How do you stay focused?

your next post to this thread should be a picture of your completed trans swap in the Jeep. Are you home? get to work!

Keep Jetta, use it for recce duty, buy the Golf before I do something stupid and buy it, sell the jeep and RX7, and get a tow vehicle. Boom, done

Seriously. If that golf was within a days drive, I'd already have it.

I'm in a small purge mode. I finally let go of "the dream" of building my Celica once i realized that i just really hate building cars, and i don't have the patience to do another huge build.

So now, i'm no longer taking on projects that will take forever, or 2) have a lot of pressure to look good.

I think another big key for me at least, is to have a car that's good at giving "instant gratification" every time you work on it. For me, that's my MX6. I can't think of any jobs on that car that would take more than 2 hours short of a rod exiting my block. Anytime i spend 2 hours actually working on that car, doing ANYTHING, it always yields MASSIVE improvements.

2 hours on the Escort? Often doesn't give me a damn thing.

If i spent a solid day this weekend working on the MX6, it would come out with a new clutch and an extra 100hp. To the wheels. THIS is why i love this car, THIS is how it keeps me sane.

xflowgolf wrote: your next post to this thread should be a picture of your completed trans swap in the Jeep. Are you home? get to work!

Nope. Not home. Im mired in meetings at work

That Golf you guys keep posting is a classic example of the type of car that gets me in trouble. Its cheap but needs work and likely some deferred maintenance. I ALWAYs under estimate how much that costs. Besides there would be at least 500 in fuel to get it along with food and hotel. I now see a 3000 dollar car before I spend a dime on getting it running. Before I would say "I can do that for 2500!

Co-driving doesn't require you to own a car. Helmet, headset, head and neck restraint, driver suit and a couple of watches and pens. <-----------------poke, prod. Do it. After 15 years of competitive driving, hillclimbing, autocross and rally cross I had never been in a performance rally. I finally stepped up and tried it last season for the first time. I was petrified leading up to it. I was very glad I did it. It's weird not having a steering wheel in your hand, but it's a definite thrill. Sell the jeep and get the safety gear, it won't be wasted. The rest of the cars can wait.

sachilles wrote: Co-driving doesn't require you to own a car. Helmet, headset, head and neck restraint, driver suit and a couple of watches and pens. <-----------------poke, prod. Do it. After 15 years of competitive driving, hillclimbing, autocross and rally cross I had never been in a performance rally. I finally stepped up and tried it last season for the first time. I was petrified leading up to it. I was very glad I did it. It's weird not having a steering wheel in your hand, but it's a definite thrill. Sell the jeep and get the safety gear, it won't be wasted. The rest of the cars can wait.

Quit making sense!!

i share this at this point in time. Got the ACR, which for all intents and purposes is done except for struts and alignemnt. some detailing/cleaning/waxing/valve stem seals wouldnt hurt either. the camry is parked in the woods waiting on my time to clean it and list it on craigslist. the truck just needs detailed. the subie needs cleaning the duster needs a trans and oil pan gasket.

its all taking up a lot of room in my head with the 60 hour weeks at work, plust family, plust side jobs.

im also in a purge mode. ready to dump it all for break even pricing.

i have learned that i like planning, and instant gratification jobs much more than full builds. really enjoy the driving as well. also tend to enjoy restoration work. but not full builds. not a fleet of 5 cars, all needing something. not two jobs and a family.

so im downsizing. and getting STOCK stuff that i like and will just drive. im thinking new velostar with a trailer hitch and a 4X8 trailer to replace the camry, acr, and truck.

