Anyone ever get tired of..

[Shakin66]

Do you ever get tired of mechanicing on your car? I paid a man to build my 347 and now that I have it running it has failed twice in the past 3 months and this time its appearantly a rod. If this was any other car I would order a cheap Auto zone 5.0 and be driving it today. I feel sick to my stomach when I think about having to pull the pan on it tonight and am actually thinking about paying a local "5.0" guy to come do it in my garage.

 

[351w_swap]

Honestly, I think everyone gets a little sick of fixing broken parts on their cars but this stuff happens when you own something going on 42 years old. A car is just a car but a mustang is something altogether different so by owning one, you accept the responsiblity of problems. Many guys pay to have their cars fixed, so if you have the money and not the ambition to do it yourself, pay someone else. I take pride in doing everything on my own, that is what makes my car special to me. If it was me I would pull the pan and find the problem but that is because I would have built the engine in the first place. I can't get the quality that I want from other people so I do it myself but since you had the engine built, it sounds like the builder may be responsible, take it back to him and ream him out for his problematic product.

 

[brin0357]

Sounds like you should try and learn to do things yourself. Save some money and have a better motor while your at it. Buy a book and you should be able to build the motor yourself!

 

[65mistress]

I do get tired of it sometimes, well at least I did when I was going to school, the first thing that I was going to buy was a new car when I graduated. I did and sold the 65 coupe that I was driving at the time, bought a Toilet-ota, and kicked myself in the butt every day about selling the coupe. I have a coupe again and I consider it my therapy to go out and work on it. It sits there just waiting for me to change this or fix that, I'm able to appreciate the time I get to spend doing what it is that I like to do, rather than what I have to do. Besides, I get to teach my daughter now about cars.

So long answer made short: I don't get tired of my 'therapy' any more.

 

[The Dan]

I feel you. It is a labor of love. I mean really, who likes bloody knuckles, a sore back, achy feet etc. As much as I love the car and working on it, I do get sick of it from time to time.

 

[Shakin66]

My mechanical ability is not in question as I spend hours a day turning wrenches . I only had the local guy build the engine because I own a business and work 60 hours a week. I am just tired of having 1 day off a week and having to tear it back down after I have driven the beast..Nothing like the whine a supercharger on a classic....O.K. I am ready to see what happened now.

 

[danny clemens]

I like working on my Mustang but when I've had enough I just walk away. I come back and start again when I feel like it. The good thing about it is that I don't have to depend on it for transportation so I don't have to get it fixed right away.

 

[fasttback]

"I take pride in doing everything on my own, that is what makes my car special to me. If it was me I would pull the pan and find the problem but that is because I would have built the engine in the first place. I can't get the quality that I want from other people so I do it myself "

Exactly! Besides after years of experience, I really don't trust mechanics working on my classics. If you have time, set it aside and tackle it later.

 

[krash kendall]

I just had to do the heater core and rad on my F-150 this weekend just past. I have done both of those in my mustang in the past. Working on my truck really makes me appreciate how easy my old car is to work on.

Let's just say I never had to this while working on the mustang's heater....

...or this....

Something I have noticed on the board here is that the guys who have souped-up engines are the ones that complain most frequently about repairs or breakdowns. Well, what do you expect when you are trying to get 1 to 1 1/2 hp per cubic inch? Breakdowns are inevitable.

My mustang is my primary vehicle, the 4X4 is for my wife and young son. My motor has a mild cam, Edelbrock intake and 600cfm carb, pertronix II, headers and 3.50 gears. I have no dellusions of the hp output, but I know it is better than stock. I haven't had a breakdown or had to have it towed ever in all the years I've owned it (other than a problem with a tire once).

The point is that the compromise for higher hp output is reliability, you just have decide how much you are willing to compromise and accept the results.

If you want both power and reliability then go down to your Ford dealer and buy a brand new mustang.

I feel for you, but it is the nature of the beast so to speak.

 

[Crs]

Any pics of your ride Shaking 66?

 

[Shakin66]

There are some pictures on Photobucket but you will have to look through 3 or 4 pages to find them. I need to get some new ones up soon since I have made some more changes. After sitting out there tonight thinking about what to do next I am itching to get started on it as a matter of fact I am planning on taking the day off tomorrow and pulling the pan off. Thanks for the encoragement!

http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/scatpro/

 

[Hack]

I get sick of wrenching all the time. But then I wait a few days and the urge comes back.. STRONG! :SNSign:

 

[zookeeper]

Something I have noticed on the board here is that the guys who have souped-up engines are the ones that complain most frequently about repairs or breakdowns. Well, what do you expect when you are trying to get 1 to 1 1/2 hp per cubic inch? Breakdowns are inevitable.


The point is that the compromise for higher hp output is reliability, you just have decide how much you are willing to compromise and accept the results.

If you want both power and reliability then go down to your Ford dealer and buy a brand new mustang.

I feel for you, but it is the nature of the beast so to speak.

