Lets share our frustrations on having cars built or building & loosing motivation

[CTSV]

It seems all i do is spend more time and money on my cars sitting or being works in progress rather than enjoying them. Missing every car event annoys me attending as a spectator instead of a participant. I am sure not alone feeling these pains.

i have been at the point of wanting to sell everything off and just buy a new Viper GTS and call it a day, lets be honest life is too short and i want to enjoy every moment with my toys and sitting around waiting is no enjoyment at all. I get bitched at by my friends, co workers, clients and even my UPS and mailman asking when are they going to be done etc. quite annoying.

I am restoring two original cars now and trying to finish up another pro tour build which it never seems to go smoothly no matter how much planning and project managing i do.

Share your experiences and any ideas how i can retain my motivation still as time ticks.

[Tomswheels]

I was until last year, fighting the same issues. I finally decided to live with a strict rule, have one car always drive to show/race ready, and NO MORE THAN ONE PROJECT AT A TIME! I bought a new Mustang GT and have raced it all year. I've fixed up two 80's Saleens and my 73 Vette and am selling all three. I am starting work on my ONE project, a 67 Valiant, to be my new autocross/track car, and that's it, ONE project. I already find myself less frustrated. Yes the new stang costs $500 a month but that won't last forever.

[epeterson]

What three cars are those?

[CTSV]

Yeah i sold off two of my cars a few months back because the deals were a score for my pocket and it left me with no car cool muscle car to drive all spring and summer and now fall.

Im finishing up a 70 mach1 pro tour which is the biggest headache i ever dealt with. I am restoring a 59 vette 68 shelby

[Jim Nilsen]

When you get to the point you get cancer ,get laid off ,run out of unemployment, use up your retirement and then still get your car finished, know what driving is like when you get 22,000 miles down the road and finally reached the top 16 out of 95 cars at the Motorstate Challenge and still not really be done you will understand what some will go through to get to where you want to be so easily. I have watched and talked to just about everyone who is doing this and I don't know of any of them that ever said it was easy or done on time.

Hang in there and remember that if you don't spend as much time and money driving it when it is done then what you are complaining about now won't matter.
Now go get that car guy attitude back by going for a ride in a fast car, if possible drive a fast car and then put that energy in yours.

You will smile someday!!!!

[Greg from Aus]

Very well said Jim

[Nicks67GTO]

When you get to the point you get cancer ,get laid off ,run out of unemployment, use up your retirement and then still get your car finished, know what driving is like when you get 22,000 miles down the road and finally reached the top 16 out of 95 cars at the Motorstate Challenge and still not really be done you will understand what some will go through to get to where you want to be so easily. I have watched and talked to just about everyone who is doing this and I don't know of any of them that ever said it was easy or done on time.

Hang in there and remember that if you don't spend as much time and money driving it when it is done then what you are complaining about now won't matter.
Now go get that car guy attitude back by going for a ride in a fast car, if possible drive a fast car and then put that energy in yours.

You will smile someday!!!!


When I was around 19 and putting my Nova together I started to lose interest. It was horribly expensive and time consuming, especially for a broke 19 year old like myself. My neighbor guy/mentor had a 63 chevy II with a 5 speed and a 427 Dart block SBC in it. He noticed I was losing interest. He told me to go take it for a drive around the block. I did. I got back and went straight to work on mine. Its amazing what a little ride in a hot old car will do for your motivation.

[astroracer]

Yea, understood. That's the "want it now/instant gratification" syndrome... I see that a lot in the younger generation. You have to realize it isn't going to happen instantly, especially when you have one guy spread over three projects. Focus on one, get it finished and move to the next...
I also find driving a fast/nice car helps to motivate me on the van build. I get in my '02 T/A and marvel at the 370 LS1 horsepower it effortlessly puts out. All that does is make me want to get the van done so I can marvel at the 600 BBC horsepower it will bringing to the game... :)
I worked on wiring last night for 5 hours. I am getting it done. Not instantaneously but, it is getting done... :)

[LS1-IROC]

What about the guy who get's his car done and then realizes that he enjoyed working on it better than driving it...lol Tell me I'm not alone here?

