Out Of Control Builds!!!!! WHY??

[72BBSwinger]

The problem I have is now that the car is way more capable, I feel I need to take it a Road Course and an Autox soon or it was just a waste. Justify the sum of parts time now lol!

[PT Sportwagon]

They're making more of it as we speak...

So where is mine? I need more.

Tim

[James OLC]

aaahh.. the "Snowball effect"

I know you well...


a normal PT build takes about 2 to 5 years.. and during that time period

new parts come into the scene(which you want)
new wheels come to the scene(which you need)
newer cheaper engines come more available(which you must have)
not to mention the metal and bodywork..

then the dreaded..

PARTS CLASSIFIEDS!

you find deals through other "snowball casualties" that you just must get cause its a good deal.




WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW??!!!

That's about bang on. Three years ago I started working on my wife's '67... I had a plan in mind - "Pro-Touring Light" - no mini-tubs, nice LS, simple takeout auto and we're good. Then came the parts classifieds...

A narrowed Rick's tank for sale locally lead to minitubs and the next thing you know the leaf springs on are their way out.
A Bowler auto with an overdrive and a Shrifter setup and the tunnel now needs a bit of a tweak...
A casual "I might be interested in..." and who knows what comes next.

All I know for sure is that I'm another year behind...

[tylers88]

To some people the build IS the point, which I don't understand.

I think I can help a little here, I do truely enjoy wrenching for fun(tried is for a career and it sucked) and its a little backwards, I know more about vehicles than my dad so I get him to help me and teach him along the way like he did with hunting when I was young. I also love that my 13 year old sister loves to help me, we recently put a leveling kit in my 04 Silverado together. I just use working on stuff as quality time with dad and/or my sister, its like playing catch to me.

[Todd in Vancouver]

I think I can help a little here, I do truely enjoy wrenching for fun(tried is for a career and it sucked) and its a little backwards, I know more about vehicles than my dad so I get him to help me and teach him along the way like he did with hunting when I was young. I also love that my 13 year old sister loves to help me, we recently put a leveling kit in my 04 Silverado together. I just use working on stuff as quality time with dad and/or my sister, its like playing catch to me.

I can second that but I am actually all by my lonesome when I'm working on my car. Nobody around and Its just me and my garage, and the car. I play what music I like,and a good cup of coffee and I just putter the day away. It really is kinda Zen like for me and although I'm looking forward to driving the beast I also am really just enjoying the journey. Peace, quiet and things just how I like them so it'll be a bit sad when the car is actually finished but hey, there may be another one to do for my daughter or whomever.

All I can tell you for sure is, just enjoy the journey because getting there is half the fun...

[Greg from Aus]

Because I can.

Greg

[Quickboat]

It's the second time around that proves we are insane.....

[PT Sportwagon]

Funny thing is in my model building( the car building I can afford) I plan on it being a some what basic build then it gets way out of hand. Aftermarket parts, custom made parts, overboard on the detail. I built a factory 69 ZL-1 camaro, it took me almost 15 years to get it done. but it was like most of the builds I do off and on.

Currently working on: 69 Charger 500 open road car (w/ viper drive train) and a replica of the year one Burt Renyolds edition Trans Am, with full accurate details.

Tim

[LS6 Tommy]

I hear you all on the project creep. I started out with a 16k mile car that all I was going to do was swap the stock 229 V6 automatic for my big block & Muncie 4 speed. I figured that would require a better rear & a clutch. The minor engine freshening turned into fully ported heads & intake, oversized valves, full roller cam. The rear end upgrade turned into a full suspension, adjustable shocks & 4 wheel disc brakes. Then the new Year One N90 17" wheels came out & I HAD to have them. Then I found an NOS carpet. That led to restoring some of the interior plastic parts & new bucket seats, which meant all the seats just HAD to be reupholstered to match each other and the rest of the interior. Still need paint, carb, exhaust, cooling system. Who knows how that will morph...

