Scruit Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 I have been working on cars as a hobby for 25 years. First 'job' i did was changing the oil in my mother's car (and finding that I had actually drained the manual gearbox instead of the engine... ) Since then my hobbyist resume includes many clutch swaps (FWD, RWD, AWD) A handful of rebuilt transmissions (auto and manual), engines (4cyl to V8) and one frame-up resto with hundreds of hours in it. I have also done lots of mundane stuff like timing belts, converting a car to power steering, replacing radiators, AC compressors and evac/fill, HGs, injectors etc. More alternators and starters than I can remember... Here's my question: How many of you get stressed out towards the end of bigger jobs, like engine swaps or trans rebuilds? The problem I have is that when it comes time to start up a newly rebuilt engine I find myself stressing out about it to the point where it has made me slow to a crawl on a project. I can be 1 hour of work from being completed, but it can take a a months or two to pluck up the courage to DO the work and turn the key. It's all based upon confidence. I have had a couple of big "comebacks" (I never did this for a job so the "comeback" is my wife or myself) on transmission work, and the fear of that sinking feeling you get when you realize you have to do it all again and it'll be another 6 hours of work is something that really stresses me out. (I had one trans that I went through 3 times. First comeback was due to a spring clip that had weakened and fallen out of place, and the next was an oil leak due to my putting a tiny knick in a seal surface while cutting a bearing race off. I can do smaller jobs all day long and be just fine - but the thought of turning that key for the first time can make me sick to my stomach. Am I alone? IBYouNeedANewHobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 The most stressful moment comes when you start the engine for the first time after a major job like changing cam belt or a cylinder head job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cBax Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 every.single.time. My lack of free time makes me stress hard about doing it right the 1st time. But then I also think that mindset sends me down the road of making the projects bigger than they should be (possibly in some insane effort to never get to that point of turning the key...). If I do get past that part, then I have to turn the key and hope I don't have to tell my wife it broke again. My '79 Cherokee has been in rock bottom of a frame-off rebuild for 6 years. Mostly due to being a stupidly overwhelming project that I should have never started. The irony is that most of the delay has been due to inexperience with body work and motor work. Since putting the project down, Ive done rust repair on 3 cars Ive owned, top-end motor work on 2 and now a full engine rebuild on the OBXT. I've also been pushing racing to the top of the list instead of off-roading. Now my excuse is waiting until my 3yo can help. Once I get back to it, I may not have any excuses left. '05 Outback XT www.facebook.com/baxleysspeedshop www.baxleysspeedshop.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 The most stressful moment comes when you start the engine for the first time after a major job like changing cam belt or a cylinder head job. Seriously. Every time I do that I'm convinced the engine is going to sound like a group of Terminators having a frantic orgy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BarManBean Posted December 7, 2015 Moderators Share Posted December 7, 2015 Yup, I know that feeling. I went ahead and picked up a cheap daily driver which should help with taking the stress away from fixing my "get to work" car and having everything back together by Sunday night. Almost a requirement to have a backup vehicle once you get to a certain point. "Bullet-proof" your OEM TMIC! <<Buy your kit here>> Not currently in stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 every.single.time. My lack of free time makes me stress hard about doing it right the 1st time. But then I also think that mindset sends me down the road of making the projects bigger than they should be (possibly in some insane effort to never get to that point of turning the key...). If I do get past that part, then I have to turn the key and hope I don't have to tell my wife it broke again. My '79 Cherokee has been in rock bottom of a frame-off rebuild for 6 years. Mostly due to being a stupidly overwhelming project that I should have never started. The irony is that most of the delay has been due to inexperience with body work and motor work. Since putting the project down, Ive done rust repair on 3 cars Ive owned, top-end motor work on 2 and now a full engine rebuild on the OBXT. I've also been pushing racing to the top of the list instead of off-roading. Now my excuse is waiting until my 3yo can help. Once I get back to it, I may not have any excuses left. My bronco took me 10 years! Mostly due to losing interest - then every once in a while I'll say; "Hey, what about the Bronco!" then I'd hit it hard with every minute of my free time for a month... Then get burned out on it and leave it for a year. http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/Scruit/B87BFFAC-71B8-45C3-AD07-6D6B348ADF66.jpg http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/Scruit/501506C2-FC07-4BFF-889C-EE0708E6B0F3.jpg http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/Scruit/C80BAA9C-94C3-4F22-AC93-D8EF37F870A6.jpg http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/Scruit/07897BEE-CAEF-45E7-BAD1-24828658713B.jpg http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/Scruit/67EE2A5D-E385-4181-8362-A1DF340F5C2D.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 Yup, I know that feeling. I went ahead and picked up a cheap daily driver which should help with taking the stress away from fixing my "get to work" car and having everything back together by Sunday night. Almost a requirement to have a backup vehicle once you get to a certain point. Glad to hear it's not just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BarManBean Posted December 7, 2015 Moderators Share Posted December 7, 2015 Sad part is, if I add up the extra insurance cost, maintenance, time spent, the extra "while you're in there" costs, etc....I could probably just pay a pretty decent mechanic to get shit done But I have yet to meet a mechanic that meets my general standards (admittedly I haven't given too many a chance) and I generally enjoy doing the work "Bullet-proof" your OEM TMIC! <<Buy your kit here>> Not currently in stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cBax Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Sad part is, if I add up the extra insurance cost, maintenance, time spent, the extra "while you're in there" costs, etc....I could probably just pay a pretty decent mechanic to get shit done But I have yet to meet a mechanic that meets my general standards (admittedly I haven't given too many a chance) and I generally enjoy doing the work x100000000!!! '05 Outback XT www.facebook.com/baxleysspeedshop www.baxleysspeedshop.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cBax Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Last time I touched "Goldie" back in '11. http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu139/sti__this/Cherokee/2011/DSC_0083.jpg http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu139/sti__this/Cherokee/2011/DSC_0310.jpg http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu139/sti__this/Cherokee/2011/DSC_0311.jpg Back in '09 or so, I rebuilt the TH400 with a shift kit, some 4l80 parts and bought a nice convertor for it and rebuilt the transfer case. The bottom of the body is blasted, ready for paint. And the motor needs a rebuild (already have a bunch of parts for it...). The rest of the to-do list is in the pics. The funny thing is...my wife wont let me sell it. She'd approve a $8k build on this thing all day long. I've built and sold 2 autocross cars, built a 3rd and ready to build another since I put that project down... not including the current OBXT build... uggh. '05 Outback XT www.facebook.com/baxleysspeedshop www.baxleysspeedshop.