Have you been overwhelmed by mechanical duties?
 

I'm feeling it a bit overwhelmed by the needs of variety of vehicles, especially a '63 Studebaker, but also some niggles on the 928 I seem to be falling behind on. I'm doing my social distancing in the garage to catch up. Winter is useful for this - it must be hell for those who drive year-round.

Another form of the question is "How many needy vehicles can you own without falling behind?"

I'm inspired to ask after reading in Nicole's thread the misadventures of those whose sole remaining car of interest is the very reliable Porsche 928. I suspect there are more tales of woe to share on this subject...

Hi Curt,
I definitely get overwhelmed by mechanical problems. I usually walk away for a while, do more research, and eventually formulate a strategy. So far I have not had to abandon a car because I could not formulate a plan to salvage a problem. I don't have a professional mechanic to bail me out, and if I did, I would feel more confident. BTW the old Studebakers are some of my favorite cars.
Good luck,
Dave

Sometimes divine guidance is needed:


For me, it's (slightly) less than one. For a 928 that hasn't had a stem to stern overhaul, and I mean with the dash, console, and entire interior out along with the glass, there are little things that go wrong that will keep you busy pretty much forever. Items like random shorts, burned out bulbs, malfunctioning non-essential parts, etc Fixing them is time consuming and not fixing them affects enjoyment of the car almost as much as mechanical problems.

For example, in my beautiful rust free car, the engine, torque tube, transmission, suspension, steering, air conditioning, wheels, tires, and brakes have been updated and are in new - or better - condition. But i am chasing a minor dash light short, there's a small leak in the right rear quarter, the headliner and A piller liners are warped, the paint is imperfect, the dash has a crack, and the light colored carpet is a little dingy. There are probably other issues but you get the idea.

My ambition is to get everything that is broken buttoned up this year, my 4th year owning the car. However, each of the above jobs is a full day or more. This is also the first year for a full fluid maintenance, another full day. But last year was the the best driving so far - so much quieter, powerful, reliable even for very long rides, and fun. I expect the journey to continue and not to end, ever.

i had so many oldtimers.... and believe me Curt , a 928 is a joy to work on. Especially rust free … everything demounts as it should be and remounts easy. Marvelous !

Where do you find a old timer car you can change the clutch without box or engine out ? i wonder....

It's indeed not a 911 , but it's a GREAT car !

PS on topic... all old cars need maintenance … same in time needed. Most are sold with… problems. If you are not a good mechanic yourself or "rich" … stay away from them. ;)

No it never happens.

I live in this state constantly, tbh. And I really only have 2 "old" cars, the 928 and an '82 931. My "daily" is a truck with 180K miles though, which needs its share of attention, and I'm trying to get my daughter's BMW 325i back on the road, and it never ends. Honestly the 928 has been the most reliable of the bunch over the last couple years.

The reality is I enjoy fixing my cars, but don't want impossible challenges. There is a fine line between a good challenge and just too much. It is a moving boundary as well. I think Sam Spade said "I don't mind a certain amount of trouble..."
Good luck,
Dave

I tend to get caught up, and sort of hate, having to figure out outside resources. Example: I'm in the middle of a power steering system refresh (not the rack, but most everything else) and I'm trying to follow what seems like some solid advice to get the high pressure line redone at a local hydraulic line place. I could just buy a new part, yes, but there are improvements which people report (swivel fittings, certain parts removed) that also seem like solid advice to get done, if possible. Now, removing that high pressure line seems like a bit of a pain (the retainer clip) but I don't mind that. Finding a local place, though, that's killing me.

I guess if anything, having things to work on that I can take care of is restful and feels like accomplishment. Having to figure out certain aspects relevant to the work seems like a PITA sometimes. Dealing with self-imposed deadlines (It's nearly spring!) makes me stronger (I hope). Getting these cars to be just how I like them, that's priceless.

