Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Kadett Chronicles: WTF?
So, by now, I'm sure you've figured out that we did not meet our deadline for finishing the car. Nor did we make it to the car show in September. Honestly, there is no excuse other than life simply got in our way. Lots of changes going on around here, especially as of late. But rest assured that this little baby blue project won't sit around collecting dust for too long. The Gearhead and I have spent way too may hours talking about our big plans for it to let it slide forever. We will return. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of 2010. Time flies fast.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Kadett Chronicles: Somewhere in time
Besides being my favorite movie from the 80's (Superman never looked so good and the score is delicious), I found myself online today going "oh yeah, I have a blog" and deciding that some post is better than no post. So here it is!
:: now back to your regularly scheduled programming ::
:: now back to your regularly scheduled programming ::
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 20: Progress report (6/16-6/30)
So the month of June pretty well got away from us. My computer needed some big-time help, so hence the lack of pictures for my last post. Beyond that, The Gearhead is just now today going to get the extra paint we need to finish the engine bay. But, that will be done this morning so that it has a good several days to harden before he has the first half of next week off from the job. Still working though – it’s time to get this old girl running! So hopefully, there will be tons to report next week...and I have my computer back so photos will abound.
And on a non-car related note: thanks to those who fought and fell for our freedom; we will be thinking about you this weekend especially. Happy Independence Day!
And on a non-car related note: thanks to those who fought and fell for our freedom; we will be thinking about you this weekend especially. Happy Independence Day!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 20: Progress report (5/28-6/16)
Wow…it’s been a while! The proverbial life got in the way I guess. I have no excuse except to offer that The Gearhead has been working nights as of late and that just messes up all kinds of plans due to sleep deprivation. There used to be a time when I could run on 4 hours or so, but those days are long gone.
So, in between naps, here’s what we’ve accomplish in these last two weeks…we painted the front suspension and put it back together again. We have the first coat of paint in the engine bay too. Oh and our ordered parts all came in. Now they simply lie in wait until The Gearhead is ready to handle them.
That’s it!
Actually, there were lots of steps involved with painting the front suspension and the engine bay. This is high heat resistant paint so once you crack the can, you have to use it until it’s gone. There’s not putting the cap back on and finishing it up later. This stuff dries fast and hard. The front suspension got a couple coats of shiny black paint. The engine bay got one coat of bright white and then we ran out of paint. Next up is getting some more so we can finish that job and put the engine back in it. Then the front suspension goes on and we’re this close to starting her up!
I’ll get some pictures of the painting process posted here soon. And I promise to post more often henceforth!!
So, in between naps, here’s what we’ve accomplish in these last two weeks…we painted the front suspension and put it back together again. We have the first coat of paint in the engine bay too. Oh and our ordered parts all came in. Now they simply lie in wait until The Gearhead is ready to handle them.
That’s it!
Actually, there were lots of steps involved with painting the front suspension and the engine bay. This is high heat resistant paint so once you crack the can, you have to use it until it’s gone. There’s not putting the cap back on and finishing it up later. This stuff dries fast and hard. The front suspension got a couple coats of shiny black paint. The engine bay got one coat of bright white and then we ran out of paint. Next up is getting some more so we can finish that job and put the engine back in it. Then the front suspension goes on and we’re this close to starting her up!
I’ll get some pictures of the painting process posted here soon. And I promise to post more often henceforth!!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 19: Progress report (5/25-5/27)
We’ve actually done a few things post-show…nothing mind-blowing, but a renewed vigor to get things done goes a long way!
While we were at the show, we saw some neat ideas too, so the drive back was a series of discussions around what we wanted to change in our plan. We’ve done a bit of level-setting. We’ve regrouped. We’ve created revised lists. Now that we have four months till the next show, we’re slowing down a bit and taking stock of what we really want to get done prior to that.
The plan is to drive the car to the show, so the engine, front suspension and brakes are high on the priority list. Those need to get done first so that we can drive the car around some in order to be comfortable taking it on a trip.
Toward that end, we’ve dismantled the front suspension. The Gearhead has been pulling off parts to determine if that are still usable. If they are, I’m taking a grinder to them to clean them up a bit. Also, grinders are fun! If you don’t own one, please remedy that at your earliest convenience. The parts that I have done are nice and shiny, no more grime or caked-on dirt and grease.
The plan is to paint the inside of the engine bay white and the front suspension will get a coat of that as well just to jazz it up some (hence the other reason for the cleaning).