[astroracer]

I don't think you are alone... Ask Mark Stielow how that works out for him... :)

[andrewb70]

What about the guy who get's his car done and then realizes that he enjoyed working on it better than driving it...lol Tell me I'm not alone here?

You're definitely not alone. My GTO was technically "done" in 2002. Since then I have changed the engine, brakes, various suspension parts, and have done numerous little upgrades. Part of the fun for me is tinkering and making things better.

Andrew

[Bryce]

You're definitely not alone. My GTO was technically "done" in 2002. Since then I have changed the engine, brakes, various suspension parts, and have done numerous little upgrades. Part of the fun for me is tinkering and making things better.

Andrew

^ This.

Car are never done.

[srh3trinity]

I get frustrated when I get paint and body quotes. I want a streetfighter with a few custom body mods. The only shops capable of fabwork locally have quoted me 25k to 40k just for the paint and body not including the mods that I need them for in the first place.

[bret]

For some, it is about the destination. For others, it's about the journey. Nothing wrong with either position.

The destination guys complain about the jouney, and the journey guys look down their nose at the money that the destination guys spend. In reality, if it wasn't for the destination guys spending money, the journey guys could never afford to build their second car.

[Jim Nilsen]

For some, it is about the destination. For others, it's about the journey. Nothing wrong with either position.

The destination guys complain about the jouney, and the journey guys look down their nose at the money that the destination guys spend. In reality, if it wasn't for the destination guys spending money, the journey guys could never afford to build their second car.

Well put Bret, I loved the journey and it was long, the destination changed so many times in the journey that it made the journey that much longer,lol.
When it was all ready to get on the road there were events popping up all over and the destination was a far better end to the journey and a much older and wiser group of car people.

[Jim Nilsen]

What about the guy who get's his car done and then realizes that he enjoyed working on it better than driving it...lol Tell me I'm not alone here?

If you think you will get out of working on your car when you drive them like we do, you are in for a surprise!!!!
You will get all kinds of enjoyment upgrading and fixing what the car tells you isn't going to work.
Then the new part that just calls out to be on your car will put you back to work again.
If you miss working on your car after getting it on the road you are not driving it like you stole it.

Yes !!!!! there will be lots to do when you get it done and really drive it. Cleaning it will consume as much time as color sanding did,lol.
The trade off for the kind of work to keep the car going vs building it not really that much different but you have to drive your car and do events.

You can have the best of both worlds and that is what really makes it fun. If you haven't fixed your car at the track you haven't lived the full circle of being a car guy.

[sccacuda]

I started my current one in my mid-thirties when I had more time and less money. I swore I'd finish it quick because I didn't want to be another 40 year old guy with a muscle car. Now I'm approaching mid-forties. This car will be finished probably next year. It's now about time instead of money. I could finish it in a few months if I could put 40 hours a week in on it, but that puts me back into less money, which won't get it finished either!

I've had a love hate with this car. We stayed mad at each other almost a year and I didn't touch it. I'm finally assembling it now, but it is very moody and fights me at times.

If I had it to do all over? I don't know. I'm picky. I see others with theirs and part of me wishes I just threw mine together and was with them, but then I see all the things I don't like about theirs, poor quality, bad suspensions, fit and finish, etc... and glad I'm doing mine my way.
I know if I bought a driver while playing with this one, it would be in pieces soon right next to it. I'm smart enough to realize that, so i'll keep plugging away on mine.

[LS1-IROC]

If you think you will get out of working on your car when you drive them like we do, you are in for a surprise!!!!
You will get all kinds of enjoyment upgrading and fixing what the car tells you isn't going to work.
Then the new part that just calls out to be on your car will put you back to work again.
If you miss working on your car after getting it on the road you are not driving it like you stole it.

