Our LS-powered Nissan Z is a fast, sorted track car. How’d we get it that way? By following a lot of our own personal project car lessons–ones learned via decades spent in the shop, on the road and at the track. When normal people are sleeping, we’re breathing this stuff.
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What are some things you've learned working on project cars that everyone should know?
1) Research, Research, Research. Has what you want to do been done before? If not - why? A lot of people want to try something new, but have more experienced people than you tried and failed? Why? What were the issues, what were the limitations?
2) Learn about the sunk cost fallacy and learn the signs of when you're stuck in it. Similar to the 'when to say when'. There is a time and a place to toss in the towel on something and cut your losses. This is an emotional hobby and pastime, but with finite resources, logic, not emotion, has to win some of the time.
3) Don't modify your daily driver. Your daily driver is NOT your project car.
4) Know your budgetary limits. Can you afford to repair or even replace your planned race car in your planned class after meeting a tire wall? No? You can't afford to race that car. Doesn't mean you can't race, it means you can't race that car in that class. Pick your project to reflect your budget.
5) Know your limits. Are you an okay welder? Competent in both versions of CAD (the cardboard and computer versions)? Can you wire a car? You can learn all of these things, but picking a project car that requires you to learn them all at once can turn a difficult project into an impossible one.
In reply to Colin Wood :
That it's never done and there will be another...
Colin Wood said:What are some things you've learned working on project cars that everyone should know?
It's always going to take longer, and cost more than you initially thought.
In reply to DocRob :
6) Buying someone else's unfinished project car can POSSIBLY save you money - it depends. On what? Well, why is it unfinished? Too difficult, too expensive, too time consuming, guy had bills to pay, died? If you KNOW you can finish it, it just might be worth it. Impulse buys almost always turn out...badly.
7) Don't pick a unicorn as a project car. Unless you're a masochist.
8) Don't weld in sandals.
9) Do NOT let her find out how much money you're spending on it. She's already jealous enough, you want her pissed off, too?
Don't buy rusty cars. Just don't. Far better to spend more on a gutted but solid shell than a complete car needing floors, frame rails, etc.
Knowing when to say when. Amen. 10 years with the M5 was enough. Heck, 8 was enough but I had a tough time deciding to sell it at the end until your article and the guys at the Everyday Driver podcast came together in my mind(It really was a timely combo of circumstances). Take tons of photos and videos so you can have the memories then sell the car so someone else can love it like you did. I'm having the same issue with my grandpas truck right now. its a 78 with 45k original miles on it but its the least desirable combo of features with long bed 2wd auto camper shell in don't buy me nubuck beige. It does have the 350 v8 at least. All because my parent couldn't bear to get rid of it for the past 30 years due to it being my dad's dads' truck. Now it's up to me to sell and despite being cheaper than anything else in the country in similar condition I get no bites. Sorry this is not an attempt to sell anything. The impetus to the whole thing about moving cars in and out of my life was awakened by my other grandfather promising my cousin this badass 60's Mercury in his (gravel) driveway after my gramps passed away. By the time my cousin got to it (shortly after my gramps passing) the car was literally part of the driveway and had to be hauled off for scrap. So sad.
Buy as complete as you can afford.
You will ALWAYS forget something important.
If you do modify your daily, small projects only. You will not get that turbo kit installed and finish tuned in 48hrs. Same with whatever suspension you want to run.
Colin Wood said:What are some things you've learned working on project cars that everyone should know?
Invest some of that money into an asset that doesn't depreciate like a brick.
Convince your kids to try drugs/alcohol. It'll be cheaper and easier to quit. Start them young if you live above the frost belt.
Sell when the iron's hot.
Sold both of my SCCA Street Touring autocross builds right after winning national championships. Got all the money. Which made it easier to build the Next Big Thing.
Your starting thought should always be "Don't let fear and common sense get in the way". Reading "Parachute design for beginners", is best done after stepping out of the plane.
