Bodywork anxiety...

[Tdh]

Why is it that I can do body work on other peoples cars with now worry whatsoever, but when it comes cutting/welding/painting on my own car I get nervous before I start??

You could literally bring me two halves of two different cars, ask me to weld them together into one, and I’d give you a “meh..no problem.”  On a car I own, I’m a total ball of nerves.  I just spent the last two hours marking up where I’m gonna cut on my rusty lower nose panel.    Yeah, I’m a dork.

Edited August 28, 2021 by Tdh

[resra]

15 minutes ago, Tdh said:

Why is it that I can do body work on other peoples cars with now worry whatsoever, but when it comes cutting/welding/painting on my own car I get nervous before I start??

You could literally bring me two halves of two different cars, ask me to weld them together into one, and I’d give you a “meh..no problem.”  On a car I own, I’m a total ball of nerves.  I just spent the last two hours marking up where I’m gonna cut on my rusty lower nose panel.    Yeah, I’m a dork.

 

Should be the other way around! I'm always worried doing anything on other peoples car but not my own.

[Son of Marty]

I look at it the other way, it's your car and your not on the clock, so how ever long it takes to make it perfect you can afford to spend.

[visionaut]

BTDT re: your own anxiety…

I’ll find it hard to start, but once I’m doing it, I’m in the zone, it’s more special and connected.

 

Just Do It

 

Tom

[theNomad]

Totally opposite for me. I do a lot of things,and figure it'll "probably be fine" for me. But when someone else asks me to do something I get all wishy washy and can talk myself out of doing it as I'm worried about disappointing them and I question my ability to deliver the perfection I'd demand of myself. 

 

Perfect example: my Dad has determined I'm his "oil change guy". I don't mind, as long as I have time, and I did one before he headed out on a long trip last weekend. I woke up at 2am afterward suddenly thinking "was the aluminum washer I used for the drain plug actually the right size? What if all the oil leaks out and leaves them on the side of the road a state away?" I convinced myself it was surely fine so I could gt back to sleep. I'd never worry about that on my own vehicle and would probably chance no washer for an oil change or two if I forgot to buy one.

[2002iii]

It's hard to do it on your own car because if you screw up then you have to look at it all the time and remind yourself of your mistakes. I always like to take extra time on my own cars and make sure it's done right.

 

most people don't know and/or care enough to worry about their car until its undriveable. I hear one little noise in my car and start going through the possibilites in my head. I make sure all my friends and family have AAA for the what ifs so I can sleep soundly.

[irdave]

Yeah, all of this.  Other peoples stuff, no problem, whatdya need?  Mine?  I over-think the ever-living fuck out of it.  I usually question my ability when it's my stuff. (For reference, spent 15 years as a bicycle mechanic, got a BS in ME, spent 10 years working on suspension for racing stuff where people could literally die if I did it wrong.) My wife just shakes her head and points out that if it was her whatever I was working on I'd already be done.  Usually gets me started. I'm retarded, it's ok.

[jp5Touring]

I always thought I had reasonably high standards when it came to cars. I'm self taught but have over a decade of crewing on

sports cars and five years of Indy Lights. I'm highly critical of my work so I feel your pain.

So the last three years plus my oldest has worked at a high end restro mod shop. average build is over 200k some over 500k.

Paint jobs are in the 40k range.  I had to throw my standards out the window cause there work is stunning.

 

My car is a very nice driver and I have a long list of things I want to redo it never ends, and I'm okay with that.

I can drive myself crazy on all the things I want to do.

Then at a car show someone walks up and tells me my car is beautiful. 

I smile,thank them and think dude you need to relax just a little. 

[TobyB]

funny.  just reading the word anxiety made me anxious.  I need a different job.

 

I have a different problem- I cannot work on the car that I have to drive today.

Even just a filter swap would get me in a tizzy.

Complete restoration on a project car?  Noooo problemo, I got nothin' better to do.

Change the plugs on what I need to drive to work this afternoon?  Complete shakes.

 

So now, I have several cars and trucks that run.  So if something goes squiffy,

'it's not the car I have to drive today'

and all's well.

 

I DO still get a bit tweaked when mixing a half- gallon sprayable, but that's

understandable, given the cost of materials these days!

 

t