+928

Working on a body-off resto on Son#3's VW Bug, brake overhaul on Son#1's 944S, also care and feeding of an old MR2, and then it seems my neglected 928 always falls to the bottom of the list. Not complaining, enjoy working with the boys, but seems like I never make progress on the 928 due to this.

Volvo 850 R wagon needs valve stem seals, NA cams installed, good cut and polish, some paintwork.....84 Scirocco needs to be run and then eventually engine re-done (both are sitting in my mom's garage). The track car needs to have the interior cleaned/painted, fuse panel put back in (that one is at the shop), the 89GT needs rear wheel bearings (since 2015 lol), and replacement blower motor. Of the three motorcycles, the Duc needs new tires mounted, and the BMW PD and Kawi ZX-11 need to be ridden. Hardest part is keeping all of these moving. Storage is a killer of vehicles.....

Tom, I still have the Sir Tools press for the bearings, just a few/several hours south of you. Drive the GT down, bearings installed here, drive it back. Or... I was looking at the HF ad that shows their "equivalent" of a Pelican rolling case that might survive shipping. Need to look harder at that. The one it came in originally is pretty trashed from poor packaging and shipping by prior users. Alaska has a cheap-seats right now between SEA and RDM if you want to just come get it.

Storage is a killer... Out of sight and out of mind. Emphasis on "out of mind". With five road cars in the personal fleet, and single, I could keep three in 'perfect' condition while the other two were tied up in 'project' status. Plus a couple race cars and support stuff. Now not single, down to three road cars, all three in 'perfect' condition, the rest gone. If I just had one more space, I would add a [insert any or many of long list...] to the fleet.

Thanks, I ended up buying the Sir Tools look-a-like tool set a while back. It's purely a matter of putting aside the time to do it. With all the work-at-home and self-quarantining happening, I might just find the time in the next month..we'll see.

I'm behind right now.

Have a 997 on the lift with the rear torn apart to find a vacuum leak that's behind the alternator, which is behind the belt assembly for the aftermarket supercharger, and to get that off, I have to lower the motor on the mounts a bit, but to do that I have to access those bolts from under the car which means I have to remove most of the exhaust, but to remove the exhaust I have to take off the rear bumper. I'm 2 days in and haven't gotten then alternator out yet. And while it's all apart, doing a bunch of other stuff like new timing chain tensioners (A/C Compressor has to come off too for the Bank 2 one), new transmission mount inserts, new variocam solenoids, and might do the AOS and coolant tank replacement depending on how they look once I'm in there.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...7b7ce757bc.jpg

While this is going on, I've had to fix a bunch of stuff with my daughter's new to us BMW X5 - fuel system purge valve, camshaft position sensor, crankshaft position sensor, rear carpet getting wet when it rains (reseal the inner door panels), and it needs a full mechatronic transmission service as the pan is leaking and the shifting is a little rougher than if like (haven't gotten to that yet).

I just finished rebuilding the top end of my son's Honda CRF100F dirt bike and installing a big bore kit after it threw the timing chain (running great BTW).

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...f9f8487b89.jpg

Just finished doing a bunch of aesthetic and upgrades on my CRF250X bike too.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...e0f1c76814.jpg


Truck needs new front rotors, 928 needs new plugs and ignition wires (plastic ends are cracked), a pod pull for a new foil, new ignition switch to fix the interior lights not working after the car is started (work in accessory position before starting), but it runs and drives so lower on the list.

Nothing has been washed or waxed in months.

Looking forward to my 30 day company travel ban so I can get caught up on a bunch of stuff.

So, yea, behind.

Behind, but NOT overwhelmed, apparently!
Good luck,
Dave

It never ends...
Me: 1986.5 928, 1999 Explorer, 1984 S-10, 1966 C-10, mowing fleet, mini-bike
Her: 2002 Mustang, 2008 Equinox, 1991 S-10

There is always something that needs a piece of me.