Bodywork and paint I farm out because I want quality work and this project needed huge work. Had a friend do the tranny as he has the tools and knowledge to make them bulletproof.I don't have machine shop equipment. Interior, driveline, chassis, engine buildup and all the rest I am doing by myself (as you can see if you go to my website). None of us is ever truly "by ourself", we have this board and everyone on it, and it has been and stilll contnues to be a fantastic resource!!!! :beer later Tim
I am with the majority! I farm out the paint and body work. I have said for years" I can make 'em run, but I can't make 'em pretty" :Brow: :Brow: :Brow: :Brow: :3gears: :Brow: :Brow: :Brow:
its me and my 14 year old son that are doing it. god blessed me with the boy and he is a god sent. Greg :3gears: :bglasses: :grin: :Comp:
I do it myself, or with a friend for the company and extra set of hands. Cosmetic repairs I don't do (and can't afford to have done), and things like alignments I take to a garage. The basic mechanical stuff, though, is all done at home.
:Smarty: I've learned over the years that it's just overall simpler and easier to just open the hood, find a suitable spot (a hose clamp, the edge of the radiator support, etc...) and just ram my knuckles across it once for a small job, and two or three times for a big one. Then go ahead and get the swearing over with :rant: :rant: :rant: It feels so much better when you stop, it keeps the gremlins happy, and it's good to know that you've gotten it out of the way. :bglasses: I failed to do this recently, and it cost me. I got 1) a good shocking from a bad sparkplug wire, which led me to 2) jerk my hand into the spinning fan. Then, I later got to 3) ram my other hand across the exhaust manifold when the wrench slipped. If I'd have just done #3 up front, it would have gone much smoother...
"gremlins happy" You know what helps / really works. hang a bell of some kind under the hood or car. Lots og guys put then on their motorcycles too. gremlins don't like bells of any kind.
I Am finding this I am finding this very intresting! I know that are a few here that could have it all done by a shop but they try and do as much as they can, The reason I asked this question was to learn something and I think I have....:Smarty: I would like a few more votes and see if I am right...... uzzled: :Comp:
Bells, hmm...I've got a rear main seal that needs replacing...I'll give it a shot and let you know! :TU:
Done by next May? I have the engine and tranny rebuilt by the pros(Coan-tranny,secret-engine builder) and i'm trying to do the rest myself. Peace WildBill
Please add one more option: "Not enough money to pay somebody, not enough time to do it myself, so it sits there and taunts me every waking hour of my life." -- Steve
with a bunch of kids and a morgage as my excuse I do it all. I work long hours and then work on other peoples cars to finance my hobby cars. and basically I've done that all my life. the funny thing is I really never finish my cars, I enjoy the building process and the initial thrill of the fist ride in something new (rebuilt).... in primer. Jon
I try to do all the work myself, with my fathers help on the big jobs to cut down the time. I use a friends shop with a car lift when needed. If its something im not sure on, ill ask my father or this board for advice. Sometimes my father shows the same full interest in my Buick as I do and we end up racing to the tool box.... The only thing I have had someone else do was rebuild my tranny because I knew nothing about doing so.
Exept for chrome and upholstery, I built my NAILHEADED 'T' bucket 99% by myself over the past 30+ years. Other cars have fallen by the wayside. On the Skylark I will do 90+ % of the mechanical, but future redo on paint and body will go to the pros. I just hate to pay some one to screw up what I can screw up myself for free and learn enough to get it pretty darn good the second time with the help of a few good friends and much great info from this forum. How's that for honesty? God let us invent soap so we could get our hands greasy.
B.s. Sorry but I'm gonna have to call B.S. on the poll results. Is there really that many people here that have a machine shop for engine work, can rebuild a tranny and can recover seats? These are the things I won't be doing myself so I did not choose the "do all the work myself" option.
Body and paint is my main thing,but i can tackle most any job given short of machine work etc,which i would rather a professional take care of anyway. I started hangin out at my dads bodyshop when i was 9 so i think its in my blood
I think farming out the machine work but assembling it yourself qualifies as "doing everything yourself." Bought my tranny used rebuilt, but I will learn to do one myself someday. I will be re-covering my own seats as soon as Year One gets them to me.
