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Why is your build taking so long?
ned - 22/4/04 at 09:12 AM

Was getting annoyed the other day about the fact i haven't been able to work on the car for a while recently due to moving house. I know some people build their cars quicker than others, obviously there are reasons for this, so what's your excuse?!

Ned.


ned - 22/4/04 at 09:15 AM

i voted moving house, i've moved twice in the last 16 months that I've been building my car. the fact that i've had to save up for some bits and the car is 15 miles away and i now live with my girlfriend don't come into it - honest!

Ned.


Fifer - 22/4/04 at 09:17 AM

Time due to working overseas, (spent 195 days out of UK last year !)

Started car in Nov 2002, hope to SVA in next two to three weeks.


splitrivet - 22/4/04 at 09:26 AM

Reason mines taking so long is, I'll do something one night come back to it the next, dont like how looks and do it all over again.
Cheers,
Bob


James - 22/4/04 at 09:41 AM

Changing from the book design when never having done anything like this before (not that anyone can tell so keep it a secret! :p ) has probably been a big factor.

Making a few mistakes and having to change/redo stuff hasn't helped either!

James


nick205 - 22/4/04 at 09:42 AM

I know what you mean Bob, I must have repositioned my wiring loom 10 times now and it still doesn't look right....

My main reason however is that the car is 13 miles away in my dad's workshop. This is good because he has every tool possible and then some, but bad because I can only get there at weekends to work on it.

Ned - I'm hoping to move soon too, to somewhere with a suitable workspace, but I can see how moving might be disruptive to building.

Cheers

Nick


pbura - 22/4/04 at 09:50 AM

Six kids, aged parents, no money, self-employed (in the scrambling sense), too many conflicting priorities.

Add to this a design that is essentially a one-off, and you have a recipe for a slow build.

It's still what I want to do, however. Damn the torpedoes; one-quarter speed ahead

Pete

[Edited on 22/4/04 by pbura]


JoelP - 22/4/04 at 10:16 AM

im moving house at the mo, my new pad has a huge garage so no more travellnig to my brothers where the car was previously! i hope to drive the car round, but its looking unlikely cos i have 9 days to vacate the old garage and no plumbing to the radiator yet...


stephen_gusterson - 22/4/04 at 10:40 AM

ditto what james said


Scotty - 22/4/04 at 11:30 AM

Work - running my own business, as we are getting busier, very little spare time
but the plus side is i have some spare cash for bits, just no time to fit 'em


David Jenkins - 22/4/04 at 11:37 AM

Too fussy - I have a picture in my mind of how I want it to look, but sometimes I have problems matching my vision...

Also, I often have problems with supplies - I work in London from Mon - Fri, and most of the Ipswich suppliers (such as they are) only open on weekdays. Either I have to make special arrangements, or do mail order.

David

[Edited on 22/4/04 by David Jenkins]


DaveFJ - 22/4/04 at 11:51 AM

Coz my garage is still full of my brothers crap!

Haven't been able to get in there for over 3 months now


Chris Leonard - 22/4/04 at 12:06 PM

3 years and 4 months since being given the old escort. Whats the rush? I just do a bit when I want and get on with the other things: wife kids holidays etc. I get enough stress at work without wanting to make my own at home. I am, and have enjoyed the building (just waiting for the log book with a change of engine number to come back to book the SVA). Once its on the road, I'll use it for the summer and then start the modifications - bigger engine etc


David Jenkins - 22/4/04 at 12:23 PM

Fair point, Chris.

Currently, building this car is my hobby & recreation. When it's finished then maybe driving will take over, but I suspect mods & upgrades will consume much time and money...

It's relaxation 'cos its got naff all to do with computers, office life, commuting, etc. etc.

David


Hugh Paterson - 22/4/04 at 01:44 PM

Too busy on other projects, but hippys hinting at getting the finger out, might have to listen to him and start the chassis soon. Lack of space however dictates otherwise
Shug.


scutter - 22/4/04 at 01:53 PM

Never been closer than 150 miles to the beast, getting married moving home three times and having a child seemed to have make the last four years just fly by.

All the best Dan.


Mix - 22/4/04 at 02:23 PM

I'm with Chris and David. It's just a hobby and I'll do it when I want to.

I do however get the, odd twinge of jealousy / spurt of enthusiasm when I read of others getting on the road.

Mick


Findlay234 - 22/4/04 at 04:26 PM

University...........

and staring at protofj's avatar


flak monkey - 22/4/04 at 04:33 PM

I am at Uni, and looks like i'll be here another 3 years yet... mind you theres always those looong summer breaks i spose

David


Mk-Ninja - 22/4/04 at 05:04 PM

5 months start to SVA

Pity it failed


RoadkillUK - 22/4/04 at 06:07 PM

I voted for moving house, the car is also in a friends garage at the moment, should be bringing it home at the weekend.