We have already gotten the spare tire mounted and balanced so that’s ready to get strapped into the trunk as well.
And we have all our parts ordered (motor mounts, anyone?) and on their way so once we have those, things will start to happen fairly quickly. Looking forward to its maiden drive around the block!
While we were at the show, we saw some neat ideas too, so the drive back was a series of discussions around what we wanted to change in our plan. We’ve done a bit of level-setting. We’ve regrouped. We’ve created revised lists. Now that we have four months till the next show, we’re slowing down a bit and taking stock of what we really want to get done prior to that.
The plan is to drive the car to the show, so the engine, front suspension and brakes are high on the priority list. Those need to get done first so that we can drive the car around some in order to be comfortable taking it on a trip.
Toward that end, we’ve dismantled the front suspension. The Gearhead has been pulling off parts to determine if that are still usable. If they are, I’m taking a grinder to them to clean them up a bit. Also, grinders are fun! If you don’t own one, please remedy that at your earliest convenience. The parts that I have done are nice and shiny, no more grime or caked-on dirt and grease.
The plan is to paint the inside of the engine bay white and the front suspension will get a coat of that as well just to jazz it up some (hence the other reason for the cleaning).
We have already gotten the spare tire mounted and balanced so that’s ready to get strapped into the trunk as well.
And we have all our parts ordered (motor mounts, anyone?) and on their way so once we have those, things will start to happen fairly quickly. Looking forward to its maiden drive around the block!
Kadett Chronicles 18: Roadtrip Rundown
So we’re back from the car show and let me just say that I had a fabulous time at my first-ever related experience. Here’s the 411 on how the trip went:
The drive out east was fairly uneventful (if you don’t count the rush at the prospect of getting out of dodge for a while). And we had beautiful weather for the long drive. I don’t know what it is about roadtrips with The Gearhead, but I always have a great time just watching the road and talking about whatever. Doesn’t even matter where we are going really; getting there is more than half the fun!
We spent the night in the comfort of a fellow Opeler’s house…along with about 6 other Opelers headed out to the show. The next morning was an early rise, but we were all up and at ‘em, ready to hit the road in a caravan. We picked up more Opelers along the six hour drive to show. I think we must have had about 15 cars in the caravan at one point.
Made it to the show without any mechanical issues whatsoever. Checked into the hotel (and were told that we were given a room with a “good” shower by the hotel staff, whatever that means) and took a quick nap before dinner and drinks with the Opeler group.
The next day we headed out to the show and spent a grand weekend in what I can only compare to a state fair. There were lots of import cars to run around and ogle as well various fair food and vendors (much like a swap meet) to peruse. I discovered a love of peanut butter ripple ice cream at the fairgrounds and I will never be the same. There was even a variety of bands that played.
Basically, we parked the car with the other Opels and then took out the lawn chairs and sat around chatting with people the whole time. A few breaks in there to tour other cars, get some grub, of course, but for the most part it was a lawn party with some really nice people.
Most of the car clubs had big party tents set up on one end of their designated spot on the fairgrounds too, for registration, in case it rained, and/or to provide some shade (it was hot and lots of sunscreen ensued). The Opel club also did an auction of car parts and other Opel collectibles in order to raise money to host the web site that everyone uses to communicate.
Since most of the Opelers were staying at the same hotel, we reserved a conference room for everyone to get together for a few drinks and shoot the breeze some more. People brought microbrews from their local breweries to share too and it was nice to get to know them on a non-car level. This is one great group of folks.
Beyond that, I took tons of pictures (of course) while at the show…over 1200 actually. I’ve been whittling that down and cleaning up the images this past week. Check them out!
We are definitely going to the show in September; this one is a little closer to home so we’re hoping to drive our finished Kadett there. Here’s hoping!!
The drive out east was fairly uneventful (if you don’t count the rush at the prospect of getting out of dodge for a while). And we had beautiful weather for the long drive. I don’t know what it is about roadtrips with The Gearhead, but I always have a great time just watching the road and talking about whatever. Doesn’t even matter where we are going really; getting there is more than half the fun!
We spent the night in the comfort of a fellow Opeler’s house…along with about 6 other Opelers headed out to the show. The next morning was an early rise, but we were all up and at ‘em, ready to hit the road in a caravan. We picked up more Opelers along the six hour drive to show. I think we must have had about 15 cars in the caravan at one point.
Made it to the show without any mechanical issues whatsoever. Checked into the hotel (and were told that we were given a room with a “good” shower by the hotel staff, whatever that means) and took a quick nap before dinner and drinks with the Opeler group.