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJMC Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 I get stressed out about jobs too. I've never done a transmission swap or a motor rebuild but I'm sure given the opportunity I'd stress about it just as much as I do even the small projects. I'm the type that doesn't like going to the next step until all the details are done. If I'm going to do something, it's going to be done right. Also, if I'm in there and something else needs fixing... I'm gonna fix it. Because of that... the LGT is still sitting at home waiting to have all it's bolts torqued to spec and replacement parts installed. I think I've put less than 1,000 miles on her since I bought her a few months ago. Maybe I'll get around to driving her again... in 4 months... and all I wanted to do is replace an axle boot... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 The weird thing is, I was about to go hire a Subaru tech to come to the house and help finish my car... Not because I lack the skill, but because having someone standing there would mean I couldn't procrastinate any more. I wonder if that's what you need... A local buddy who would plan to come over and work on it with you. There's plenty of local Subaru folks here that I should have reached out to long ago for help. Again, not because of skills, but just to have someone. Like arranging a workout time with a buddy makes it harder to skip your workout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 i dont stress about it at all, i just take my sweet time finishing up is all. one of my sons friends was joking about me taking so long to build a motor, my son turned to him and said "he may take a while to get it done, but it will work, and be right". thats about how i approach it all. measure two or three times, cut once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dujo Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 I fear my inexperience leading to a very expensive or even unsafe screw-up. I'm terrified to take my brakes apart. Not because it's too complicated, but because an unknown mistake could lead to my death or even worse, someone else's. They need to be done before autocross in the Spring though. Some time about March, I'm gonna have to man up and do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 brake systems are really one of the best things to learn on, you have an example of what youre doing on the other side of the car. take both wheels off, do one side at a time and check it against the other side to make sue they are put back together correctly. make sure to lube the points that need it and you should be good. bleeding may take some help at first, but you really need another hand to help out with that anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Agreed. Brakes was one of the first things I ever learned when I was like 18 or 19. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dujo Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 I did the suspension and exhaust first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJMC Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 The weird thing is, I was about to go hire a Subaru tech to come to the house and help finish my car... Not because I lack the skill, but because having someone standing there would mean I couldn't procrastinate any more. I wonder if that's what you need... A local buddy who would plan to come over and work on it with you. There's plenty of local Subaru folks here that I should have reached out to long ago for help. Again, not because of skills, but just to have someone. Like arranging a workout time with a buddy makes it harder to skip your workout. I'm with you on that feeling. In the past I've always been more than willing to meet up with locals to help do work on their car. Some folks have needed someone who are familiar with the work to observe, some have just made it a "guys night" out of it for bro time. I've reached out to locals a few times for the same reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhitter Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 and all I wanted to do is replace an axle boot... I am luckily / unlucky, because I am not a perfectionist and get to the point of **** it and get it done. I try to fix as much as possible, but certain shit, I just have to let go. I had to replace my axle boot, found out one of my endlinks bolts had snapped (ordered new non-shitty made in china endlinks), and that my whiteline balljoint boot was torn. Fixed it all and put it back together, but didn't clean up as much of the grease that splatted from the CV axle everywhere that I wanted. Luckily that's an easy do later item. I fear my inexperience leading to a very expensive or even unsafe screw-up. I'm terrified to take my brakes apart. Not because it's too complicated, but because an unknown mistake could lead to my death or even worse, someone else's. They need to be done before autocross in the Spring though. Some time about March, I'm gonna have to man up and do it. Torque is important. It took me 12 hours to swap out my OBXT brakes to LGT brakes and stainless steel lines. By the end of the day I was so tired that I missed one bolt. Turns out it was an important bolt. Caliper bracket bolt fell off at the track. Just make sure you aren't against a deadline and take it slow. My OBXT build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTEASER Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 ^^^And you missed 2 sessions tracking down another one. Luckily there was a Subaru shop at the track, otherwise it was a tow home. GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Always check all nuts and bolts twice or more. And when doing engine work crank it several times by hand to make sure that no serious interference exists. At least then there's no huge risk that it blows up on the first crank with the starter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Especially after putting on a timing belt. I always crank the engine 2-3 times with a ratchet then recheck the timing marks. Then after running the engine for 30 seconds or so, recheck the timing again before putting the timing covers back on and put it all back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 last time i put my engine in, i mated it to the trans, on the 3rd bolt i realized i never tightened the flex plate bolts and had to pull it all back out to torque those suckers. oops. could have been a real disaster. this weekend im pulling a LT1 out of an older caprice classic (transplant, had a 305 originally). we only had the engine in the car for about 6 months before some bearings went and the rod started to say hello. now its so loud its almost scary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 When I put the engine back in this time I managed to convince myself that I never torqued down the pressure plate bolts... Luckily there's plenty of access through the starter hole. I did it right, dunno why I thought I'd forgotten them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Some people even use nail polish to mark every screw and nut they have torqued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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