State of the Union, ...or where in the hell has all my $ gone ? Options

[dlestep]

...I don't know if I should get mad, or celebrate the fact that I'm only half-way through finishing my car.

I have spent $8,311.29 on my car since August 2005. $5,937.49 of it since July 2008.
I have calculated a savings of almost $3,200 on cautious purchases, and my list of things to purchase is still approx $2,600 away.

As I look around the garage, I see all kinds of boxes, "...little boxes made of ticky-tacky all in a row. There's a green one, and a blue one." hiding all kinds of goodies for my build. I have found that I have purchased things more than once, because I forgot I purchased them earlier (a year or two earlier).

It was slow going the first year, with cleaning all the crap from underneath the car, replacing the rear section of the trunk, or boot for you English guys, then redoing each sub-system assembly, headlights, brakes, steering components, rear suspension (this year, thanks to Eric), front suspension, seat rails, engine bay, preping the body for sway bars, seam welding, replacing a few sections of hell hole and converting to a 911 cooling system, (that was two years ago). I've been wiping down the transaxle housing with 3 and 1 oil, and working on the wiring harness, when I don't want to get dirtly.
My wife is getting tired of me living in the garage every evening, and on the weekends, either doing this on my laptop, or working the small stuff on the bench when I'm not in the mood to wrestle with the big stuff.

I recently made an Excel file of fasteners that I need and so far, (it's a living document) growing beyond $283.00. WTF! ...for fasteners...oh I forgot, Eric is shipping me the 70mm lugs for my front hubs with the new R4-Ss....yeah!...after I pay for them...

My most recent purchase was a stock front valance for flares. It hasn't arrived yet.
Oh, yeah, just purchased clear tubing for the fuel overflow, only $2.19 fits perfect!

Next on my list is a Patrick Motorsport set of side rocker covers for flares.

Now I am preparing to complete the welding and soon I will be sanding my fingers to the bone. I have already purchased the filters, plastic sheeting and 1 x 1s for the paint box. Even the staples for the staple gun!

I'm waiting for more Metal Ready. I just had my shield gas (Argon/CO2) regulator rebuilt, and put a new sticker of a bikini-clad hotty wrapped in the red, white and blue on my shield gas tank and I'm ready to go! I went to finish the welding portion of my tasks and the regulator messed up. My fault, I think...

I'm trying to finish sometime in June this year. (So far, I'm about a year and a half off my original schedule). To shorten the time frame, I've moved a lot of stuff from the "finish it now" list to "replace that later" list...before I run out of $$$ and energy.

I will add pictures later, once there's progress with the welding...I've got some grinding to do to remove the primer and seam sealer I put on the car last year...one step forward, two sets back...

oh yeah, my daughter was laughing at me when I purchased a watch repair hammer and drifts...to remove the little but unsightly dents in the aluminum trim...and a new torque wrench the size of a mammoth trunk. Girls, they don't get the tool thing.

I'm rambling again, I must be tired...Dave (IMG:style_emoticons/default/type.gif)