Bodymen how do you get motivation

Hahahaha!!

My motivation is the fact that I'm done with the metalwork. I hate metalwork, I'd rather block 6 bodies than metal on one.

 

I really like doing bodywork!!!... The only problem I have is that I pretty much suck at it...

 

You either have it or you don't. It's genetic.

 

I totally agree. Doing the metal work properly makes the actual prep for paint seem like a walk in the park. Blocking sucks at first but as you get closer and closer, it gets easier and quicker imo.


Mark

 

HAHAHAH! I love all the great responses-but a great question...it might be one of those things that you either find it, or you don't? The motivational part? I think it's maybe more like focus? That kind of work is definitely not for everybody. I used to be the ONLY guy in the shop that could do completes-NO ONE else would touch them, when they came through the door-right to my stall, 'cuz I was the only one that had the focus to get around them, and get them to paint in a reasonable amount of time. That's way back when I worked for a shop. Everyone thought I was a bit crazy, but I loved it...
Then I had my own shop and did mostly major restoration work...must be glutton for punishment, but, never had a problem getting them done, some I've had 1,500+ hours into, and it never really bothered me. Best advice I can give you is, just break it up into one small job at a time. Do the roughout work on ONE panel. Then move on to the next panel. Do what's right in front of you, and don't get overwhelmed with all that NEEDS to be done, just what you're doing. Maybe once you start making progress, the motivation will come. There is something to be said for momentum! Getting started is part of the battle...AND, have fun with it if possible-listen to music, smoke, joke and pound away!...Good luck with your project!

 

do one panel at a time, it will give you progress you can see, and then you will know there IS a light at the end of the tunnel...


don't smoke weed to get motivated, it will look like shit if you paint it black...

 

When I'm out of motivation, I just kick the kid in the ass a little harder and motivate him......

 

Move around a little. Do some work on a fender one day then a door the next etc. Take a day or two off of the body work and do some mechanical. heck even moving the car in the garage will give you a different look and perspective.

kgdb

 

I grew up in my dads bodyshop/rod shop,i started when i was 7 i am 35 now and still doing it(so is he),i went to school to be a machinest,talk about boring,staring at the same brick wall,working with thousands of a inch,no windows,i went back to bodywork ,it was second nature for me,,,but i like to mix it up in my shop,have one car in the metal stage,the other in bondo stage,other in assembly etc.,it also helps to switch things up, i had 3 1969 camaros going at once one time,now i am sick of 69 camaros(my wife is wanting me to finish hers!),,,,as for working on my own cars its like a shoe makers kids dont have shoes,house painters house is not painted etc...
but it does help when your daily job is your passion,hobby and source of cash flow,it could be worse,i can be pounting out fenders on escorts in a production shop,,you get to meet allot of peaple and make allot of friends,,,

 

,,oh i learned how to do welding,metalwork,bodywork etc. on the same car in my avatar,my 34,and i still own the same car today !!

 

I have to get motivated every morning . i do this shit for a living but once youve been doing it day in and day out for 15 years it gets easier. It really sucks working on all the new and modern bullshit plastic crap,but it pays very well,i really enjoy coming home and working on my old stuff,thats my motivation. like the other guys said "one panel at a time"

 

well I have a lot of years also , and have read the posts , but the health that you give up is what really controls the motivation, heck I started when I was 13..part time learning and was painting at 13 but it wasn't so good, lol the fact is after over 35 years of combo and just collision or just painting I swaped around for the $$ I still love it **but now I don't do it as a career ** just my stuff or maybe a friends. put your mind toward what you want. and for godsake don't strip the paint off every inch and then find something else to do do a panel at a time in prime , before you know it its done its really not boring time consuming yes boring no, it is an adventure and the trip is half the fun of getting there , pin up a couple pictures of what you want it to look like, and go for it,I have so many aches and pains I can hardly hold a block some days but I love it and have a vision so I just do it, so enjoy it or otherwise just buy one finished and leave it to the pros, me I have more time than money soooo,oh one other thing look at my tool box in the avatar took a long time to get that overspray on there he he he hope my lungs look a little better,

 

John, if you looking for motivation, you need to start the night before. Then turn on the radio, ice tea to keep the your body going.

Tony. see ya at the meeting or your dad's ( watch your dad work too )

 

Works for me, of course mine isnt always "medical" on this side of the country.

