I am loosing momentum Me and a close freind have spent countless hours on my car, and it seems progress is slow.. we did take it for a quick spin last night, which at first seemed like we were over a huge hurdle, but then reality sat in today I worked on it all day messed with the door catches, triangle windows,which has been driving me insane... painted under the engine grills black, started to put on the side skirts, but didnt get them on...had to do some touch up painting on the longs so there wont be any rust for a very long time... and thats about it.. I need to order some carpet and a oil pressure gauge and sender, some seals, some seats or figure out what I'm doing with the seats, and belts, hook up the rear trunk pop, tidy up the wiring in the front trunk and other places and the list goes on ,, it now seems I am nowhere close to being finished....Thankfully next week I am going to be out of town on a business trip, so I wont be working on the car, hopefully it is the break I need to come back and be focused getting her finished...

It happens. To all of us.

It is best NOT to try and push through if you are burned out. You will make mistakes. Let it rest for a week or so. Maybe even a month.

I find that when I am burned out on a project, the best thing to get me jazzed about it again is to help someone on one of their projects.

But there were times on my car when I just had to let is sit for a while and stew for a while.

Zach

I have to take a couple days and stay off anything 914 related. No boards, no garage....usually go out with the family etc. I think everyone gets burned out. A little break goes a long way.

I have my current 2.0 for the past 7 years, and repairs goes in fits and spurts. Summertime is my favorite time since the hours are longer. You have to deal with it one project at a time. Don't be in a rush to finsh it just so you can say you did it in 3 months. Its not going anywhere, you're not selling it, you don't need to finish it by a certain date. There's that phrase, something to do with enjoying the journey. sounds like you put too many demands on yourself. so relax and pace yourself, its like a 100 mile bike ride, you don't expect to go full bore first 50, you need to pace yourself to make the last 50 miles.

GRANDSON! hes a hand full

Definitely pace yourself. I find that i start doing sloppy work when it starts getting dark out and i'm trying to get to the next milestone (no garage). Shooting stuff is excellent stress relief by the way!

If I get bored with one.. I move to the other family cars

Yeah Im glad I'm taking a break on it, Since early October I don't think I have went more than 3 days in a row without working on it. Thanks for the words of encouragement, I kinda feel like a wus that it has taken me this long. I remember when I was younger doing engine swaps in a weekend, as I get older I either take my time, or do a better job, or hopefully a combination of both Glad to see we mostly have the same symptoms of this car disease...

Go get the book by Seth Godin "The Dip". Good fast read, know when to quit and when to stick. Every project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point:really hard and not much fun at all. Then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you're in the Dip- a temporary setback that you will overcome if you keep pushing. But maybe its a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try. What really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape a dead end while staying focused and motivated when it really counts. Winners quit fast, quite often, and quit without guilt -until they commit to beating the right dip for the right reasons. In fact winners seek out the dip. The bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it.

Working on older cars you have to have the mentality that it's a marathon not a sprint. I have been working on mine for over 3 years and still not done. No big deal just keep at it. You want to do things right the first time, check it off the list and move to the next item on the list. Some items will go quickly others seem to drag on forever. For the most part I am a one man army so I can only go so fast. It helps if your wife/GF are not pushy also makes for much better mental health. If you need to step away to re-energize then go ahead. The goal is the finish line and for you to be happy with the results when you get there.

I used to roll a big fatty and get pissed.....

...but I quit smoking and I haven't drank anything since the Evil one marinated my liver last fall.

So now I go play with my kids instead.

First off it will NEVER be done. So with that mind set, break everything down into small managable pieces. Do something small then quit working on the car for the day and drive it if you can. If you get a piece you're working on and it just doesn't fit, phone a friend and have them come by and help. As others have said, take some time off, don't try to finish everything at once. Also, go out and spend time with other teeners. Good luck.

-- Rob

I make sure to always keep one car running. This way I go for a nice long drive and consider what it will be like when another project is completed. A day at the track always helps. Nothing better than seat time (street or track) to keep up the enthusiasm.

Beg a friend for a ride if you only have one car. Sometimes enjoying from the passenger seat can bring more motivation to put yourself behind the wheel.

I spent 3 years assembling my Corvette. It got to the point where I couldn't even look at it for weeks at a time. Eventually I broke down and bought a Porsche so I would have something to scoot around in until the project was road ready.

Now I have 2 old cars for the road. Patience...

I think about what is waiting for me at home...... then put my head down and get back to work. My last project was great therapy for me in a tough time in my life. It made the final project that much more rewarding.
We all have different reasons but in the end we all love to drive these cars.
BTW all is better in my life AND I have 2 fully restored 914's.

I think about what is waiting for me at home...... then put my head down and get back to work. My last project was great therapy for me in a tough time in my life. It made the final project that much more rewarding.
We all have different reasons but in the end we all love to drive these cars.
BTW all is better in my life AND I have 2 fully restored 914's.