Yes !!!!! there will be lots to do when you get it done and really drive it. Cleaning it will consume as much time as color sanding did,lol.
The trade off for the kind of work to keep the car going vs building it not really that much different but you have to drive your car and do events.

You can have the best of both worlds and that is what really makes it fun. If you haven't fixed your car at the track you haven't lived the full circle of being a car guy.

Your preaching to the choir...lol

But I still prefer wrenching over wheeling.

[bret]

The vast majority of people who build a nice car are a bit apprehensive about "abusing" it at the track for fear of hurting something. This group is less allergic to this concept than most...by definition we all tend to "use" our cars.

I've breastfed several cars across the country and around the track. I'd rather not have to work on / fix anything...ever...let alone on the road or at the track. BUT, I'd much less rather sit in front of a disabled car if it is within my power to not do so.

It is not uncommon in other markets/venues to engage an outside service to prep/deliver/maintain your car. I've never had the resources to do this but the concept is certainly intriguing. All the owner does is arrive and drive. It may not be feasible for this crowd neccessarily, and it is certainly one of the more expensive ways to enjoy the sport, but if the alternative is to not enjoy it at all it may make sense. If your "real" life [executive/celebrity/entertainer/sports figure/insert busyness here] dictates a compressed timeframe to have fun, I can see the merit of not spending time wrenching on [or learning how to wrench on] a car. You do not have to raise cattle to enjoy a good steak!

CTSV...I think we all share your frustrations in one form or another. By your screename, I assume you have a CTS-V Cadillac. That is one high standard to compare any car to. [mine is a 2009 6 speed with a 630hp Lingenfelter upgrade and Forgeline wheels]. It has raised the expectations for all my other hotrods. I am no longer content to drive a car with 300hp, no air, no cruise, and no ride quality when I know I can hop in that thing and be faster and more comfortable for less money than I would have into any mid level Camaro/Chevelle/Mustang. If you have driven a Z06 Corvette then you can insert even more speediness into that equaltion. When you compare the price of one of those cars [around 50k used] to the amount of money you'll have in any fast musclecar [plus the fact you can have it RIGHT NOW!] it is certainly easy to get discouraged.

BUT...the part you cannot buy is passing one of those cars on the track or the street with your 70 Mustang. Everyone knows a CTSV or a Z06 is fast. Nobody expects a 43 year old Musclecar to come even close. Porsche guys seem especially irritated by this phenomenon. :) THAT is what makes it worthwhile.

[andrewb70]

....

BUT...the part you cannot buy is passing one of those cars on the track or the street with your 70 Mustang. Everyone knows a CTSV or a Z06 is fast. Nobody expects a 43 year old Musclecar to come even close. Porsche guys seem especially irritated by this phenomenon. :) THAT is what makes it worthwhile.

Very true...The other parts that can't be bought is having a unique car that is not often seen on the road. I see CTSVs, and Corvettes on a daily basis. I can't recall the last time I saw a well prepped old muscle car going down the road. I drove my GTO from Memphis to Bowling Green, KY for the LSFest over the past weekend, and got hundreds of "thumbs-up" as I drove down the highway. Guys in Corvettes and CTSVs don't attract that much attention, for better or for worse. As a gentleman at a BMW autocross said about my car "It is like a tarantula on a wedding cake."

I don't begrudge people that buy newer cars, or build old cars, or have all of their cars built for them. As long as people are happy and enjoy the hobby, it's all good.

Andrew

[Quickboat]

Brett, I'm more of a "journey" guy..it happens that my wife is more of the destination persuasion ......lol

[CTSV]

i was thinking this morning and what i honestly miss from my muscle cars and driving them is the shifting of the manual gearbox, the sound and sheer basics of these cars. My daily drivers are very nice and high performance but so well made they get very boring to say the least. I am so tired of cars with paddle shifters i can not stress this enough.

[Zachalanche]

I get bitched at by my friends, co workers, clients and even my UPS and mailman asking when are they going to be done etc. quite annoying.