I couldn't have said it better myself! I've been there and done that, in fact I sold my first Mustang, a cherry, A-code, 4 speed fastback because I was sure that old cars were simply a money pit, and nothing could ever be as reliable as a new car. Every single problem with that car was caused by me. I was sure I could build a killer small block that would live every day. The problem is I had no real goal of what I wanted the car to do when it was finished. You can't have everything. You know all the crap you read about so-and-so's 1000hp daily driver? It's a lie. Every word of it. I put too much compression, too much cam, too big a carb, too stiff a clutch and too low a gear ratio in my '65 and then wondered why I went through three motors in two years. Go figure. This time I set a more realistic goal of having my '68 perform as well as my '88 5.0 GT. That car's pretty quick, even though it's something like 350 lbs heavier than my '68, handles well and stops nicely. By setting an acheiveable horsepower goal ( 250 rwhp) rather than just bolting on whatever looked good in the catalog (like I did on the '65) I will get a decently quick street car that will not need constant attention and will be perfectly capable of being driven daily, unlike my last effort.

 

[CarFreakGT]

I'm actually on the other end of the spectrum. With a 2-year-old son, a long to-do list around the house as we try for a second child, and working 10-hour days...my wrenching opportunities are limited. Sometimes I have to stop in the middle of something and wait 2-3 weeks to even think about working on it again. I'm hoping to get to fix my brake pedal switch sometime this week.

But, I understand where you're coming from. My 89 GT that I sold to buy my 68 was quicker, handled better, and more 'put together.' But, this is the project car that I've been wanting for a long time. Like others have said, when you get a little burnt on it, walk away. Or, find something small and easy to do instead--change the oil, wash/wax, tune-up, etc.

Good luck and keep wrenchin'.

 

[2nd Mustang]

You really have to know your limits for time and expertise. If you want to learn something, that's great. When I had a two car garage house, wrenching was easy, no rush for time or space. Now that I've downsized to a one car condo, it's a problem. Yes, I do the brakes, radiator and other small engine repairs in the garage, but when it comes to major work, I farm them out.

The first time it hit me was when I tried to pull the rear axle out of a 4 x 4. After getting the wheels off, I then realized I had no room to pull the axles, duh.

 

[Max Power]

The key is to not have to rely on the car. It gets fun after that.

 

[10secgoal]

You know all the crap you read about so-and-so's 1000hp daily driver? It's a lie. Every word of it. I put too much compression, too much cam, too big a carb, too stiff a clutch and too low a gear ratio in my '65 and then wondered why I went through three motors in two years.

I really don't want to pick a fight here. But not all of it is BS. I daily drove mine with over 500 hp EVERYDAY before gas sky rocketed. I did finally tear it out to freshen it up after my tranny took a dump( I expected it, after I passed the HP rating for the clutches).I also had to replace some stuff BEFORE it started breaking, and add SFI equipment. But that was literally after beating the absolute piss out of it for 3.5 years and most of it was WOT. I couldn't drive it on the streets until recently. Insurance was too expensive in Fl. Long story short I think with the right parts, it can be as reliable. With the new block I plan to make and honest to god 650hp, and get 15-18 MPG.

 

[zookeeper]

No need to worry about offending me. We simply live in two different ends of the spectrum, both in intended use of the car, and our definition of street-friendly motors. I live in a rural area, where towns are frequently 20+ miles apart, which means lots and lots of freeway driving. Steep gears kinda suck in that application. I also agree that stout motors don't need to be gas hogs, my wife's 427 Corvette gets 17+ with no sweat and my brother used to have a 6-71 blown, sbc with a pair of 600's on it and got 14mpg. Of course, they both get a LOT worse if you get your foot into it. We each have a different idea of our ideal street car, that's what makes it all so interesting.

 

[mdjay]

I tend to not get tired of working on my cars. But customer cars, we'll that tends to be stressful at times lol

 

[66Runt]

When you wrench for a living, it's tough to come to the same thing

Toughest by far was my first concours restoration. Swore I'd never do another one. Then my hobby became my job, did that for 5 years, took a 4 year break, then got into a different type of wrenching for another 17 years. No longer wrench for a living, and now I've got an awesome collection of tools and skills, and it's become a hobby again. I really enjoy doing what I want, when I want, how I want.
It's kind of a full circle thing. Sometimes I don't even look at my car for a month, other times I get up at 4am just so I can go out in the garage and mess with it before work.
As for high horsepower daily drivers, with today's advanced technologies, a properly planned and executed project could easily be a daily driver well up into the 800HP range, if not more. EFI, roller blocks, proper cooling systems, and liquids, cryogenics and metalurgy have done amazing things. Couple that with clutch & torque converter technologies (sorry I couldn't resist the pun), and drivetrain technologies, brake technology and basic car build quality, and this is very feasible.
Don't think so? Look at the tuner diesel trucks. Daily driven, towing 4,500 lbs ski boats at 700HP/torque. How much more abusive can you get, than a dumb ass drunk pulling his boat up a mountain?
What makes it real or not, is the skills required to build a complete package. That is what seperates the real builders from the parts hangers.