Anybody else get overwhelmed by your car project?

As in... you look at how much work you still have left to do... and think about the $$$ you'll need to spend to get there... and how much time it will take to make real progress... and your brain starts to swell... and the thought that forms in between your ears is a 100 db scream of: "What the F-$-&-K have I gotten myself into???"

OK, all better now.

Well, not really, but it's definitely time to get off the 'puter and do something (anything) constructive...

I kinda know what you mean, except I have 4 in progress right now and several more in pieces waiting their turn. Sometimes A.D.D. is brutal.

I've been overwhelmed many times over the years by various projects. I have a long list of tricks to get me out of being overwhelmed but sometimes my list of tricks isn't long enough......

Are you kidding? Have you seen my build? Started with a couple of 2x3 pieces of tubing. And I'm still far from done. Overwhelmed is an understatement. You just have to psyche yourself up and push on. That's what I'm doing, because "I REALLY WANT THIS!!!

Care to share some of your secrets?

The idea of a project is to have fun. Don't worry about time lines. Figure out what you want to build. Move back and forth to different areas, motor, body, brackets, ect. If the part doesn't meet your expectations, redo or pitch it. Eventually the big picture will come together. You'll forget about the time spent. But you won't forget something you let slip instead of doing righht.
Doug

I hear ya, I rebuilt mine in 5 years, cut it into bite size pieces almost, welded it back together, every night until 9 or 10 and every weekend. Count less dollars spent, racing it is a blast now, still dumping $1,500 a month at it.......it still killing me for 4 seconds of fun

Remember, you eat a elephant or a horse one bite at a time
I'm not guilty of what we all do
I have four cars in progress now and wanting to buy another one
At least we have a reason to get out of bed in the morning,correct
Now, if I still had the same drive and ability as before I turned 60,
I would get more done

Yup! It took me 1.5 years to get my car back on the road when I did the chassis. What helped me is think of small jobs that need to be done and can be done in the weekend. Plumb brakes, wire ignition, etc. It feels much better if you can check small items off the list and see progress.

if it we're not for this forum or the internet in general I can't even fathom where my W8 build would be.

I try to avoid those situations, but every so often I have a weak moment, and I am experiencing that situation as I type. The best thing you can do is NOT look at the big picture. It will overwhelm and depress you. Keep chipping away, but break the project down in to small sections and it will be more mentally acceptable. Looks like I am going to be 2K over my expected budget, so spreading out the work will help there a little. On the plus side, I saved a rust free A body from the crusher.

Some good positive answers so far.

My mind kinda went in the other direction for a response.....to more like:

Makes that used Hellcat look more appealing every day

Got three money pits at the moment.....Somebody needs to buy one off me before I go nuts....

Absolutely, but I try not to ponder on it. Just polish up the credit card and keep pushing on. Should have this project paid for by years end.

I did okay but my wallet was overwhelmed

VISA is my primary sponsor too!

I hear that.

I have not touched my car in months, lost another summer. 3 years ago an engine rebuild turned into a trans rebuild that turned into a rewire and custom dash which turned into a new interior and on and on.

I try to tackle things one at a time but it can be tricky when things overlap.

Perfectionism is what stops everything for me, nothing can ever be good enough.

Just to throw another monkey wrench into the works, I just sold my house and moved to another state so in the next month before we close I have to pack up decades worth of parts and tools and a half-finished, non running car and move it all to a temporary spot until my house is done next year sometime.

I was pretty close to being finished too. I think.

Fun times.

In 2011 I was told I had Kidney Cancer and Multiple Sclerosis, I sold my Hot rod Harley cause I could not ride anymore & returned to my 1st love, a 68 Charger, found a Major project in north Texas,they removed the cancer but no cure for MS, was not employable, but I had my Charger in the garage to keep my mind busy & on days I felt half way ok I would work on the car for 1 to 2 hours a day, lots of days not able to work on it at all,I had been a mechanic most of my life, but this project was VERY overwhelming, what I had to do was CONCENTRATE on ONE thing at a time, not looking at ALL the stuff that needed to be done, it really help me to not give up, I am very grateful to Moparts & other Mopar forums for all the info & help from members, the project still goes on but I drive it all the time now, keep it simple one thing, one day at a time. Sorry for the long post.
CLICK HEAR FOR SHORT VIDEO

The right balance and priority is different for everyone.

