It has been 19 years since I dragged home a "1976 Stingray, full load, 4speed" sans L82 motor. Our kids were small and really didn't realize what was sitting in the garage where their mother's car used to sit.

I, being a bodyman and collision shop owner thought at the time this will be on the road next spring but being that same shop owner would not take a stall that was producing 38 bucks an hour, Cheap eh'.

Good business dicipline as taught in the early years stalled me from finishing the 'Vette'. Production, volumn, success prevented me from working on the car.

We sold the shop in the late 90's and both made a career change. I also have lost some of the desire to finish this car. I also gained other projects to add to our 'stable' but will not go on until this Corvette is finished, dicipline stands out again. I just hope it will carry me through.

I am sure some of us has gotten to this 'narrow part' and maybe discovered something that motivated you.

If you are up to it, please share what have you done to over come this 'temporary' stall spot on your projects.

Dano,

 

I would say you have to love the car in order to want to invest time and money into it. If you are not driven to get the car done so you can enjoy the reward of driving it or at least selling it off to be reimbursed the money you have or will put into it, you need to simply sell it off now before you invest any more time or money.

Hopefully you will find the love for this car and will want to spend the time to atleast make the car road worthy and maybe get a chance to have some seat time riding around out on some old back country roads.


Good luck,

Riggs

 

My 80' sat for about 5 years or so, but I did buy some suspension and other parts over the years. Then, I bought a 500 hp engine. That got me motivated to finish my vette so I can try out the new engine.

 

Focus is what it takes. Set a goal for the number of hours you want to work on it each week and execute it.

 

Hi,
I found that finding some small jobs that need to be done, and can be COMPLETED, starts you on a path towards having a set of shelves that's full of finished parts just waiting to go back on the car.
Seeing those parts and the fact that the list of those finished parts is growing may encourage you to continue.
Regards,
Alan

 

I think it's all about priorities. If you aren't working on the car it is always because you would rather be doing something else even if that something else is lying on the couch watching TV. Once you start thinking about your priorities you will know what you should do with the Corvette.

 

The little things you do add up to a big achievment and tends to motivate, good advise, Al !!!!

 

I could be mistaken, but I suspect that you have never just sat down with paper and pencil and made a detailed list of what needed to be accomplished to get the car roadworthy. If that is the case, there is no time like RIGHT NOW (instead of being on the Forum!).

Start listing the 'big ticket' items; and don't break that down into smaller tasks, just yet. You will find that almost all tasks will fall into categories of "SAFETY" (brakes, lights, wipers, tires, suspension, etc.), "OPERATIONS" (engine, tranny, accessories, etc.), and "APPEARANCE". You can make a sheet for each 'set', if you want.

Now, go out and look the car over...get inside it if you still can...and identify other items that you might have missed on your initial listing. You should also 'link' items that should be done at the same time, because of the area of disassembly that is required (ie, do everything in the dash area and tranny tunnel at the same time). With these items, give each a 'Priority' number #1 thru #xx. {I highly recommed that you work on the "safety" items first; "operations" items next; and "appearance" items last.} Then start another sheet and get into detail for #1. List all the [significant] tasks required to complete it. Identify any parts that will need to be replaced. List products that will be required to do the work (cleaners, paints, greases, etc.). Order any parts that must be replaced..but do not replace items that might be reuseable. {Note: You should utilize any and all original parts that can be salvaged/repaired. Original parts are always of better quality than replacement parts...even if they come in a GM box!}

OK. You have a starting point. Now, your mindset is that you will only focus on item #1 until you have it completed.

If you are anything like me, you get mentally overwhelmed when you look at the car and think of all the stuff that needs to be done to get it finished. Once you do that, you shove it back on the "Later" shelf, because it's just too much to consider. By breaking it down into manageable tasks, you will discard 90%+ of that mental garbage and you will be left with an achievable task. It really does make a difference in how you are thinking about the work. And, once you get the first task completed, that will reinforce your confidence that this can be done.

 

Hey Korevette:



I have found that sometimes when I seem to loose motivation on my 68 restoration, that the problem is really not the restoration.

If my shop is a mess and I have a lot of unfininshed other (household, etc.) jobs laying around, I don't want to go out there and work on the Vette. Is your shop clean, well lighted, and basically user friendly. Are your tools oragnized and ready to go.? Do you have enough room to work...?

Once things are ready, then go pick a small project and "get-er-done".

When it is done, take time to stand back and admire your work... You deserve to do so...

Then start another.

"Journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step..."

You've got to make your project enjoyable...


Good luck... We are all pullin' for ya....

 

Dano,
Just my personal experience. I live in south central Ontario where the roads are generally pretty flat, except of on the escarpment and after a boring 2 hour drive north of here. When I bought the car it was tons of fun to drive on the twisty, hilly highways north of here (well over the 50 mph limits). The escarpment is semi-suicide if you like to drive fast because there are frequently idiots half way into your lane on the twisties..... But I don't go up there any more so I hardly drive the car and have lost motivation to do any more work on it.
So think about your useage / roads and how you want to drive the car before dumping a whack of $ into it like I did. Some guys just want the show. After being addicted to a litre -bike for prior years, if I am not pushing it I am not having fun. my 2c.

 

put a TV in the garage. i go out turn on my favorite car shows and when i see these nice cars next thing i know I'm doing something to the car.

 

I was a Sergeant in the Army, so let me take a crack at this:

GET YOUR *** OUT THERE AND DO SOME WORK ON THE 'VETTE, BEFORE I STICK MY BOOT UP YOUR ***, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF CRAP!!!!!!!!!

DO IT RIGHT NOW!!!!!!


Keep the shiny side up!
Scott

 

My wife motivated me to finish our 70 LT-1 project that's why she gets to drive it. She also assisted in it's restoration that's why she is a "KEEPER!" just like our LT-1

 

Korevette, thanks for asking I need motivation too. I'm not that far into my restoration just 4 months and I'm already running out of steam. My memory on how fun it was to work on a car was blurred my not having to work on one for 25 years and now that I am it's been a real PITA. I was a pretty good mechanic back when I was tearing them up all the time but now it's slow going and I've even had to buy a creeper that I said I'd never own. I think "Rainmaninwa" may have the best advice in that you need to be organized and have plenty of room. My tools haven't been organized in probably 30 years and it takes more time to find a tool than to do the job! Take 1 project and finish it, I myself tried but one thing but it led to another and I 've ended up with an real mess. Other good advice that I can offer is stay OFF the computer and these forums. There great if you need to know something but if you're like me you know how to work on a car so get out there and work on it. Don't burn all your time as I do reading what everybody else is doing. My best motivation will come from the wife, I've bought all these parts and there in her room and I also can't get to the lawn mower so I'll be motivated pretty good in another month. Ha! Good Luck, I feel your pain. Kal

 

Just sell it and move on.

 

KoreVette; you said you had kids, do they show interest in cars? If so, get them involved. When I was in high school, my dad helped me on my 69 camaro (GRHS) , now that I have the vette he gave my mom, I will finish it!

 

 

Well, Korevette hasn't been back to this thread...so I guess he was serious about losing interest in the car.

 

Yeah right...

 

He's probably in the garage.