What's the job that you *WON'T* tackle yourself? What do you farm out to have done?

I just gave up on my glass guy after 6 months since it's obvious he's not going to be able to live up to his end of the bargain, I'm writing it off and cutting/installing the glass myself, something I never imagined I'd learn how to do myself. I've got a '51 Ford.

After going to an alignment shop for an alignment and having them tell me I needed 3 upper control arm bushings replaced for a total of over $900($300 per bushing? good work if you can get it!), I learned how to disassemble my front suspension and bought gauges and do my own alignment.

After the machine shop that said they'd R&R my kingpins and control arm bushings in 2 days for $250 ended up taking 2 weeks, installling my outer shafts backwards, and not using the rubber grease boots I'd had overnighted because Kanter's suck (and the price was $385 now), I bought a shop press and use it to do my own stuff instead of relying on someone else. I should've bought my own reamer too.

The other times I've had to use a shop were for emergencies when the car was dead in the street and I had no choice but to have someone else do it( I don't have my own place), both times being $$$(a 1 week and $250 rear u joint replacement and a $450 idler arm assembly)

So my rule used to be I'll send it out to be done in the interest of saving time and using someone else's specialty tools and expertise. This hasn't turned out so well as I thought it would.

Now I'll send it to be done if its a breakdown emergency, upholstery work, and painting. A good painter is an artist and I'm not, plus you need proper facilities and up to date paint knowledge.

Upholstery I don't have a sewing machine and just can't picture myself starting from zero and learning to do all that stuff right, I just suspect it'd look like a home made job, and a poor one at that LOL

Bodywork I'm not good at but I can't afford to pay someone else to do it so I'll just have to get better ! I also do my own A/C work and I've never built an engine but I'd obviously send it out for machine work.

So how about you guys, what do you send out to have done and why?

After my experiences, and the help of people on the hamb and tech articles, there's not much I won't try and tackle anymore. Including just completing my first wiring harness job, with a Rebel Wire kit. I didn't even burn up too much stuff, either!

 

Well learning is half the fun. I just ripped up a T5 I got for free that has a busted 3rd gear. New this tranny is $1300 now. For $270 in parts, and $20 for a walk thru DVD, I'm now ready to tackle rebuilding a t5. I should be able to get it back in one piece. Time will tell.

 

i'll do anything but interior work...can't see to thread a needle. anything else..i'm in.

 

t-5'sare 175 in the junkyard ...that's a lot of rebuild....

 

I don't do the engine machine work......or upholstery. Most chassis work I do myself. Alignment? I can do it, but usually find it better to take it to a shop after I replace the parts that are worn. It pays to have friends in the business that you can trust. Oh, I won't tackle the innards of an automatic transmission.....my garage is too dirty.

 

Not around here. If one turns up, it's $350 and up, they are getting scarce for a decent 5.0 T5. V6 ones can be had for $200.

 

I do a lot of it. No ulphostery, and I had a good machine shop till he retired. Last
paint job I prepped and had it shot. If I was younger I'd still shoot them.

 

To me body work is the "black art" and I pay to have that done.I squirt the paint myself.Paint is just the cover on the body so I'll trade/barter/swap with a primo body guy to make sure the body will look good under the paint.Hardest job I do myself is being patient enough to slow down and do things right.

 

Anything that requires a machine shop I farm out. Unfortunately I don't have any machines, or know how to use any of them.

 

Plus this is a t5z, the strongest of the t5s.

 

so far the only thing i had to farm out is exhaust...and chrome, would love to be able to do it all...but dont have the tools nor the facilities to perform every operation...did some motor work, brakes, electrical, interior, suspension, bodywork(custom and repair), tire mounting/balancing, got my first car (my shoebox) when i was 16...im 20 now, trying to learn as much as i could on this car...

 

Not as flexible as I once was......so, I hire a fluffer to do the things I need done.

 

I can do most anything but I wont do alignment, muffler work or body & paint. Wiring no problem as well as upholstery. Body work is fun but just don't trust myself and with the vapor dangers of painting, I would just as soon let the pros do that. I love manufacturing and designing pieces. I have never chopped a top. Not that good at hammer welding. A day in the garage is almost as fun as s__, well maybe not.

 

.


I do just about everything except Machining the block, stitching the interior or spraying of the paint.

I can do restores and fabrication including all body work right up to the actual color, After the colors/clear are on I will jump back in a do the color sanding, wetsanding and the final polishing. just can't paint, never tried and I don't have a booth....




(the polishing clth is holding the door from touxching the b pillar, no rubber bumpers installedd t this stage).






Reflection of the Studebaker in the paint, it's hard to see the flames at this angle..




.

 

When I was young and broke I would do everything to my truck and fuck most of it up.Know that I am older and have a little more money I farm out interior work .I had my cage built .Also my transmission and motor work .Everything else I do myself built the frame ect and still manage to fuck something up along the way .My last 2 cents

 

Carburetors....