When I find myself getting frustrated with either $$$, or schedule, I hit the pause button and reassess. I see my cars as a personal hobby that benefits no one other than me. If I am not enjoying it, or it gets in the way of important things like family and friends, I let it go. Change the self imposed schedule (because that is all they really are, right?) or the spending as none of it is really important in the end. My FWIW

Seems everything takes so much longer.Always a new issue to throw money at.I'm driving with no bumpers till next week.

If it isn't fun, it's not worth doing... Sometimes a deadline helps. It might not get finished, but the project will for sure get pushed forward. Without a deadline, it's easy to say "I'll get to it later". One of the biggest things is you have to have the finished project pictured in your head. Having the vision helps you get there.

KINDA??? We do not call you Captain Distracto for nothing.

in 1974 or so, i started my 33 dodge humpback project by dragging a lump out of a south carolina swamp. i had a vision that would later become termed "pro street". many, many years later, life and MS took over, and time marched on. i managed to go 42 1/2yrs as a machinist, which allowed me to acquire the skills necessary to fulfill my vision, but the effects of my health took a toll, and not much progress was made. also, the medical costs i incur each month leave not much disposable income to play with. i have many, many fabricated parts on the shelf [sub assemblies] awaiting to be installed for this build, but it is closely coming to the point of big money needing to be invested to finish this. luckily, my fab skills have saved a ton of bucks by being able to make most items needed myself instead of paying someone else to do so, including fabricating fixtures, tooling and equipment to get the results i am after. i am only able to work a few hours on any given day, health permitting, but i'm determined to see this through ! first pic is what i started with after being retrieved from the swamp. second one in 2006 gives some idea what it will look like. i don't have any recent ones, but many, many more parts have been fabbed and installed, but i'm slowly gaining......

I am facing this as I reply...had this not so smart idea of building a hemi dart clone. Gathered all sorts of cool and expensive parts and now they are sitting in my garage while the body languishes in the car trailer. My issue, being of limited skills is not finding anyone willing to do some of the things I can't. Forget the money issue, folks are just not interested or have the time to take on work. So 90% sure the project will be never completed. Sad, but realistic.

Absolutely, especially when I have 3 projects going on at the same time & need to get one done sold before winter hits. Biggest pain in the azz is vendors who can't keep their word & keep the project hanging. I usually fall asleep at nite planning some part of the build..
Keep visualizing the end result & don't give up & sell your project for pennies on the dollar.. something you'll always regret.

Like I said, there is a long list of tricks. Not all of them work for everybody but some are fairly universal. If you step back from the question a bit the issue is similar to other difficult things like losing weight or stopping drinking or whatever. People have come up with tools or tricks for these things over time.

1. Peer group, support group, etc. is very helpful. If you don't have anyone local to share your build with then post a progress report on here once a week. Do it for yourself, not for anyone else. You don't even need to read the replies if you don't want to, just make the post to show yourself what you accomplished that week.
2. If you are really stuck then set an easy goal and do it. Something as simple as washing the car can be a simple goal, or sweeping out the garage. Hitting an easy goal then gets you in the mood to tackle the harder goal.
3. Order just a few parts at a time so you don't get overwhelmed with things to do when the UPS shows up. I usually order $100 worth of stuff from Summit a couple of times of week. That way I always have some new stuff showing up. Sometimes if I'm stuck then getting a box of new stuff gets me going again.
4. Find some people in your local area who can get you unstuck. I have local resources who I can toss projects to if I can't get it done. Some stuff I just can't do like installing glass or covering seats. Other things like TIG welding I can do but I'm not good at it so I take it to a shop.
5. Crank up some music, sometimes that helps.
6. Invite a friend over in a week to show them what you finished up. That will give you a little bit of a deadline to hit.
7. Take pictures on a regular basis and then flip back thru them to see what you have accomplished. Post the pictures so you have a record that you can refer back to.
8. Ask for help. A little bit of help even from someone who is unskilled can be a big deal. I had a college kid come over and help me during the summer a few times. Even if they are just sweeping the floor while you are working on the car it helps.
9. Hire some help for the non-car stuff. Have a kid mow the lawn so you don't have to do it and stuff like that.
10. Turn off the TV
11. If you are really stuck then go get some exercise
12. If you are really stuck then go do something unpleasant that needs to be done like scrub the toilets, clean the oven, etc. Sometimes that will clear your head and get you motivated to go do some car work.
13. Go to a car show and wander around looking at other projects.