Fix the jeep and send it down the road now. It's a weekend away from putting cash in your hands. You're a vw guy, so send the 7 on its way. You don't fit and it's probably worth more running than waiting until you break it or holding on to the hulk while you part it out. Patch up the jetta, buff it out and send it on its way too. Other VWs will make their way to you anyway. Now go find somebody's cheap race car and maybe trailer to buy.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: I'm in a small purge mode. I finally let go of "the dream" of building my Celica once i realized that i just really hate building cars, and i don't have the patience to do another huge build. So now, i'm no longer taking on projects that will take forever, or 2) have a lot of pressure to look good. I think another big key for me at least, is to have a car that's good at giving "instant gratification" every time you work on it. For me, that's my MX6. I can't think of any jobs on that car that would take more than 2 hours short of a rod exiting my block. Anytime i spend 2 hours actually working on that car, doing ANYTHING, it always yields MASSIVE improvements. 2 hours on the Escort? Often doesn't give me a damn thing. If i spent a solid day this weekend working on the MX6, it would come out with a new clutch and an extra 100hp. To the wheels. THIS is why i love this car, THIS is how it keeps me sane.

This is super inspirational. I need to get my MX6 moved up to my place from my parent's house where it's sitting now, and start fixing it up.

logdog wrote: If you are still reading at this point, how do you get and stay focused in this world of automotive hobbies? I don’t have time or money to do everything I see but I feel like I am always being distracted by the next shiny object.

As any good psychiatrist knows, if you let a person ramble long enough, they will eventually puke up the solution to their problem!

Finish something. It does not matter what project you pick, just finish it. The idea of selling other distractions to do the financing is good, but maybe not strictly necessary.

When you finish something, you will feel good. Chances are you will want to feel good again and hence continue to repeat the pattern by finishing another project. Or deciding you don't need more projects.

As to how I stay focused on a single project? I keep before and after pictures of whatever task I do and finish. Even if it is just a pile of clean bits, I like to have the pictures on the wall for motivation. Eventually it becomes a picture of a finished car.

JamesMcD wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: I'm in a small purge mode. I finally let go of "the dream" of building my Celica once i realized that i just really hate building cars, and i don't have the patience to do another huge build. So now, i'm no longer taking on projects that will take forever, or 2) have a lot of pressure to look good. I think another big key for me at least, is to have a car that's good at giving "instant gratification" every time you work on it. For me, that's my MX6. I can't think of any jobs on that car that would take more than 2 hours short of a rod exiting my block. Anytime i spend 2 hours actually working on that car, doing ANYTHING, it always yields MASSIVE improvements. 2 hours on the Escort? Often doesn't give me a damn thing. If i spent a solid day this weekend working on the MX6, it would come out with a new clutch and an extra 100hp. To the wheels. THIS is why i love this car, THIS is how it keeps me sane.

This is super inspirational. I need to get my MX6 moved up to my place from my parent's house where it's sitting now, and start fixing it up.

I put new seats, door locks, and ignition cylinder in it on Sunday. It took a total of an enjoyable 2-3 hours messing around, hanging out with a good friend i haven't seen in almost 4 years.

HUGE difference. It's great having one key that does everything. It's great having a nice pair of MX6 seats in it again.

It doesn't hurt that even replacing locks and an ignition cylinder on these cars is ridiculously easy.

I really enjoy the hunt for parts and the deal. For a long time I worked too much and just collected parts.

I just recently installed a water pump that has been on the shelf, inside was a recipt from 2007

. I have been collecting parts for my skyline clone project since 05 it is officially rolling into shop next weekend. I have been saying that for a while now but it's true now.

Wait just bought a 04 trailblazer for 1000 needs a Cam actuator installed it is in shop now.

That makes 4'projects in the line up. Trailblazer Skyline (at least make rolling chassie) Race truck 2013 challenge car 1979 Malibu (total restomod)high school hot rod /first owned car

Back to op I can't help I am lookin for help too

logdog wrote:

novaderrik wrote: my trick has always been to be too poor to work on more than any one car at any time... that hasn't stopped me from owning up to 9 at one time

Thats part of the problem. Its always easier to find that couple hundred for the next great project than it is to spend a couple hundred on belts, hoses, brakes etc and still need more to get it road ready. Discipline- I haz none!

$200 is a lot of money to spend on belts, hoses, and wires and what not.. but a $200 car is the deal of a century and you're stupid not to get it..

If it were me, fix that Jeep and keep it.
Sell the VW.
Either start Rally Crossing that RX7 or sell that too if your fitment is really that bad.

