Loosing Motivation

brucesvt · Jan 16, 2021

01silverstang said:
My father-in-law always told me it's easier to keep motivation going on a project you can drive. You can have a lot of excitement about a build, but as it slows down and time and money become and issue that excitement fades. I'm guessing if you can at least get it running and to your current location the excitement will come back even if the build remains slow.

The biggest factor for me is that I am not physically seeing the cars progress since I don’t have it. And there’s nothing you can do while your away from it. I am at them point of just skipping the long tubes and just moving forward. Has a bassani x pipe and at this point I just want the car done, so I can have it shipped to me in Colorado

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98 svt · Jan 16, 2021

For me, LTs are more of a hassle than they are worth.

brucesvt · Jan 16, 2021

98 svt said:
For me, LTs are more of a hassle than they are worth.

Yes you’re correct. I’d rather just do the new head gaskets, chains, and new oil pump for insurance and just drive the car

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98 svt · Jan 16, 2021

Doooooo eeeeeeeet Bruce. Take it from me, when you get in the drivers seat it makes it all worth while.

CobraBob · Jan 16, 2021

I agree that you need to drive it. That will to some extent re-kindle your fire to complete the project. It's hard not having it where you can see it anytime. Your situation is kind of like giving a car to a shop out of state, knowing they'll be working on the engine and a few other things over a good 3-4 year period. It's hard to stay excited. But, when the project nears an end, then it usually builds up again as you anticipate driving it again. Hang in there. It will be worth the wait.

01yellercobra · Jan 16, 2021

I get where you're coming from. Mine has been up and down since September of 2019. I've been able to drive it, but it's been hard down since the end of November. I've been looking at other cars recently and contemplating selling. However I should have all the stuff I need to get it running this week. So I told the wife I'd at least get it running and drive it then see how I feel.

brucesvt · Jan 18, 2021

Thanks guys, I think at the start of the project I set myself up for failure. By one getting a car that was neglected and me thinking it would be easy fixes which turned into mini projects. Have learned so much this time around much more than with my previous mystic.
But it’s been a journey nonetheless and yes I cannot wait to actually drive the car again.

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Tabres · Jan 21, 2021

Lack of motivation is part of the experience of building a car.

Mine has sat majorly torn apart and hasn't moved for over a year now for a largely straightforward rewire. Project scope creep has gotten out of control and crippled me. Dad life and lack of time really contributes, too.

I just want the thing done and mobile so I can have my lift back for other crap.

brucesvt · Jan 22, 2021

That’s what I am trying to avoid before I have it shipped up from Texas to Colorado. I know myself and if it’s not running or needs anything it will sit . Haha
But I understand that life will get In the way. And I am just lucky to have one of these bad boys.

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SpittingCobra · Jan 25, 2021

2008 recession hit me hard. The next 5 years it just got worse.

My engine started smoking in 2010, so I took it apart and it sat for almost a year, it was in my mother's garage. I was laid off shortly after, missed two car payments, the bank sent me straight to collections and said I was "up for repossession." Go ahead and take the car with no engine I thought.. but no one ever came looking. Then my mother called one day in 2011 said she hadn't paid her mortgage in over a year, she was completely broke, the home was foreclosed and she would be gone in a week. That's another bad story but car wise I had nowhere to put the car so a friend's dad let me tow it into his field and leave it under a tree. There it sat for a few months while I tried to find somewhere with a garage. Finally I got a place lined up, this was the lowest point of my life. Fresh out of college in 2011 and back to making $10/hr as a security guard because the economy was such shit and could not get a job in my field. I took my engine to a machine shop and I literally sold stuff on craigslist, recycled stuff, worked a day and a night job, flipped random abandoned crap I found in a college flop house I was living at, abandoned snowboards, a bike, a grill, furniture etc. Every dime I would get I would hide it in a sock and when I would reach a few hundred I would go down and pay the machinist an installments. This went on for another year.. Once I got that motor back I got help from a friend putting it back in with a hoist and my motorcycle lift. About 3 years from the day I took it apart, and moving it 4-5 times, I finally got it running. The place I put it together was a friend had signed himself up for a garage at his apartment a few blocks for the ghetto flop house I was living at. The last 3 months of finishing the car I chose to live in the garage ($100/month) to keep adding to the pot to settle with the collection company and afford all the other costs of getting it back on the road. In the spring of 2013 I emerged from that garage with my car running again, and the title to boot.

In my opinion losing motivation means that going into the project your expectations were not realistic. Doing car and motorcycle projects has taught me to expect to be miserable and consider abandoning everything completely. That frustration, that resentment, regret, etc. is paying the price to have what you want if you can't (or don't want to) pay someone else 10x as much money to do it for you.

