NEW THREAD-Why we don't finish........

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I just sat here and read this entire thread. THIS IS A GREAT THREAD!
When I got my car I told my self be realistic, buy something, someone else, has put all the time and money into restoring and then do a few things to make it my own. I've been the route of starting from almost junk to show back in the 80's and the only one who came out ahead was the guy that bought my car, a 67 formula S 383 fastback, lifes circumstances changed and I was forced to cell ( the wife needed a car) I lost my a$$ on that deal, but we do what we have to do. But back to the present, I have learned, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!
I bought a car knowing there were a few things that needed attention and I was fine with that. I budgeted a couple K for those and that was fine.
Wish I had x-ray vision and could have see into an engine. Two blown head gaskets, 1K worth of head repair, 2K worth of new cooling system, and the budget was gone! I'm now in for almost 8K and the can finally drive it with no issues and I love my car. All the changes I want to make are on hold, which is ok, but it just agrees with what many other here have said, your going to spend way more than you think!
But you know, It is so worth the time and money we put into our cars. I agree its like therapy!
I have to thank God that my lovely wife of 35 years puts up with my being in the garage and enjoys putting her foot into it as much as I do.
Thank you Deb!!
 
Distraction has been a big one for me. You get halfway through with something, then you start comparing the cost to finish vs. something else that catches your eye. Maybe it even runs.

I read a great quote about this one. Something like:

All you want to do is go on a date, but first you've got to build the bride of Frankenstien.

After living and learning, to me it comes down to this:

If it needs body work, I'm not buying it. Period. The drivetrain is the cheap and easy part. If it runs good, but is rusty, its off the list.

I'm not a body man, don't want to be one (even if I possessed the inborn skill, which I don't), and don't have the patience to wait for years and years while someone else gets it done. Or doesn't.

For me, this is looking at a project realistically, your mileage may vary.

Steve
 
Well, I have this "problem" with not being able to keep my cotton-pickin' hands off of things.
There is an old saying; "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Mine goes more like this; "If it ain't been overhauled, how do you know if it's any good?" Better get on with it.....
Sigh. And so it goes, with all apologies to Nick Lowe, and where it's going, no one knows.
Least of all myself.
Sort of like topping off the tank and pointing the grille west towards the sunset..and driving.
Ahhh, but when (if!) we return, what a tale we'll have to tell, no?
People don't understand this when I tell them about The Duke. Of course I care if I finish it. I'd love nothing more! But I won't cut any corners, or take any back alleys. The tale's been in the making for over thirty years now, and I've been telling it to all of you for going on the third year now.
What's a couple more?:toothy10:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=10519
 
well I just found this thread and I gotta tell tou all this , at times i thought damm I thought it was just me, and a few of your stories brought a teer to my eyes, and as stated you find the best of the best people on this site, I've had my scamp for 5 years now, I tore it down when I first got it and life and work got in the way alot but I have been working on it hot and heavy the past year, and got a good start on it this year, I've been saying every year that this is the year that I'm taking it to the nats, well this IS the year that I'm taking it to the nats, it may not be in paint and the headliner may not be in because Im working 7 days a week 10 hours a day with no end in sight, but I have made up my mind that I want to drive this car more than I want to sit in the garage and talk to it:-D, thank each and every one of you, now get to work on your cars:cheers:
 
MoParMetal said:
dont forget projects that look good until you start taking it apart...
the horrors i find with every cut.
i went through this, i still have it.
its sitting in the garage while we work on the wifes project.

here's another one.
if your gal is into it. do their car first or you'll never hear the end of it.
Click to expand...

YES!


This was my mistake! We finally are done with her project and now I'm free to begin making my Cuda the street machine it really is. Only 3 months behind original estimates.
 
GR8 Thread, this.

In my case a little of the “tunnel vision” is actually a good thing. I have just one ‘fun car’ which is my 73 Duster. On July-4’th 2007 I was taking her out for a celebratory summer cruise when about a mile from my place she started to make noise. Long story short I was able to keep the U-joints together long enough to drive her back to the shop and get her up on jack stands. And there she sits to this day. As it turned out there were so many thoroughly worn original components it made no sense to just patch her up and put her back out so I’m slowing replacing stuff.