Pay no attention to the naysayers. If you have a day job and some sort of life, it takes a decade to build a car. It's not realistic to build a car in a week. that only happens on tv. Plus, I would wager that the poeple that hassled you about finishing the project are just going to tell you how you should have done it differently when you are finished. Finish what you started and it will be worth it.

[IMPALA MAN]

I've always seen it this way. If it were easy, everyone would do it. When I go to any show where there are everything from restored cars to customs, one thing every car owner (that built the car him/herself) can say is that it was a hard road.
You don't loose weight without working hard.
You usually don't make great money without working hard.
This is one of those challenges that separates the men from the boys.
Believe me, when someone walks past your finished car at a show, guys like use will know what it took to get it done. Then and only then will you get the recognition you deserve.
So......are you in it for the long haul or going to cop out half way through the game?
Now get back on that horse and ride it to the end!!!!

[Nicks67GTO]

Very true...The other parts that can't be bought is having a unique car that is not often seen on the road. I see CTSVs, and Corvettes on a daily basis. I can't recall the last time I saw a well prepped old muscle car going down the road. I drove my GTO from Memphis to Bowling Green, KY for the LSFest over the past weekend, and got hundreds of "thumbs-up" as I drove down the highway. Guys in Corvettes and CTSVs don't attract that much attention, for better or for worse. As a gentleman at a BMW autocross said about my car "It is like a tarantula on a wedding cake."

I don't begrudge people that buy newer cars, or build old cars, or have all of their cars built for them. As long as people are happy and enjoy the hobby, it's all good.

Andrew


There is a lot of truth spoken here. The new stuff is nice and very fast but musclecars are just a different kind of awesome and their badass simplicity can never be recreated. Thats just how it is. I drive my mild 67' GTO everywhere and I can't go 2 miles without having people throw out the thumbs up, little kids climbing out of seats to look, old ladies waving. No one really gets that with the new stuff. Everyone loves musclecars even if they're not "into" them. They have something that new cars dont have. That said the new performance stuff out performs them in just about every category out of the box except for "cool factor".....but thats where ridetech, sc&c, hotchkis, chassisworks etc come into play.... :)

On a different note, I personally would much rather start with a project car, ready to go on the road with some minimal work, even if it was in rustoleum primer. Maybe its missing an engine or tranny etc. Thats how my GTO started out, the body work was done and a 20 footer paint job aplied years ago but it had no engine or tranny ready to go and nothing but stock stuff under it that needed work. I have enjoyed my journey while I got through phase 1 which was getting the car on the road and enjoyable. Im starting phase 2 now which is to make it handle like a slot car even with the el-cheapstreet iron 455 in it. Im upgrading a chassis part at a time to see how that part works as an individual upgrade while the whole pre planned package comes together. Im enjoying the car while not breaking the bank and its not down for months at a crack. It would honestly drive me insane to look at a car for 10 years while I pour $50K into it just to watch it collect dust. Thats why ill never have a show piece. Some guys dont mind doing that and thats cool. I think that some guys THINK they wont mind it, then after 3 years you can buy their project for 50 cents on the dollar because they get discouraged, out of $$ and only half way done. Its certianly not for me.

[SSLance]

I'm 5 years into my car and it has changed direction several times during that period. The one thing that has remained the same is...I love the look of the car.

It helps now that the majority of the work is done and I'm able to drive and thrash on it in between projects, but even then...I did have to walk away from it a couple of weeks ago as it had me in fits. I was trying to get a project done in a fixed time period, and it wasn't working out. When I discovered that i wasn't having fun with it any more, I backed off of the time frame and walked away.

Thankfully my down time was short and the next time I went back at the car it didn't fight me near as much.