I could go on but I think you get the drift by now......

I'll add some more thoughts.

One thing I've learned over time is that a lot of this is personality dependent. Some people get stuck easier than other people. Like Clint said, a man has to know his limitations. If you are a really picky person who wants everything to be perfect then don't try to build a show winning car in a one car garage with no tools. Ain't going to happen.

If you are a super picky person then learn to hack your way thru problems. If you want to get the project done then get it done. If you want it to be perfect then buy all the tools and do it perfect. If you can't afford the tools and the time to make it perfect but won't work on it if it isn't perfect then go find a different hobby.

I'm the type of person who wants everything perfect but I learned a long time ago that I do not have the time or the money to get perfect results. I have more time and money than some people so I can get pretty good results, but I can't get perfect. So I do what I can with the tools I have and the time I have. I hack what I need to hack just to keep the ball rolling. Sometimes I come back later and fix it and sometimes I don't. I build enough cool stuff to keep myself motivated but I don't allow the perfect to become the enemy of good enough.

Having said all of that, I do try to push myself in a few areas on each project. The Duster project is a push for me in some areas. I'm fabbing up some stuff that in the past I would not have taken on. It isn't a hand built tube chassis car or anything like that but I'm trying to take on some stuff where previously I would've just used bolt on parts. Only note of caution I'd make is that you have to remember what Clint said. Don't take on more than a stretch goal. If you decide you are going to build your own billet block using a chunk of iron and a butter knife then you won't get there. You have to at least give yourself a fighting chance.

I've had my Charger for 12 years. I got tired of the old rotten interior, leaks and so forth and decided to completely restore it. I'm trying desperately to get it finished. Was hoping by this fall but ain't going to happen. I'm completely restoring and replacing everything new or rebuilt. I've done lot of the work myself but do to my work schedule im paying a couple of guys to try and get it finished for me. They've been really fair with me but the cost of all of the new parts have been really staggering. Seems like they are no end to any of it. I'm about to give it a break as soon as I get my motor, trans., wiring and gauges in it. Sometimes I wished I never tore it apart and made it my Ratty muscle car lol

I'm very analytical and some of these posts tie into my situation. I have a running, driving cruiser that is nice but, I'd like to restore the car some day.

I always struggle with the thought of the car being down for years while the restoration is occurring. I often wonder if I'm willing to accept that. I’ve also thought about addressing certain areas of the car but, in some situations, it would be like putting lipstick on a pig or a waste of money given I’d have to undo things I’ve already done if I did ever fully restore it.

There is some heavier metal work that I'm not willing to tackle so; it will go somewhere to have at least some of the metal work done. Then I think about the inefficiency of having a shop doing a portion of the metal work, just to bring it home to finish the remaining items. It almost makes sense just to have a shop deliver me a rolling painted car for me to reassemble. Then I struggle with the fact that I’ll look at the car for years and not have the satisfaction of having done the body work myself; especially since I did it for a living for several years and can do it. Maybe the shop doing the work won’t do it to my liking either.

I just finished all the metal and body work for my Father in Law’s 55 Ford f100. I worked on it for the past 3 Winters. My car will need more than his truck so; how long would all of this take if I did it myself? Knowing me, I’ll work on my own stuff for longer hours as I just want things done; doing this may result in not having a father in law any longer too.

