Frustration

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inkjunkie

inkjunkie

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Sure this has been discussed numerous times.....But how do you push past the frustration when building a car? Things are going good, as far as I am concerned. But I sit here and can't help but think if I might have made a mistake taking on my project. I think about all the $$$ in it so far and all the $$$ it is going to take to complete it. Not to mention all the time it is going to take to finish when it comes back. Couple that with my body slowly falling apart at the ripe old age of 44 and it really has me wondering......
 
My suggestion is to walk away when it gets too frustrating and just take some time out. Go have a beer or something. If you really love the car, you'll come back to it later and things will be easier when you've had a chance to blow off some steam and think about the problem at hand.

If you look at working on the car as your hobby and don't focus so much on the goal of completing the project, then you can have fun with the work, solving problems, researching different ways to approach a task, and figuring out ways to reduce costs.

If that doesn't work, sell off the project and just go buy one ($$$$) from someone who's already done the work.

Someone once said it's about the journey, not the destination. If you love working on your car as much as you'll eventually love driving it, you can't lose.
 
I fell your pain... it took me 3 cars to finally get the right project I lost quite alot of money on my 74 dart sport and a bit of money on my 1973 swinger but ALOT OF TIME luckly when I finally got my final car the 74 swinger alot of the parts and stuff bought over the prior 6 years helped out.... There was many times I sat and had no idea what to do.
 
I don't know about you but I get frustrated this time of year, it's hard to work outside all day and then go out to a cold garage and find motivation. Then the thoughts occur, Ok you've spent all this money your car is a long way from done, could have bought a nice driver for the money I've invested so far and will probably spend enough to buy a second nice driver before mines done..
Oh hell...spring will be here before you know it and we'll go right back to the insanity full bore. By the end of February I hate winter...lol
 
There is no magic answer to this. I don't think you can justify the money and time on a rational level....it compares to owning a boat. If you divide the cost of boat ownership by the number of times you take the boat out, you would come out ahead chartering. So it's best not to think in those terms. Once you can take your car out on the road, you will feel better. So maybe focus on getting to that stage first.

We've all been there, it gets better....like a good friend told me "keep your chin up."
 
I thought about buying one that was already done. I came to the conclusion that if I did that, it would never really be MY car. One thing I found that helped a lot was to tackle one part of the car at a time and not really think of the total project other than in general terms. That way I had small victories so to speak all along the way. I did just about everything on my car myself, that makes me appreciate all the work that does go into somebody elses car all the more.

Jack
 
When it get frustrating... walk away from it.. leave it alone... its not going anywhere. There is nothing that says the car has to be done at a certain time. I have been so frustrated with my Duster over the 22 years of owner ship... but I still have it. I have lost loads of money on it from a blown engine due to a machine shop error and also a body shop guy that took me for 5 grand.... constant problems with it... so on and so forth... but each time I fix something its one less thing. I am getting close to being done with it (as far as I am taking it anyways). This time of year sucks. I always wait for the end of March when the car shows start up around here.... after seeing one car show the bug bites me again and I get motivated. Leave it alone for now... dont think about it. Wait till you see a good car show or races again.... you will get motivated.

Best of luck to ya.

-RPM
 
You can think of it two different ways
1. You throw money, time, effort towards the car because you like doing the work yourself, someone important gave it to you, it's just a fun hobby.
2. If you look at it from a economic stand point, don't buy project car. Just buy a restored one because 9 times out of 10 you'll come out ahead. Plus, by buying the car restored already you can enjoy it anytime you want instead of waiting till the project car is finished.
 
I come here to wine and all my FABO family helps me through,I get past the problem and move on.
 
I can totally understand were you and alot of members are coming from in this aspect. Think of the taxes you pay for example......What do you really get out that????????In life there are are alot of things we spend money on that to me is really a waste. To me building a car that is something that is enjoyable and satisfieing is something special to YOU. I myself am far from being a mechanic. I love learning and working with my hands,I need help constantly with things related to my Dart.I also agree with doing one thing at a time.....IE" my front end. Then moving on to something else and then on.Life is way to short to be wasted on what ifs and should haves.....I see sad stuff all the time in my line of work and its a great escape to even go in the garage for a hour and tinker or even look at what i have acomplished.......This isnt for everybody....Every now and then we all need a break. Im sure you will be just fine come spring. February is actually one of the most depressing months of the year....Hang in there man................To me its worth it....Your making it YOURS.........Edd
 
If you look at it from a economic stand point, don't buy project car. Just buy a restored one because 9 times out of 10 you'll come out ahead. Plus, by buying the car restored already you can enjoy it anytime you want instead of waiting till the project car is finished.
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Agree 100%,when i bought my duster the body and paint were already done just needed to yank the motor in favor of the motor i wanted,and have added improvements/safety equipment as the car has gotten faster along the way..so it was never a project car much more fun driving/racing them then always working on them...
 
