How to make progress on a stalled project car | Articles

How to Plan (and Finish?) a Project Car

We’ve seen, discussed and purchased many unfinished project cars over the years, and there are some common themes that emerge as these projects evolve from an ambitious idea to an embarrassment under a pile of parts. A wise person once offered this advice: Anything can be accomplished with time, money and resolve. Pick two.

We’ll discuss time, money and resolve soon, but in the meantime, we’ll offer our addendum to the sage advice. The best project outcomes usually happen when you name your goals and then map your plan to the goals. 

Before going too far down the path of a hotel seminar about time management, we’ll admit that most of us aren’t very good at naming our goals. Many projects start on a whim or an impulse purchase, and goals had little to do with the decision, just raw enthusiasm. But many times, as the enthusiasm fades, the project fades, too. (And isn’t enthusiasm a synonym for resolve? More later.)

Okay, many projects start on a whim and without goals, but we’re here to tell you that even though you aren’t thinking of goals, you have goals buried in your subconscious. That impulse was sparked by something: Maybe you wanted to do something radical, maybe nostalgia kicked in, maybe you wanted to make some quick cash. Spending a few minutes to map the whim to some goals will lead to a much higher probability of success.

Which of these goals might apply to your project?

• You want to win something: If you’re a racer, it’s races. If you’re a show and shine person, it’s car shows. If you’re insecure, it’s other people’s approval (more soon). If you want to win something, name it as a goal.
• You want to learn something: You might have picked your project because you want to sharpen your skills. Want to learn to weld? Start with a rusty car. Want to learn wrenching? Start with a tired car. Want to learn tuning? Start with an EFI project. And so on. If you want to learn something, name it specifically and stay focused.
• You want to do something: Some people don’t care if they…