 

motivation? realizing that it ain't gonna get done standing there looking at it! turn off the cell phone, crank up the tunes, find your starting point and then attack it one panel at a time. and once you get started, don't stop til you accomplish what you set out to do for that day.

 

In my shop every day we just do sheet metal work no painting not even prime. I don't have a booth & wont shoot out in the open & get over spray all over ever thing. Ever project is a challenge but it is what I enjoy. The body & paint guys like what they get from us they do not have to mess with rust or damage just load it with primer & start blocking with very little filler work. Metal finish & lead here.

 

yeah i can't do body work. i don't have the patience. hell, i had to sand some mud on an eleven foot span of drywall today and i lost interest in about thirty seconds....

 

Good music!

Get comfortable. That means comfortable clothes, foot wear, work position, etc. If I'm working one spot and standing for a long time, I stand on an old boogie board or rubber mat so my legs, knees and back last longer.

Take stretch breaks. You'll last longer and will be less sore the next am.

Roll it out in the driveway and catch some rays.

Coffee and donuts in the am, then switch to soda in the afternoon after a good lunch.

Mix it up. If you're getting burnt on bodywork, drop it and do some chassis or engine work next time you're out in the garage.

Last but not least, I think about how much $$$ I'm saving by not hiring it out. Figure at $70 an hour(?), I'd be spending all my parts and chrome money for someone else to do my work.

 

carcrazyjohn - There's a lot of good advice here and some funny ideas too. You'll have to try some of he Hambers ideas and see what works for you. The key word in body work is patience never rush it, think about how it will look when your out their cruising. Something is only worth doing if you do it right patience my friend. Being an art major in high school and college, I have problem with body work. Body work and sanding is like working on a sculpture, your forming and sanding off to get to the final piece and the award is always great. Good luck in finding what works for you!

CRUISER

 

beer and good music

 

like south park said Beer and good music!

 

When you get sick of block sanding you need to work on something else. Every little thing you see and try to skip over will bite you in the ass, set the panel aside and weld on something. I have been block sanding a stupid 66 mustang for 2 years(customer car). I promise you it will be damn nice when done (it really hasn't been 2 years but feels like it). I have found if you start going in circles put a couple coats of primer(spray fill, what ever you like) on. It gives you a fresh start, instead of 10 spots that need work you may be down to 3. Its all about patience. It's what makes your car better than the 200 next to it.

 

well, im running out of motivation.

Best motivation i can think of would be ....

Money. Why do you thing they charge so much for bodywork. Cause it sucks, but being paid by the hour, you wanna take your time

 

That's right on target.

 

Can I watch?

 

Like Hot Rods Ta Hell said, get comfortable, my buddies laugh cause when I'm in the garage in my zone, I'm usually just wearing my pants n shoes, tunes motivated me, you gotta have the right music, some old slow ass elevator shit doesn't work for me. Some rockabilly or 80's metal, somethin' with some beat. don't think of it as work , have some fun, take your time. I used to do body work full time, now it's more recreational, Good luck.

 

I put on old clothes I don't care about, something soft on the floor for the knees and body when your in that position, wipe out the world around you and change your paper often. Seen alot of guy's using worn out paper and getting no where soon. I also look over the different part's of the car while sanding to see if I want to change something. I like to clean the work place up to every night to where when you enter, it's not like a place you don't want to be in. And if I'm really burnt while sanding, sitting or laying down doing the lower half I stop close my eyes and think of a place I'd rather be, till I feel like starting over.

 

Ive allways been more into the motor and runnability than bodywork. Then one day...
I'm playing around with an old burb and kinda want it to look "decent". 20 footer's ok with me. The motivation for me is how frustrated I can get putting book learning into finished product. We were looking at a strike at work and I was thinkin about a body shop gig to kill time and learn. Never happened though.

 

I'm 3 or 4 years (can't remember!) into my truck project, which features many body repairs and modifications, some large, some very subtle. I broke my tasks into small segments to help bring a sense of accomplishment after completing each task. Shave the drip rails, pancake the hood, round the corners of the driver's door, passenger door, french the bed rail, etc.....don't look at it as one big restoration project, break it down into little bitty tasks. After completing each one, you'll get that feeling of inching closer to the end. Oh, and try not to put a deadline on yourself. There is no rush. Missing a deadline just brings a feeling of failure. Manage your expectations with reality. Hope that helps.

 

It's easy to stay motivated if you love the smell of Bondo