Since time and money are always in such short supply I focus on “just one thing” and then moving onto the next. Little by little she is coming along! At this rate I’ll have her ready to roll on July 4th 2016! :)

Keep’em rolling guys: -LY
 
Lone Yankee said:
At this rate I’ll have her ready to roll on July 4th 2016! :)

Keep’em rolling guys: -LY
Click to expand...
but what a thrill it will be on July 4th 2016. i parked my bike at a friends shop before moving 18 months ago. hauled it up here last summer, and rolled it into the back of the garage. rearranged the garage the other day, bike ended up getting moved. hooked a battery up to it and fired it up. i have not smiled like that in years, and that was from just hearing the lope of it. it will no doubt be a while before i ride it again, but just knowing it is there, waiting for me to "get around to it" keeps me interested in it....
 
inkjunkie said:
but what a thrill it will be on July 4th 2016. i parked my bike at a friends shop before moving 18 months ago. hauled it up here last summer, and rolled it into the back of the garage. rearranged the garage the other day, bike ended up getting moved. hooked a battery up to it and fired it up. i have not smiled like that in years, and that was from just hearing the lope of it. it will no doubt be a while before i ride it again, but just knowing it is there, waiting for me to "get around to it" keeps me interested in it....
Click to expand...
I bet you still have a grin on :happy10: Congrat's :cheers:
 
memike said:
I bet you still have a grin on :happy10: Congrat's :cheers:
Click to expand...
everytime I go out to the garage, I renew the grin. don't know what I am going to do when my car comes back.....maybe I will just sit in the drivers seat making vroom vroom noises. Hopefully this thread stays active, most of the "advice/comments" apply to more than just getting your car done, with a bit of twisting you can apply them to your life.....
 
Why we don't finish, Well I take it one day at a time and keep one plan going "or try to"8)
I have found that if I keep at one thing one day it will be getting closer.
I and most folks here know that I am doing some funny things to Victoria 8) But it's the modes that will help me get to where I want to be, Like my fresh are breather and getting cool air to my little slant here in Arkansas 8)
I have that completed and my waggin duals and offey four and 390 Holley finely on and running, But it took 8 months to get this far, Why "I say to my self" Well it's because I need to be in the mood and have the energy to take another step forward and enjoy the time I get to work on her.:love7:
The weather slows me down on days I am sitting on parts to get installed and when the weather is good Half the time I enjoy my granddaughter and being a grandpa :love7:
I have caught myself walking out to Victoria's nest to enjoy some time with her and as I walk to the nest there is some one driving up the drive way for a day away from the city 8) so I turn around and set up for a day on the porch or in the house for a few games of domino's with an old friend that lives in a retirement home alone. This has happened more then 100 time in the last 8 months it seems, But Victoria will still be out there waiting on me.
The other slow down would be my neck shoulder's and back, I take good care of them and when they are inflamed I enjoy my time here and wait till I am in good shape to work on her. I have learned to enjoy my time out there with her :-D Never and I mean NEVER do I go out and do something to her if I have other things on my mind or something ells like spending time with my new Buddy "know about 4 month's Boxer':love7:
It's know or never to train him.8)
Then there is the yard, If the yard needs attention I can't even make it to the nest with out saying this has got to be dun or it will just get worse So a mowing I go. :-D
Creed and his new found blessing playing with the Zach Williams Band and touring all over the world :cheers: I use some of my part's money to show my support and glad to be in a position to do so, This is another know or never thing to do while Victoria is in her nest.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel Captain Kirk :cheers: but it's one step at a time and make sure I have a big smile on when I spend time with her.:happy10: These are the thing's that keep me from finishing her up grades that will make here a better driver and be ready for the day I go for the big valve ported head and enjoy the extra hp at shows and most of all at George Rays drag strip.:happy10::happy10::happy10: Joy Joy !!
Thank you for another great thread Captain Kirk8)
 
inkjunkie said:
everytime I go out to the garage, I renew the grin. don't know what I am going to do when my car comes back.....maybe I will just sit in the drivers seat making vroom vroom noises. Hopefully this thread stays active, most of the "advice/comments" apply to more than just getting your car done, with a bit of twisting you can apply them to your life.....
Click to expand...
So true inkjunkie :happy10: I took some time last night reading and getting caught up on this ol great thread :happy10: and thought it was time for another post :happy10:
 
Laughing out loud...at myself. I should re-read this post often. It's like the old Hair Club For Men commercial on TV.....not only am I the President of the Procrastinator's club for men...I'm also a client!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDk_ZfYuyfY"]YouTube - Hair Club For Men Commercial (1986)[/ame]
I guess I'm fully qualified to preside over this thread:toothy10:
 
And four years later.........I haven't done a damn thing except move parts around! Yes, King of the Procrastinators. But, my son just bought a '73 Duster, and we've been attending car shows and talking.....Money is an issue as always, and worse than ever now (big wage cuts, it's hard to put food on the table these days) but if I read and take my own advice, there is a lot of little crap I can do with a wire wheel and a can of Rust-Oleum, so my excuses are really just that....excuses. Wish me luck boys, I'm going back in the pool again. Even if just for a dip.
 
