I'm stuck in "Might as well while I'm at it" mode. I might be insane

The thing worse than that is that you become the guy at the event that tells everybody "I have one those in my Garage and it's torn down to the last bolt for ten years now, someday I will get it on the road again". Or your kid will say my Dad had one those and he never did get it put back together before he passed

 

I've been that guy, look through my build. You have to be motivated to finish what you start. I don't think I'll ever do a full blown project again, I don't pull anything down that I can't re-assemble in a couple days..

 

Yep, I have leraned the same thing

 

Mmmm yep know this one. OCD + old car and your a gonna!!! I decided to lower the car. 2 guys with the same cars near me just cut coils and was done. One even offered to did it for me for very little money. However knowing from past experience that doesn't always give the best ride i started looking at other options.
The springs can be bought but not low enough, so custom springs needed. May as well replace the shockers and go for adjustable ones to help when towing the caravan. May as well replace a few bushes whilst its all apart, heck may as well replace the lot and fully poly-bush the front and rear.
That axle is looking a little crusty, what the hell i'll pull it and paint it up and whilst i'm there scrape all the old underseal off and tidy the whole of the car. Those brakelines look dodgy so i may as well replace them aswell. Yea the calipers also look crusty so i'll paint them up. Now that exhaust is going hit with the car being lower so that will need sorting now aswell.
So a simple lowering job had now turned in to a major winter project and one hell of alot of money. Mind you i could just cut the coils and be done but now i know that other jobs could really be done if i don't do them i won't be able to get it off my mind. That new carpet set and the new WWW's will just have to wait, only got so much money and time. Oh well keeps me off the streets!

 

after all of that the first dent and the first muddy street will be tough to accept. but, drive it you must. no powder coating?

 

I'm doing the frame in segments, under the bed then reassemble, then under the front group, then under the cab. I may powdercoat odds and ends, but not the frame...not this time at least. Maybe in 8 to 10 years when I do it all over again for the 4th time.

 

11/7/11 UPDATE:

It has officially taken on a life of it's own at this point. I went to take the stock master cylinder out to swap in the dual reservoir disc master cylinder. To do so I had to drop the exhaust...the bolts at the 3-bolt flange were frozen. I unbolted the headers but couldn't remove them because the dipstick tube was in the way and wouldn't budge. I tried but I couldn't lift the headers upward any more to clear the tube due to the drop tubes on the headers being wedged UNDER the steering column. I had to cut a 1 inch section out of the #8 cylinder header tube to slide it past the dipstick tube.

Finally dropped the exhaust, then dropped the old M/C and went to torch the rivets that mount the M/C bracket to the frame and found that I ran out of acetylene. Decided to break out the air hammer/chisel but couldn't find any cutting bits. Decided to spend $5 on bits instead of $80 on acetylene but it started to rain and dropped 15 degrees by the time I got back from the parts store and was too cold (about 40 degrees) to get on my back under the truck. Since I was stalled and earlier I noticed slop in the steering box I decided to remove it and am buying a rebuild kit this week. Also decided I may as well pull the engine and trans, especially since I noticed oil dripping under my bellhousing...think my rear main may be leaking. The madness continues...

 

Your Hooked Man! Very soon one project wont be enough........then you'll have the garage full of parts and cars.........then the back yard will start GROWING them!

OH THE HUMANITY!!

 

Honestly, I'm just hoping to have it done by next spring before the world comes to a halt and gas prices go through the roof so I can at least enjoy driving it a little before the end of the world...lol. But in all honesty, I am having a hard time not collecting parts for my next project - a bobber pickup.

ADDICTING AS HELL!

 

good luck with the build,now repeat after me,I'm a HOTRODAholic......

 

It's definitely worth the effort. Everything you can't see will be finished and sanitary. But you'll know. And that's what will put the smile on your face going down the road.

 

I just can't stand working on a filthy underbelly, so you're right...knowing it's clean and can be worked on without getting greasy dirt and rust scale in the face will be worth it for sure.