It seems to me that over the past year on the forum there have been a number of long term z projects that have been abandoned. This is aimed at nobody in particular. and everyone has a good reason to walk away from a project. id like to give some advice as someone who builds and restores cars for a living ,has owned a zed for a long time and currently have a bunch of crazy stuff im doing. My advice to people starting down the path of a 300zx project is not to be overly ambitious. Dont chase the big power numbers just to impress people on the internet. and dont get too caught up in all the little details and group buys. there are alot of people who have built big motors or spent years on a 300zx only to end up selling it all off without ever seeing the result. Im sure some of those people would rather have built a more simple car, had it finished ages ago for a fraction of the cost and have been able to drive it. I know i have felt like that when i have been in the same situation.
Yes People make a big mistake when they get a car and have big plans for it The first thing they do is get it home and pull it apart and there it sits while they save up for this and that to make it there dream car A lot of times it ends up like you say - being sold off in pieces A friend of mine had good advise - he deals in old historic cars Buy a car of your choice and have a project for 6 - 12 months - pick the part of your car that shits you the most - maybe the interior - maybe the paint needs repair and in that 12 months save up or do it yourself but fix that part and only that part of the car He insists that you should be driving and enjoying your car all the time the project period is going on This way you can see your dream car developing and it doesnt become too much to do After 2 or 3 years you will have painted your car - fixed the interior and have engine running as sweet as
But a list of those who have publicly wasted part of their life and big wads of money pointlessly wrecking perfectly good zeds could be helpful in deterring others from making the same mistake. Who can kick this off? :rofl: Just kidding, yes, excellent advice. Anyone got lambo doors some humongous turbos rainbow paint they're looking to sell?
I'd happily say that I'm guilty of this. Took on a project that I was more than capable of finishing, then my financial situation changed and the Z had to go. It's just life.
Yeah its not easy seeing a long project to the end .. especially financially. You get to the point where you have to make a big choice . car or wife :rofl: :br: .
I am guilty too. So I started again and again, then I made up my mind what I wanted, and that was to get them running and drivable, two down three to go body work on them I'll do last. And I agree pick something and finish it, then take it for a drive, makes working on them more pleasing.
Can't say I have been in the place I need to drop a project that I have really gotten into. I got 3 cars in the build at the moment. Time is what hurts me most, working during the day then there is only so much you can do after work and weekends while still having somewhat of a life.
on a serious note I agree the biggest problem is having the car in pieces for years and not enjoying it . This usually happens on big engine builds . building a separate motor is a smart idea . I bought 80% of the parts first . . then proceeded with the build . I started with suspension ,brakes ,wheels, body then engine , so still having fun driving it along the way .:br: .
My Z project took me nearly 7 years to complete but I was determined to finish my project regardless of what was happening in my life financially or whatever. I could have pushed it out further but when I proposed to my wife in 2010 the deadline was set to finish the Z before the wedding so I could put as many funds into the wedding and honeymoon as I could. For me there have been so many big horsepower builds, tt swaps, drift builds, VH40 builds which are all performance related and so I wanted to be the complete opposite and make a restoration/conversion build which will make my Z stand out from the crowd of all these race oriented owners. I have achieved my projects goals and I am thrilled with the result and I truly believe I have created a one of a kind Z32 that no one will likely copy or see again. For me I found keeping my project goals and plans a secret the key to me being about to finish my Z project I have learned that though everyone on this forums can be supportive of peoples dreams for their Z they can also deter people from plans that are perfectly logical to them but may look like a waste to others. This is why I have no posted up my build thread yet as I have been waiting till the car was finished and then post up the build so noone can deter me from my primary goals for what I wanted for my Z.
I am also guilty of this...my Z has been off the road for 3 years this time...All I can say is that when people on this forum see what I have done to it, I can guarantee that people will understand where the 3 years went....hopefully I will be reintroducing my car to this forum soon (sometime before the end of the year)
Nothing's stopping me! I've got $726 to get this baby fully sic again, gonna be a dream ride, can even borrow another $57 off my mom if I get stuck, yeah, bro. Bugger those ambitious projects.
:rofl: man with that much moola, you'll have the most fulli sikist pimpin' ride around, spend up big brooooooooooooooooooo .
LOL!! I love the comments!!! All of $700 something to get it fully sick bro.... bwahahahahahahah Peter
I get asked this question a lot, about how long and how much to do the E-Vades. So much so I wrote an article on it. you can find it on my website www.evade.com.au It is mainly about building a car from scratch but you can translate it easily to any ambitious project. Designing and Building Your Own Car Most people reading this section will be interested in either starting an E-Vade build, or are gathering information for their own build and design project car. And, if you aren't you probably will afterwards So enough of the cheap talk; what do you need to get started? Well contrary to what many people think you don't need massive budgets, extensive tools, and hundreds of engineering and design staff. You need patience, a plan, perseverance, and of course an understanding partner. Patience You should expect that if you build from one of the many sorts of kit type cars available it will take 12 months as a minimum, anyone telling you that their product can be put together in a few weekends of work should not to be trusted. They are severely underestimating the volume of work you will need to put in, regardless of the amount that is pre-built. Patience is also need for the initial stages of your build, regardless of whether you are designing from scratch or purchasing a kit (or anything in between). Whilst it is tempting to rush down to the wreckers and auto parts supplier you should first do as much research as possible. Talk to people who have done it before, visit sites like this one, and try and learn from their mistakes. A good mind set to have is one where you try and talk yourself out of doing it, or have your lovely partner be the devil's advocate. Finally during the building phase; patience will be needed many times. Some things won't work and will need re-work, but just take a deep breath and remove the engine for the 8th time. OR, put down the tools and have a break, it will still be there tomorrow. Plan As mentioned under patience, it is important to develop a plan of how you intend to get this car completed. Include every single aspect of detail in you plan, like how much time do you intend to spend working on it each week, where you will get every last single component, at what point in the build do you need to have certain amounts of money available. Also, be sure to plan out exactly what components you are going to fit. If you are not going to use all the manufacturer's components, or are building your own design, work out what and where for every part. And, more importantly ask yourself "will it fit?". You should never leave parts to be "sorted-out" when you get to them in the build process, you will end up being very disappointed as more than likely it won't fit or will require redesigning. Perseverance It is important not to get disheartened and lose focus on you end goal, There will be times when the chassis will look no different after a whole weekend of work, but little by little it will get done. It is important not to build up excuses not to work on it during these lulls in motivation, or not do some work because you have limited time. Persevere even if you only do 10mins a night twice a week, it will eventually get done. We found that we stopped thinking about the finished car and just started enjoying the process of building. Understanding partner Regardless of your marital status, you will need a support person in this build. They need not be you girlfriend or wife (boyfriend inclusive) it could be your father, a mate, whoever! Your support person will be your sounding board, and will help you more than you imagine. In our situation we were lucky in that as a husband and wife team we talked and breathed the car all the time (sometimes to the point of saturation), as it was a project we did together. Just like the house renovation that helped build our relationship. Sure a hell of a lot of other people helped us along the way, but they were not always readily available. However, don't be confused. Your understanding partner does not need be there at every "shed-session", just someone you can rely upon for all forms of assistance. Can you identify your team? I have only skimmed the surface here. But, you get the idea.
Tnx Bros 4 da imput but WTF Haw uz sotp ya spear frum falin owt? Alslo, neadin sum gud frunt doars 4 rode rudie Fanx
Good advice there. It keeps things to a budget and motivation to complete/install such. My advice is to never set a deadline.