Money, locating parts and all the other things also come into play.

Man, I’m getting overwhelmed just thinking about it.

I find I have to force myself to only look at, think about and work on smaller goals and not the big picture. There's just too much to try to take it all in at once. When I start to get burned out I shift gears to another project/different hobby (bad idea) that only takes more time and money away from the car I really wanted to get done. I sold off one of the projects I was never going to get to, now down to 3.

Or better yet the money you have already spent on it

I threw my junk together a couple of years ago and enjoy it after it languished in various storage since 1993.

The plan was to have a nicely restored and detailed car but I wanted to drive it NOW!

I keep picking at it and improving things and when something breaks or needs upgrades, I fix it quickly. It is amazing when you focus what you can accomplish.

I toasted a couple of rod bearings recently and knew I HAD to get it back on the road. I started with a bare block on Tuesday morning and by Thurday morning it was rebuilt and back in the car!

X2
Got my current Challenger in 1981 right after I sold my SS Hemi Challenger.
My current car is an early production car and I was of the mind set that it had to be back perfect. Well 30 years later I finally go t mart enough to just throw it back together and drive the heck out of it. Took a long time to get the parts back on where they went as I had torn this car down to nothing but the unibody right after I got it in 1981.
Hang in there Brad it will come together. Take lots of pictures during the process.

Seems to me you have enough data to make a decision! You've done similar projects so now you know how much time it takes and whether or not you can do it.

I don't think very many people have the resources (time, money, space, tools, etc.) to tackle a full resto project. It is probably smarter for people to just do one part of the car at a time. Rebuild the brakes as one project then upgrade the suspension, then fix the heater box, then rebuild the transmission, etc. Projects like that can be handled in a few weeks each by most folks. Taking the whole thing apart tends to set off a mushroom cloud in the garage!

My car sat for 30 years before I finally got at it a few years back. I have no problem tackling anything mechanical but the metalwork was intimidating. As I took the car apart I rebuilt each piece, wrapped it and stored it safely. People would be shocked at how much space a disassembled car takes !! It finally came down to the crunch of metalwork but I watched a build over on For B-bodies only and I figured with the proper tools and patience I can do it. I already have excellent welding skills so that isn't an issue. So far things are going well. 18 gauge is easy to work with !!

I hear you on that one. Paint/body is most time consuming and costly part of the build for most. It would be nice to have someone complete that part as it would help the build make a huge leap forward. But with high cost (most shops around here charging $7K -12K for a quality paint job, plus any metal replacement) and all the horror stories of projects permanently screwed up by "professional" shops, parts stolen, delays, etc., its a tough hurdle to get past.

I just realized the Convertible has been sitting for two years now waiting for me to finish the wiring, and a bunch of other finishing details from the 4 wheel disc conversion and radiator/cooling fan changes.
Just ordered a Cooper Bussman fuse/relay box to help clean up some of the wiring.

Yep - all the time. But I find this forum a great source of information and inspiration. Back in 2011, I walked off the job due to stress. I told my boss I was leaving and didn't know when or if I'd be back. I went home, told my wife it's me time, and decided I'd finally restore the Duster engine bay. It was my first time doing paint and body work. I worked 12 - 14hrs a day for a month straight, and it was the most rewarding month of my life.

The message here is sometimes you need to say the heck with all else and take time for yourself. After all, you only live once! Here's a before and after shot of the engine bay:

What I do to keep going on a project is do something...anything related to the project everyday. Ordering a part, working on it for 15 min or just thinking about how to do something.
Keeps me interested and before you know it is done.

That's kind of awesome, hats off to you for having the stones to do that. Great advice.

yes...both of my projects have just been sitting in the back corner for 4 years....$30-$40k dollars in parts between the two just sitting...getting dusty, rusty...pisses me off so I dont think about it. ill get to it when I get to it I guess.