I've still got a lot of work to do in the house but I'd rather be doing the car, I think I'll do Saturdays on the house and Sundays on the car


stephen_gusterson - 22/4/04 at 06:11 PM

I also forgot to mention that my second job as a superstud takes up a fair deal of my time.

atb

steve


Alan B - 22/4/04 at 06:41 PM

Hey that's my excuse too...

Not to mention being totally scratch built, and being an idle f*****r


scutter - 22/4/04 at 06:41 PM

Then Steve woke up and smelt the coffee.

All the best Dan.


Peteff - 22/4/04 at 07:04 PM

So it's not true what Steve says then Nedwina. Mine took just a year from buying the book to finishing, then a wait for SVA. The next one will take longer as I haven't got the same motivation.


Digger Barnes - 22/4/04 at 08:04 PM

Beer, track change, women, IRS not necessarily in that order


Digger Barnes - 22/4/04 at 08:04 PM

ah and stainless steel


dave1888 - 22/4/04 at 08:55 PM

Doing work for other people in what spare time i had. Been working EVERY night and weekend this year up until end of march. Never mind the wife goes away to leicester tomorrow for four days so it's just me the car and the dog (ah bliss)


kingr - 22/4/04 at 11:12 PM

My delaying has always been money - not really any time pressures, I work longish hours, but when I'm not working, I'm a free man ! There was a poll on here sometime ago about how much time you spend working on your car, I can't remember what sort of time I was spending then, but I'd say it's now easy over 20 hours a week, probably closer to 30. Plus all the time I spend reading, looking for parts and planning, I dread to think how much time I've taken up building my car. I only hope it will be worth it.

Kingr


thekafer - 23/4/04 at 12:19 AM

I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in having the beast in someones shop.
Money,Family and the fact that my wife conciders it to be "The other woman" are really the biggest reasons.

God I love'm though!!!!Fletch.


PioneerX - 23/4/04 at 12:40 PM

easy..... I spend more time looking for the tool I just put down than actually building anything


Dale - 23/4/04 at 02:43 PM

Picked up my steel in October 2003 so going at a reasonable clip, PioneerX hit one of my biggest issues (where the f#$k did I put that). 2 young boys 5 and 8 more deserving of my time than the Mistress(car) and my wife works every Saturday so most of that day is taken up with my boys. But if there was a deadline it would not be enjoyable to work on it.

One off design is a major time consumer as well.
Dale


chrisg - 23/4/04 at 07:42 PM

Over complication is the enemy

KISS

Cheers

Chris


JoelP - 23/4/04 at 08:17 PM

and depending on the circumstances, an enormous erection can be fairly tricky. thats my excuse anyway...


Peteff - 23/4/04 at 09:02 PM

One off design is a major time consumer as well.
Dale
Just noticed that Dale, the two extra wheels are a real innovation


Noodle - 23/4/04 at 10:05 PM

3 kids (plus other peoples for some reason), full time job, part time job, post-graduate course, over-powering desire to read philosphy texts, alcohol.

That sums it up I think.

Neil.


Mark Allanson - 23/4/04 at 10:23 PM

I was building outside, I couldn't do anything between last november and the beginning of february, Cornish sunshine and all that!

Now I have the car at work, the progress is unbelievable, I can work any evening and weekends, what ever the weather


ray.h. - 23/4/04 at 10:38 PM

Built chassis in the garden so had to wait for good weather,then waited for a garage, thenwas out of work for five months but all systems are now go,so should finish it this summer.
Also building this car is like pushing custard up hill,its hard but i will get there.


thekafer - 23/4/04 at 10:58 PM

Dale
Just noticed that Dale, the two extra wheels are a real innovation




Looks like he's figured out a solution for the caster problem...Wonder what he's mounting for camber?.......


Avoneer - 23/4/04 at 11:17 PM

Mine's a Tiger - need I say more?


DaveFJ - 24/4/04 at 10:14 AM

Unbeleivable news!

My brother has just turned up and removed all his poo from my garage! - so it's a full steam ahead all w/e....

Don't think I'll have it doen in time for stoneliegh though!


Bigfoot - 24/4/04 at 10:26 AM

Mine is a scratch design, but that isn't slowing things down. I started this as a relaxation project, I have enough stress in my work, so it just happens when it can. I try not to think of it as a project that has to be finished, I'm just f$$cking around in the shed really.


OX - 24/4/04 at 10:46 PM

work 6 days a week and had a weekend job as a bouncer to pay for the car and bits ,stopped going to the gym for 4 months just to get the bulk of the build done,from the day i got the kit every thing was put on hold and the build became some what of an addiction,all i did was think about what im going to do next and how im going to do it and loved every min of it .im now enjoying the nice weather in it woohoo


Metal Hippy - 24/4/04 at 11:28 PM

I've totally missed the point of what this thread is about after I saw protofj's avatar...


Alan B - 25/4/04 at 05:39 PM

Another big delaying factor is participating in online polls and forums......


Mk-Ninja - 25/4/04 at 06:42 PM

Good call Alan if I didnt spend as long on here I could have finished it before I started