Any other perfectionists out there?

Longhorn84

Longhorn84

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
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344
Location
Houston
I have a 2004 project jeep, no real rust issues but it's been abused in the past (rock chips, faded paint, generally not well maintained). I'm doing an LS swap and every time I look at the exterior or undercarriage or engine bay, etc, I just want to tear it apart bolt by bolt and clean/paint/restore everything. I realize this will take a ton of time/money/space. I have a normal 9-5 job and have two young kids so time is limited, garage space is also minimal, I've also already thrown a ton of money at the lift/steering/engine swap.

My current plan is just to swap the engine and clean up the best I can as I go, but I know I won't be satisfied with the details. Talk some sense into me. I think this will be a generational vehicle so I was thinking I could devote more time to a full frame-off restoration in the future when my son is older, but how do I stay content with the imperfections now?
 
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Well for starters the LS should make it more fun to drive. That'll take your mind off of how ugly it is. Just remember that it's a jeep and it's meant to be used. Get it running and give your kids a good time in the forest/desert/mud puddle and then tear it down and make it perfect when they're busy with school or something.

There's also no rule that you need to do it all at once. Clean up the engine bay really well when you do the motor. Next time the axles need work take care of them and the frame rails above them. Inch by inch, life's a cinch.
 
Welcome to my world, seriously. My "perfectionism" borders on OCD, sometimes to the point where it drives me insane.

You know what I finally realized? We're all going to die one day. You, me, and everyone else. Not only that, but one day the earth won't even be here anymore. So as much as you want to (and probably could) keep that thing perfect, there's literally no point. You're going to die, so you may as well drive the hell out of it and enjoy it. So you'll get some rock chips here and there, and some scratches too. Touch them up and take care of them as they pop up, then move on.

It's more fun to drive a vehicle and enjoy it than worry about it being perfect. It took me a long time to realize this, but nothing lasts forever.
 
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I'm almost an anal retentive obsessive compulsive hoarder. But after several moves I've almost cured the hoarder part.

I now set a few goals and ignore the other issues for another project. In the case of to LS or to paint the frame, I'd put paint the frame last, after the LS, after the suspension Mods, after the tummy tuck. Once all the drilling and fabbing is done and your son is 12, use the whole garage, take it all apart, blast it, paint it, detail it, reassemble it with new body mounts etc.

And there it is, my AROCD kicking in again.
 
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Great replies, glad to know I'm in good company! I love the inch by inch quote, I'd never heard that before. I think I'm just knee deep in the build and as you all said, just finish the damn project and enjoy it! I will definitely enjoy not having to worry about parking too close to someone who might ding the paint, or an 18 wheeler that sends a rock my way. Plus, when my son is 12 I won't have to do all the work myself!
 
Longhorn84 said:
I have a 2004 project jeep, no real rust issues but it's been abused in the past (rock chips, faded paint, generally not well maintained). I'm doing an LS swap and every time I look at the exterior or undercarriage or engine bay, etc, I just want to tear it apart bolt by bolt and clean/paint/restore everything. I realize this will take a ton of time/money/space. I have a normal 9-5 job and have two young kids so time is limited, garage space is also minimal, I've also already thrown a ton of money at the lift/steering/engine swap.

My current plan is just to swap the engine and clean up the best I can as I go, but I know I won't be satisfied with the details. Talk some sense into me. I think this will be a generational vehicle so I was thinking I could devote more time to a full frame-off restoration in the future when my son is older, but how do I stay content with the imperfections now?
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If you plan on keeping it “forever,” I see no problem with the perfection mindset. I am the same way. I wish I could get everything to look and clean as the day it rolled of the dealer lot.
 
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BuildBreakRepeat said:
As long as you don’t get sucked into the addictive mentality of “while I’m in here I might as well....” you’ll be okay - the rabbit hole is dark and long. 😂
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Well, I'm falling victim to this. My 01 Wrangler Sport is a third vehicle for me and as such, I only drive it about 1500 miles per year, but that hasn't stopped me from fixing things on it each year. I've replaced the whole cooling system, fixed the rear main, u-joints in the driveshaft, and replaced all the shocks.
In the next week, I plan on replacing the front ball joints, u-joints, and upgrade the tie rods. Are they failing or is there a problem? Nope! I just figure that since it has 113k miles, it must need it. Plus, in about 5 years my child will start driving so I'm hoping it will be all good by then.
Oh, there's no rust or body issues and there's an issue with the paint on the hood, but overall it looks and drives great. That being the case, why can't I just leave it alone!
 
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BuildBreakRepeat said:
As long as you don’t get sucked into the addictive mentality of “while I’m in here I might as well....” you’ll be okay - the rabbit hole is dark and long. 😂
Click to expand...
I'm there now! Engine/trans/tcase/driveshafts are all out, AC discharged, only a few body mount bolts away from separating the tub and going to town! I have to drop gas tank for the swap, I have to swap out rear control arms/springs, replace rear sway bar bushings and rear track bar bushings (since I've already bought them a year ago). It all just wants me to tear it to pieces! But, I'll be disciplined and stay focused on the task at hand, INCH BY INCH!
 
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I'm a reformed perfectionist. Age has given me the wisdom to let some things go, but not others. Rust is one place I won't relax on!
 
BuildBreakRepeat said:
As long as you don’t get sucked into the addictive mentality of “while I’m in here I might as well....” you’ll be okay - the rabbit hole is dark and long. 😂
Click to expand...
Just replaced the clutch. Figured I might as well replace it with the cable shifter install since I had the skid off...
3 hour project turned into a 3 day project. Turns out the clutch was in great condition
 
Some people probably think my OCD somewhat weird. Some stuff really matters to me and some doesn't.

Regarding my TJ and CJ5 (if I ever get it going again), my OCD will never have me put in anything but a straight six, and it should look pretty close to the 4.0 or 258 but it wouldn't have to be stock on the inside. The guy I got my CJ5 from was selling it to build a CJ7 with a stretched frame and some Chevy V8 to race faster in the sand drags and/or mud drags. Part of me hates that happening to a Jeep, part of me loves it.

I also like to keep my TJ pretty clean. It's never sat muddy for more than overnight but under the hood is another story. I do get rid of any big chunks under there but there's always a lot of stuff that is beige colored. If mud could be dated some of that would be almost two years old.
 
I try to keep it to just the area I'm working in. So while doing the engine swap I would get all the frame up to the firewall cleaned up. Inner fenders, radiator and support. If I'm replacing the clutch then i would limit it to frame from firewall to rear wheel well. Clean up underside sheet metal up to back of foot wells, exhaust if needed, etc. Otherwise I just start to spin out of control and end up with no cash, a truck load of parts, and never ending projects.
 
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