I bought my Swinger as a daily driver over ten years ago. A year later I got a Cherokee...better mileage, etc. Got married. Got a house. The Dart - well, I drove it to keep it running...then the wiper motor died. Got a new one, but it had the wrong connections. The accelerator pump in the carb freaked out one day a few years back. I'll get around to it. The Carter 2bbl is in pieces on a bench in my garage. I have a separate "car fund" savings account. About $5k dropped out of it for hardwood floors last year. There's a kitchen being painted right behind me. I just changed the radiator in my Ram but the lower trans line is leaking - bad fitting, or bad repop radiator? Can't tell, because the repop has the wrong length tube, the $6 line separator from Northern Tool won't fit (but it worked OK on the stock one...), and, um, I'm painting a kitchen. Luckily, my wife actually likes the old Dart, so she supports the project, it's just not a priority. (Did I mention that in the meantime, we had a daughter? She wants to paint the blue car pink. At least she's interested, right?)

EDIT: There's this '72 Duster for sale down the road...dealer wants $3k for it. Not worth it, I know - it's a 198 slant six (I checked the VIN) in brown primer, with a bad screw-on spoiler and air damn, ruined interior, badly installed aftermarket stereo, etc. but I *like* Dusters, and it'd be so easy (yeah, right) to switch out the good stuff from my Swinger onto/into a Duster instead...

EDIT #2: Indecisive. My '99 Ram came from Maine, and has way too much rust. It's got a 318 Magnum, and my Swinger is a 318 LA. I keep thinking I should buy a Ram with a 360 Magnum, put the non-rusted body parts on my Ram, put the 360 in my Dart. But OMG that's a lot of work. Maybe I should just build the 318 it's got...but a 360 is...but the new Hemi---wait, Hemi? There's a '57 DeSoto Hemi on craigslist!! That would be so cool in my Swinger! OMG! But...a big block...yeah, big block torque is awesome, I've driven a big-block even if it was a Buick...hold on. I'm talking about my Dart, right....yeah...what was I doing? Oh, yeah, painting a kitchen.
 
i am just finishing up my 68 barracuda. i am now into it about 1850 hours and probably around $5k (not counting the cost of the car). this has been a one year project. i have some thoughts for other FABO project folks.

i've been a car nut for over 40 years. i'm also a lawyer but almost became a psychologist. i got a lot of that "book learning" stuff in my background. i have two cuda's, a 68 and a 69. i wanted to do the 68 first but i knew i needed "a plan" before i started. so last summer, i started working on my garage in preparation. i wanted a decent and organized place to work with all the tools and items easy to find and in one place. once i got the garage organized i then started on the cuda. however, this is the crucial part to beginning a "big" project - DON'T DISMANTLE THE CAR INTO A PILE OF PARTS!!! restoring a car by yourself is as much a psychological endeavor as it is a physical one. DO SMALL PARTS OF THE CAR ONE AT A TIME!! I started with the engine bay. I spent probably a month just doing the engine compartment. Once that section was done, I had something nice to look at and to get immediate reinforcement from. YOU HAVE TO KEEP SHOWING YOUR MIND THAT YOU ARE MAKING PROGRESS!! After the engine bay, I did the door jams, then the trunk area, then the front fenders, then the quarters, then the top, then hood and finally the doors. It is also CRUCIAL to keep cleaning the car up from the work you are doing!! That is another psychological way of making your mind feel you are making progress. Also, it makes you feel good to see the results of your labor. YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE TO CREATE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT!! The other practical side of doing a project in little parts is that you can do each section completely and with great detail. Once you have completed several sections with great detail, the car begins to look like something to be proud of.

Let me admit something right now before you all start jumping on my advice - I know this approach does not work well for a complete nut and bolt rotissourie resto. Yes, you HAVE to dismantle the car completely if you are going that route. But in my humble opinion, it is VERY hard for a single person to do a rotissourie resto by themselves. My view is that if you are doing it all by yourself, just try to do the BEST section by section resto you can. At the end of your project you will still have a car or truck that you can be proud of. And as to pre-project planning, I cannot emphasize enough how organizing my garage and getting all the tools together in one place and easy to find has made completing parts of this project incredibly easy and less stressful.

