Post-project: bliss or blues?

[911hillclimber]

I wanted the same Keith.
Did my 73T with a 2.2 on webers, sweet it was too.
Then did a 2.4 from some bits from Bob Watson, that was sweeter still and ran really well.

Wanted easy start, good miles and tons more torque and BHP of course.

Fitted a bog standard 3.2 with early exhaust and a Bob W chip, his first or second I think.

Runs a dream, starts from turning the key while outside the car, 30 mpg, 230 BHP and 200 lbft.
65K miles later and 15 years on it is just the same.

It makes the car an instant driver and feels like it could pop over to SPA tomorrow morning, or now.

Now 120+ K miles old, uses no oil and just keeps going, Boche ecu and sensors, nothing modded.

It is as grunty as you could wish, but doesn't scream like that 2.4 did....

Thus, perhaps a good sort out of the induction is all it needs?
Can't help thinking if the car was next to you it would be better?

[yoda]

Word

???

I was agreeing with Graham - driving our cars and road trips are the antidote.

[Hendrik Moulds]

Keith, as someone who both drives one a lot and has had a project going for far too long (5 years and counting), I have to say that the driving is by far the best.

Even though I sometimes have to force myself to get the cab out (usually to just drive to work) the pleasure I get from something so mundane always brings a smile to my face and then there is always the detour home if there's time.

Projects are a different kind of fun when looking for parts and making decisions on which way to go, but driving it regularly is way better.

[sisu]

What makes you happy? Within the car scene, like many other addictions there is the aspect of being able to step back and ask yourself objectively is this honestly making you happy? Does it make the people around you happy too?
With the resto cycle I would say that alot of people like the detective aspect of a project and not the culmination because it isn't real. So people buy or build cars and it is the suffering of that relationship they love.
I think it is good that you have looked at this and thought about it honestly, I would say that you should take a break from this cycle and just drive your car this winter. Don't spend another grand or so on a motorcycle this winter. Drive to Monaco or Milan for the weekend, the faster the better.
In fact drive through Italy and loop the Targa Floria circuit if you have the time.

For those restoration addicts if you look at this picture below and think "Why would I want to spend my time driving a bus?" or do you think to yourself "Yes I really need a 1968 Neoplan bus or a Mercedes 0317K truck in that colour to go with the 917!!" then, yes I would say that this isn't a few beers with your mates, this is more of the you naked on the floor of the kitchen with a bottle of scotch singing Adele songs to your cat.

[Tosh]

That image is now etched on my memory. And I don't like it

[haasad]

I loved building my 911, and using it for a couple of years too, equally true for my Cal Looker , my Herald, the RS3.1 the RS 1600i, the TR6 both B,s...the BAJA, the Midget, oh the Europa.....the MK1 Sirocco, the Astra GTE, the HSR and the rest.

Definetly keeping the Healey though........despite the complete lack of any thriving sense of community in ownership!!


Maybe

[964RS]

Just try and sort the electrics efi/ecu issue out over the winter with the plan to drive the car come spring and enjoy it.

It's not the car's fault you live in the middle of bloody nowhere and don't have a garage so stop blaming it!

Sort it, man up and then drive the bollox off it.

Something to look forward to during the miserable winter weather.

You're a long time dead.

[stuby]

Have to agree with KS - for me the 'fun' is creating something from scratch, endless man hours, bruised knuckles, dust , grime and heartache. I was at the point about 4 years ago whereby my project was 'nearly done', to the point whereby I took it for the Mot expecting a list as long as the M1 to sort out.
It passed- so I had to tax it and drive it, to iron out any running issues in normal use. 4 mots later, there are still things to 'finish off', which I am loathe to do because then it will be finished, the project will be complete and I will inevitably end up selling it and looking for another project.

Crazy addiction, but at least its not drugs or gambling.... would consider selling as is, but am sorting the webers out atm.

