Built Not Bought

[Nightmare]

So can someone explain this to me? I am at a loss as to why this seems to be a bad thing. For example, I buy all the parts for my car. Since I dont have the space to do much of the work my self, I take it to a friends place, him and I do the work and I give him some cas as a thank you for waisting a saturday or a sunday on my car when he could be spending it on his car or with his family. Yet, according to someone on a completely different forum, that means that is bad, because all of the work wasnt done by me......

Now, I will admit, there are some things that I know how to do that I refuse to do, such as a clutch install or a rear gear swap, mostly because of either a lack of tools (for the gear swap) or because I dont have the space or for that matter, the time to do it.

Honestly, I really dont see the issue with taking your car to have someone do something like a supercharger, installing a new engine or what ever if you have the money, and it dosnt necessarly mean that you have no mechanical ability (I used to be a bloody tech). Does any one else think the whole "built not bought" thing is bull spit?

 

[cobra head]

yes sir i do bc im the same way i help out with my car but a close friend does alot of the work bc myhead knows what to do but my hands dont lol if that makes any sence lol but the car im trying to build im doing alot more then what iv done in the past

 

[Steven]

It's a majority of people finding merit in fighting the fight of installs and hard work. Every modification and every thing done to that car is in essence me personified through my work. I was out there till 2 a.m. Fighting that t56 install and modified welded and grind my way to it. It's not to downplay those who don't. But I believe in doing things yourself and working hard to get where you want. Its different if you hand someone the keys and say here this is your problem fix it.

 

[EF5.0]

I believe in a "built not bought" mentality. But saying you can never ever go somewhere and ask for or receive help is rubbish. If that was true then everyone would be forced to R&D and produce their own parts. Because someone along the line, who isn't you, has made that part.

If you are doing most the work with a buddy, then you're still building your car. Compensating a friend for time lost with family or doing other things does not make the work you two have done together "bought".

 

[Nightmare]

When it comes to my car, I am all about doing the work my self. There are three mods (excluding tuning) that I have handed the keys to a friend either at work or who owns a shop, and that was the rear gears, the clutch, and the flywheel. Those are things that I couldnt of done in the parking lot of my apartment, and I felt were best left to someone who specializes in it.

Now when it comes to my truck with 250,000 miles......well that is a different story, as I really dont have the time to do the work on it and I need it because it is my daily driver. The wifes car is still under warranty so it gets serviced as such....Probably why I take major pride in the Mustang.

On a side note, I have done all of that driveline work my self when I was working in a shop, and understand the benifit of having a lift, a press, ect to do all of that work......

 

[whiplash473]

aint nothing wrong with getting help from your friend......paying someone to do every single thing done to your car is a different story......this shit is common with the people that sit at car shows...... "-nice car" "--thanks" "-sounded good when you pulled in, whats the lift on your cam?" "--dunno...its a 600hp motor though.....cars worth about 25k" "enjoy your golf game this sunday..."

 

[FrankenStang]

when i work on a buddies car i work on it better than i would mine, so i wouldnt think its a bad thing...and im shur most people think the same way as they dont wanna be responsible for fking up a freinds ride...

 

[EF5.0]

this shit is common with the people that sit at car shows...... "-nice car" "--thanks" "-sounded good when you pulled in, whats the lift on your cam?" "--dunno...its a 600hp motor though.....cars worth about 25k" "enjoy your golf game this sunday..."

Haha I actually know a few people like that... bugs me...

 

[RichV]

Who cares, if I had $ comin' out my ass, I'd have my 65 done by a pro.

I enjoy doing work myself, it's kinda thrapeutic to get in the garage and do a project. No family stuff or honey-dos, just you and your tools. But I know it will take 2 years to get it done, it would be nice to bust out the checkbook and have it done in 2 months.

I guess I could go either way, but just because some thing is "built" that does not mean it was done right.

 

[Nightmare]

I believe in a "built not bought" mentality. But saying you can never ever go somewhere and ask for or receive help is rubbish. If that was true then everyone would be forced to R&D and produce their own parts. Because someone along the line, who isn't you, has made that part.

If you are doing most the work with a buddy, then you're still building your car. Compensating a friend for time lost with family or doing other things does not make the work you two have done together "bought".

I agree with this 100%

aint nothing wrong with getting help from your friend......paying someone to do every single thing done to your car is a different story......this shit is common with the people that sit at car shows...... "-nice car" "--thanks" "-sounded good when you pulled in, whats the lift on your cam?" "--dunno...its a 600hp motor though.....cars worth about 25k" "enjoy your golf game this sunday..."

I hate guys like that. I do pay my friends when ever they help me.....Cash, beer, parts.....what ever is clever.

