What do you guys do when you lose motivation to work on your trucks? When I first got mine I couldn't stay away from it. But now it's kinda pushed off to the side and I haven't touched it in a while. I even drove my bronco onto it


Anyways, just wanted to vent... Maybe I need to get myself to a couple local car shows, that usually gets me in the mood.

 

Car Shows, someone expressing envy over the truck, even the smallest accomplishment can move you to do more on it.

Find a small task you can accomplish on the truck... not something overwhelming... get that done and it often will spark your appetite to work on it.

 

Well that might be a while then. I'm working on stripping the truck down to the frame so I can do the camaro front end.

Anyone wanna come work on the weekends for cheap? I'll give you all the water you can drink

 

I would have to agree, pick small tasks that can be accomplished easy. I often loose interest and feel overwhelmed when I only focus on the big picture. since I wanted my truck on the road yesterday I have decided to just get her roadworthy for the time being.

 

It doesn`t pay to leave a project too long, better to do abit on it all along. When it sits too long it`s too easy to lose interst but if I keep doing even small stuff on it regularly it helps to motive me.

 

Must get to Yakima more often.....find good watering hole .......indulge in frosty beverages.......water not enough. I almost fell into that same hole myself. found out it was to fustrating to try and get everything do in a weekend Don,t fall for that American hot rod c@#p about getting er done in a month.Pick an area that needs work, plan it out ,finish it up before moving on to the next task.small victories -to be sure -will win the war. by the way hows the parts pickins on your side of the hills?

 

I understand the dilemma from your side. Mine has been sitting without brakes for over a year now. I had a lot of health issues is my excuse, but.....

I have had the brake booster, mounting brackets, master cylinder, and residual valves for almost that long.


I went to see the hotrod power tour a few weeks ago. It was really cool to see all the drivers and no trailer queens. Some had dents and rust, but they were there. There were a thousand or more (no exaggeration) cool cars and trucks there. I could not walk by all of them in one day.

That is motivation. Or at least the motivation I needed.

Long story short, I want to drive her to the ozarks run next month. I set that as my goal. I need small goals with the health problems.

I have everything mounted. I have the pre-flared brake lines sitting in the living room (got them today). I have the bending tool and brake fluid sitting there too. I am hoping to be driving it late Sunday afternoon.

I have a spare wheel (correct one) and a spare tire too now. I need a jack and a few more things, but she is getting closer to drivable. I have a couple of small leaks I need to find before a long trip, but drivable is good!

Set small goals. Maybe the front clip is not the thing you need to start on right now. Strip the frame, clean and paint the rear half and the rear end or something.

 

Fomoko has it right. The longer she sits without attention the easier it is to start using the bed for a storage bin. Most guys I have talked with that have done there own work say it is a two to four year process and that is what I am realizing with mine. When I started my 55 I found a truck I wanted to model mine after and pinned the pic in my shop. Each time I work on her I feel like I get a little closer and don't get discouraged when my usual one project turns into three. Most of the fun for me is getting there, building the thing and enjoying and cussin the process. The one thing that has helped me is I keep her running and as others have said no matter the condition people love to see the old girls on the road and always give a big smile. So hang in there man don't give up, most everyone goes through similar times.

 

Great advice. We all get burnt out on projects once in awhile. It took me 5 years just to get mine drivable working summers only.

I get an automatic reprieve every winter since it's too cold to do much on it then.

Hang in there and don't get discouraged. You will finish it eventually...

 

If you can find someone that will come over and "assist" it's much easier to stay motivated. And the assist can be nothing more then sitting around while you work on the truck.

Good Luck.

Ron

 

Ah yes, you have fallen into the "RUT", we all end up in there from time to time, especially after the initial honeymoon is over and we are faced with the overwhelming aspect of the project. Going to car shows helps a bit, especiallly if you can talk to someone with a similar project. This site can be a great kick in the pants. Its already been mentioned but its danged good advice..........break it out into small manageable tasks that you can get accomplished. Its amazing how great a feeling of accomplishment you will get for even getting some silly step done.

Basically, don't forget the big picture, just don't focus on it. Focus on small steps and make some progress. It does help to have someone come by and give you a hand, if nothing else they can share some ideas and a frosty beverage or two. I usually end up working alone but occasionally I manage to find some help.

Good luck and don't worry, you'll find your motivation again
Bobby

 

Motivation for me? Title it and pay for plates/registration when you get it. Every year I pay the state and its not moving is terrific motivation.

 

I'm not sure, I haven't done any looking yet. I'm casually searching for a camaro donor and haven't been to the junk yards yet to look for anything at all.

 

Organizing your workspace better can help. If you can work more comfortably and efficiently you'll make more progress.

 

I think that's my biggest problem right there. I just bought this new house, no garage, just a carport and a basement. (plans to build a new house on the property and then demo this house)

I'm glad I'm not the only one