The next day we headed out to the show and spent a grand weekend in what I can only compare to a state fair. There were lots of import cars to run around and ogle as well various fair food and vendors (much like a swap meet) to peruse. I discovered a love of peanut butter ripple ice cream at the fairgrounds and I will never be the same. There was even a variety of bands that played.
Basically, we parked the car with the other Opels and then took out the lawn chairs and sat around chatting with people the whole time. A few breaks in there to tour other cars, get some grub, of course, but for the most part it was a lawn party with some really nice people.
Most of the car clubs had big party tents set up on one end of their designated spot on the fairgrounds too, for registration, in case it rained, and/or to provide some shade (it was hot and lots of sunscreen ensued). The Opel club also did an auction of car parts and other Opel collectibles in order to raise money to host the web site that everyone uses to communicate.
Since most of the Opelers were staying at the same hotel, we reserved a conference room for everyone to get together for a few drinks and shoot the breeze some more. People brought microbrews from their local breweries to share too and it was nice to get to know them on a non-car level. This is one great group of folks.
Beyond that, I took tons of pictures (of course) while at the show…over 1200 actually. I’ve been whittling that down and cleaning up the images this past week. Check them out!
We are definitely going to the show in September; this one is a little closer to home so we’re hoping to drive our finished Kadett there. Here’s hoping!!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 17: Roadtrip!
Just a quick note to say bon voyage. We're off to the car show tonight! Woot! It might be sans Kadett, but as the true Opelers tell us, these things are more about the people than the cars. I'm looking forward to meeting The Gearhead's Opel gang. More to come post-show!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 16: Progress report (5/17-5/18)
The Gearhead has continued to work on the engine and during that process discovered that both motor mounts and the transmission cross-member are shot. And it sure doesn’t make much sense to drop a new motor into the car without any working mounting points. Basically the only thing holding the engine in the car at that point is gravity which doesn’t make for ideal travelling conditions.
On top of that, some of the parts we had ordered from Germany still aren’t here yet. I hate how you can’t count on things you can’t control. Grr.
So the project has not only stalled, it’s come to a screeching halt. The original challenge was to get the car done in 30 days. Granted, it was a tall order I admit. But if we had been able to pull the engine sooner and the parts came through the mail on time, we probably would have made it happen.
At this point, we’re not going to be able to bring the car to the show. There’s just no way to get it done. We ran out of time. I’m extremely frustrated by this, but there’s nothing much I can do about it I guess.
The new plan is to wait for the parts to get here and then put the car together. At least we’ll be able to drive it around for a while and work out any kinks before the next show. There are two coming up – one in California in August and one in Illinois in September. Maybe we’ll be able to drive it to one or both of those.
I’ll continue to post our progress as well as other car-related bits as they come up.
On top of that, some of the parts we had ordered from Germany still aren’t here yet. I hate how you can’t count on things you can’t control. Grr.
So the project has not only stalled, it’s come to a screeching halt. The original challenge was to get the car done in 30 days. Granted, it was a tall order I admit. But if we had been able to pull the engine sooner and the parts came through the mail on time, we probably would have made it happen.
At this point, we’re not going to be able to bring the car to the show. There’s just no way to get it done. We ran out of time. I’m extremely frustrated by this, but there’s nothing much I can do about it I guess.
The new plan is to wait for the parts to get here and then put the car together. At least we’ll be able to drive it around for a while and work out any kinks before the next show. There are two coming up – one in California in August and one in Illinois in September. Maybe we’ll be able to drive it to one or both of those.
I’ll continue to post our progress as well as other car-related bits as they come up.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 15: Progress report (5/13-5/16)
Lots to report today...I had meant to post throughout the weekend, but time really got away from us. Plus, The Gearhead caught a cold somewhere along the way so we were less productive than we hoped we would be this past weekend. Friday night was spent sans car at all; The Gearhead slept from the minute he got home from work till around 9:30pm and was back in bed by 11pm. So we lost some time there, but he really needed his rest so it was for the best. We both were up bright and early on Saturday and Sunday though.
Here’s what we got done:
The floor carpet was cut, sewed and installed. This is not a hard process, it just takes a while. We bought a roll of brown paper at the local home improvement store and it worked great for creating the template we used to cut the carpet down to size.
That paper also doubled as a backdrop for spray paint work that had to be done. We painted several things a matte black including the dash, cigarette tray, glove box and the gas can.
