SuzukiSavage.com - Print Page

SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl
General Category >> The Cafe >> Knowing when to say when...
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1431976888

Message started by stewmills on 05/18/15 at 12:21:28

Title: Knowing when to say when...
Post by stewmills on 05/18/15 at 12:21:28

I had way too many things down at the shop that were in parts/pieces that needed work and it wasn't fun anymore because I was overwhelmed. Was spending too much time working on stuff (and not up at the house visiting with the wife and family) and felt obligated to fix them...and started getting mad because I couldn't seem to ever catch up.

In a little over a week I sold:
- 1959 ford jubilee tractor
- bush hog
- 1985 honda atc 70 3 wheeler
- 1994 polaris 300 4 wheeler

Took that money and bough a running/working arctic cat 250 4 wheeler. Needs a little TLC and maybe rear axle seals, but it runs and drives and I (knock on wood) don't have to work on it.

I did keep my free pressure washer with a burned out pump, and have the new one on the bench ready to install.

My motto is if it doesn't work, I will either fix it immediately or part it out/sell it to someone else. Having so many 'projects' to the point of it stressing me out is not fun.

Title: Re: Knowing when to say when...
Post by jcstokes on 05/19/15 at 01:27:01

There is probably a lot of sense in what you say, I've had to do with vintage type vehicles for a long time and I recall a very experienced person who said "one member one car one car on the road, one member two cars no cars on the road". I know there are people who can master multi vehicle collections, but I feel there are many more who can't.

Title: Re: Knowing when to say when...
Post by prechermike on 05/19/15 at 02:59:01

7C7B6A78626663637C0F0 wrote:

Having so many 'projects' to the point of it stressing me out is not fun.

Yep, I can certainly relate to that. Being in the process of a move (we are about to get it all done) has certainly given me more projects that I would like to have at once. But I keep knocking at them and eventually I'll get them. Unlike you, there is nothing I can sell/get rid of. I NEED all of this stuff, just have to find a place to put it. ;)

Title: Re: Knowing when to say when...
Post by Oldfeller on 05/19/15 at 04:21:00

I hate the pressure that having a fleet of old vehicles puts on me, so I have rolled over to newer (less than 4 years old stuff) on the cars.

It's funny though, when I had my daughter to act as mechanics helper it was all fun to do. She learned a lot about cars when she was growing up.

Just doing it by myself though is old, very old now. I'd just as soon not.

Title: Re: Knowing when to say when...
Post by WD on 05/19/15 at 10:25:13

And I'm just the opposite with my cages, if it doesn't have points and a carburetor, I'm no longer fixing them.

So the 92 Ranger, 94 Ranger, 92 K1500 Silverado, 85 C10, 87 C60, 95 Outback and 2006 Vibe are all on the chopping block. I'll get the 72 Super Beetle, 49 and 69 Dodge trucks back in service, and get rid of the computerized junk.

I'd get rid of the diesel tractors too, but, finding good parts for a 3 cylinder vintage John Deere gas burner is an expensive nightmare. $100 electric carburetor needle solenoid went out... "fixed" with a $7 riding mower inline shut off valve. Generator crapped out, replaced with a John Deere alternator, it crapped out, replaced with a Chevy truck alternator... and a battery cut off switch.

Need to get the 57 Panhead down here so when the 03 Savage has a terminal failure like the 98 did, I'll have a working kick only, points ignition replacement.

I didn't care for the late 20th century, and the 21st is shaping up to be an even bigger nightmare.

Title: Re: Knowing when to say when...
Post by Art Webb on 05/19/15 at 20:44:46

0320282A292020293E4C0 wrote:

Doing it for a living did it for me
somebody once said "make your avocation your vocation and you'll be a happy man" what a crock, what it did was take all the joy out of it, now I hate fixing / modifying cars
I will never take a job as a motorcycle mechanic
and I'm with WD on the cars; I'd give a pretty to have my '72 Cutlass back, cracked windshield, one off color fender and all

Title: Re: Knowing when to say when...
Post by LANCER on 05/20/15 at 07:13:56

I am tending in that direction as well, on both counts. The newer cars all go to a really good mechanic & son here locally when they need anything except basic maintenance like oil/filter. They do stuff for low prices or for nothing at all at times.
I will be bringing my dads old pickup back here soon for a rebuild. It is a 75 Chevy with a flatbed he put on it years ago. A basic 350 engine, 4 spd. with granny 1st gear, all the suspension had the heavier components of the F250's. No computers & pretty simple compared to stuff now days so the fix should be relatively simple. That said, we shall see how EASY it will be to bring it back to life. It's up in the NW corner of the state so it will be an all or most of the day trip to go get it.

Title: Re: Knowing when to say when...
Post by Art Webb on 05/20/15 at 07:41:15

Ah, a Big Ten (or was it the Heavy Half? GM and Chevy both had the model, gave it diferent names) I had one of those, a 76, it was unstoppable and even the AC worked
too bad it got sold when gas was a t it's peak price wise, I miss that truck

Title: Re: Knowing when to say when...
Post by old.indian on 05/20/15 at 08:33:51

I know the feeling. I had my "retirement project" in the garage long before I actually retired and relocated. After a lot of time and $$$ I got it (1937 Packard) on the road and enjoyed it. Eventually the restoration process got too expensive and I sold it to a friend who would take care of it. I had wanted a single cylinder for several years and then I found the s40 at the right price. Soooo. I need to get a lift so I can get the bike up where I can work (play ?) on it in comfort. (Cold floors and old knees and backs are not a good combination. )