, lay down some cheap carpet remnants, get some heat if you can, anything to get you out there looking at the car, crack a beer, put on some video/ car music, literature in your hand, parts on the bench.......always always works for me, focus on first thing first. Don't look at the totality. Laser focus and then complete it. Move on to what comes next. Then grab another beer and repeat!!:thumbsup:
 
We have all been there. Pick something small to start with and pick that off and move on to the next one. What helped me is a whiteboard and erasable markers. Fill the board up with tasks, number the task list by order priority and change the list once a week. After six years my car was done:)
 
I make it a point to do "something" on the car, I just plain feel better. Much like you, I have ****-load of odds and ends. Motivation is the key factor, I pick out one single objective and finish it, don't look at the whole daunting task , but one simple task after the other.
 
Cold weather helps me. I can crank up the shop heat & play with cars inside.

Good music helps too.

Spring & summer are for driving, late fall & winter is for playing with them inside the shop. :)
 
doogievlg said:
I haven’t laid a finger on my car in almost 6 months. Engine is on the stand and the entire front suspension and steering is off it. Whenever I have spare time I always find something else to mess with instead of working on the car. Usually I say “don’t force yourself to do a hobby or you will hate it”. Screw that. This needs to be finished. Any advice?
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Why you ain't no daisy t'all.:D
I agree that watching the shows helps with motivation, as well as reading what's going on here with others.
Sometimes I'll go out and put some music on and get on it, but my car doesn't need much any more.
Most of the stuff I do on the car is little things like my keyless entry system stopped working because a ground wire for the control box broke and it got a pretty new white air filter.:D
 
Since a car restoration is like eating an elephant, do it one bite at a time. Pick one task at a time and complete it. Don't set your goal to high or you will get frustrated and lose interest. 65'
 
doogievlg said:
I haven’t laid a finger on my car in almost 6 months. Engine is on the stand and the entire front suspension and steering is off it. Whenever I have spare time I always find something else to mess with instead of working on the car. Usually I say “don’t force yourself to do a hobby or you will hate it”. Screw that. This needs to be finished. Any advice?
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advice? no. BUT unless you are wealthy enough to pay someone else to finish it for you the only way your going to be able to go cruising is to get up off your *** and start turning wrenches.
 
Do you like drag racing? I'll always sign up for a race that is a couple months out which gets my *** in gear. Have to meet the deadline to go have fun!
 
DesertRat said:
We have all been there. Pick something small to start with and pick that off and move on to the next one. What helped me is a whiteboard and erasable markers. Fill the board up with tasks, number the task list by order priority and change the list once a week. After six years my car was done:)
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Second the whiteboard, helps keep me on task.
Had one in the shop for years and it's so much better than notes scribbled on paper or even a notebook.
Every time I walk in the shop there it is, on the wall, letting me know there are some things to get done.
 
12many said:
Put a TV out in the shop. Find some drag racing, car movies, Mopar historical documentaries, hot rod type anything DVD's...put some tunes on, throw in some car magazines, some SA Design How-To Performance engine, trans, suspension setup books, stick BEER in a micro fridge out there, lay down some cheap carpet remnants, get some heat if you can, anything to get you out there looking at the car, crack a beer, put on some video/ car music, literature in your hand, parts on the bench.......always always works for me, focus on first thing first. Don't look at the totality. Laser focus and then complete it. Move on to what comes next. Then grab another beer and repeat!!:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Hellrats said:
Beer :)
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Prime reason there are so many unfinished projects to be bought CHEAP!!!!! People will take them ALL apart and then the whole picture is overwhelming! I like to do one big thing at a time. Keep it rung until you have the $, time, and desire to pull the drivetrain. Same way with the front suspension. Not a small job either. Like said, eat that elephant one bit at a time!!
Find a mopar buddy to just be able to visit with occasionally that does his own work and motivates YOU.
Find a small job that you can easily accomplish and that gives you CONFIDENSE in being able to find a sense of pleasure in doing this work!!!! Let that build into enthusiasm for tackling that larger job!
Yes beer I agree ( in hot weather!?) lol
 
Envision yourself driving the car as it would be in it's finished stage. Like cruising to your favorite spots. Car shows, Sunday drive, just simply enjoying a muscle car! This can maybe help get motivation going again.
 
If you promise to start working on the car I'll promise not to stop you!! Make a list, easy stuff first. Go out with no intent of finishing anything and just start tinkering with some of the parts. If you can get yourself to work on the smallest easiest thing you'll get "sucked in", at least that's what happens to me. I've gone outside (to the garage) many times only planning to do one simple thing to the car and end up working until dark just because I got "sucked in". I'm sure it happens to everyone??? Treblig
 
for large projects at work or home I've always done better when I used a project checklist organized in the order I thought could work best..... made changes as needed and kept the crossed out lines so you could see the progress...
 
OR, send me $35 plus 29 shipping for my motivational book, entitled ( sorta long title), " How to build award wining Mopar in your own two car garage in ten easy weeks, just YOU, for under $3000". I have sold copies to those Velosity TV shows They use my METHOD.
This whole car resto deal is a lot like training a horse. The car is a lot easier though. It takes riding him 30-40 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week for months, to get him broke and started, not trained! The old saying, IF he gets 1 % better every ride, in 100 days he is totally 100% trained, JUST ain't true! To be sucessful, you have to recognize that horse's every small try he to does to meet your request. And he happy with that.
Same with the car resto, we have to find happiness with owning that project in the first place, find happiness in accomplishing even the little things.
Just to look at my old cars, is just like the horses, just to look at them gives me pleasure. Little thing some days. I enjoy changing the oil, and rubbing some hair on my horses.
 
I was going great guns on my Duster, and then we bought the camper at the beach. Seems like all I get done now is go to the beach, work my *** off down there, and come home with no energy left to work on the Duster. If I can ever get thru the fab work on it, it will sail along then.
 
Maybe you need to sit down with the car and assess the project from where it is now and where you would like it to be in say 3 months.
Make a plan, not a deadline, but a plan so you don't get discouraged if you don't meet a deadline.
What small things are there that you could do to it in a spare hour or two here and there (Like cleaning)?
Knock those small tasks off your list and you will get motivated to do more.
I find that the hard part is getting going, and after that i get right into it.
Consider it a series of small projects, not one big one!
Beer and music does help too...............
 
The best part is they(the project) will always wait for you,and never complain.
 
Dartnut said:
Maybe you need to sit down with the car and assess the project from where it is now and where you would like it to be in say 3 months.
Make a plan, not a deadline, but a plan so you don't get discouraged if you don't meet a deadline.
What small things are there that you could do to it in a spare hour or two here and there (Like cleaning)?
Knock those small tasks off your list and you will get motivated to do more.
I find that the hard part is getting going, and after that i get right into it.
Consider it a series of small projects, not one big one!
Beer and music does help too...............
Click to expand...

It’s not a huge project. Get the engine in and get it running (for me that’s a weekend deal). Then get the front suspension and steering back together (roughly 2 weekends).
 
This sounds dumb but I watched a short clip on Instagram of a guy getting in his dart and starting it. That got the ball rolling. Now I’ve got texts out to some buddies to get them over this weekend. I figured if I can’t get motivated then I’ll bring over some guys that are and we will get something done.
 
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