E-Bodies.org Cuda Challenger Forum

I'm sitting down here in my shop staring and my car frozen like a deer in the headlights. Lol.  I'm 95% sure I can build this car but I keep procrastinating.  I want the car, not scared of the physical aspect of work in anyway.  I just look at it like I'm lost.  Did a quick google on productivity and the first thing that comes up described me 100%

Here it is:

For some people, productivity stalls because of a lack of direction. A person may know what their end goal is but they have no idea how to get there. This often happens when you think a task is difficult or when you've never done it before. It can also happen when you're overwhelmed with a lot of other activities.

Ive got parts coming in like crazy, and piling up.  Just want to hear some tips and tricks that has worked for people's builds. 

Fun fact, is I have tons of time to work on my car.  Summers are busy with family etc, I work 8 days on and get 6 straight days off with not much to do but work on my car for those days. 

I look on here and other forms of social media and get all hyped and excited for others working or finishing their projects while I stare at mine.   :Thud:

In the photos are USCartools stage 2 kit, SST TREMEC transmission etc, floor panels etc.  Tons of stuff to keep me busy. 

I hope one of the game changers for me is, tonight I have a body guy coming over as a "consultant " and will hopefully get me going in the right direction. 

This almost sounds like my daily work day!  First, I like to break things down into "work chunks".  What needs to be done first, before anything else?

Once you know the rough sequencing you can proceed down that path. With bite size work items completed whenever you get a chance.

For a ground up build, the order of tasks is critical.  If it's for a minor subassembly, not so much.   As an example, this weekend I put in some rebuilt horns (quick plug for "The Horn Works" on rebuilding my Prestolite horns).   Was it critical to get that done?  Nope- but it was great to connect everything up and hear their new found voice.

Rule #1: Don't take on too much at once.  The details are important, and you'll be glad you did it right the first time instead of doing it twice.  Take your time.

I like to put on music or a game broadcast, and use the time to relax and embrace the creative assembly/build and inevitable problem solving.  This is nearly as good as vacation time for me.

Yeah what @benguin (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/benguin_3334) said. Hell take it old school even and put post it notes up on a wall of everything you need to do, put them in order, and then drag them over the other side as you finish each one. Staying organized will help keep you on task

Quote from: GoodysGotaCuda on July 27, 2021, 07:22:03 PM
Write down a plan of what parts or work needs to be done in what order. That wireframe should help direct you in what comes next. Short term goals help here, "I want to get the car on the ground", "I want to get the dash in", "I want to get the glass in", etc help define what the next milestone is for your progress.

Progress is typically made minutes at a time and not days. I find many people look forward to "days" to work on their car, but these blitz days are rarely efficient, one missing part can wreck progress. Rather, I worked on my car 15min-60min four to five days per week until it was done. Persistence got it built, not blitz wrenching days.

Agree with Goody entirely. This is how I manage to keep moving forward on work on mine while managing tons of conflicting needs such as house restoration (mine is 110 years old. Restoring a car is a piece of cake comparitively), rv maintenance, daily driver maintenance, 3 kids and a wife, and extended family.  Of course during those brief moments of "I'll install the ignition wires today" you also discover certain tasks that will take hours. Once this is known, then you can set aside that saturday or sunday or get helpers for the larger tasks.

Well it can be, and for me, is very difficult. Sometimes I think I create things to stall it. One of my problems now is legit, as it's frickin HOT in south TX and hotter in the barn/shop. Pile house projects on top and other general life items and I can get precious little time out there. I'm in the middle of building my chassis jig, and have been in the middle for several months; longer if you include planning.

I have to mentally psych myself up to get things I "want" to do, done. So many other things to do etc. I tell myself "Self, you're going to get x y and z done tonight after work", then when I get out there, and the sweat starts dripping off my head from just standing in there, the energy just saps away.

I guess my point is, the car aint going anywhere so don't beat yourself up too bad. If you do, it won't be fun to work on.

I'm quite terrified of my car. It's a rust bucket 70 Barracuda and gonna be quite the challenge.

Drive on, you're not the only one. 

-=C

Scope creep is common.  I originally intended to just replace my dashboard but ended up taking the whole car apart.  I wouldn't do that again, as it tied up lots of garage, basement, and sometimes house space for many years.   Your goals may evolve, but the more you can stick to a plan, the better able you'll be to subdivide and conquer the work. 

I ordered a lot of parts based on things I saw in catalogs or online that I would eventually need, but didn't have to have at the moment.  This added to the piles around the house.   Later in the project, I tried to order only what I needed at the time and tried to install it soon after it arrived.   This avoids the frustration of finding out you ordered the same part more than once. 