This is exactly why I am throwing a quick 440 in my car to drive while I sort out the Hemi stuff. I need the fun factor for motivation keep up the good work it will all pay off in the end.
Blue Sky's
Bob
 
Unfortunately the last few times I got frustrated with a project I ended up selling them, Dont make that mistake. All that managed to do is leave me frustrated with not having a car or the money to buy one.

Good luck.
 
Frustration can come from a number of sources. Do you have a schedule or milestone that you have come to realize that you can't meet? If so, revise the schedule. These projects often take a lot more time that anyone would figure, unless you do this kind of work often. I think that it also depends on what you want to get out of it. I personally get great satisfaction from completing these tasks by myself. Of course there are things that I just cannot do because I don't have the equipment or knowledge to use it, engine machine work for example. So I farm that out, but I still do the assembly. Try eating the elephant one bite at a time. Break your project up into smaller tasks so that you can get some satisfaction from getting that part done. I see my projects from the stand point of what I will be able to learn from it as much as I do from how good I think I will feel when it is done. Like many of us here, my car hobby has nothing to do with what I do for a living. I do it for fun and the pride I feel when I get something done. For sure, the drudgery of the winter is a factor if you live in the snow belt. Step away, give it some time. Spring time (its really not that far away) will revive your motivation. L8r

Jim
 
AdamR said:
Unfortunately the last few times I got frustrated with a project I ended up selling them, Dont make that mistake. All that managed to do is leave me frustrated with not having a car or the money to buy one.

Good luck.
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............TOTALLY AGREE...........there are people who want to just drive and then there are others who want to build what they drive..........Different strokes 4 different folks:thumbup:
 
I love building them, my problem is patients. even though I made a lot of progress on my last 2 cars pretty quickly on want everything done yesterday and it better be perfect.

My next car will be a driver that I can just polish and personalize.
 
Working on the project cars is two fold for me. It's relaxation and stress relief working with my hands and seeing concrete physical progress, no matter if it's an engine build or body work or whatever since I spend 12-14 hours a day in front of a computer screen. If it's one of the boys cars, it's time I get to spend with them and teach them what little I know and hopefully pass along a love of doing things themselves.

I know going in that I'm not going to make any money on them, and if I'm lucky that I won't lose 5k on a project. If it was all about the money, I'd play the stock market or sink the money I spend on cars into lottery tickets, the payoffs there are much more likely than me ever making money on a car. :)
 
Yes very frustrating especially when it comes to mopar price gouging. But if you sold your project off,you would lose even more $$.Stick with it. Finished results are what you need to see. It really helps with motivation!
 
For me, it's electrical stuff. I've got 2 projects (both were drivers) that are sitting because of under-dash electrical problems. I can't justify doing any of the fun-stuff (body/paint) untill I exorcise the electrical demons.

Don't do it for the money, you'll be a loser every time. If you don't enjoy it, don't work on it, it'll just make you more depressed. When there is something you want to do to it, do it. I wouldn't spend $15k on bodywork and paint, but that's the stuff I enjoy doing. I'm seriously thinking of paying someone to instal 2 new wiring harnesses, but I'm just too dang cheap, so I'll get to it when I get to it.
 
Walk away from it for a little while. KEEP IT A HOBBY!

Keep telling yourself that KEEP IT A HOBBY!

If what keeps you sane starts to make you insane its time to walk away.
 
For me, it's a matter of perspective; if I start thinking about "THE PROJECT!!", I begin feeling overwhelmed and often just grab a beer, close the garage door and retreat to my recliner and read magazines for the rest of the day. So I try a different approach; I set a task list and break it down into a series of specific items to address and cross each one off the list as I complete it. I get a sense of accomplishment from the completion of each task rather than thinking about the entire project. I keep the list of crossed off items and whenever I start to feel depressed, I go back over that list to remind me of how much I've already got done. At my age (56), I don't have the stamina to pull all-nighters in the garage after a day at work like I did 20 years ago, but I still love working on my cars. Good luck and don't ever think about the money you've spent, just enjoy the feeling of building it yourself.
 
Consider it therapy. I build cars for a living and it takes a hell of a lot of motivation to get me into the garage. (Ever ask a mailman to go for a walk?) I don't think my projects ever get done, but that's ok, I can live with that. When I work on my cars, it's just for me. I am doing it my way and nobody can take that away from me. Take your time, do what you want, when you want. It's why it's called a hobby.

Man, I need a new job.
 
Snake said:
I come here to wine and all my FABO family helps me through,I get past the problem and move on.
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They serve wine here? What thread is that on?
 
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