Tabres · Jan 27, 2021

SpittingCobra said:
2008 recession hit me hard. The next 5 years it just got worse.

My engine started smoking in 2010, so I took it apart and it sat for almost a year, it was in my mother's garage. I was laid off shortly after, missed two car payments, the bank sent me straight to collections and said I was "up for repossession." Go ahead and take the car with no engine I thought.. but no one ever came looking. Then my mother called one day in 2011 said she hadn't paid her mortgage in over a year, she was completely broke, the home was foreclosed and she would be gone in a week. That's another bad story but car wise I had nowhere to put the car so a friend's dad let me tow it into his field and leave it under a tree. There it sat for a few months while I tried to find somewhere with a garage. Finally I got a place lined up, this was the lowest point of my life. Fresh out of college in 2011 and back to making $10/hr as a security guard because the economy was such shit and could not get a job in my field. I took my engine to a machine shop and I literally sold stuff on craigslist, recycled stuff, worked a day and a night job, flipped random abandoned crap I found in a college flop house I was living at, abandoned snowboards, a bike, a grill, furniture etc. Every dime I would get I would hide it in a sock and when I would reach a few hundred I would go down and pay the machinist an installments. This went on for another year.. Once I got that motor back I got help from a friend putting it back in with a hoist and my motorcycle lift. About 3 years from the day I took it apart, and moving it 4-5 times, I finally got it running. The place I put it together was a friend had signed himself up for a garage at his apartment a few blocks for the ghetto flop house I was living at. The last 3 months of finishing the car I chose to live in the garage ($100/month) to keep adding to the pot to settle with the collection company and afford all the other costs of getting it back on the road. In the spring of 2013 I emerged from that garage with my car running again, and the title to boot.

In my opinion losing motivation means that going into the project your expectations were not realistic. Doing car and motorcycle projects has taught me to expect to be miserable and consider abandoning everything completely. That frustration, that resentment, regret, etc. is paying the price to have what you want if you can't (or don't want to) pay someone else 10x as much money to do it for you.

Respect for hustling and doing what you needed to dig yourself out. That would have broken a lot of people.

Dirks9901 · Jan 27, 2021

SpittingCobra said:
2008 recession hit me hard. The next 5 years it just got worse.

My engine started smoking in 2010, so I took it apart and it sat for almost a year, it was in my mother's garage. I was laid off shortly after, missed two car payments, the bank sent me straight to collections and said I was "up for repossession." Go ahead and take the car with no engine I thought.. but no one ever came looking. Then my mother called one day in 2011 said she hadn't paid her mortgage in over a year, she was completely broke, the home was foreclosed and she would be gone in a week. That's another bad story but car wise I had nowhere to put the car so a friend's dad let me tow it into his field and leave it under a tree. There it sat for a few months while I tried to find somewhere with a garage. Finally I got a place lined up, this was the lowest point of my life. Fresh out of college in 2011 and back to making $10/hr as a security guard because the economy was such shit and could not get a job in my field. I took my engine to a machine shop and I literally sold stuff on craigslist, recycled stuff, worked a day and a night job, flipped random abandoned crap I found in a college flop house I was living at, abandoned snowboards, a bike, a grill, furniture etc. Every dime I would get I would hide it in a sock and when I would reach a few hundred I would go down and pay the machinist an installments. This went on for another year.. Once I got that motor back I got help from a friend putting it back in with a hoist and my motorcycle lift. About 3 years from the day I took it apart, and moving it 4-5 times, I finally got it running. The place I put it together was a friend had signed himself up for a garage at his apartment a few blocks for the ghetto flop house I was living at. The last 3 months of finishing the car I chose to live in the garage ($100/month) to keep adding to the pot to settle with the collection company and afford all the other costs of getting it back on the road. In the spring of 2013 I emerged from that garage with my car running again, and the title to boot.

In my opinion losing motivation means that going into the project your expectations were not realistic. Doing car and motorcycle projects has taught me to expect to be miserable and consider abandoning everything completely. That frustration, that resentment, regret, etc. is paying the price to have what you want if you can't (or don't want to) pay someone else 10x as much money to do it for you.

Holy shit man, what a story. I thought it was rough when my 01 was down for 2 years. Never sell that car man.

Corbic · Jan 27, 2021

Old timer I worked with once told me

"if you can drive it, you'll finish it"

He had a T-bucket project he started in 1963 when he was 17, life got in the way, moved around the country, had a few Corvettes as diversion - finally actually got the damn thing finished in 2003.

Trick was his '67 Vette' s motor blew up and he was working on some elaborate build that was getting held up by all the machine houses.

Decided to just do a quick 305 80's block build into the T-bucket. Once he got it running he dumped hundreds of hours and thousands into it.