I finished upholstering the back seat side panels and rear shelf. And I have to say – what a pain. Granted, that was our fault for the design we came up with, but still. It does look great in the end though…very sporty with the alternating black vinyl and blue outdoor canvas fabric stripes. Then we installed these panels. This was another challenge because of the padding that we added to the panels. It made for some tight fits when it came time to put the back seat in. But it all worked out, just took more time.
We put in the door windows and also finally got to install the door panels too. After they went on (with a million tiny clips by the way – ugh), we installed the door pulls, window cranks, door handles and lock pulls. Everything is chrome except for the door handles and lock pulls; those are black. It all looks nice and polished and shiny!
Speaking of…I cleaned and polished just about everything under the sun. If a part had to go back on or in the car, it was dirt-free going in! From the bumpers to the hood ornament, everything got some spit and elbow grease. My hands are all dry and scratchy from all the cleaning supplies and water rinsing. It was a beautiful sunny weekend though and it was so nice to be able to spread out and lay everything on the grass to dry.
Most of the window weather stripping is in. All the new dark black is really impressive against the white/blue colors of the car. It really pops.
Pretty much everything is installed on the car now. Even the headlights and taillights are hooked up and ready to go. The only essential things missing are the driver’s side seat (need the room to work on the steering column and pedals) and the windows.
What’s left? The engine. We took out the front suspension last night so that we can get the engine dropped in. Hook that back up to the suspension and install the ignition switch and let her rip! Not so fast…also need to replace the shocks and work on the brakes. And we need to get the spare tire mounted and balanced. So basically all the mechanicals. Nothing like cutting it close.
On top of that, we re-thought our transportation out to the show. We were going to pull the car behind The Gearhead’s S10 via tow bar. But now that we won’t get a chance to drive the car around some to get a feel for wheel bearings and whatnot, we decided to trailer it. What that means is that we need to borrow my father’s trailer and his truck to pull it (the little 4-cylander S10 won’t cut it). My father and his toys live 2 hours away from us. So now we have to head there tomorrow night to pick those up. Which means one less day to work on stuff. There’s never a dull moment!
I have to say that I’m surprised at how much longer everything took to get done this weekend. I’m not sure if that’s because we were doing such a great job or if it was really just that hard. If we had another week, that would have been perfect. As it stands now, we’ll likely not get to everything. That’s ok though. There’s another show coming up this fall so it’ll give everyone something new to see.
Here’s what we got done:
The floor carpet was cut, sewed and installed. This is not a hard process, it just takes a while. We bought a roll of brown paper at the local home improvement store and it worked great for creating the template we used to cut the carpet down to size.
That paper also doubled as a backdrop for spray paint work that had to be done. We painted several things a matte black including the dash, cigarette tray, glove box and the gas can.
I finished upholstering the back seat side panels and rear shelf. And I have to say – what a pain. Granted, that was our fault for the design we came up with, but still. It does look great in the end though…very sporty with the alternating black vinyl and blue outdoor canvas fabric stripes. Then we installed these panels. This was another challenge because of the padding that we added to the panels. It made for some tight fits when it came time to put the back seat in. But it all worked out, just took more time.
We put in the door windows and also finally got to install the door panels too. After they went on (with a million tiny clips by the way – ugh), we installed the door pulls, window cranks, door handles and lock pulls. Everything is chrome except for the door handles and lock pulls; those are black. It all looks nice and polished and shiny!
Speaking of…I cleaned and polished just about everything under the sun. If a part had to go back on or in the car, it was dirt-free going in! From the bumpers to the hood ornament, everything got some spit and elbow grease. My hands are all dry and scratchy from all the cleaning supplies and water rinsing. It was a beautiful sunny weekend though and it was so nice to be able to spread out and lay everything on the grass to dry.
Most of the window weather stripping is in. All the new dark black is really impressive against the white/blue colors of the car. It really pops.
Pretty much everything is installed on the car now. Even the headlights and taillights are hooked up and ready to go. The only essential things missing are the driver’s side seat (need the room to work on the steering column and pedals) and the windows.
What’s left? The engine. We took out the front suspension last night so that we can get the engine dropped in. Hook that back up to the suspension and install the ignition switch and let her rip! Not so fast…also need to replace the shocks and work on the brakes. And we need to get the spare tire mounted and balanced. So basically all the mechanicals. Nothing like cutting it close.