Brett said it best about the journey and destination guys...it takes both for sure. My friends and family think I'm bat crap crazy for the work I put into my car, but they don't understand that it's just therapy for me. :)

[silvermonte]

I had planned to get my s10 done in under a year, and guess what, I went over budget and Im only about 1/2 done, but I havnt cut any corners and I would have any regrets when its done.I went out and got a 96 corvette because they are pretty decent in stock form and to get some seat time at the autox while Im building the s10 and wouldnt you know it I broke the auto after the first event, like Bret said if you dont brake something you are not driving it hard enough, just the way the sport is I guess.

I agree that if you start to feel like its not worth it go take a short vacation from the car and go to one of the run thru the what ever events and hop in a car with some one else, that will get your blood going and get you back in the mood.

[snappytravis]

I'm not sure I want to get my car done, I love the challenge and all the good advice I get on this site, When it's done then what? Ok I will build something else It's a highly addictive hobby, I am 41 and been tearing cars up since I was about 12. I just want better more expensive parts now.. Think of the personal gratification you get when you drive your car down the street for the first time after rebuilding or building it. When you get thumbs up from a little kid, or the guy that walks up to you at the gas station and tell you how him and his buddys tore up the town in a chevelle or Camaro back when it was new..

[MidnightSpecial]

Well I'm of the young generation of "everything now", so I'm guilty of getting begrudged easily.

Hell I've had my car since mmmm February and have already tested the waters with selling it (more because of the deal I got on it).

But its my "inner old man" that keeps playing with my head. I have a very decent job for my age and I dont struggle to live. But with student loans and a newly bought house....play money is sparse. So my "inner old man" comes into play that I spent XXXX number of dollars on this old hot rod when I could buy a fence for my house to get my spastic blue heeler outside, throw it into student loans, or invest it....none of them exciting ventures but its the "responsible" thing to do.

Pro-touring is no easy venture for a newby like myself and especially for someone as cheap as me. I have an unbridled passion for cars but it always clashes with my sensibilities.

My car runs...very slowly....but runs. So I refuse to start the huge teardown until I have the capital to replace what I'm tearing out. I dont want it to sit. Also I have a learned trait, from my father, that you buy what you want the first time around. So that means I need to save about $20,000 for my 6.1 Hemi, Tremac 5 speed, and Dana 60 haha. Not to mention the body work, interior, etc.

I know I will get there one day. And I feel I enjoy wrenching more than anything, but I need the parts to wrench!

[J-440]

I bought my Charger when I was 28, drove it in primer for 3 months with the original drivetrain and crappy interior, then proceeded to blow it apart thinking I would be done within 2 years. Yeah right!! Pro-Touring is expensive and 13 years later and $65,000...I'm almost done. I have a ton of patience, and an understanding wife. This is also my dream car and I will enjoy it till I die. It helps to have a killer garage to hang out in and looking at the rolling "art" while having a few beers with my car buds.
Bottom line is this hobby keeps me sane with all of the political BS and speedbumps in life. Plus with motivation from my buds and family, and no credit card debt (save up and pay cash...it's a want not a need!!) and stay positive. Keep an eye on the future with what you and the fam plan to do with your ride, make a list of all the places you want to cruise to and you'll have memories and pics to last a lifetime.

[CarlC]

Three projects at once is a killer. Pick the one that most fires your passion and "finish" it. The gratification will fuel your drive to get the others done.

[MonzaRacer]

Got two projects, just waiting to get some breathing room and have work settle down some. We lost a tech but guy I used to work with is coming in so maybe I wont be only true tech in shop,,,bad thing is I may get chance to develop a shop on my own from local retired bodymans 7 bay shop.
Just need to see if I can rent bay or two and build the shop rep up. And since there are no good alignment shops in area Ill be busy doing that too. IF/when I get a rack/machine.
Been also thinking of just building at my home a decent two or three bay and have a alignment rack there.
Try building a car with no garage and blown compressor (brother has/stores good one) used one I got needs rebuilt.
I DID build a car in a week after my dad passed away, I had little cash and one running car and good body so I swapped stuff over, even made mods on the way. That car was yellow one in my avatar.
Have another one I am building,,,,slooooowwwwlllly.