They are called "project cars" for a reason. There will be more project management than mechanicking on any successful car project even if you never realize it. If done properly most of the engineering will already have been done for you in the form of others who have done similar work or even better, by adopting OEM technology/parts. Take advantage.
Maintaining enthusiasm over multiple years is difficult. There are points where you will want to quit and most likely points where common sense tells you to quit. Go back to the first sentence I wrote.
It SHOULD be fun.
Colin Wood said:What are some things you've learned working on project cars that everyone should know?
....leave it as stock as possible until you know why you want to make a change, in the sense that you know what it is you want the car to do differently and that the change you make will be positive toward that goal.
My favorite is when the drivetrain in a rear driver rolls side to side too much on and off load, making the shifter position vague, so the 'fix' is.... a solid trans mount. That will do nothing, the trans mount mainly affects drivetrain pitch not drivetrain roll, what you meed are stiffer engine mounts to keep the engine/trans assembly stiffer in roll. A stiff trans mount and soft engine mounts can actually break the tailhousing off of the transmission.
ddavidv said:Don't buy rusty cars. Just don't. Far better to spend more on a gutted but solid shell than a complete car needing floors, frame rails, etc.
All of the this.
It costs two or three days of driving and a few hundred bucks in fuel and tow rental to go somewhere that things don't rust. You capital-w Will spend more time and money trying to repair rust. Unless you have some incredible restoration facilities at your disposal, rust is something that you work on but never truly repair.
As a bonus, cars are usually really cheap where things don't rust because they don't have crazy attrition. You may actually save money on the outset, let alone long term.
#1 rule: It must be complete and running...........even if it's running barely running.
I've found very few people, myself included, have the tenacity and skills to take what's really a parts car and get it running properly.
#2 rule: Only take apart one car at a time for the same reason as listed above.
#3 rule: Am I making the car better? Faster doesn't always equate to better; if it needs constant attention and or starts to kill my budget I'm going to find the car less fun.
In reply to Ranger50 :
9) Do NOT let her find out how much money you're spending on it. She's already jealous enough, you want her pissed off, too?
Maybe the smartest thing that has ever been said here Yes keep track of you expenditures in a spread sheet, just make sure the file access is password protected.
NEVER take your project car into a shop. If someone is going to screw up your E36 M3, it mayaswell be you. Atleast it wont cost 2 grand to screw it up.
Agree with Tom, dont start multiple projects or system rehabs/improvements at once. Do one until its functional, then move to the next if at ALL possible.
The REAL question, is how do you keep focused on your current project car, and not looking at/for the NEXT project/car?
Never buy go fast stuff the day after a track weekend. If you really want to go faster buy another weekend for more practice.
earlybroncoguy1 said:In reply to DocRob :
6) Buying someone else's unfinished project car can POSSIBLY save you money - it depends. On what? Well, why is it unfinished? Too difficult, too expensive, too time consuming, guy had bills to pay, died?
Now you tell me.....
deaconblue said:In reply to Ranger50 :
9) Do NOT let her find out how much money you're spending on it. She's already jealous enough, you want her pissed off, too?
Maybe the smartest thing that has ever been said here Yes keep track of you expenditures in a spread sheet, just make sure the file access is password protected.
Never, ever get married. Unless they are also as addicted to cars/motorsports as you are. 
Budgets:
Think of what it will cost.
Double it.
Then double that.
In reply to preach (dudeist priest) :
Learning that has made more stories and helps let go of what you have. When is gone it'll be someone's "next or another" and that's the only way when production stopped
Speaking from experience this past 50 years of home garage builds:
1. Just because it looks like it will work doesn't mean it will. Drive it slow until you know.
2. Join a club with people that have tools (and abilities) you don't have.
3. When you get tired, stop working on it. You can screw it up, hurt yourself, and put yourself further behind if you push it.
4. Assume you will have to do it over at some point because you will.
ShawnG said:Budgets:
Think of what it will cost.
Double it.
Then double that.
hot rod math = double it add 10% and you're half way there.
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