Beretta.net

Of all the automotive related projects (swaps) that you have done or just got involved with a lot, what is the most dreaded thing for you when diving into it? Or even the things you may foresee not liking when analyzing the project you’re about to undertake?

Some of us have had more projects than we care to talk about. Yet, this isn’t about the actual swap, more of a things you’ve encountered that you don’t want to do, procrastinate doing, find ways to work around it, or just plain not do it.

I dread the finalizing of a project. Typically, when it’s time to finish up, it means major components along with easily damaged or swanky parts would need to be removed back out for detailing/aesthetic prep and then put back in carefully to like finished area…
Then a coolant clamp is missed or brake line is pinched (SOB!)

I used to not like chopping up radiator supports or reworking frames, but that has been superseded by the above.


What's yours?

I hate doing brake lines, timing belts and dropping oil pans on tight FWD cars and modern IFS 4WD trucks. I'd rather headbutt a pile of broken glass than do that crap.

I farm that crap out, if I have the money to pay for it LOL.

I have to basically do a clutch job on my C5. I would do one on the Beretta any day of the week instead.

Rebuilding my LSx and discovering the cam gear was for a 2005 only.

I installed a 2006/2007 cam gear in my car.

I cross referenced the part number that I had for the cam gear - it showed up as an LS2 gear.

Fire the car up - throwing a bunch of codes - and have to tear into it again... Fun times!

Bleeding brakes. That's one of the things I hate to do. And maintenance. I like hot rodding stuff, but maintenance is really no fun.

Disassembling struts. I always feel like I'm going to lose my face.

woody90gtz wrote:maintenance. I like hot rodding stuff, but maintenance is really no fun.

100% am in agreement with this one.

1988GTU wrote:

woody90gtz wrote:maintenance. I like hot rodding stuff, but maintenance is really no fun.

100% am in agreement with this one.

Me also, I have no problem spending 40+ hours porting and polishing heads and manifolds, but when it comes time to change ball joints or struts, I dread every second of it...which is why I never went further with my mechanic career than about 300-400 hours into it and just focused on learning what I wanted to. I've been tuning with HPTuners since just before Christmas and have now started to turn that into a side job, which is something I wanted to do for years and love it...still got years of learning ahead of me though to even consider myself a professional though.

My old dread was exactly the same as yours -finishing the project- but for me it was more about not having the project to work on anymore, and seeing the end result and having to wonder if all the time, stress, and effort was worth-while. Somewhere deep down, I know it won't be enough, and the project won't really be 'done' to me, needing more detail work later on, and I know that it will be a loooonnngg time before I am willing to dig back into it again to tweak those details into shape.

But now, oddly enough, I hate having to fabricate everything from here... to there... when nothing wants to join in the middle. I get caught up with trying to make part 'A' fit up against part 'B', instead of just throwing both of them out and building something from scratch, becasue I really don't like doing it. Funny thing for me, huh?

Good thread.

As the time goes on, me personally, I'd rather have more the option to bolt together off the shelf parts than sit there fabricating or making things 'work'. I need to get back into the common cars.