How do you keep yourself motivated to reach the "end" of your resto?

I'm sure you all have different ways of keeping yourself motivated to get to quasi-completion of your project.. yes, I know a car is never really ever done.. always something to do.

What I do is have a "reveal" party every year. Send out the invites six months in advance and I know I've got to get it done by that time. Last year was a 50's theme and I revealed my '49 Chevy.. this year it's a Tiki theme and I'll reveal the '58. :banana:

What keeps you going... drives you to complete by a certain time? Or do you give yourselves deadlines?

Pictured below is last years reveal.. even tho' I know she's not a wagon.. you get the idea.

 

I like the idea of the reveal party and sending the invites out with a date. I'm a Project Manager by trade, and date-driven by training! Going to car shows always helps motivate me - seeing them done makes me want to get mine done. I sometimes pick a show a few hundred miles away and register for it months ahead. That helps keep me focused on getting it done in time for the trip/show.

 

it helps that i can drive TiKi... i tried the non- running restore on my 76 olds omega....it didnt end well.

 

73Super, I have used a technique similar to your reveal party. I registered for a judged national show before i finished my last GTO. Just couldn't seem to find the time to finish up the last few items, but once it was scheduled for judging, I managed to make the time to get it finished.

Deadlines work...and having a written schedule/plan can really help, too.

What gets measured, gets done.

 

Sometimes it's hard to stay focused and you can become complacent with a current project.. If there's no deadline for me that I'm working towards it's easy for me to jump back and forth between other projects thus taking a whole lot longer to get anything done.

The additional pressure of the "party" knowing people are coming for this reason (and a good BBQ) really helps me stay focused and driven.

 

WOW...my dad had a 49, 4DR Chevy!(which I used to beat on) I LOVE those things. What a great dash, super! Nice work! I really love that car and it brings back memories of my dad's green one.
As for motivation on restos....I worked in a pressure business with deadlines all my life and deadlines do work. Not so much with restos, though. At least not for me. Car work was always an enjoyment and a move away from deadlines. Entertainment, so to speak. Not to mention that I have always been a born perfectionist. Those two things don't exactly encourage a speedy build. I think the thing that stimulates me most is that I like speed....fast cars....and I am always anxious to see if my speed theories worked out and the car is as fast as I had hoped.

 

Das Purrrdy




Very nice job, it truley has a look of eligance

 

Thx much! Now I'm anxious to see how the '58 will turn out! LOL.. I find sometimes the projects have a mind of their own. I start out with one idea and it seems to go off in another!

 

By the way, super....love the chukkies! I have 3 pair and I wear a pair of them every day! It's the only shoe I wear anymore!

 

I find that having the majority of your parts collection done before attacking a project keeps things moving along. Plus having a small wad of $$ to start off with helps. Lets face it, even the most low buck build costs a bit and there's no sense ever scrimping on things like brakes and reliability. With all that in place and a descent shop to work in means that your only excuse for not getting things done is you.

The deadline idea is also great. I have a habit of setting unrealistic deadlines to keep the pressure on.

 

I pile the parts around the house & the wife gives me the motivation when they get too great

 

You get tired of the stuff not woking or the state of the paint or interior, and drive it to the end of the resto!

The trick of course is to convince the "Chancellor of the Exchequer (the wife) that this is a "worthy endeavor!"

 

I pile them around & convince her it's too late to turn back now.

 

My target is to have the new quarters weilded on, put her on my neighbours hauler and take her to the car show that I organize in mid June.
Last summer I had so many folks tell me I should have taken her regardless of her state. Well, if I only got one thing out of 2011, it is that life is far to short, to wait to show her off, until she is pristine. Besides what fun it'll be letting folks see the progress from year to year... I hope there isn't to many years in there.

 

Not being a huge fan of car shows I always make a B-line to the "work in progress" section at shows to see how people's projects are coming along. Especially if it's strange or difficult work that will be hidden by fillers when the car is done.