The Hidden Cost of a V-8 Conversion.....

[Tim240z]

In the words of a Rush song:

"I will pay the price, but I will not count the cost"

[pparaska]

The money I have soent on tools for this project is nothing comparted to what I have to spend on her every time the better half starts in on the mess I make. Most of this mess was in cutting and drilling metal and welding the rotisserie' date=' but every time she she's me come in after taking off parts of the car all sweaty and dirty I go through a mini version of the taming of the shrew - as opposed to the full blown version that I still don'twant to repeat.

 

(My wife is anal compulsive about a clean house - I try my best, use mats to wipe off feet, wear latex/nitryl gloves, blow dirt off clothes - but of course nothing is ever good enough).

[/quote']

 

How about some coveralls that you keep in the garage and take your shoes off before coming inside the house. I always slip off my shoes before coming in - somewhat loosely laced athletic shoes work well for this - but for welding, I wear boots.

 

This way, you jump out of the coveralls and slip off the shoes to go into the house, and look presentable and clean to the wife.

[Tim240z]

The only thing that really pisses off the wife (well 2 things really):

1. When I spill gasoline on myself, then walk through the house,

2. When I use the oven in the kitchen to bake parts that I have just spray painted.

[wheelman]

Wow I guess I'm really fortunate. My wife has fully supported my Z habit without having to be bribed, in fact she probably has a better idea of how much I've spent on the project than I do. She will make requests for things but it's never tied to how much I spend on the Z, of course the money I'm spending is money I've squirreled away over the years and she doesn't work so really has no claim to it. That sounds bad though, if she wants to use some on the house or something for herself or the kids it's allowed, within reason. In fact I'm such a tight wad, at times she has had to get on me to make me buy the things I need.

As for tools being a hidden cost I have to agree with most here that they aren't. If I purchased them for just this one project with no intention to use them later then they would be part of the project cost but that isn't the case. In fact I've used the tools to earn myself a significant portion of my funding by working on cars for friends of my son. The tools have more than paid for themselves so haven't been a cost but a revenue generator.

 

COZY,

I couldn't agree with you more about the GYPSIES, THIEVES, LIARS and TRAMPS. I try to ask around alot before hiring something out and have had fairly good luck but not always. I've taken the attitude that I will buy tools and learn to do something myself unless it is very costly before hiring something done. Even the local shops with the "good" reputations aren't always good. We took my son's car into a "good" local muffler shop to have some work done and found joints that hadn't been welded and other problems, then got an angry greeting when we brought the car back in to have things "fixed". Needless to say they won't get my business again or a recommendation either. It's not just auto mechanics that have this problem, it's all the service industries. "Caveat Emptor, Buyer Beware"

 

Wheelman

[Michael]

In COZY Z COLE’s list, the most expensive car-item and the one that emotionally stings the most is #4:

 

parts that don’t fit

parts that are fine individually, but don’t work as a combination

parts that are advertised as in good condition but in reality prove to be defective

parts that are no longer appropriate as the project evolves

parts that fail immediately after installation (like a new engine that wipes a cam)

 

The “actual conversion†might be doable with a 4-digit budget and a few months’ of amateur garage time – if it’s your SECOND or THIRD conversion.

 

Unfortunately, truly custom work is expensive, unpredictable and frustrating, even if done by seasoned professionals; and the results are bound to be disappointing I wouldn’t take my car to So-Cal Speed Shop, Rad Rides by Troy, or any other of the A-list custom shops featured in Hot Rod Magazine, even if I had $200K to blow. Why? Not because those guys aren’t good, or because I don’t trust them – but because if you truly, truly want your car built EXACTLY the way you want it, you absolutely have to do it yourself. The frame and the “hard part†of my car was built by a professional, for whom I have the deepest respect and admiration. He treated me right, and kept his promises. Nevertheless, the car isn’t exactly the way I want it – and I’ve been “recustomizing†the car for the past 5 years.

 

The best compromise is probably Phantom’s approach: if you have the wisdom and experience to both “know your limits†AND to maintain rigid control over the big picture, then go ahead and farm out specific tasks to specific professionals, but do the overall integration yourself.

 

But, how to get that wisdom and experience? That’s why I referred to the “second or third†conversion above.

 

And then there’s the issue of tools... Buy quality tools, and they will NOT necessarily last you a lifetime, because even the best tool will fail if abused, misused or neglected. And honestly, the only way to avoid misuse if experience... which comes from misuse. So, buy cheap the first time, slightly better the second time, even better the third time, and eventually work your way toward “professional quality†– or, buy pro-quality the first time, but expect to buy it two or three times.

[Dan Juday]

E. I use clamps on everything and spend the next 4 weekends fixing leaks' date=' probably don't fix them all, the fumes come in through the bad seals and rust holes int he floor and I slowly go insane with CO poisening. $100

[/quote']

 

ROTFL!!! $100????

 

Is that the cost of the clamps or the value of your sanity? HAHAHA. I kill me.

 

Gypsies, liars, tramps, and theives? Let's not forget upholsterers!!!!!