The Cal-look Lounge

Just curious if anyone else out there has been in the middle of accruing parts for a project (car, engine, etc.) and wrestled with the notion of bailing out part way through.  Kind of where I'm at, in a sense.  Started gathering parts for a 2017 build, starting to realize just how expensive a project it really will be, and have been tempted to, as my post title suggests, "chicken out."
Not really looking for encouragement on either side of the coin, just curious as to how other folks have balanced out long-term desires with projects versus present-day practicality from the economic, fiscal standpoint.

no, I'd say most of the time when I get a motor project going, the level of excitement ("what will this one run like?") keeps me interested and enthused. Some guys say I build uncommon "off the wall" stuff, and that's probably true, and it probably keeps me saturated and engrossed in getting the thing done. If they were all 94 x 82 K8 pump gas I already know how they're going to run and I might get bored and start changing stuff. Plus, I always seem to have these unreasonable expectations that I never seem to attain.... you know, 200+hp, 8500rpm redline, driveable off idle, quiet, etc. I can always dream.

You need to be there when your big motor comes to life the first time. It's a true rush to hear that first "WHOOMP" when it fnally clears its throat and then sits there and screams @ 2500 idle for 20 minutes. Just the scent of a new big motor is worth persevering. Trust me.

Jim

I'm wise enough to not start selling parts too soon..  Trust me, I'm the master of seller's remorse! ;D

Instead of abandoning the project, start with a list outlining the combination of parts your looking and buy them when funds are available. Beg, borrow and barter your way and eventually you'll have most of what your looking for, I'm the king of this.  ;D It's taken me 10 years to scrape together the parts for my current 2165.

 ::)

Hey Ryan, Keep whatya have, these times, just take your time, thats what I do, before you know it, you'll have all your parts you need for the project. I gather parts a little at a time, concentrate on each part at a time, this way you'll get what ya want. Then BUILD!  ;)

chicken out NEVER.                         fondel your parts. finger f...k your parts. but by no meanes dont sell. have the true VW passion that some of us have had growing in side of us for years. like jim said its all worth the wait . the parts are paid for dont worry about it . UD . 

The person I love to quote the most..Reggie Jackson (baseball hero)

"The only person I have to impress, is ME!"

I DO IT ALL THE TIME. Regret it after but pushing hard to complete something for once :(

Yes but after I reached half of estimated bufget I realised there´s no way back without major financial losses. I have maybe 9 grand in my engine right now.

Yes put my engine up for sale a couple of months ago, then got few messages saying to stick with it as it will pay off when its finished. Being 23 I don't really have that many commitments at the moment! If you know anyone with a quick Bug ask if they can take you for a spin, trust me you will want to carry the project on ;)

All the time. It's when you count up all the parts you've got, spare floor pans, complete motors, gearboxes, wheels, shells, etc, and how long you've been collecting for, and you STILL have nothing to show for it (a running, driving car!) you ask yourself if it's all worth it. Should I sell it all and buy something already done? But then I enjoy building stuff, learning about how a car goes together, and really I know that I've got to keep going as I am! One day I'll finish one of my four project cars! :D

I'll tell you I just went through the same thing before recently finishing my car after EIGHT YEARS!  I thought about selling my parts and bailing out during the eight year period when I went back to school had two children, was working full time, maintaing a house blah blah blah...you get the picture.  I would kind of do what UD said. When I got bummed out I'd go in the garage open a couple of boxes and look at the nice parts I had and remember how hard it was to get them.  Then i would think about what got me in to VW's (my Dad's when I was a kid).  If I was really bummed I'd watch a VW video DRKC from Ocean street and it would straiighten me right out.  Also, when I didn't have money to buy engine parts I'd look at my car and fix all the little things that weren't quite right as that didn't cost me any money.  Now my new 2110 is finally in my car and I drive it and I love it.  I don't even think about putting a stereo in it coz all I wanna hear is the motor....Even though I built the car for me it's nice that every time I drive it at least five people are asking me about it, wanna talk to me about it and tell me how much they like it.  It was worth the wait and sacrifice trust me.  Now I'm going to try and plan out how to build a 4 inch bore motor and get another car......:-)

Never will forget the feeling I had when I came home from Pomona swapmeet, fresh cardboard box in hand full of my freshly rebuilt IDA's. I completely scored on an awesome set of carbs perfect deano manifolds and a decent deano linkage for $900.00.  It had begun and I sat there night after night with that box of gold next to the couch (I was single then). Then I ordered the crank and rods then bought the heads and case. With each new purchase I questioned my sanity but never quit and kept looking forward to the glorious momments Jim spoke of earlier. Many times while I was in the middle of the project I'd sit with the shell in the garage and wonder what I was thinking building this thing BUT never gave up and boy am I happy I didn't.

  So go kiss your crank, fondle those rods, whisper sweet nothings to your case and pistons and sleep soundly knowing you deserve this no matter how long it takes.

Years ago, I sold most of the cool parts I had being tempted by the short term cash and figuring I'd never finish the project anyway... I still deal with seller's remorse.

This very thread prompted me to go through the boxes of parts I'm now collecting for my project Oval  ;)

It feels good to see and feel the parts you have, and visualize the finished product...

Take it from an old dude-- don't sell and hang in there!

~Dave

Your getting very close to crossing the line ;)

"http://www.youtube.com/v/HvuY1nO27Go&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1

if the dough isn't there then simply wait. But don't give up dude. And spend the money on the stuff that counts. Don't piss it away on cosmetic stuff, just get the thing running and tuned. Stuff like ceramic coating your headers, powder coating, aircraft hoses... you don't have to do that expensive stuff to have an ass kicker. With patience, you can do a lot of stuff on your own, like match porting manifolds, setting up springs, etc.
I moved to South Calif on a shoestring budget, and didn't ahve the means to move most of my VW crap. Unfortunately I let it go... literally. I gave away too much stuff due to a time crunch and I still lose sleep over giving away some nice stuff (Rimac, tons of AN hose and fittings, ratio rockers, heads, etc).
Remember, parts get more expensive the second time you need to buy em.

