So why does it take so long???

[mikec4193]

Hi Everyone

I am at my wits end here..I keep hearing about all these 6 month (sometime even 60 day builds) builds and such and I dont get it. I have never tried to build a rat rod before but I have to tell you (I am 2 years into this one so far)..I am not having fun at all..this is the most time consuming project I have ever tried to do. I have been 3 weeks just trying to get the stupid hood to shut....and I am sure once this is done there will still be 15 thousand other things to be cut and welded and slotted or cut back apart or rewelded and redone totally because something else wouldnt fit...How do you guys keep it all together on here??? I am so sick of picking rust out of my ears it isnt even funny....when does all the fun start????
Just me ranting again....but if anybody could tell me the big secret that would be a wonderful thing...
MikeC
(oh yeah I work about 2 hours a night on this rat rod..is this typical???)

 

[BigIrish]

Sounds like you need to take a few days off from working on it. If it's not fun, then put the grinder down and have a beer.

You see guys working on these things for many months/years because it does get frustrating and they need to leave it alone for awhile. Also I find that taking a break allows your brain to soak up whatever problem you are working on and then a solution will come to you.

If you are only focused on the end result, then yeah you will be frustrated. Now you know why you see so many 1/3 finished projects on ebay and Craigslist!

I spent about 5 months building my last car, working on it 1-2 hours every night and also weekend hours. So thats pretty normal.

 

[Bonehead]

There are times in each build when things tend to drag a little. Usually when I hit a part that I have to think through, or something that is a little harder than I thought it would be.

Part of the reason people go fast is the skill level they start with, and the experience they bring to the project.

Another reason is the level of the build. Just droppping in a motor is one thing. Scratch building a frame, and doing extreme body work, and fabrication takes longer.

If you are not having any fun, that changes the game too. If it feels like torture to go work on the hot rod...... go buy one.

 

[goose-em]

Those 60 day builds are sorta cheating. Why? #1, they collect all the parts before they turn a wrench or do anything. #2 they have the tools required to do the job, #3 most of the time they start with something that can be built quickly. #4 not the person first build.

Having said that. I am 3.5 years into my 38 GMC and if I am lucky will have it done the end of this month. Why this long, 1 year to save the money and find parts for my engine, 2 years to have it built.

Also, remember when you were a kid playing with your matchbox cars? You would spend hours setting up roads, etc. so you could drive those cars on them. Once the roads were done and the "fun" part began, you got bored in about 2 seconds and found something else to do.

Cruising that hot rod might be fun, but building it is why we do it. Most of us can't stop building.

I am also working on my daughters 63 beetle and am now looking for a new project to start. A roadster probably, or maybe a 49 or 50 coupe or a 36 for coupe of I can find one.

To keep yourself motivated and on track you need to make a list of what you plan to do that week and then accomplish those things.

Oh, and as to hours, I don't typically work on mine during the week but I do spend around 20 to 24 hours a weekend working on it.

And money has a lot to do with build time. You may find yourself letting it sit for weeks or months in order to pay the bills and save up for that $500 carb.

 

[donsrods]

What????????? Haven't you watched Car Warriors????? It only takes 72 hours to build a car ! Slacker !!

We all get to places in the build where we wonder if we should have taken up fishing instead of car building. Parts of doing it are fun and other parts are just a PITA. You just have to keep reminding yourself that you are doing this as a hobby and for fun and when the fun stops you have to get away from it for a while and go back to it when you feel like it again. I have taken as much as 6 months without touching a project because I was just burned out.

As for how long it takes to build a car, my Son Dan had almost 5 years in his before it ever moved under it's own power. It took me 6 years to build my 27 originally, and it took me 1 and 1/2 years to build my 23. The fastest we ever built one was my Son Don's T bucket..........we did that one in 88 days. But they were 88 looooooooooong days, sometimes 14 hour days, because we were trying to get it done for Turkey Run. The reaon we were able to do that so quick was he had preordered EVERY little piece needed, down to the smallest clip, and had a stack of parts sitting there, ready to go. All we had to do was walk to the pile, pull a needed part, and make it fit.

I've always said that I strongly suggest a guy NOT build a car for the first hot rod project, but rather buy one that is almost done or already done. You see so many 1/2 done projects for sale because the builder lost interest or got in over his head and just wants out. It is better to start small and work up to a full blown project after you have had the experience of actually being able to drive and enjoy one car for a while.

One thing I always do is keep a build book. In it I will take one page and write "Things to do..........front suspension." I list every task needed to complete the front end on it, and as I finish one job I draw a line through that task. It is my little reward at the end of the day and it makes me see progress, no matter how little it might be. I do that for every part of the build.

Don

 

[maverickmk]

I have the opposite problem. I like to work on them more than I like to drive them. My wife thinks I'm absolutely nuts. Almost as soon as I get it done I'm looking for the next project. My last car I sold it before my wife could drive it. She was ****ed because she was looking forward to driving it the whole time I was working on it. I wish I could make a living out of this

Hang in there, and like has been said before, take some breaks. I have some of my "breakthrough" moments when I wake up at 3 in the morning and think "I know exactly how I can fix (insert problem here)." And that's usually after a few days of just thinking about it, not trying to force a solution.

 

[sneakysnake]

It was over three years before I ever fired the engine,Hang in there.Step back from it from time to time it needs to be a labor of love.lol

 

[goose-em]

And sit down once in awhile, face the chair towards your project, drink a couple of beers and ponder your next move.

