For those of you who prefer to DIY...

[1SLWM3]

I've been driving my car around the past month after finally getting through the 6 months of headaches and heartaches that most, if not all, turbo builds create. While I still have some small odds & ends to deal with, I noticed that the build itself is just as fun and rewarding as driving the car is. This may just be me but I wonder if others feel the same way.

By no means am I saying the car is boring me. However, there are moments where I feel I have more fun working on the car than I do driving with the occasional "pull" down the highway or hours spent hanging out with friends and starring at the car...

Do you guys enjoy the build just as much as you do the drive? If its a 50/50 type of deal, whats your favorite part about the build? i.e. headgasket job, parts ordering/recieiving, install of whatever, wiring, fabrication or simply just the fact that with everything apart, the OCD can come out and you can clean EVERY LAST BIT of dirt and oil that touches parts you never get to see but that you know are there :D

[turbo325ii]

Yes DIY is very rewarding, the journey is half the fun for sure! It's all those hours of work that pay off when your driving and it feels so good! I would say 70/30 I like driving better!

[darrenforeal]

for me the process is good. But, the rewards for the mastery of the project in the end are the most rewarding for me. I love being able to talk to people about what I did and just knowing I did it is what makes me most warm inside :) But yeah driving it kicks ass too. lol

[cmzwirner]

It completely depends on the situation. I have just recently gotten my nightmare of a car started and running well. I absolutely loved actually working on the car. Creating the intercoler brackets/piping, exhaust, headgasket, dropping the turbo in there. It was very fun.

But once i got done with the big stuff i had to do the little things. Oil lines, intake tubing, vacuum lines, etc. And then the sorting out and fixing of very small problems. I probably spent just as much time diagnosing and fixing small problems as i did installing the exciting parts.

In the end though, knowing that i did absolutely everything myself is very rewarding. Having it all come together and work right is the best feeling. When i hit boost today, it really was something special. It was like a huge feeling of relief. A sign that my work had paid off. Corny i know.

I feel like i would really enjoy modifying the car after it has reached a stable turbo state. After everything is sorted.. Id love to add a meth injection kit soon, or route the WG back into the exhaust.

[someguy2800]

I prefer a ratio of about thirty hours building to 1 hour driving. My car has never been together for more than a month before I take something apart again to improve. To each his own, but personally if your not changing something on the car every other week or so your just not trying.

[chikinhed]

Getting an idea, ordering the parts, installing them and marveling in the success when it all works is fabulous. Having new parts sitting there with the car half torn apart because of no time to work on it sucks or when things don't work out like expected ie. part doesn't fit, wrong part or the car runs like crap.

My fix to drive ratio is not great right now. Hopefully mine will be back to life soon.

[Hova]

I just spent 4 hours under mine.... Still covered in oil/dirt/grease. Come talk to me in a day or two. :shifty

[pbonsalb]

I do all my own work and enjoy it, but have no interest in 2 year build projects. I like to drive the car. If it just sits, I lose interest. I try to keep "project creep" to a minimum. I like the work enough that I just bought a lift.

[BavarianLove]

I'll tackle a few projects at a time as long as I can drive it when they are complete. Otherwise all interest is lost.

[M3ANMUG]

You obviously aren't running enough boost then :P

[BadBoostedBmwM3]

I don't mind working on my car when I'm adding/improving something. But, when it's broke I hate working on it because it's like a chore. You have to fix it to drive it again.

On the other hand, if I mess something up or it's not perfect, then I'm very eager to work on it.

[1SLWM3]

You obviously aren't running enough boost then :P



Actually... Just enough to keep traction, lol:stickoutt



This is great guys! Glad to hear I'm not crazy.

[M5Hunter]

its funny for me, while I am doing the work, all I want to do is drive it. After what I was working on is done, I think about how much fun it was to make it work and wish I would have enjoyed the time more. I go through this EVERY time I work on the car.

[RVAE34]

I agree with Clay^ Whenever I am done, they get boring. But during the build all I want to do is finish.

[1SLWM3]

its funny for me, while I am doing the work, all I want to do is drive it. After what I was working on is done, I think about how much fun it was to make it work and wish I would have enjoyed the time more. I go through this EVERY time I work on the car.


I agree with Clay^ Whenever I am done, they get boring. But during the build all I want to do is finish.


I think this is the best way to describe how I feel right now. Which is exactly why I started this thread.

[FastrTHNu]

driving > working... by far.

[MTrace]

Driving by far, I enjoy the design aspects, but doing the work normally pisses me off more than anything, but its sure nice on the wallet and knowing you the ins and outs of the project.

[DblTrbl]

On my 5th turbo DIY. Once I get it going, I'm thinking about the next one. I'm already thinking about #6 and I just barely got #5 started. Had lot's of fun with 2 and 3. #4 was promising until NHRA pulled the plug. I don't know if I like building crazy stuff more than I like going faster each time.