Does it end? (Project car - e36)

My c5 is kinda the same way. Im working through 25 year old car issues. It seems every event there is a new issue that crops up and soooooo many while you are in there tasks. The good news is I know it'll eventually slow down and it can just be normal repairs. Taking an old car with a lot of deferred stuff to safe for the track takes awhile however. Keep at it. I just wish i had a big enough garage to keep it up on my quickjacks for a couple weeks at a time. Kicking the wife out of the garage long term isnt good for tolerance. 

No it doesn't end. It didn't end for my E36 M3 when it was only 6 years old with 78k-95k. PS line popped, then clutch line blew, then starter went kaput. This was on a much younger car.

It happens with all project/older cars. And multiply by 1.5 for anything with a blue and white propeller on the hood. I love me some E36, but I'd have to be REALLY nostalgic to buy another one.

In reply to theruleslawyer :

No kidding. I find myself putting off things so I can collect more parts for the "while I'm there". You're right though. Eventually the deferred task list will dry up.

A positive is that it's made me much more confident working on my daily drivers. Saving on labor means saving for more parts! Haha. 

EchoTreeSix said:

In reply to theruleslawyer :

 Saving on labor means saving for more parts! Haha. 

No way I could afford to run an old car if I was playing someone for labor. It'd be cheaper to buy a brand new BRZ or something.

As a counter to this my 52 year old Datsun in race car seldom gives me trouble but I know it's an anomaly.

It never ends.

I'm at the tail end of 6 months work doing an engine swap in our Miata race car.  I got it running and the brand new clutch wouldn't disengage so the transmission had to come back out.  Setbacks can be really frustrating, but the end result is worth it.  We should (knock wood) be back on the track next weekend with the car...

Specifically talking E36, these are nearly 30 years old now, so lots of little stuff is going to need attention.  In the first two months I had my Touring, I replaced the whole cooling system (planned),  the power steering pump and lines (not planned), and some leaking fuel lines (not planned).  It needs new shocks, but I want to retain a stockish (M Sport) ride and height, but the OEM parts are NLA so I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do.   That will probably snowball into new bushings, etc...  The upcoming big project will be an S52 swap.

But, again, it's worth it.  Dynamically, the E36 is a great driving car, and it gets as much attention driving it and at C&C as anything I've ever owned.  It's a lot of fun.

Yeah, this is the hobby that we all chose, and this is how it goes. I bought my Z28 as a non runner about 8 years ago. I thrashed over the winter and autocrossed it the next two seasons. it was rough but I had a steady supply of $50 one day projects. Every Saturday I'd head out, do something cheap for a few hours and the car would be better. And for a time, it was good.

Eventually the $50 projects dry up. it needs floors, a door resigned, and paint. The engine is tired, the fuel tank is rusty...  all of the projects are $500+ and the improvements seem so minor. It seems to have plateaued, and the excitement is gone.

It'll pass, take some time away, or make a play date with some friends to stand around while you work on the car, once you get that momentum up it won't be so bad.

And no... it never ends.

When the maintenance and repair projects finally start to taper off I lose interest. I learned about myself a long time ago, it's all about the projects to me, and much less so about the process of driving and enjoying a finished car. I get them to 80 or 90 percent and move them on down the road so I can start on another one.

Departed GRM member Seth is the one who originally used the phrase that I claimed for my forum signature. It's fitting for me and my project cars.