Thread: when to say when

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I just found myself under the cab of the truck grindin humps down and gettin ready to start fillin spot welds when I realized ,who in the world is ever gunna see it ?This is not a show truck and I am going to drive it daily even do a few burnouts and sling gravel all over the bottom!!!When is enuff enuff ,what do u let slide and what do u keep workin till its perfect ?I have the doors painted on the top for the 2 tone and I find myself holdin the door up to the light and lookin from all angles like a jewler lookin at a diamond!!!! If u hold it upside down and at a 32 degree angle and look just like this ........... u get my point.Am I always gunna see a flaw here and there because I am the builder?And if so how do u rationalize it away? I feel like even though no one else will see I will know. Scenario (" hey thats a nice ride and those doors look sharp!"!)thanx !!!but inside my head sayes (yeah but theres a flaw inside the door and I coulda bought new linkage for it all !!) or is that why most builders end up sellin ,because u know about spot weld 400 u did not float out the best? Just tryin to get a head of steam up and push thru with this project and dont want any baggage eatin at my progress.I guess I just need to goto a couple of car shows and go look at the nicest rides and pick some flaws out so I will feel better!!!!!!

Shawn, I occasionally find myself falling into the obsessive-compulsive trap too. Sometimes I get great enjoyment out of refining something to the point of perfection, but then I notice something near it that is not perfect and that makes me crazy! As you said some things people will never see. Put your efforts into areas that people will see and be satisfied with "good enough" for the other areas. Unless you are planning on mounting the car above mirrors at a car show, do it to your own satisfaction and get on with it so you can drive it.

Going a long with Charlie, the definition of an a$$hole is the guy who points out imperfections on your car, that you obviously would already know are there. The next 20 people who look at it are going to give you nothing but compliments.

Pat

Whada u, nutz???

The age old quandry.

In a way, it doesn't matter if anyone sees it or not. It's your work and you need to be happy with it. It's kinda like the old saying, "The true sign of character is doing the right thing even when nobody is watching". Granted, more than 90% of the folks out there won't really appreciate what you've done because they don't have the eye for it even if it's in plain view. So.............what's it mean. Well, if the appreciation of those few that will notice it is gratifying to you, including yourself, then it's worth doing.

I'm reminded of a small incident that happened when I was at the Nats in Columbus a few years back. A buddy of mine and I were walking around looking at the cars. He's probably more focused on these kinds of things than I am, though he often ribs me about being worse than him. Either way, we're looking in this '32 5 window and I mention to him how nice the column drop looked. It wasn't the normal milled aluminum piece, or a connecting rod, it was a formed sheetmetal item. It wasn't gaudy, fancy, or intricate in any way. That was the beauty of it, it's simplicity.....................combined with some very nice detail smoothing of the edges and smoothness of the transition from bracket to column tube. Out of the corner of my eye I see a guy jump up out of his lawn chair that's next to the car. Yep, he's the owner. He says something like "You guys notice that? You have any idea how much time I have in making that? Well maybe you do since you appreciate it for some reason. You have any idea how many people never see it?" When he stopped to take a breath, we just smiled real big and said "Yeah!" He got it, we got it. It was just one of those moments of understanding and mutual respect we get to enjoy once in a while. I'd like to think we made his day, even though that wasn't the plan. There were many more nice features about the car, but you'd expect that when so much attention was lavished on a small item like the column drop. Folks in the know...............the been there, done that crowd...............will recognize your extra efforts and often give you deserved recognition. So what's wrong with that?

I feel the same way as Bob if your not 100% happy with it then keep working on it untill you are. I find myself doing the same thing as well. The way i look at it is so far i have 5 yrs and too much money in my car so if i'm not 100% happy with something then a few more days work or dollars more wont kill me.

Dont drive yourself insane with it but do whatever it takes to make it perfect in your eye, thats half the enjoyment of building...knowing in your mind that its better then the next guys

BG

Interesting topic. I do alot of building and fabrication on my gas powered r/c boats, just to throw them in the water with 7 other boats, and knowing it's gonna get tore up eventually. You still know it's there, and if it aint right, it just aint right.

On our car, I am trying to find a "happy medium". It will not be a daily driver, but it will be driven, and will not be a trailer queen. I guess I still want everything to look good- like the wiring. The wiring will be hidden behind panels, but it still has to look sano. Nobody will see the backing plates, but they will be kept polished. Nobody will see the underside (hopefully!), but it will be painted, etc., etc..

I guess while accepting the fact that the car will see normal wear and tear, I try my best to do it right regardless of its out in the open, or hidden from view. Kinda like washing your daily driver in the winter. It's gonna be dirty again before you drive it a few miles, but it's cleaner than it would have been without the wash.

Greg