 

[95riosnake]

There's a difference between taking your car somewhere to do one job for you (for example, maybe you aren't capable of fabricating a legal roll cage that will pass tech) and someone "building" a car by swiping their credit card and writing checks without ever getting their hands dirty. I still think a car is badass if someone paid someone else to build it, but my respect then goes mainly to the shop that built it, with a little bit going to the owner for having good taste. Now a badass car that had 90%+ of the work done by the owner gets the owner tons of respect in my eyes. Not to mention, in my experience, there's a lot more pride in driving the car you built, rather than what you paid someone else to build. Of course, ever since I was a kid my dad taught me to always do as much yourself as possible.

 

[Musturd]

That's Notta bad thing paying ur buddy to help. Your prolly paying attention and learning lots . Some of my good friends that are down to get dirty and learn I will show them how a jobs done on a customer car if I have one that week that's getting the same work they need done. Then ill show them how to do it and let them use my hoist to do there own car and help them do it. Alot of my good friends just pay me to do it because I give them discounted rates of course. When I was younger like 16 that's what it was all about helping ur buddies keep ur cars on the road.


Having some some shitty Attitude towards you because you pay a friend to help you work on ur car and use his shop space and tools is re
tarded. I remember not having my own space to work on. My first cars . Don't sweat it man

 

[whiplash473]

riosnake is right on the money

the only thing either of my vehicles see shop floors is wheel alignments.....other than that i do everything with the exception of my old man helping me on an area i may not have experience with

 

[T-5 Killer]

Haha I actually know a few people like that... bugs me...

+1 "There is no honor is a Credit card car"

 

[Tony]

i only do things to cars myself that i actually enjoy doing (the pretty stuff). but as far as when and if i build my motor, i would be a fuggin idiot to just think i can pull it and tear it down and rebuild it, lmao. no choice but have it done for the most part. no i didnt build it myself but none of you paint your car either. none of you reupholster the interiors. theres alot more to a car than motors, lol. at some point if ya wanna bad ass all around car....gotta shell out some labor $$.

 

[ivan12]

I used to think this way before but I could care less now. I could've saved a lot of time and money if I would've had the cash at the time to have someone do the work for me. Or I could've bought my car or truck built for a lot less then what I paid to do it myself, when we're talking about saving $10-$15K, I could care less whether someone thinks less of my car because I didn't build it with my own two hands. Yes I will admit that it felt good at the time when I completed certain projects but now that the cars are completed and I look back I realize maybe it wasn't such a good idea.

 

[slow90coupe]

On my current car, every mod or bolt that's been turned on the car in the past 3 years has been done by me. Nobody else has worked on it. I don't trust anyone with my car, because no matter how good they do a job, I still won't be able to sleep at night knowing that I didn't personally turn every bolt. That's just how I am. My dad is the opposite. He always buys cars 90-98% complete and adds the finishing touches. I have no problem with either way. But those guys with really badass cars that they know absolutely nothing about does bother me.

 

[Tony]

we all prolly have certain skills in certain areas of cars. i'm slowly learning fords and 4.6 motors. my first mustang, and i've only had it a little over a year. i've done everything myself (me & my son) except paint it. but like i said, it's only the things i actually find enjoyment doing. nothing fun about tearing shit up and not kowing exactly how to get it right. i'll pay a pro for that shit, lol.

 

[Nightmare]

That's Notta bad thing paying ur buddy to help. Your prolly paying attention and learning lots . Some of my good friends that are down to get dirty and learn I will show them how a jobs done on a customer car if I have one that week that's getting the same work they need done. Then ill show them how to do it and let them use my hoist to do there own car and help them do it. Alot of my good friends just pay me to do it because I give them discounted rates of course. When I was younger like 16 that's what it was all about helping ur buddies keep ur cars on the road.


Having some some shitty Attitude towards you because you pay a friend to help you work on ur car and use his shop space and tools is re
tarded. I remember not having my own space to work on. My first cars . Don't sweat it man

Well it isnt so much about learning. When I was turning a wrench for a living, I had my ASE certs.....for me it is more so the space issue......I have a basic tool set now, as I dont need all of those specialty tools that I had as a tech, and I have no place to put the monster snap on box that I had. Really, living in an apartment with no garage access kinda kills the whole idea of working on the car at your own place.

 

[Musturd]

Yea with motors it's cheaper to buy built dart block or stock block strokers out of the states for me then getting them machined and building and assembling myself.thats the only thing with on my blue car besides paint I didn't do I bought my long block outta the states for much cheaper then I coulda built it .with a custom cam built for my combo and port matched my systemax 2 to the heads. Now I'm pulling it apart again for a new custom nitrous cam.