I'll echo the comments above about working in small chunks, a little every day if possible.   I had one big thrash towards the end, mostly because I had to self-quarantine for 2 weeks based on travel, but most if the rest of the car got done in 2-3 hour blocks before life interceded somehow.   And life will intercede - it's just a matter of how and how much. 

Hang in there!   As you've seen in the replies, you're not alone.   The payoff is pretty cool once you get to actually drive it. 

^^^ All good suggestions.

My experience, take the fastest route to making it run and drive.

Nothing is more motivating to me than being able to drive the heap I'm working on.

GL!

:bigthumb:

I set short term (maybe weekly?) attainable goals. Rather than always repeating to myself.."It's gonna look soooo cool. I wanna drive this thing!!"

Prioritize, and you get a lot done if you do 1 hour per day on something. Organizing, cleaning, or buying parts, making a list of to do's for the next night or weekend....etc....I usually spent one hour after my wife and daughter went to bed and is way better than watching TV!

Prioritize, and you get a lot done if you do 1 hour per day on something. Organizing, cleaning, or buying parts, making a list of to do's for the next night or weekend....etc....I usually spent one hour after my wife and daughter went to bed and is way better than watching TV!


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Your doing what all of us have done at one time or another and its the worse thing possible.  Looking at the total project. Concentrate on ONE thing at a time and throw a sheet over everything else so you don't get distracted.

Great thread! I have the same problem a lot of times, cars or other projects. Right now I'm setting up a work space at home (film sound editing room), I walk in, look at the building mess for a few minutes, decide that I need to move some stuff out to continue, find a good excuse to do it another day, end end up in the couch with my laptop on this forum :)

My cars, took the vert completely apart, ordered all parts, thought about changing the trunk floor and quarters for about a year and a half, read everything about it....changed the trunk floor and one quarter in a few day, thats was 16 months ago....  will do the other side any year now!
Once I'll get going I am pretty fast.
Reading all tips here to get some inspiration!

I think organization is key.  Otherwise its just a huge overwhelming pile of stuff. 

I highly recommend using Resto Ricks assembly order list.  It really helps to divide and conquer.  From there, you focus on one thing at a time, cross that item off and move to the next.  Its very satisfying to cross stuff off!  Each thing done is one step closer. That list will help streamline the whole process.  You can see what's next on the list and order what you need to ahead of time. 

Keep the shop clean.  Keep parts organized and give yourself lots of workbench space cause like someone said, you'll probably run into situations where you're missing a part and have to put what you're working on, on hold.  While you're waiting on that part, pick something else up and start working on that awhile. 


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As others have said organization is important and try to list tasks that need to be done.
Try to do a little bit each day even if it is just an hour.

It may not seem like much but it makes a difference and keeps momentum going and
when you hit milestones that builds excitement and gives more motivation.

It may feel like you are chipping away at an iceberg with an ice pick, but even that
will eventually finish if you keep at it.

Treat this site like a library. There is so much here to help you along.

Learn when to take a break. For me, pushing through a problem always resulted in more problems, I learned to step back for a few days, rethink the task and then tackle it when you are NOT frustrated!   :fingerscrossed:

I've been working on mine for 14 years - I always take care of my family first, but on those occasions I can get out to work on it I go inside out. Also helps that my kids are now pretty much independent and don't need my supervision.

Mechanics and body first, paint was the icing after all the hard work. Motivation is knowing that I'm not a pro and every wave, dimple and hard start I earned. This car is all my work and it looks damn good.

And if you get frustrated, just walk away..that's when mistakes happen. This is supposed to be a fun right!!

@GoodysGotaCuda (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/goodysgotacuda_66) worded it perfectly.
15-60 minutes at a time.
That is exactly my path. My body (and weather) dictates what can be accomplished.
Stop looking at the full picture. Focus on separated tasks. Each one of these tasks will have their own starting and stopping points for varying reasons.
I am in process now of a full nut and bolt assembly of an early Falcon. I keep what I affectionately call wall O Falcon. Each bin has project specific items.
All its side glass, crank mechanisms, wiring, dash items, etc...are sorted and contained.
Obviously large items excluded.
This sort ordering allows me to bounce around items but still  return back to it without having to to figure out where I left off.
I also keep an itemized list on my phone. Easy to add something because there is always the "oh I need this moment".
Poof it is now listed.
From there I sort up and down priorities I deem my mind states can be accomplished at any given time.