Tommy

[ho428]

It's called falling into the Midas well.
Got'r apart I might as well do... X,Y,Z

Of my 3 Firebirds the only one that hasn't fallen into the well is the one I haven't taken anything off of... yet. But sitting beside it being recycled from the other two Birds is a 10 bolt Posi, Global West Springs, built Pontiac 366, Muncie 4 speed, disc brake kit, etc...

[32deucecoupe]

I fell into the trap as well, bought a inexpensive base car, planned on adding disc brakes, a Muncie and replace the worn out interior, paint. Started searching how to's for brakes on the web and ended up here. Now it's mini tub, 4-bar and 18" wheels and tubular arms.

[Thephranc]

I'll stop building when I'm dead. For me its not the finished product, its the journey to get there.

[78trans]

I'm only 19 years old and I've already gone overboard on my Trans Am. Not in the original plan were the mini tubs, smoothing the firewall, the 4 link, coil overs, vintage air, or the upper and lower tubular control arms. There is still stuff i want to do the car and i haven't even started putting it back together. I want to fuel inject the ls, put in a 6 speed, and lots more. I dont ever think a car is done because you will always find that one thing you want to do to it after it is done.

[Motorcitydak]

I agree with some of the other guys here. I only have/can afford 1 car to build so I am going to build that one to the extreme limit of my wildest dreams. I have been building my own vehicles for quite a while now and finally realized that you spend way more time and money doing something half-assed first then doing it over or even worse is living with regret that you could have done better

[Zachalanche]

2 reasons:

1.Goals for my project car will always be a step above my income.
2.As technology improves my project becomes outdated before its finished.


Seems like there was a time when a few hundred hp gave you the edge over most cars on the road. 500-600 Hp is no big deal from the factory now. How do I compete with that?

Now I'm in too deep, so I'll just keep throwing good money after bad.

[ho428]

I've found that for the average guy if your try to achieve your perfect build you'll rarely get it finished. For one it takes so long and cost way more than you think it will, also over time your build tastes change and parts evolve. Years back you may have started out with a 383 stroker and 700R tanny dream, before your finished along comes the LS and TKO conversions, and a custom build can take 3-5 years, or longer, to complete in a back yard garage nickel and diming every dream part you want. Aftermarket brakes alone can cost a few months wages, rims and tires? same...

I've got one stalled for that type of reasons, I just can't finish the damn thing since my tastes have changed since I started it due to a wildest dream build thought process when it started.
So I'm all for setting a realistic goal of get it running and driving. I got my race car built using the bare basics and was able to get it on track in 2008, it now has very few of the same parts it originally had, but I couldn't afford to throw 20 grand of parts on it all at one time, nor did I want to wait 5 years to start driving it. I'd rather get a car running, enjoy it and then continue to tweak on it.
I'm probably going to do that with the stalled project, just get it on the road and enjoy it some, then worry about it fulfilling some dream build.

[rockytopper]

You ever see a armored car in a funeral procession? You can't take it with you......................

[gearheads78]

For me its the process of planning and building. If I was independently wealthy I would keep a car when done but since I'm not I have to usually sell a car to finance the next one.

I learned real quick 8 years ago when I got in to a local entry level class of small tire heads up racing. I built a car that was competitive and capable of running 5.9's-6.0's By mid season the money started coming in and you did not qualifie without a 5.75 or faster. I would have had to build a whole new motor to keep up. My 875 hp small block was already way out gunned. There is always going to be someone with better cooler and faster stuff. Just build what you can afford and have fun in the journey.

[cornfedbill]

I don't know, but it must have something to do with my project name...Scope Creep.

Hi. My name is Bill and I am an out-of-control build addict......

[rustomatic]

I live on a really, really good road. Right off my driveway, I've got ten miles of sweet, smooth twisties/river canyons. While you don't even need to drive fast to appreciate the road/scenery, not slowing down for turns does make the drive considerably more fun. Unfortunately, this is kind of like living at a test track, where results on the last thing I did are immediately available under moderately-pressured driving conditions. Fortunately, I have very few cosmetic concerns (steel wheels/crap paint/dents), so that helps to keep costs down...