Sometimes a short 30 minute break and a couple of beers will do wonders.

 

[cantwell.colton]

id say youre right where u should be . . Like tbe words of a famous cartoon fish just keep swimming, if it was easy there would be no payoff... Like everyone said take a break or put the hood work aside for a few and go to something else for a day or two..

 

[cantwell.colton]

But im also like a lot of folks on here and enjoy the journey more than the destination . . . Just think how good it will feel when u get that hood right., i once spent a whole day or two trying to figure out why some dash lights would work finally i got fed up and hit the dash and taadaa they worked since then . . . I took it as a simple lesson in patience i probably needed anyways lol

 

[earthman]

It's a hobby. If it isn't enjoyable ask yourself what your motivations are for forcing yourself to do it.Frequently for a first build the chosen project is just too much for various reasons.We can't all be Sam Fear

 

[King Herald]

The more experience you have, usually, the faster it goes.

The more tools you have, usually, the faster it goes.

The more money you have, usually, the faster it goes.

The trouble is, as time passes you want to make a better job each car you put together, and each new build becomes something more detailed, more radical, or plain and simple 'better' than your previous builds.

These guys who build a car in three months usually have loads of experience, a great shop, and all the parts to hand to start with.

 

[LUCKY DEVIL 13]

Hey bud I have been there many many imes!! I just wanted to quit give up and necer touch it again!! But like alot of these guys said just take a couple days away from it or a week or a month and just let it be. My '38 Packard was a HUGE project and it was my 1st one and there were so many times I got sick of it and once I didn't touch it for almost 5 months!! But takin that brek helped because it gave me time to think about how and what i needed to do and could do differently to get the areas finished that I was having trouble with.

Just take a break and build at your pace

For me this hobby is therapy and has helped me thru my dad's death losing my job and just the general everyday stress of life so just take a few steps back take a deep breath and have a beer or in my case a pop and a smoke

 

[Flipper_1938]

It is a hobby. Enjoy the process.

I always set unrealistic timelines, that I never meet....but I don't really get too upset when I miss them.

Money is the biggest restriction for me.

 

[Sam_Fear]

You don't need a hood to make it roadworthy! In other words, make it legal and safe, then get it on the road. You can finish the rest while you drive it.

I work heavy on mine in the winter months, figure out things in my head all the time, and do little stuff in the summer.

 

[skull]

time

been working on and off for 30 yrs on my 1957 chevy, the last 20 she just sits in the garage waiting for to get back to her.

when we did the dodge truck, it took a year to get running. l had a lot of parts and stuff already done from 15 years ago when we started then she got parked for 8 years.

some times it just takes ambition to finish something or outside motovation.

the 30 dodge is two years into the build and counting, next sring is the hope.

Later

 

[Chero]

money and time are my biggest obstacles.
i used to work on my car at 5 am on weekends just to get time in.
then switched to nights like 8-1 am. but family time also takes a chunk out.

when i get ****ed and things go down the toilet, i walk away for awhile.
hit a snag, like parts or tech problem, i post up on a forum like this one!

thats why i love the internet.

remember, you're not alone. we've all been there.

chin up man.

 

[Old Iron]

Hi Everyone

I am at my wits end here..I keep hearing about all these 6 month (sometime even 60 day builds) builds and such and I dont get it. I have never tried to build a rat rod before but I have to tell you (I am 2 years into this one so far)..I am not having fun at all..this is the most time consuming project I have ever tried to do. I have been 3 weeks just trying to get the stupid hood to shut....and I am sure once this is done there will still be 15 thousand other things to be cut and welded and slotted or cut back apart or rewelded and redone totally because something else wouldnt fit...How do you guys keep it all together on here??? I am so sick of picking rust out of my ears it isnt even funny....when does all the fun start????
Just me ranting again....but if anybody could tell me the big secret that would be a wonderful thing...
MikeC
(oh yeah I work about 2 hours a night on this rat rod..is this typical???)

Been there done that: It just takes some time
Here's the deal; when someone gets to feelin like you do right now, it's usually at the end of the project and frustration sets in because you think about how long it's been since you started
Then stupidity sets in and you decide to sell it for what ever reason your mind can conjure up.
The ol boy that buys it brags to his friends how cheap it was and that it only took him 30 days to finish, you see him drivin it at a show or cruisin night and reality sets in, now you feel like s*** because he's enjoying the fruits of your labor
Man take a breath and then let the fun begin [cl
There will be no slackers on this site just ask Don

We're all here for ya Brother

Jim

 

[31Hudson]

I've done projects that took a long time, projects that took not much time and some that I sold unfinished when I got sick of them. I like working on them, driving them and most of all the comments I get about them. After the blood, sweat and tears (yes even grown men can cry especially when you bleed) the memories of some of those horrible moments (like your hood problem) seem to dissappear quickly when you park it at a car show and a gold chainer asks you to move your piece of crap because it's getting more attention then his $100k cataloge car. That's the best part....recognition for something you did that many can not.

 

[cantwell.colton]

These guys who build a car in three months usually have loads of experience, a great shop, and all the parts to hand to start with.

seriously check out the "pictures of your garage/shop" post.
holy moly ive looked at it at least 50 times and i still get jealous
and awestruck all at once ...