One of the toughest decisions you can make when building any car comes just after the mock-up phase. There are really two ways you can go here: 1. Get the car runni...<P><P>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
I always fall into the category that gets them going to never finish. I think it is always the money side and lack of discipline because I hat not taking a car to events, etc. Hopefully with the 32 sedan I can finish it for once. That is the goal. It will be slow but it will be so worth it Rusty Rusty
I'm not sure money has to play a big part of this... It's expensive to apply chrome, glossy finishes, and all that... but it's not that expensive to tear a car down after the mock-up, make the changes needed that are almost always identified during mock-up (wiring routes, bracketry, clean welds, etc...), clean everything, and then do final assembly... ya know?
Its not so much about money as it is time and discipline. Also, if it's not your car, the owner will most certainly NOT understand the need to "re-do the entire job again". I know I'm blessed with my wife understanding why we did this to her Suburban, at least now we're heading into the final build-up stage.
I got my roadster on the road 3 years ago with the plans to tear it down the first winter and finish it off but that never happened.Life,kids etc happened but Im glad its together and on the road.It a hard discipline to finish a car to the end.Someday it will get finished but not anytime soon.Louie
That RPU is very nice. Interesting you should post this right now. I'm at the famous "fork in the road" on the A. The mock up is 98% finished and I have just about everything to complete it, the electrical is there, that's all I can say about it. I didn't want to complete the electrical before the teardown and then have to do it again upon final assembly, brakes are done, fuel system will be done this week. So...I want to tear it down and start on the paint, etc. Does anyone have any thoughts for a builder at this stage of the game? I have this feeling that I'm missing something..and I'm sure I have...that's part of the game. Chow for now!
my first car that i was building (44c)....6 months and 1 week after i got the parts....was the jalopy showdown 2005...i drove it out of the garage for the first time thursday before the show VERY incomplete....little by little i got lights and a windsheild so i could run on the road and look a bit more legal...then a new hood, new motor, finally got a trunk floor recently....but the car is such a bucket of bolts...i wish i could just take it apart again and totally make everything right...... to this day theres only half of the bolts in everything.... it really needs ALOT of work........ but it sure is fun broadsliding around the back roads!!!! my next car i built to a not even running state....now chuckspeed gets to do the teardown and finish.... sure saved me alot of work!! now this new car...i bought as running and driving and pretty nice ive changed alot of things on it and finally got it to where i wanted it just a few days ago....i said....ok its done.....im done working on it for a while...its how i pictured it in my head and now its ready to just drive well....guess what....now it wont start...i think i jinxed it!! they're never DONE i guess!!
Excellent post Ryan.You touch on alot of good points.I built a 36 roadster over a seven years and put it together at least 5 times at different stages to get the look and the fit and the finish.I found it motivating to see the car at different stages of improvement and make the changes as I moved along.The Time-Bomb roadster hit the road after completion and just when I thought all the problems would be solved in one test drive...Wrong....It took another year to work all the bugs out.I tore the front end off to change the cam and fix some oil leaks at the front seal.I had to wet sand and re-polish the entire car again to address some solvent popping.I had to re-paint one headlight and fix a rear axle seal that must have gone dry over the years. I was so excited to drive this car that I trailered it to Columbus last year and actually test drove it at Goodguys.Broke down 3 times,bad battery, charging issues,,and a shimmy at a bout 70mph.Got back home dialed everything in for the final time over this past winter and drove it last week to perfection.No more leaks,the cam is perfect,and the paint is perfect.Oh I also installed a front bumper and brackets after all that.It took me 3 years to find a 37 Plymouth front bumper to modify.Home built cars can take alot of time and aggravation,but in the end no matter how one proceeds it is all worth it in the end.I`m having a blast....you can see what I mean if you visit me at www.timebombs.ca Time-Bomb John P.S. The horn still doesn`t work...but I will get it..
im going through this right now... and to be honest, ive been waiting to long to wait any more... welds are clean and it wlil be more than presentable, but i dont have time for things like frame painting, gloss on the body yet, things like taht.. the motor is painted, and i wlil keep frame and all in bare metal, dust over the body the color i wanna run it when i get time, but basically i have a week til a car show, and i wanna DRIVE THIS FUCKER.. hahah
My projects have been on both sides of the fence. Initially, With my first two projects, I was anal and wasn't happy until I could drive a complete finished car to a show or where ever. I always thought that I would be ashamed driving or showing a car that wasn't in my mind "show ready". Yes they both were nice. Complete and you could tell from a block away attention to detail was paid. Since then, I have changed drastically.... I am the type that is never happy with my completed project and always tearing things apart or updating. I just love to do it. My projects since then have been different. Spent time getting them road worthy...driving them for a while...tearing them back apart and finishing this or that. All in all...attention is always my goal. It just takes years to get there. I like it this way better. It so much more fun and allot of times better choices are made when funds and time are available.
My Touring was at this point a couple winters back. I decided by the time I got the body ready for primer it wasn't that far from paint. Not a lot of chrome on mine, money wasn't the issue, I am glad I went ahead and finished it off a little more.
I'm a big believer in mocking up whenever possible/practical. There is a point of diminishing returns, and a lot depends on ones personality, but there are generally going to be some surprises in any project (car, house, marriage, you name it) and it's usually better to deal with the surprises early on.
My vote is for option # 2. It's worth it. Detail work and some elbow grease is cheap, you don't have to dip everything in chrome. A traditional car with nice finish is probably the nicest thing you can lay your eyes on. However, I rather see a hot rodder driving his/her car than never getting it back together.