Nice topic.  It is awesome to see how many seasoned players say stick with it because it is totally worth it.

Comes just at the right time as I'm less than 2 weeks away from hearing mine run in the car.  Just like T-O-O says, I'm skipping on fancy stuff like AN lines and powder coating just to get it in and sorted out.  It can be pretty later.  I think started collecting parts for my 2110 in 2004...now we're at the "between" stage.  Between finally having the build finished up and driving/being amazed by my first stroked VW.  Also maddening, but it's almost there!

OMG!!! :o... thought that i was sick having al my engineparts in my bedroom!!

But i recognise your feeling.... I'm collecting parts for my 2017cc engine for about 4 years now, huge amount of money is in it (cause i wanted only the good stuff).. And why i'm still a student i had to sacrifise lot's of things for this engine (vacation trips)= unhappy girlfriends ;D...So i'm still asking myself why i'm doing this... But visiting meetings like EBI and DDD keeps this fire burning. ;).... Only wrong purchases (being a virgin stroker builder) are real drawbacks at the moment.. So giving you one advice: Make a good and reliable shopping list and stick to it.. Good luck and have patience..
Dennis

AMEN!

~DR.

All good points, here, folks.  I knew there had to be others that knew where I was coming from.  Just curious as to how other folks overcame their temptations, lol.  ;D

Well, hopefully taking you for a ride in my car helped to inspire you............Did it work???    ;) 8)

Building cars is a process for me not an event. Trust me...ask the people I have built stuff for ;)....takes a while but I ALWAYS finish. I have had thoughts of chickening out but that just usually means I am pushing too hard.

Ryan I will share an old story with you, circa 1989
I was in the midst of a bunch of crap going on in my 18-yr old life. Stormy relationship with a chick that was truly off her rocker, my car was apart thanks to me adjusting front wheel bearings incorrectly (and wheel almost coming off on SF Bay Bridge whilst on a date with above girl), death in the family, school work going to hell, missing classes, fighting with parents....all this fun in the course of 4 or 5 months. All the while I was buidling my first VW motor. That wasn't going smoothly either. I pinned a main bearing (#1, and the case I was using was .040" and needed thrust cut, so that bearing was cut-to-fit on a lathe) while assembling lower end, because I didn't listen to the guy @ BH and mark bearing for split. I broke a one piece oil ring while trying to get it on one of the 87mm's. I totally screwed the geometry of the swivel feet, etc. Long story short, it was a wobbly learning curve. But in the end, on a cold Sunday night, the thing finally went in the car. This was a few months after I first got started. My girlfriend had gone away for the weekend and I got a ton of work done. About 5:30 on that Sunday night, everything was bolted up, wired, throttle cable attached to single 36DRLA, oil topped off, black handprints everywhere, tools kicked all over floor, cut hands, split knuckles, dirt and grime in my hair, sore back, but after a few cranks the thing burst to life. I have to tell you, hearing my first ever motor come to life and sound so freaking mean (it had an Engle VZ25 in it, after all  ::)) was one of the coolest moments in my life. Kind of like watching your first be born. Not quite but....
My point is, I was in a terrible frame of mind during those months (ask Sheep), was broke (which high school student working on a VW isn't?), and I was more than intimidated and frustrated with the fumbles with main bearing and oil ring, etc. But in the end, hearing the thing run (not to mention, driving it) was all worth it.

Later,
JIm

No. Never. It took me four years to have my car exactly how I wanted it and it still isn't done; they never are. I spent a lot of money over the years, as all of us have, and doubt that I would be happier with that money just sitting in the bank. There are shitty days when stuff needs to be fixed before the car can see the road again, but it is totally worth it when the thing is running sweet.

I do appreciate everyone's perspective.  Where I'm coming from is basically really having to pick and choose what to do with my VW activities, as I can't afford to do the cosmetic things to the car, nor do I have the time (paint is really bad).  I've always been enamored with cars that looked like hell and moved like a bat out of hell, ala Mark Herbert, so I've been more focused on building a new engine.  My problem is very tight funds, very limited time due to my job and, during the winter months, working in the garage is next to impossible due to our 15 degree snowy winters lol. 
All this coupled with efforts of trying to possibly get into my first house (been renting here for the last four years) has me tossing ideas around in my mind as to how serious I am about building another engine, as well as how much time I have available for such an endeavor, realistically.  I am definitely aware of prices will go nowhere but up in coming months and years, which is a prime factor in me hanging on to parts.

I have yet another story for you, grasshopper... later today.

I did "chicken out" on my Fastback(s), but that was just because I realized that I had too many projects and not enough time, space, or money. The good part of that is that I made a bunch of money selling all the parts that I had aquired for the car, even though I sold the cars themselves for pennies on the dollar. Ohh well! I do like where I'm at now though, one driveable project (GTV), one longterm project ('67), and AssHull's car. Enough to keep me busy, but not too much as to overwhelm me.

I could probably make some strong headway toward not only paying off my student loans as well as progress on the engine if I could ever get my '63 ragtop sold, but right now the market doesn't seem too conducive for sales, at least not for what I'd like to get for the car.  Anymore I don't sell parts off real quick because I know how hard they are to come by at the good prices I paid for them!

yep exactly how i felt, so sold most of all the parts (aiming to sell the lot), and ended up with 1 almost done car!