On top of that, we re-thought our transportation out to the show. We were going to pull the car behind The Gearhead’s S10 via tow bar. But now that we won’t get a chance to drive the car around some to get a feel for wheel bearings and whatnot, we decided to trailer it. What that means is that we need to borrow my father’s trailer and his truck to pull it (the little 4-cylander S10 won’t cut it). My father and his toys live 2 hours away from us. So now we have to head there tomorrow night to pick those up. Which means one less day to work on stuff. There’s never a dull moment!
I have to say that I’m surprised at how much longer everything took to get done this weekend. I’m not sure if that’s because we were doing such a great job or if it was really just that hard. If we had another week, that would have been perfect. As it stands now, we’ll likely not get to everything. That’s ok though. There’s another show coming up this fall so it’ll give everyone something new to see.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Scenes from The Shop: How to make the most of a confined workspace
So I’m just gonna say it…car restoration projects take up a lot of room. I don’t think I was naïve to this fact prior to starting this adventure, but it never really hit me until I was looking through the photos I’ve taken during this intrepid journey.
Let me paint the picture for you:
We have a two-car garage that is currently functioning as a storage space and workshop space as well as a home for The Gearhead’s motorcycle. We have a short two-car driveway. We live in a duplex townhome community. Hence we have a home owner’s association that has a lot of rules. Rules like “thou shall not park your car on the street for more than seven days at a time” and “thou shall not make a lot of noise” etc, etc, etc.
Not the makings for the best case car restoration project scenario. For all the lists and plans that we have made before and during this month, one thing we did not take into account is the work space. Well, I take that back some…we knew it was small and not ideal, but we really didn’t have any other choice so we worked with what we had. But I think we could have taken a more methodical approach not only to where we worked, but how we worked as well.
My advice to Gearhead’s with confined working spaces is this:
1. Try to remove everything that isn’t related to the car project. Is there any place else you can store the boxes of holiday stuff and camping gear? Some options would be to rent a storage unit for a while; the cost may well be worth it. Or even moving some of that seasonal stuff into an unused spare bedroom? You can shut the door and just forget about it till the project is done. This is bit of a pain in the beginning, but so worth the extra room during the project!
2. Pare down the tool selection. If you have a tool collection anything like The Gearhead, you don’t need them all for this job, so it may be worth the extra room to just box up the tools that you won’t use and put them in that unused bedroom with the rest of the rejects.
3. Set up the tools that you will use. Hang them on the wall so you can to make use of your vertical space.
4. Remember to return the tools to their spot on the wall at the end of the night. The Gearhead argues with me on this one, so let me clarify a bit. I'm not talking about the wrenches and sockets and stuff that you are using all the time. It's just as handy to have them right on the floor next to whatever you are going to do next. But the stuff that isn't used often...just get it out of your way.
5. Have a designated space for the stuff that comes out of the car. Seatbelts, mirrors, dash pads, headlights…there’s so many little things. We set up two steel shelving racks on one side of the garage to house all this stuff. Again, makes use of the vertical space and clears the floor. It still looks like a mess, but at least it’s all together in one spot and you don’t have to worry about tripping over anything.
6. Moved finished pretty parts to a clean room. When we upholstered the door panels, there was no way I was going to let them live in the greasy, dirty garage while the rest of the car got overhauled. The dust alone would have killed all our hard work. So they currently live in that unused spare bedroom, safe and sound. If you must leave them in the garage, cover them with a tarp or blanket.
And take this advice for what it’s worth. We certainly don’t have all the answers! Ultimately, you need to find the working style that fits you. But I think these suggestions can only help in the long run. Do you have any tips to share?
Let me paint the picture for you:
We have a two-car garage that is currently functioning as a storage space and workshop space as well as a home for The Gearhead’s motorcycle. We have a short two-car driveway. We live in a duplex townhome community. Hence we have a home owner’s association that has a lot of rules. Rules like “thou shall not park your car on the street for more than seven days at a time” and “thou shall not make a lot of noise” etc, etc, etc.
Not the makings for the best case car restoration project scenario. For all the lists and plans that we have made before and during this month, one thing we did not take into account is the work space. Well, I take that back some…we knew it was small and not ideal, but we really didn’t have any other choice so we worked with what we had. But I think we could have taken a more methodical approach not only to where we worked, but how we worked as well.
My advice to Gearhead’s with confined working spaces is this:
1. Try to remove everything that isn’t related to the car project. Is there any place else you can store the boxes of holiday stuff and camping gear? Some options would be to rent a storage unit for a while; the cost may well be worth it. Or even moving some of that seasonal stuff into an unused spare bedroom? You can shut the door and just forget about it till the project is done. This is bit of a pain in the beginning, but so worth the extra room during the project!