I thought I knew how to go thru one and tune it out... I was pleased with the results untill I had a real professional build one for me. Picked up 3/10th's and 4 mpg. I'm not afraid to tackle one, and if were talking about a $400 bomber, my work is good enough,,, but for something I really care about, I'll seek professional help.

I'm fortunate in most respects in that I know people who do it for a living, so I can usually get myself a killer deal, or get my $$$ worth when I do farm out work. I'v done it all [for a living] at some point in my life... Worked in a tranny shop, exhaust shop, body shop, etc, etc... So I'm capable of doing it all, but I do find myself in situations where it's simply not worth the trouble to do a job that requires specialty tools. Especially when I'v "got a friend" who will do it for me for the cost of a 12 pack.

 

Yeah part of it for me tempermental was giving myself permission to screw stuff up. I wanna do everything perfectly the first time and since that hasn't happened yet, it leads to a lot of frustration. When I f'ed up my vent windows and 2 or 3 speedos(don't ask..I got ambitious!) I bought some more and sooner or later I'll get them right. All part of the fun!

My perfectionism stopped me from trying stuff. Now I go into whatever repair assuming I'll need to re-do it or I'll mess it up in the process, and that's ok.,If I don't mess it up, it's a win and I'm happy when I'm through!

It just takes a lot of the anxiety out of things for me.

EDIT: I farmed out my exhaust work, id forgotten, but to his credit the guy did a kick ass job. Carbs I remove and replace as needed LOL I can rebuild one good enough for government work, but I also don't attempt to 'tune' them, that's a black art!

 

Engine block machining, finish body and paint, interior stitching.
Heads-no problem, assembly, cleaning, porting, valve job, valve guides-all done by me. Engine assembly-no problem. Boring, no sir. Don't have the machine, I have the block bored, honed and pistons/rings fitted usually. Then assemble the components etc...
Body work-I can do the metal work and 80% of the prep work on the body, but final finish work and painting-not yet but I am working on it.
I can install seat covers, door trim panels, carpets etc...but no headliners or stitching of the door panels, seat covers.
Oh yeah, I have'nt pulled a windsheild or backlight out myself yet,

The rest is easy, chassis work, front ends, suspension, trannies (auto and stick) rear ends, alignment, fitting body panels, doors, fenders etc... replacing body panels, making body mounts, wiring, tire mounting, balancing, alignment, etc... all done myself.

 

Automatic transmissions. I don't like working on them. Upholstery, needs to be done by pro's also, to look right.

 

body work. i just dont have the eye for it

 

Transmissions and exhaust work get farmed out.
Everything else I'm pretty comfortable with.

Oh yeah, I don't have tire mounting/balancing equipment either.

 

The 6 grand I spent on body and paint would have been better spent elsewhere. I used to do it myself but really don,t have the patience..... What I really am getting tired of is paying for tow trucks. In the spring I,ll have my car trailer finished.

 

I don't do upholstery, exhaust, machine work, and tranny stuff.

I don't have an eye for body work but it hasn't stopped me yet.

Been contemplating rebuilding a TH350 myself.

 

I don't do machine work on my blocks...I don't want to try to rebuild an automatic transmission... and send out the upholstery work...

 

that's the only thing i farm out except auto trans rebuilds. i can do them and have done them in the past but i've got a guy who does it so cheap w/ warranty that it is not worth my time.

machine work doesn't count though - i don't think many of us can afford boring machines and the like. i do all my own engine assembly though.

everything else - chassis building, welding, body work, interior work, alignments. i even mount most of my own tires.

 

Anything with serious machine work involved; carb rebuilding - that stuff is voodoo black art to me; and mounting tires on wheels...that's all I can think of off the top of my bald head.

 

Final painting, engine machine work, and setting up rearend gears. I am working on learning the engine machine work however.

 

I can rebuild a carb like a bad mofo - and do lots of freebies. But tires... man, I'm taking 'em down to Sam's Club or Wal-Mart or something to have 'em R&R 'em. It's way less hassle on me, and well worth the like $5 per tire... and I get to have lunch if it's sample day.

~Jason

 

Didn't you mean to say MORE flexible??


Like most everybody else, I can't sew. Anything else---I'm game. Learning keeps me young.(mentally anyway )

 

Pretty much anything is fair game to tackle (once) if you have the proper tools. I like the line "giving yourself permission to screw it up".

Most anything can be fixed or replaced. And if you are patient...learned that comes with age, you can learn to find the limits of your ability. As Clint Eastwood said "A mans got to know his limitations".

Farm out the things I hate. Now in life it becomes a matter of time, cost vs. effort, and the reality of the timeframe for completion.

Will basically try anything once.

One thing I am definitly farming out from here on is Marriage. Someone else can do it and keep the end product.