How do you find motivation for your car?

[Grepot]

Hi zone,

Hoping someone will come along to give me the motivation I need to get my touring going again. I've recently done the head gasket, valvetrain, cat and other bits on my M40 but since I've finished the work I haven't had the motivation to actually run it properly. Immediately after I did the work I ran it for a bit with the rocker cover off to make sure everything was getting oiled and there didn't seem to be any of the white smoke or valvetrain clattering that I had before. However, since then either the starter or the battery has given up and I haven't got around to sorting it. Don't know why but I'm daunted by breaking the cam in/bleeding the coolant in case somehow something goes wrong. Some days I feel optimistic about getting it going again since I know I've done the work correctly, but most of the time I have this fear of it somehow going wrong when it comes around to starting it up.

Anyone else experienced this? Any way I can put my mind at ease when it comes around to actually break it in and bleed it? Is it even possible for it to go wrong if I've already ran it for a bit and it was fine?

Appreciate any help.

[onthames]

Hi zone,

Hoping someone will come along to give me the motivation I need to get my touring going again. I've recently done the head gasket, valvetrain, cat and other bits on my M40 but since I've finished the work I haven't had the motivation to actually run it properly. Immediately after I did the work I ran it for a bit with the rocker cover off to make sure everything was getting oiled and there didn't seem to be any of the white smoke or valvetrain clattering that I had before. However, since then either the starter or the battery has given up and I haven't got around to sorting it. Don't know why but I'm daunted by breaking the cam in/bleeding the coolant in case somehow something goes wrong. Some days I feel optimistic about getting it going again since I know I've done the work correctly, but most of the time I have this fear of it somehow going wrong when it comes around to starting it up.

Anyone else experienced this? Any way I can put my mind at ease when it comes around to actually break it in and bleed it? Is it even possible for it to go wrong if I've already ran it for a bit and it was fine?

Appreciate any help.

If you believe you've done it correctly mate what more can you do? Get someone to undo all your work so they can check it and put it back together? That would be silly!
Maybe think about somewhere you wanna take the car. A meet, nice drive, whatever. Then you might pull your finger out and get it running.
We definitely all suffer from this though. You get the bulk of the work done and then can't be bothered to finish it off.

[Blanca]

Staying motivated is a BIG problem. I am involved in the kit car world with Eagle SS and Nova cars and 90% of them never get finished (is a kit car EVER finished?) with many falling foul of VW owners who scrap the kit car for the VW engine etc.
I have been restoring and improving my Eagle SS for 15 years in my workshop and am on the final run, but getting over to the workshop 45 Km away and sorting out the last few bits is a challenge and staying motivated is the main reason many of us are on our respective forums, the slightest progress is greeted with enthusiasm and at time makes all the difference. ,

[Grepot]

Well, finally started it up today!

And it started making loads of white smoke, lol. Guess it's back to the technical help forum for me. Strangely I don't feel to bad now that I've actually been able to get going with it again. Appreciate the words of encouragement guys. Hopefully it'll get there soon!

[aimlessrock]

its not easy - it's a marathon not a race. Im on my second resto and i found that if i do little and often on the car i can see steady progress and remain motivated.

Break each job down to bite sized chunks else you risk being overwhelmed.

[steve_k]

we've all been there countless times.

i had the same problem, hence why it's taken me just over 8yr's to get to the point where it's ready for it's mot,

yet, here i am hesitating about booking it in, checked it over several times & i know it's ready yet still i stall each time i go to book it in.

there's loads i want to do with the car so i need to pull my finger out.
i guess half the problem is trying to find something else to do with my time once the car is on the road.

when i found myself losing motivation i would take a few days off, chill out & relax knowing that each time i walked out the door & saw the car sat there i would get p***ed off enough to find the guts to start again & get closer to the end of the project.

it's easy to get really fed up with the car when you think you've done the work & then the very same problem crops up again, i had that with an annoying oil leak (a tiny drip) on the back of my sump.

take a few days off from it, try to clear your head & then go back when you are ready & you'll get there & get it done, just think of that first drive when it's all done & finished.

[steve_k]

its not easy - it's a marathon not a race. Im on my second resto and i found that if i do little and often on the car i can see steady progress and remain motivated.

Break each job down to bite sized chunks else you risk being overwhelmed.

thats what i did with mine after a while,

i wroye a list of what needed to be done & set aside a time & day for each bit, i was so surprised when i noticed the work was getting done quicker & easier as i wasn't worrying about the other jobs that needed to be done.

[Blanca]

its not easy - it's a marathon not a race. Im on my second resto and i found that if i do little and often on the car i can see steady progress and remain motivated.

Break each job down to bite sized chunks else you risk being overwhelmed.

And don't hop about, brakes, leave that half done then hop onto steering wheel change, leave that with centre missing and then back to brakes which you leave again to fix a light out, Stick to one job, finish it and then move on even if that light out irks you no end.

I will post my article, "So you want to build a kit car", read a million times, (really) but a lot relates to restorations in general. I will bung it on a new thread.

[martauto]

yet, here i am hesitating about booking it in, checked it over several times & i know it's ready yet still i stall each time i go to book it in.

My lads cars were out of action so I threw the Baur into a test thinking I was going to have to use her but it turned out different (she passed ).
Best thing I "had " to do and I accidentally sorted out the dodgy starting.
I took her to work twice this week and it felt sooooooooooooooo cool.
Come on Steve, get the finger out man !!! you know it makes sense !!! ( )

Mart.

[steve_k]

yet, here i am hesitating about booking it in, checked it over several times & i know it's ready yet still i stall each time i go to book it in.

My lads cars were out of action so I threw the Baur into a test thinking I was going to have to use her but it turned out different (she passed ).
Best thing I "had " to do and I accidentally sorted out the dodgy starting.
I took her to work twice this week and it felt sooooooooooooooo cool.
Come on Steve, get the finger out man !!! you know it makes sense !!! ( )

Mart.

i'm getting there, should be going in start of next week, just need to sort the daily out.

[rix313]

15 years of thinking my car is the biggest pile of shit on earth then falling madly in love with it, repeatidly. Sometimes I don't see or think about them for months then all of a sudden I can't leave the unit. It comes in fits and starts, hang in there, make sure it always feels like a hobby and never a chore.

[E30Derbyshire]

Let it break down, leave it in the garage for 15 years, saving it from mileage and corrosion, keep visiting it and realising it’s a beautiful car, relocate 3 hours away, worry for 5 years and then pull your finger out basically

[Grepot]

Just did the compression test. Just under 11 bar across the board. Suppose I'm running out of excuses to not drive it now lol.

[martauto]

Just did the compression test. Just under 11 bar across the board. Suppose I'm running out of excuses to not drive it now lol.

Wrap it up in cotton wool instead !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

































(Not)



















GET IT DRIVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mart.

[martauto]

i'm getting there, should be going in start of next week, just need to sort the daily out.

And ..........................................

Mart.