Cars are made to be driven. You got to only keep what you enjoy driving - and then drive it.

novaderrik wrote: $200 is a lot of money to spend on belts, hoses, and wires and what not.. but a $200 car is the deal of a century and you're stupid not to get it..

The deal of the century comes along several times a year. Seriously.

LIke I said before...I understand the "buy another project and ignore the ones you have" issue. I do it all the time. That said...I don't have a problem with it.

Clem

Are we making a contest of who has the most car-related unfinished projects at once? Because I think I have a fighting chance . I currently have 8 car-related projects going on (2-seat buggy, Saabaru auto-x, homemade car lift, pedal car for the kids, etc.) So don't worry, you are in good company. But then I really like building and engineering.

If they don't cause you any real problem, you can just keep them and keep pocking at them. I notice that I will usually start a project hard, then slow down and if it's a long project, I will sometimes spend weeks or months without touching it. But if a project doesn't interest you it is a waste of time and space and money. Get rid of it. Apparently, the hardest lesson to learn in business, is to know when to cut your loses. I would say, get rid of the Jeep. You haven't been working on it in and I doubt you will want to work on it so someone else can enjoy it. If it's blocking you from better things, purging it out of your life will be liberating.

fanfoy wrote: Are we making a contest of who has the most car-related unfinished projects at once?

That would be an interesting thread!

I thought I would throw the Jeep up and see what kind of response I got.

http://www.greatlakes4x4.com/showthread.php?p=3236517#post3236517

I have self-diagnosed as recreationally schizophrenic. Between fitness activities (soccer, triathlon), cars, boats, motorcycles, and my dogs, my eyes are always bigger than my free time.

As a result I have 3 bikes, the miata, SV650, 3 boats, freediving, and two mutts vying for my time.

I'm a tad jealous of one friend who has an ability to focus and knock one project out at a time. I'm currently fighting the urge to build a leaning sidecar for my Lab to come along on motorcycle rides, knowing I need to finish the Hydrostream first. And I need to clean out all the projects if I want to take on a major car build (Exocet, 818, Volvo LS-wagon, whatever). Want to build a rowing shell in there somewhere too.

I think part of the problem is the engineering mind - I tend to spend so much time thinking about the best way to do something, scheming, sketching, CAD modeling, rather than just building.

What I've done is create a bucket list. Trying to nail it down to one major project at a time - if I want to get to the next one, need to finish this one first. If its not in the long-term plan (or in interest of maintaining marital sanity), it will be jettisoned. Another thing I'm trying is a dedicated time per week - right now wife is taking a masters degree class, leaves a regular open window so things don't drag on for months without getting touched.

novaderrik wrote:

logdog wrote:

novaderrik wrote: my trick has always been to be too poor to work on more than any one car at any time... that hasn't stopped me from owning up to 9 at one time

Thats part of the problem. Its always easier to find that couple hundred for the next great project than it is to spend a couple hundred on belts, hoses, brakes etc and still need more to get it road ready. Discipline- I haz none!

$200 is a lot of money to spend on belts, hoses, and wires and what not.. but a $200 car is the deal of a century and you're stupid not to get it..

I think I spent $300 on just new suspension bolts/nuts for my Miata.

MattGent wrote: Another thing I'm trying is a dedicated time per week - right now wife is taking a masters degree class, leaves a regular open window so things don't drag on for months without getting touched.

This is a big one too. My wife usually works Saturdays, so I get most of them to wrench. But also in the interest of marital happiness, this Saturday she only works until noon.......so my dad and I will stop working on the car then.

My projects take a bit longer to complete, but the wife is MUCH happier when I'm not getting greasy in the garage when she is home (she works a lot).

^ This. For a while we had a set night a week for "hobby stuff". I'd go in the garage for a few hours when the kids went to bed, and she would putter on her stuff. We slipped out of the habit, but we'll definitely start again as the weather is turning wintery. A few hours a week is enough to keep you engaged w/o burning out...and the steady (if slow) progress helps maintain your interest level. I'm determined to stay at one project at a time, however. I'm just happier that way.

fix the Jeep yet?