I have purchased a number of vehicles off of ebay and see "abandoned projects" all the time. It is better for you to end up with a "pretty nice" vehicle than a pile of parts in your garage that your wife is tired of looking at.
 
Coyote Jack said:
O.K. After going through the ground up restoration process for the first time I have a few pointers.

1. Be truthful with yourself. There is no sense in thinking you can do all phases of the project if you don't have the knowledge to, or are not willing to spend the time to learn how to do it.

2. Don't plan on building an 11 second car if you can only afford a 13 second car. Speed costs big dollars once you get to the 12 second bracket. Stay with what you can afford and you won't be disapointed.

3. There is a lot of work you can do yourself that takes a lot of elbow grease. This is work that is easier with all the fancy tools that cost money but can be done in other ways.

4. Don't be afraid to do things twice to make it the way you want it. Don't be happy with, "That's good enough", just to get it done. you won't be happy in the end.

5. Leave the big ticket items to the end. Like engine, tranny and paint.

6. Don't buy everything you need at once at the first of the project.

7. Work on specific parts of the car at a time and finish them before moving to the next area.


This is just my opinion, but it sure helped me.

Jack
Click to expand...

Agree strongly on all points been there done that!!!!!!!
 
I have read most of these posts and could not agree more, my son wanted an old muscle car so we looked for quite awhile I found a duster that a Mopar collector friend had for sale it was completely painted, new interior [just needed to be installed], all new suspension, brakes, tires ect. It came with 3 motors [360, 318, 225 and two trans] for a very decent price at a friends discount and he said my son could make payments! Well my son decided he could not afford payments on two cars [he has a new car as a daily] so we ended up buying a project 73 charger with a 440 that was already machined and a pair of trannys. The rust was worse than we had seen while inspecting it [it was jammed in a storage bin, had to climb over stuff to look] and the PO took it apart and lost every nut and bolt, it took me two years to complete just the metal replacement and another 6 months to get it to the point of final prep for paint [the goal was a hot rod flatz paintjob]. To save money I made all the patches out of scrap sheet metal from hoods, fenders ect. [we only bought the trunk gutter replacements] all this was done by me [a guy who before this had never welded, fabricated, done body work, painted] finally this past April we were at the point of final body work and laying down paint I got a call about some parts we had for sale so the fellas came over to look at them while they were here they saw the charger and started asking questions about this an that and made my son an offer, long story short we were loading it on their trailer the next week. We got our investment back and made a little money on it [we got lucky] most projects when sold you loose your ***. Anyway any time I begin something I do a worst case cost on it I have to redo my shower enclosure and bath floor next week i'm thinking it should only cost me 200 for the enclosure and 100 for plywood/vinyl flooring but in reality it could go as high as 500 [it's a mobile home] depending how bad the hidden stuff is. I want to redo my cuda just a simple paint job but I know that the engine compartment has to match got to do the jambs well got to pull the windows to do that right well the engines out so lets freshen it up along with the trans well hell we're this far might as well pull the rear and put in my 8 3/4 oh crap now I need a drive shaft and rear disk brakes damn new paint requires a new interior and on and on till you got a full blown restoration and spend 15-20k in ten years on a car that's only worth 8-10k on a good day, i'll leave it alone and enjoy it as is maybe one day i'll redo it. We'll never get another basket case again that's for sure [however the metalwork/welding part was my favorite part]!!!!
 
jimharvard said:
i am just finishing up my 68 barracuda. i am now into it about 1850 hours and probably around $5k (not counting the cost of the car). this has been a one year project. i have some thoughts for other FABO project folks.

i've been a car nut for over 40 years. i'm also a lawyer but almost became a psychologist. i got a lot of that "book learning" stuff in my background. i have two cuda's, a 68 and a 69. i wanted to do the 68 first but i knew i needed "a plan" before i started. so last summer, i started working on my garage in preparation. i wanted a decent and organized place to work with all the tools and items easy to find and in one place. once i got the garage organized i then started on the cuda. however, this is the crucial part to beginning a "big" project - DON'T DISMANTLE THE CAR INTO A PILE OF PARTS!!! restoring a car by yourself is as much a psychological endeavor as it is a physical one. DO SMALL PARTS OF THE CAR ONE AT A TIME!! I started with the engine bay. I spent probably a month just doing the engine compartment. Once that section was done, I had something nice to look at and to get immediate reinforcement from. YOU HAVE TO KEEP SHOWING YOUR MIND THAT YOU ARE MAKING PROGRESS!! After the engine bay, I did the door jams, then the trunk area, then the front fenders, then the quarters, then the top, then hood and finally the doors. It is also CRUCIAL to keep cleaning the car up from the work you are doing!! That is another psychological way of making your mind feel you are making progress. Also, it makes you feel good to see the results of your labor. YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE TO CREATE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT!! The other practical side of doing a project in little parts is that you can do each section completely and with great detail. Once you have completed several sections with great detail, the car begins to look like something to be proud of.

