Complete bare metal restoration. Or not?, Opinions? Pitfalls? Options

[stevegm]

We are getting ready to have the little bit of rust in my '71 914-4 fixed. There isn't much rust. The car is in pretty good shape, and was complete when we bought it. Here is the build thread - http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=242895

Just curious on your opinions/experiences:

Should we do a complete, bare metal restoration. (i.e., remove every nut, bolt, wiring, etc.). We would do a complete media blast of the entire chassis, which is attractive.

or

Not remove the suspension, dash, wiring, and work around it. In other words, leave the hard to remove stuff in. With the latter, we would leave a lot of the original paint in the nooks, crannies, etc. But, it would be a lot easier.

I know that many say that you should not do a complete tear down restoration, because most people don't finish them. But, I have the time, and want to do it right. The car isn't one I am planning to sell. It is a keeper.

Opinions?
What are the biggest reasons you see people not finish their complete tear down restorations?
How long did you restoration take? What were the biggest slow downs?

[Sleepin]

Motivation can be the biggest help. I often find that when I get unmotivated, I need to get a 914 fix somewhere. Once my motivation is back on, it all progresses rather quickly.
I started disassembling mine after RRC 2013. The engine came out, most of the easy stuff came out pretty quickly. Then it sat for 6 months without me touching it. Went to RRC 2014, had some chances to drive and ride in a few, and my motivation came back.
Now it is mostly the money aspect that is slowing me down (new house, 3 kids etc.).
I tore it apart expecting a 5 year build. Not too ambitious, but not a decade. If it gets done sooner, great. If it gets done in 6..well that's just too long. The nice thing about not being in a hurry is that you can shop for deals. The bad part is that I don't have much patience and barely any self control. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[saigon71]

Motivation can be the biggest help. I often find that when I get unmotivated, I need to get a 914 fix somewhere. Once my motivation is back on, it all progresses rather quickly.
I started disassembling mine after RRC 2013. The engine came out, most of the easy stuff came out pretty quickly. Then it sat for 6 months without me touching it. Went to RRC 2014, had some chances to drive and ride in a few, and my motivation came back.
Now it is mostly the money aspect that is slowing me down (new house, 3 kids etc.).
I tore it apart expecting a 5 year build. Not too ambitious, but not a decade. If it gets done sooner, great. If it gets done in 6..well that's just too long. The nice thing about not being in a hurry is that you can shop for deals. The bad part is that I don't have much patience and barely any self control. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Good point on motivation...and it's the reason it took me four years to finish. I got a bit overwhelmed by the never ending scope of the project more than once and had to step away.