Sometimes. But I just walk away and time lets me chill. If you want to get finished, Keep your eye on the prize - not the journey to it. It's about the journey, but I find concentrating less on the time and treasure and more on the end goal helpful.

Been there, just keep going.
Doug

Yeah when I strung all 74 unterminated wires of my EFI harness out across the front of my car I said that exact same thing. I am glad I did it though!

When I started on my Rampage I did all 100%
of the work.. there were a couple of things
that gave me issues but finally figured it
out with some help on the phone... it took
longer to do but it also has a full interior
which isnt normal for me.. but you have to
work on it to get it done

Hey Brad, bring your car over to my shop and let me help you out. I have some room over to the right. With 3 Mopes in the same shop we'll be able to make some hay fly.

Yep, ran out of money which killed the motivation...

For those of you deep into a project with no light at the end of the tunnel other than the train try this. Just get it running, don't worry about anything else but making the engine run, that always helps motivation when you can start the thing up and hear it roar.

A friend of mine is just now starting on a project he has had for over 20 years, a 55 Chevy. Since he has an engine and a rolling chassis we are going to stab the engine and make it run first. Then wiring it, making it stop, putting glass in it, all that little stuff that sucks so bad hopefully won't be as tiresome when the engine already runs.

Hey! How did you get inside my head? Will somebody answer that damn door bell!

Exactly what I just did. Car isn't close to done, but engine just needed minor finishing touches. Now I have some renewed energy to get back on the car.

I like this post. the car shown below is the third car I have redone in my life. i have a thing for old racecars and want to save them.I cant tell you how many times I have said. god I hate this car In the last nine years. that's right I said nine years. just this last weekend i all but finished it. wooo! hooo!. no more big projects left. all that's left to do is mount the new slicks, install the front shocks, set up the four link and align the front end. i sat back and looked at it and feel i accomplished. have done the best i could with the skills and funds i have with many great friends help also. this car has a hard act to follow. my 65 coronet is a great car. now i can put it back on the street where i can enjoy it more. look out n/ss in 2018 here i come. i will try to get a updated picture soon.

Car projects is more like it in my case.

I pulled mine apart 5 years ago. It was supposed to be a 16 month project then I had a divorce and a career change and business startup. My head is permanently swollen from banging it against the wall...

Totally know how it feels

My biggest downfall was constantly changing my mind. I have a very active imagination and am constantly thinking of new things to make or do.
Like many of us, life got in the way, am on the tail end of a divorce, and have to build a house first.
I've helped plenty of friends build cars and can do most things, things that kept me focused:
Make a plan
Get friends involved (Read accountability to someone helps)
Small projects and complete them

The main one for me has been know your limitations, and what you will compromise on. Also, what is important to you, focus on that.
For me, it's all about the engine and the mechanical things around it. My car, when I get back to it, will be about the drive line, good fabrication and lots of unnecessary billet parts! Because that makes me happy!

Yup. I moved three years ago. Completely remodeled the house I moved to and added a pool. Cleared an acre of woods and moved 8000 yards of dirt to reshape the yard. Then remodeled my old house and sold it. Then started a new 44x28 garage that still isn't done. Then I ran out of gas. I have one car ready to race I've raced once in the last two years and two more project cars. To be honest being in KB hell for three years killed my motivation on the car thing. On a plus note I did decide at 50 that I wanted to fulfill a long time goal of drag racing a motorcycle and I love it. Bought a new zx14r and started going to the track. Best so far is 9.70's at 151 and it runs on 89 octane and I don't take a single tool to the track!

Sounds like you're happy but don't know it. Maybe sell the cars and just focus on the bike if that is what you enjoy. The bike takes up a lot less space and costs a lot less to run.

"You're killin' me, Smalls!"

Just trying to help! Bring the car on over. I'm a retired guy with time on my hands. I can twist wrenches on your car while your sitting in a cubical all day making PowerPoint slides.

Tell you what kills the desire to finish a project more than anything else is to get into a project you don't have the skills or abilities to finish on your own. That means you have to kiss someone's rearend to get things done, their timeline,their desire to do it right,and yes getting it shoved up your butt when it is time to settle up. Don't ask me how I know this...