Let me admit something right now before you all start jumping on my advice - I know this approach does not work well for a complete nut and bolt rotissourie resto. Yes, you HAVE to dismantle the car completely if you are going that route. But in my humble opinion, it is VERY hard for a single person to do a rotissourie resto by themselves. My view is that if you are doing it all by yourself, just try to do the BEST section by section resto you can. At the end of your project you will still have a car or truck that you can be proud of. And as to pre-project planning, I cannot emphasize enough how organizing my garage and getting all the tools together in one place and easy to find has made completing parts of this project incredibly easy and less stressful.

I have purchased a number of vehicles off of ebay and see "abandoned projects" all the time. It is better for you to end up with a "pretty nice" vehicle than a pile of parts in your garage that your wife is tired of looking at.
Click to expand...

Good points, all. Yes, a 'pile of parts' can be a daunting 'deal-breaker'......even if YOU were the one that took them off and put 'em in a pile! (Don't ask how I know). And the messy garage syndrome is a definite downer, psychologically...for sure! I have my entire front and rear suspension off my car right now (yes, I'm the one that did it!) and while I knew where every bit and piece went and how, now I don't have a clue. Me, I know I will figure it out....for others, that may be the straw that broke the camel's back. Your comments about keeping it a 'rolling runner' certainly make sense. Right now, for me, the stumbling block has become the Almighty Dollar and I am trying to figure a way around it.
 
When you are planning your resto or just touch up, spend the time to check out and select good reliable body shop / paint shop. I have seen too many posts on here about poor workmanship, overlong time to complete (paint shop prison). Get references and actually contact those people. Also when getting paint estimates, know exactly the color of paint you want because those can vary in price a lot. Also be sure you specify the type of paint job you expect; show quality, daily driver, or something in between.
 
3406pk said:
When you are planning your resto or just touch up, spend the time to check out and select good reliable body shop / paint shop. I have seen too many posts on here about poor workmanship, overlong time to complete (paint shop prison). Get references and actually contact those people. Also when getting paint estimates, know exactly the color of paint you want because those can vary in price a lot. Also be sure you specify the type of paint job you expect; show quality, daily driver, or something in between.
Click to expand...

Agreed....and yes, I just went through this. I finally decided (reluctantly) that I will have to shoot the paint myself, primarily due to costs. And if I eff it up, I will just have to sand and re-do it. But if it turns out right, I'll know I did did it and it was done right.
 
Excellent advice in the 1st posting of this page. My son and I did at least a year's worth of planning for our project, a 1975 Plymouth Valiant Custom 4-door.

The price of parts should remain relatively constant throughout a normal build period of 2-4 years. This can help if one does most of the work one's self and has done sufficient preliminary planning.

Budgets are broken when plans change too much on the go. I decided to add an air-conditioning unit from "Vintage Air" at one point. The price was reasonable, ca $ 1,500 as was the shipping to France. As my car has a slant-6 engine and the "Vintage Air" unit had all the kit for mounting to a V8 I had to buy different mounting brackets. Installation by a professional took longer than I expected. In fact, it was one of the hardest and most time-consuming tasks next to installing the radiator and the passenger-side front seat. By contrast the suspension, steering and braking system (from "Control Freak Suspensions") and engine mods (mostly from Australian sources) went more smoothly than I expected, beinig almost direct swops unto the original components.
 
Well, I'm here to say if you've let your project get the best of you, it IS possible to get back in the saddle and ride again. Nearly every damn thing I mentioned in the beginning of this thread happened, and like an idiot I let it. But now I really feel like I've turned the corner on my project, and even though I'm many miles from completion, I'm on a roll. The key is, people........KEEP ROLLING. Even if it's moving parts around the garage or peering under the hood with a trouble light. Momentum is KEY. Hell, Newton told us this centuries ago.
"An object in motion tends to stay in motion, an object at rest tends to stay at rest."
In other words....GRAVITY.
Get out there and DO SOMETHING!:D
 
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