Projects Those goddamned "30 minute jobs" that aren't

I'll be the first to admit that I grossly underestimate the time it'll take to get pretty much anything in life finished. Most of that comes from trying to get as much as possible done with the free time I have available. Funny that the list I make for myself rarely gets completed in the timeframe I have.

My latest one is replacing the fuel pump on my '53 Chrysler. I have a 360 stuffed in there and thought I had enough room to loosen it up and pop it out.

Nope. Alternator had to come off and I had to loosen a motor mount and jack up one side of the engine to clear the upper control arm. Aaaannnndddd the soft fuel line was questionable so it got replaced as well. Its back together now and I'm tidying up a few loose ends now.

Anyone guilty of living in the same fantasy world as me?

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when non car builder comments that it must take a long time to build one of these old cars - I reply that nothin' takes more than 15 minutes - mind you, that it may be thousands of 15 minute increments

 

Don't know what you're talking about.....never happens to me!

 

This is exactly why I don't keep any records of my labor hours.
I love it when the wife says: " I thought you finished that yesterday.".

 

You are not alone. I have Never have done a 5 minute job in 5 minutes my entire life. I have learned watching TV that you can do a complete build in 4/5 30 minute shows, man those guys are good. Now that I'm old, 5 minute projects can take 5 hours to 5 days. It seems in every DIY project some unforeseen problem arises, One of my favorite expressions of late is " Why does everything turn into a F storey "

 

I tell my kids "hey give me a hand...it will only take 5 minutes"........they know nothing takes 5 minutes anymore.

 

I can usually get it running by the third time I do it.

 

If it takes 5 minutes, it'll take me 5 hours to get the shit outta the way so I can get to the thing I want change that takes only 5 minutes to change!

I hate stuff I can clearly see, but there's no way to get to them without taking half the vehicle apart!

 

When my fabrication business was at full boil, people would often ask to sneak in a job that will be "really quick". I saw a sign in a business once, and wished I had one like it that said something like, "So want me to quit working on the rush job I was rushing on, to work on your rush job?"

Lynn

 

If I charged myself labor...............I couldn't afford Me!

 

Also, I get really suspicious when that 5 min. job actually takes 5 mins.! Trust me That doesn't happen often.

 

Biggest lie ever told: "Installs in minutes"
My time estimation skills are very lacking

 

When I get a "It will only take you 5 minutes" job request, my standard answer is "All 5 minute jobs take at least 2 hours- I'll have the one I'm doing now finished in about 5 minutes - so come back in a couple of hours"

 

Every.damn.time. I do something for my car YES !!

Quick tune up? Cap screws seized!
Replace wheel cylinders .... bolts seized , drums stuck on, lines fubar
Check timing .... where’s that damn timing light !
See why radio don’t work WTF is this wiring mess !!!!

I think it’s part these old relics we work on, and part the standard of the job we want. Most if not all of us want a quality job on our cars.

Also a “bolt on” is never truly a bolt on.
And a quick carb adjust turns into fixing a vacuum line, cleaning up wiring better, polish or paint the air cleaner or valve covers etc.

I went and installed a inline Fuel filter and tank shit offon my 53 Chrysler that turned into 3 days of scraping and sanding the floors and detailing the underside ?!?!
Wtf I just wanted a fuel filter installed ! Lol!

 

What happened to NO PROFANITIES IN THE TITLE???

 

Every five minute job is one broken bolt away from becoming an all day ordeal

 

I just go by whatever "the book" says it will take....LOL

My biggest problem is "mission creep"
Once I get through all the trials and tribulations of getting something apart and the new part ready to install that little voice in my head starts talking "man, it took so much work to get in here, maybe you should just go ahead and fix/replace X while you're here so you don't have to go through this aggravation again down the road" This usually leads to more disassembly, cursing, and waiting for a $3 part.
And, is it just me or do parts come apart better and jobs go smoother after you bleed on them a little bit?
Chappy

 

My buddy Albers has coined the term for it: Project Entanglement Syndrome (PES) where the simpler the project looks the longer it'll take.

 

It is not just cars-When the better half gives me a honey do list the five minute jobs are never 5 min. Of course if I stopped procrastinating they would get done faster. In my defense after working on other peoples homes all week working on our home is not that appealing.

 

I grit my teeth when my buddy says " I figure this should only take an hour to do ". To me, he's already jinxed himself.

 

I've given up saying a time estimate when the better half asks how long it will take to get something done. Now I respond with the number of beers I expect it to take!!!!


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My five-minute jobs, usually causes me to lose my will to live

 

Agree,
When I had my Tool & Die/Pattern Shop 36 years it was always a huge balancing act to try to keep everyone happy. All customers feel they are the most important one you will ever have and the Sun will not come up tomorrow if they can't get it done NOW ! Funny thing, the Sun has/will always come up, I did not cause a failure once, LOL. Then there's the employee problem, Tool & Die Makers/Pattern Makers are highly skilled intelligent men that are the biggest PIA, tears when cut back to 40 hours, anything over 45/48 way to much They have many important personal things that need attention, my favorite memory, just can't work this Saturday, my wife is having a rummage sale. that was his last day at my shop. My solution was with the customers was, he who pays promptly gets first priority, after some years actually developed a good group of customers, somewhat reasonable and willing to pay for the "Rush Job" I never found the solution with the help, went to management classes, experimented but after time I gave up and I just fired them when they pissed me off for the last time, over 36 years 30/40 employees over the years and maybe 2 or 3, I'd ever work with again. But I'd still do it again, the positives still out weighed the negatives for me.

 

Now, honey-dos are whole different ball game! Her ques., "How long?" My ans. , As Long as it Takes!"

 

Right up there with "bolt on" and "universal fit"

I was born slow and exploit it to the max.

My students are always wanting to do something to their cars that will only take "half an hour", they just have no clue how many "half hours" it will take.

 

I just finished one of those jobs today, weeks later. I updated the old electricals and installed a new coil for peace of mind while I was at it. Engine had power at distributor and fuel so it cranked over but wouldn't start. Mmm, time to walk away and problem solve. Swapped in the old coil today and it started so it's now time to return the new coil for refund.

 

Murphy must visit you guys too! He sure hangs around here every time I start a quick and easy task!

 

Nothing delays a project more than "well as long as we are here".

It's not a real project until you bleed on it.

 

I call it the “ might as wells”
Might as well fix the wiring if I’m doing the coil
Might as well fab a bracket for it as well
Might as well replace the hard ware
Might as well detail the engine bay
Might as well clean the front cross member
Might as well run new brake and cooler lines
Might as well fix these oil leaks
Might as well swap exhaust and intake manifolds
Might as well rebuild the tranny
Might as well replace the diff gears
Might as well clean up the trunk
Might as well fix this chrome trim
Nights as well clean up the body work
Might as well replace the carpet
Might as well redo the seats
Might as well repaint the car........

3 years later......MAN THAT TUNE UP TOOK A LONG TIME !!!

 

Man ain't it the truth, ditto everything posted. EVERYTHING, (not just cars) takes more and more time as one get older also.