I look at that as a learning opportunity. That's how/why I taught myself to weld and and paint.

I hate having to go to others to get work done. The only thing I had to outsource for my Cuda was the chrome plating and exhaust system (I can't bend pipe, and I don't like pre-fabbed systems).

But I didn't do any engine machining work.

Why is Project written in singular form? ... ...

Yep, gets worse, multiplied by the number of cars, motorcycles, etc.

Then add to that, health, where the mind still can to some extent (debatable), but the body can't,.....hardly.

If I can do it physically, it may take me 5 times longer than it should or used to.

It's so much worth the effort once you get it done.

And from a practical point of view unless you are restoring a numbers car with intrinsic value,projects are a money pit with no bottom. And that money spent will be reduced to 25 cents on the dollar when one sells. So I guess a guy better really want the car just to have it! But Still better than playing golf....

Cool!

Good lord, how many lives are lost to Powerpoint?

Great thread, I think we all need to hear that we're not alone in getting burned out, over out heads, not enough wallet... seems like I'm bouncing between those three zones all the time, but I try to do a little something almost every day. Some days, the something isn't much, like putting the tools in the work area away so the mess isn't so bad tomorrow. Other days, it's taking on that project that really needs to get done rather than skipping it to feel like the project is farther along. That has made a pretty long list of to-do's out of a pretty simple "gaskets & paint" freshen up of the engine bay.

Not as much done today as I liked - before literally wasting my life on PPT at the office, I spent a couple hours with my nephew replacing u-joints in his Phord 4x4. I like to think the good carma helping him will come back around one of these days...

Clair

Sure, it's only 2812 miles to haul my junk to your place!

Re PowerPoint... not that much. My work usually involves things like systems interface analysis for integrating new appllications, reverse-engineering system requirements from poorly documented legacy code, working with business areas on what is involved to automate highly-manual proceeses often glued together with spreadsheets... stuff like that.

I definitely did by mine for a while there. Looking back on it, with the car running now and just ironing out (hopefully) minor issues, I'm still not that happy with what it took out of me.

I literally spent just over a full year of my life, every weekend and vacation I had off from work wrenching on it sometimes as much as 12-14 hours a day. I felt like I had no life other than the car this past year and even with the excitement of getting it done it still feels like I wasted the last year of my life buried in the garage. The money is just money, you can always make more...it's the time that gets me. Luckily I had a great friend (540challenger) helping me out along the way and letting me use his lift or I probably would have went crazy lol

It actually made me want to ditch the twin turbo 96 Impala SS project that t I've been building for years and go to an LS3 GM crate engine. Sometimes you just can't put a price on being able to bolt stuff in like it's from the factory and not have to deal with custom building everything. I have fun performing the fab work on the larger components that really make the build unique, but when every little thing you install has to be modified or custom built to work it gets really old fast.

I HATE to say this, but I'm starting to see the appeal to late model cars. I remember when I first bought my Impala many years ago and all it took was a few bolt ons to make that EFI LT1 motor keep up with many new cars. I spent WAY more time driving it and NOT worrying about what will go wrong than I did working on it. Now you can buy many late model cars, bolt a supercharger on it in a couple of hours and run 10's. I'll never do it though because I just can't drive something everyone else has. LOL

One other thing I learned is sometimes, to a degree, money CAN'T be an issue. I built my procharged small block 340 on a 'budget' because I couldn't afford to spend big money on R blocks, big blocks or a late model swap.

In the end, as usual, it ended up costing way more than I thought and now all the stuff I didn't want to spring for are huge limiting factors and sources of "uh oh, I hope I don't blow this up" worries. Now that it's close to done, I realize that my time would have felt much more worth it had I gone with an R block or a late model motor and I wouldn't be worrying half as much about accomplishing my power goals (or growing into bigger ones). Spending more money when you start a project seems like the end of the world, but when it's over you just think why didn't I spend more money and do it right from the start?