Stu

[murph2309]

Been pondering this one for a couple of days. For me it started very much as a 'destination' project - I wanted my car not to have embarrassing rust (as I saw it then) and to be beautifully shiny and to go well. And I wanted to get there as quickly as possible. But when you get into it, the enormity of the undertaking suddenly becomes overwhelming - there is just so much stuff to do - whom do you trust with the bits you're not capable of doing? How much is it going to cost? How do I not make a fool of myself while doing it? How am I going to afford both the time and the money to sort it all out?

But eventually you get a rhythm, a way of doing the odd hour or two here and there on the car at weekends or in the evening. You map out who is going to do what, you develop a sense of micro-decisions adding up to a macro-result and trusting your judgement with the micro, even though it may be well 'out of sequence' (eg, buying Hella 169s or bumper over-riders or ridiculously expensive NOS turn lenses)

I also found that the search for bits was addictive, the ordering of bits from Porsche depressingly expensive (How much for a washer??? And I need 24 of them??) but the 'project' overall was a joy. Until it wasn't. Things went wrong, the cost became hideous, I was beyond my experience and skill-set most of the time, the garage was chuffing freezing, I knew I couldn't do it all myself....it got depressing....

But, what doesn't kill you and all that....I learned a lot about humility, about managing people and projects, and how to turn a spanner. I got a huge amount out of the journey, and that has changed my approach to life in general.

And then the day came when pretty much straight out of the box I was driving to CLM - the mix of emotions was massive. The car looked amazing, better than I ever hoped it would be, the work that everyone had done on my behalf really showed in the quality overall. But I really didn't enjoy that trip to CLM, I was sh!tting myself the whole time. What if it breaks? what if I crash it? (all of a sudden my £12k beater was worth somewhat more than that)...it was all a bit too stressful.

And I realised that I was also missing the 'doing something' that had kept me sane as 'my' thing for the last 4 years was done. Finished. What was I going to fill my time with now? I really suffered a post project blues.

And then came the Highland tour. 1500 miles in about 4 days. And it was such a full-on experience, I just didn't have time to do anything but thrash the arse off the car to keep up with everyone else. I got a truck-load of stone chips too. And it became my car again. I loved it. and then we went to Spa - my last trip before relocation, and an absolutely fab blast, as they always are. I hooned it around the track, tyres squealing (although didn't manage to get quite as much lift-off oversteer as Darren did ) we had beers in the evening, Chris and I pan-fried frozen pizzas because there was no oven and we did lots more driving.

And so I realised, the journey hasn't ended. It's just another part of the journey. I'm not being precious about the car now, but I am loving it and respecting it and making sure it gets used. As much as poss anyway.

But I do have a hankering for a big whale-tale with a gnarly engine in the back. 80's cool. So maybe another journey will need to start. We'll see....

[Winston Teague]

Many wise words here, esp Jason above. You have a very cool special there, it's your idea of what a 911 should be, you won't love it till it runs and drives the way you thought it would, and until you have driven it some, once it is right. If at this point it still disappoints, modify it again, and so on and so on, but keep driving it, all the time, when you do you will think of improvments, make them, keep telling the story, admit your mistakes to yourself and others, and keep driving it. It is never going to be one for the purists, so don't worry about mud, rain stonechips etc. Sorn your daily driver in April and keep it in the rain at home, oh, and drive it. Perhaps a hillclimb, or track day..........W

[Bootsy]

naked on the floor of the kitchen with a bottle of scotch singing Adele songs to your cat.

On this note - let's just hope Adele hasn't got a cat. If she has and it dies then we will have to endure 3 bloody albums listening to hear singing (wailing) about it.

[KS]

On this note - let's just hope Adele hasn't got a pussy. If she has and it dies then we will have to endure 3 bloody albums listening to hear singing (wailing) about it.

Really?

[Bootsy]

She will wail about anything KS. Quite possibly the most tedious music known to man (although Coldplay comes close)

[cubist]

Professional moaner and tubster. I thought that was her on the stool on the Pirelli calendar opener...

[gridgway]

So the answer has got to be the Oulton RS day on march 11th! Do it, you know it makes sense!
Graham