Hello all i have a question i am building my first hot rod and it sure seems like every step i take i have to undo and the redo it and chalk it up as a lesson learned is this normal i am pretty frustrated as i pack it in for the night thanks in advance -lefty
That is the way it is for most of us. Every car is a learning experience and every car is better than the last one. Cutting up and starting over is never pleasant, but it shows you are trying to do the best job you can. Keep remembering this is a HOBBY, and is for FUN . When is starts getting to you take a break and go back to it when you feel the urge again. I can't tell you how many things I have redone in my lifetime. Just part of the game. Why do you think they invented sawzalls ????? Don
It's been 50 years since I attempted my first build and I'm still knocking them apart and doing things over. Just keep on plugging away at it, you'll feel great when you finally get it right.
welcome to hot rodding ! there is no right way of doing things only better ways and yes doing stuff over two or three times is the way! best sometimes to just stop and sleep on it . that seems to work for me as when something does go in once and its looking right thats when I relly start to worry That maybe I do know what Im doing ! till the next time and I get knocked right down LOL
welcome .. i,ve undone , redone , rethunk ...then come to grips with the Feel - felt - found method of thinking which = i feel i should do it like this ,,i felt it should be done like that,, found i was wrong an redid it... best helped me i wrote it down what i wanted draw pictures of what i wanted it to look like .. made little changes an stuck with the plan ,, an never ever be affraid to ask questions.. hay thats why i got on involved with h.a.m.b. to ask those guys that have been there done that...
That willingness to undo something you already did and do it again to make it right is the mark of a craftsman.
I always seem to do everything at least twice, you build a part and see something someone else has done and like it or find out it causes a problem with some other part. Do everything to the best of your ablities and it will be fine..
Lefty, Step back and look at it real hard. Then before you make a cut try and think about what else is going to be effected by it. I have been doing this for over 40 years and I can't tell you for sure that my first build was easy or hard. I can tell you that I learned the hard way that a suicide front end has that name for a reason and that bed rails are only good for holding up a mattress. Anyway back to my initial point, after 40+ years I still miss things and have to back up and regroup occasionally. Don't be discouraged it isn't the end of the world and if you keep plugging away at it you will get it done. Oh yea show us what you think that you screwed up maybe it isn't screwed up at all and can be fixed by changing somethi9ng else a little bit. Lots of experienced deep thinkers on here. let us shoot you some solutions before you do extra work.
Even with lots of planning, I still find that I redo things occasionally. Sometimes it's a year or two down the road when I decide I want something changed, sometimes it's right after it's done.
I agree with this 100%,... I still measure several times before I touch the welder,... and I tack or stitch everything until I am sure it's right. I never finish weld anything until I am satisfied it's correct.
some of my best work has been on 2nd or 3rd try. sucks when your doing it but very gratifying when when you get it just right. hang in there, you'll be glad you did. good luck.
It was a learning experience, and I did re-do alot of things, then after driving it for a bit I took it all apart to re-do the whole thing. I like to read a few different peoples ways of doing each step. I find that I get a better idea of what I need to do, and not have to make the same mistakes as them.
yea i thought about starting a build thread but damn there is so much talent on here i think i would look like a hack but it would definately help with pointers and mistakes
The more you build the easier it gets, and one way to start off on the right foot is to have all your parts that you are going to use and mock them all up. Building one from scratch means you will have to make several adjustments to make everything fit.
Doing my first build now. I feel your pain. I have been fortunate enough to have my father in law who has helped me out and kept me motivated. I don't think I could have done it without him. Keep on keepin on and good luck.
i find i have to redo every thing at least once some times twice. but one day it will be finished and be right.
Blew up a motor. Burned a transmission. Crashed it and bent the frame. Put the a arms on the wrong side and could never get it aligned. Grounded out the battery cable and caught it on fire. So yeah the first build can be rough
My first build was a definite learning experience. Looking back I'm glad I messed up a $100 POS '50 Olds 88, so I didn't make the same mistakes with my '56 Olds, or any of the cars I owned later.
Im on my 5th year of my buildlAnd shit like that happens,Luckily I bounce Ideas off my dad.Then do my own thing............
Imagine that Lefty. Your a normal guy just like the rest of us. I agree with some of the others that planning is important. Never set your goals too high and if you do be man enough to know when you are over your head. Advise is good but doesn't necessarily mean you have to take it all. If you mess up take a break and walk away. Never be afraid to ask for help when you think you need it. A good build is a great learning experience. There is only one real person you need to satisfy and that is yourself. Good luck and have fun with it.
Yes sir, that is called normal. Sometimes it's the missed step in the process. Sometimes it's the fact that the guy who wrote what appeared to be a great article on how to do something left out information that was absolutely necessary to do things right. Sometimes you stand back and look at what you did the day before and decide that it looks like hell and you sit down and figure out how to do it in a much better way. Sometimes that part that you have been saving in the shed for 25 years ends up being junk and always has been junk. And sometimes you just happen to join the HAMB and that hot lick part that you just had to have last year because it was the latest and greatest thing featured in three rod magazines and discussed online doesn't fit the new plans for your car. Welcome to the club.
im still working on my first real build also. its solw. money and other things suck. i find that it is best to take time and think through what you are doing. maybe makes some sketches of the task you are trying to get done. that way its easier (at least for me) to go completly through to make sure it will work with everything. just remember no one knows everything. and if they tell you they do they are liars. except chck norris. chuck norris can do no wrong.
My first build was an off topic car that I still have and am in the process of rebuilding now, many moments spent remembering the situation I was in and what I did to overcome it without the proper tools. So, yes cutting it out and redoing it.
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