Wish I had a picture.

Looked like this but like a chrome yellow.

Moral of the story - once you can't drive the car cause it's that big a project, it's magnitudes harder to get motivated to work on it.

Recon · Jan 27, 2021

I’m kinda in a similar boat. Bough my Mach in November of 17 and the car still isn’t running yet. Mainly due to my other interests kinda taking over. Engine was broke and after a stupid amount of money later the engine is fixed. Need to finish the reassembly but the timing components are the hindrance at the moment. It would’ve been cheaper to just buy another engine but I wanted to save this one. As the car is a very very early production 04 with decently low mileage. No intentions of getting rid of the car, but I had some friends who needed some assistance so they took a little more of a priority than the car did. I found the production date of the car and it’s actually made on my grandparents anniversary; so that cemented the “not for sale” ever. I have another friend who needs some help and after that’s taken care of, the restoration will resume. Car needs a lot of work to get to the level of condition I think a 33k mile car should be in, but it’ll happen.

Pick your poison.

brucesvt · Jan 27, 2021

SpittingCobra said:
2008 recession hit me hard. The next 5 years it just got worse.

My engine started smoking in 2010, so I took it apart and it sat for almost a year, it was in my mother's garage. I was laid off shortly after, missed two car payments, the bank sent me straight to collections and said I was "up for repossession." Go ahead and take the car with no engine I thought.. but no one ever came looking. Then my mother called one day in 2011 said she hadn't paid her mortgage in over a year, she was completely broke, the home was foreclosed and she would be gone in a week. That's another bad story but car wise I had nowhere to put the car so a friend's dad let me tow it into his field and leave it under a tree. There it sat for a few months while I tried to find somewhere with a garage. Finally I got a place lined up, this was the lowest point of my life. Fresh out of college in 2011 and back to making $10/hr as a security guard because the economy was such shit and could not get a job in my field. I took my engine to a machine shop and I literally sold stuff on craigslist, recycled stuff, worked a day and a night job, flipped random abandoned crap I found in a college flop house I was living at, abandoned snowboards, a bike, a grill, furniture etc. Every dime I would get I would hide it in a sock and when I would reach a few hundred I would go down and pay the machinist an installments. This went on for another year.. Once I got that motor back I got help from a friend putting it back in with a hoist and my motorcycle lift. About 3 years from the day I took it apart, and moving it 4-5 times, I finally got it running. The place I put it together was a friend had signed himself up for a garage at his apartment a few blocks for the ghetto flop house I was living at. The last 3 months of finishing the car I chose to live in the garage ($100/month) to keep adding to the pot to settle with the collection company and afford all the other costs of getting it back on the road. In the spring of 2013 I emerged from that garage with my car running again, and the title to boot.

In my opinion losing motivation means that going into the project your expectations were not realistic. Doing car and motorcycle projects has taught me to expect to be miserable and consider abandoning everything completely. That frustration, that resentment, regret, etc. is paying the price to have what you want if you can't (or don't want to) pay someone else 10x as much money to do it for you.

Wow I would have given up. But that’s motivation for sure. To answer your question, I went in like an idiot thinking it didn’t need much and boy was i wrong.

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SpittingCobra · Jan 28, 2021

Tabres said:
Respect for hustling and doing what you needed to dig yourself out. That would have broken a lot of people.

Luckily I have a personality where when my life takes that kind of turn I start to imagine myself as Rocky in the first movie. I just focused on rebuilding that car as the first step in rebuilding my life. Hell, I wasn't in any position to sell it.. a broken down mustang with no engine/trans and I didn't even own it.. #facepalm

Dirks9901 said:
Holy shit man, what a story. I thought it was rough when my 01 was down for 2 years. Never sell that car man.

You're right I will never sell it! Trust me, everyone close to me has told me to "just sell it" at one point or another and most don't know what I put myself through to have it.

brucesvt said:
Wow I would have given up. But that’s motivation for sure. To answer your question, I went in like an idiot thinking it didn’t need much and boy was i wrong.

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We're all idiots then lol. I'm in the middle of restoring a dirt bike (1992 YZ 250 Damon Brashaw replica) and I'm at the point where I have almost zero interest, and those thoughts keep creeping in about just spending money on something else, but I have to just block them out and realize that it's just how the mind works, because I feel it every time at this stage of the project, it's almost always the same.

Loosing Motivation

brucesvt

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98 svt

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brucesvt

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98 svt

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CobraBob

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01yellercobra

AKA slo984now

brucesvt

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Tabres

Not without incident

brucesvt

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SpittingCobra

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Tabres

Not without incident

Dirks9901

Paint>Vinyl

Corbic

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Recon

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brucesvt

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SpittingCobra

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