I agree with Rolf. It takes a lot of discipline to finish a car. I will only finish a car in paint and chrome if I plan to sell. The only justification to me. Drive them, most people talk about it. Know your limits in my opinion. It's ok if they don't have paint. Steve
I think about this almost EVERY time I open the garage doors and see my roadster. I always think to myself, "How do those guys do it?" I'm not just talking shiny paint, I'm talking to the level of cleaness that they do......just like the example Ryan posted. And, maybe others feel this way but when I look at my roadster I think, "It's still missing something. It just doesn't have the 'look' like the ones on the HAMB." Then, like has been said, I think of the discipline that it takes to finish one. Of course this is where the unfinished hot rod look comes from; young boy, cuttin' his hands, spending all his money on it.......get's it running, drives and stops.... I start thinking, I'm gonna make myself blow it apart and do it right. Pay attention to details and get what I need to give it the justice it deserves......then I start adding it up in my head..... Good thread, I think about this VERY frequently....I know I'm not alone...
I'm kinda on the fence on this one. I can see arguements for both sides. Frame work for me has to be done in mock up because of the amount of fab, fit and re-fit, work. Front and rear ends, pedal assemblies, motor placement, etc. etc. Body done and placed on the frame then I can see everything being finished as it is bolted on. Even if you 1-800 your car, there will be 100 things that don't fit as they should. But, I tend to get carried away, and if I go into to too much detail I wind up with a car I have to check the weather report before leaving the house with. A car I am afraid to drive, becouse I don't want a single bug, water spot, or finger smuge on. I've done this, and I won't do it ever again. It's a hard line for me to plan, build, assemble, unasemble, reassemble, paint, plate, and rub. And still remember to build into it the fun factor.
I believe in assembling in primer,and driving to get the bugs out,then blow it apart for final finish.It's easier for us in nothern climates though,winter is the time to finish the details.
I think it kind of comes down to what you want the 'finished' car to be when it's 'done'. If you're looking for a 'finished' car, then there is no other option except to tear it down and finish it to the best of your abilities. However, if you want a 'driver'...just a car to go out and have some fun with...or one to serve as your daily transportation, then often times you end up having to get it on the road and just work at keeping it on the road. Time, money, other commitments and Life in general may keep you from ever 'finishing' such a car...but that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it and take pride in what you've accomplished. (Of course, a driver or a weekend toy can also be a nicely finished car, but for the common folk, it often comes down to compromise. Either way...you can still reap the rewards of your efforts every time you slide behind the wheel!)
i'm at this point now.I'm gonna stop short of driving then tearing back apart but I am going to run all the wiring and pumbing before it comes apart.I'm trying to do everything I can think of before it comes apart.I have a check list that seem's to keep getting longer instead of shorter even though I'm checking thing's off every week.I only want to build it one time and I want it to look finished GREGG
The original plan for this car was to do a 6 week build and drive, but due to life getting in the way it evolved into what you see here. I'm glad now that I took the time to finish it properly even tho it took longer than expected. I must say that the next one will be a slap together and drive as I'm getting to old to not start enjoying them. If you could only see the pics of the rest of my yard you'd know that it's neglected(sp) and I think I need the energy pills....haahaha......
It ain't finished till you smoke those labels off the rear tire tread! Still, it's a very nice start...
I think everyone intends on "finishing" the project. But, if you wire it and fire it before you paint it, theres a good chance you won't paint it any time soon. That's why I'm not going to wire my coupe until its painted. The temptation is too great .... I know myself too well.
my take is if you strart driving it before it is completed you will never finish it the way you want it.
29bowtie makes a good point. I don't know how I'd have the discipline to take a car off the road for a long stretch of time, after I'd been driving it for a while, if I didn't live in a place that has winters that force me to do just that. I tend to do everything I can over the frigid months, looking forward to having it back on the road when spring arrives. Even the cars that have been "finished", have had a long list of upgrades and details to attend to, by the time winter rolls around. I've been doing that for quite a few years, but I can honestly say I don't know how I'd handle it if I was one of you lucky guys who live in nice areas, with warm temps all year. Maybe someday I'll be able to find out.
I used to think a car shouldn't be driven until it was done. As I got older and life got in the way, ( heart problems) I realized not everything needed to be just right to be enjoyed. I really like the fact that the HAMB has both kinds of cars , Done and Never Done. Today if a lowbuck primered RPU is parked next to a high dollar paint job, I can enjoy both cars for what they are, an interpitation of someones fun. Right now my band is taking alot of my time and my car is not getting the love it needs. Just the ramblings of an old guy Mick p.s. the car my school kids are building is coming along faster than the car in my garage
My coupe is still just in a mock-up stage. I daydreamed about a hotrod coupe for too long to not get it out and burn up the roads. I still dream of getting a hotrod to a much more finished stage, till then this will have to do. I just wish every one could see through the crappy welds and and porly ran lines and miss aligned metal and see that I could really do better work, you shoulda seen what I started with.
I believe ANOTHER factor is the number of cars you have. If you have a running, driving Hot Rod ... it is a LOT easier to wait and get the project Finished A lot of the time ... I just about have to MAKE myself work on the 3W coupe project. The weather will be nice and I want to drive the roadster or ride the Harley. My motivation needs help. I will be 60 on my next birthday and a lot of days I just want to chill out ... and do nothing. Worked two jobs most of my life and now I just want to PLAY... IF I finish the 3W ... OK ... if I do not ... my wife will have no trouble selling it ...
I've figured out that I'm about 80% builder and 20% driver. If I skip the professional bodywork, paint and interior I can build a 'nother whole hot rod or two with the money saved. Since Minnesota is about 80% winter and 20% nice hot rod driving weather, it works out pretty good. I drive the latest one for a summer and throw it in the back garage and spend the winter building the next one.
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