There are a couple things I would do if I were you. Like Zach said take a little break. I would also just "drive" the car during the break, it will inspire you and remind you how much fun the cars are and why you are ultimately doing this. The second thing I would do is make a plan. Write down the things that you want to do or need to do to the car in order of importance. Do #1, then cross it off and when time allows, move to #2. When we look at the whole picture and try to do everything at once, it gets overwhelming, but if we win little battles our motivation, enthusiasm, and sanity stay intact. IMVHO. Good luck with the car.

I took a 2 year break. sometimes you just have to step away

Make a punch list. You can also use that to budget for parts... say if you can spend a certain amount per month, you can prioritize what you need to buy now vs. down the road.

And also tape a note to your steering wheel stating "MAKE SURE THE ENGINE HAS OIL BEFORE STARTING."

VERY true. Try doing the work EVERY day for a living. I have taken 2 days off now to take care of taxes and other issues not only out of need for taking care of those things, but because I am totally burned out after the week I had. It happens On the up side I have my OWN paint booth now No space to work in though

If it were easy,everybody would be doing it.You can not rush art.Have you ever noticed,when Beavers are happy,they build things.I think this goes for people to.So make yourself happy,then the rest will get done.Jaymann

Break out the BQ, get a cooler full of beer, sit around and shoot the sh%t with other car guys. Everyone will offer advice and most of it is worth a good laugh. Wait a couple of days and go back to work.

Dave

dave's right, NOTHING motivates you like hanging out with other car guys

I am always reinvigorated by other 914's. Seeing one on the road get's me excited to work on mine again. I'm at Route 66 right now & there are some beauties. After our drive today I will be sufficiently motivated

I've had mine on blocks since I purchased it last March. I have gone through the whole car except the motor and trans. Paint, rust repair. brakes, suspension bushings, shocks, seals, weather stripping and more. 90% done enjoying the journey. You never finish an old car.

Everybody loves a happy Beaver.

I've taken the last 6 months off due to winter. I can't wait to work on my car again. I might work on it today. It's 50 degrees out. Breaks are the best thing to avoid burn out.

My wife usually prevents me from working on the car. Women tend to sit around and think up things for you to do.

Or, when I get really hot to go out into the garage and work, life jumps in the way with something that consumes enormous amounts of my time. Wifes car broke, wife broke the faucet, daughters car broke, daughter broke the faucet, riding mower mower won't start so use the small mower, small mower won't start fix that and the big mower, wife wants the garden tilled and the tiller won't start. And so on.

And every time you get on one of the other fix it projects, it baloons astronomically and ( for me ) always ends up being something really weird and unusual.

if it's any comfort it took me 22 years to finish a ground up resto on a mustang. the end result was worth it. ALTHOUGH...

i learned a tremendous amount through this, that had i known it never would have been that long

1 establish REALISTIC goals of what you want in the end. I.E. driver, show car, ect...
2 plan phases I.E. tear down, brakes, body... whatever
3 DO it to your best ability but don't be stopped by "perfection". you as the owner will always know of something thats not just right. period.
4 enjoy. it's only a car. drive... enjoy...

thats my .02c anyway, good luck

mike

I call Rick 918-S..... The friendliest most helpful and selfless Alien on Earth.....

As my 914 is my daily driver, I plan maintenance and upgrades in 2 to 3 day groupings. This lessens any feelins of being overwhelmed, and allows lots of drive time.

For example, here's my last two week schedule:

Click to view attachment

By breaking up my long term goals into 2 or 3 day projects, I don't get so burnt out.

Eric

Well, I just switch to different project.

Just finished (for now, it's never finished) the Bronco ii. It already has full
Duff 4" lift w/ dual shocks, long bars (f&r) etc, ect. So I started with valve
cover gaskets which led to a 2" body lift, new poly bushings, new alum radiator,
ATF cooler (long), trany sevice, new fuel sender/pump, cleaned/painted fuel tank,
painted skid plates with truck bed liner........ Should have replaced rad hoses
as I lost one this morning.

Next, we want to replace our house's side door with a dutch door.

After that, the '86 Donzi 22c needs work.......

But, I sure do love it !!

Work on 928, and drink more beer. Anything to keep me in garage!

I'm with the take a break crowd; find another project to take up in the meantime, though. I've been on a ~6 month hiatus with a mid-engine 911 project (three years into that project) and moved on to a 914 just to have something else to do. Now that I've put 300+ hours into the '14 in the last two months, I find myself anxious to get back to the first project soon.

Keep things interesting. Take up knitting!

*Drink*

Yes drink and drink some more I found you need one of these in the garage to help cope with the set backs!
Jsaum

You mean we are supposed to work on these things? I don't work on them unless you consider adding a little oil work. I just crank them up and the out of them until I feel like . If it needs serious work or project work I just my mechanic and one of my other ones until he is done with it. I have found this keeps me from getting burned out on my projects.

Well, that and the fact I have no garage to work in.