2. Pare down the tool selection. If you have a tool collection anything like The Gearhead, you don’t need them all for this job, so it may be worth the extra room to just box up the tools that you won’t use and put them in that unused bedroom with the rest of the rejects.
3. Set up the tools that you will use. Hang them on the wall so you can to make use of your vertical space.
4. Remember to return the tools to their spot on the wall at the end of the night. The Gearhead argues with me on this one, so let me clarify a bit. I'm not talking about the wrenches and sockets and stuff that you are using all the time. It's just as handy to have them right on the floor next to whatever you are going to do next. But the stuff that isn't used often...just get it out of your way.
5. Have a designated space for the stuff that comes out of the car. Seatbelts, mirrors, dash pads, headlights…there’s so many little things. We set up two steel shelving racks on one side of the garage to house all this stuff. Again, makes use of the vertical space and clears the floor. It still looks like a mess, but at least it’s all together in one spot and you don’t have to worry about tripping over anything.
6. Moved finished pretty parts to a clean room. When we upholstered the door panels, there was no way I was going to let them live in the greasy, dirty garage while the rest of the car got overhauled. The dust alone would have killed all our hard work. So they currently live in that unused spare bedroom, safe and sound. If you must leave them in the garage, cover them with a tarp or blanket.
And take this advice for what it’s worth. We certainly don’t have all the answers! Ultimately, you need to find the working style that fits you. But I think these suggestions can only help in the long run. Do you have any tips to share?
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 14: Progress report (5/12)
The car is home! Check it out! We picked it up from the body shop last night and it’s gorgeous. They really did a super paint job. Then they buffed the heck out of it. We opted not to use single stage paint too…we went for the whole ball o’ wax which included a clear coat. I love the way it looks so shiny and new.
Now we get to put Humpty back together again. We’ll give the inside a good cleaning and while we’re doing that, contemplate whether or not we have the time to go for the gold on a few things. There’s something about the new paint that makes some of the other stuff in the car look a bit drab.
For example, the dash could probably use a coat of black paint before we put the newly upholstered black vinyl dash pads on (remember, no airbags back then so the dash has these foamed pads that run the length the of car in case you get into a crash). But I’m not sure we have enough time for those little things at this point. They might have to be post-show updates. And that wouldn’t be the end of the world really. There’s another show in September. It’s the same crowd so it might be nice to have something new to show them then too.
So beyond that conundrum, the plan is to lay the carpet down and go from there adding things in from the ground up. There will be lots of progress to report as we’re into the last week before the show and things will happen fast…you know, because they have to. There’s nothing like a bit of pressure to motivate you to get things done. Some of our best work gets done that way. I love it.
Now we get to put Humpty back together again. We’ll give the inside a good cleaning and while we’re doing that, contemplate whether or not we have the time to go for the gold on a few things. There’s something about the new paint that makes some of the other stuff in the car look a bit drab.
For example, the dash could probably use a coat of black paint before we put the newly upholstered black vinyl dash pads on (remember, no airbags back then so the dash has these foamed pads that run the length the of car in case you get into a crash). But I’m not sure we have enough time for those little things at this point. They might have to be post-show updates. And that wouldn’t be the end of the world really. There’s another show in September. It’s the same crowd so it might be nice to have something new to show them then too.
So beyond that conundrum, the plan is to lay the carpet down and go from there adding things in from the ground up. There will be lots of progress to report as we’re into the last week before the show and things will happen fast…you know, because they have to. There’s nothing like a bit of pressure to motivate you to get things done. Some of our best work gets done that way. I love it.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 13: Progress report (5/10-5/11)
Work continues on the engine; it's over half rebuilt now and the plan is to finish that up tonight. Also, we stopped at the body shop last night and got a sneak peek at the paint job. All I can say is wow. It's amazing. The blue is a smidge darker than the original paint it seems, but I quite like it. It has a hint of sophistication to it. And the bright white on the top third of the car is beautiful. I love the combination! Pics will be posted as soon as we get to bring the baby home.
Beyond that, The Gearhead pulled some dark blue carpet out of another Kadett that he owns. He took it over to a car wash and pressure washed it to see if it cleaned up (and didn’t disintegrate for that matter) as a possibility for use in this project.
Normally I’m all for repurposing things, but I have two issues with this old carpet:
1) I’m not sure a dark blue carpet will look right in a baby blue car with black interior. It just seems like one too many colors.
2) This carpet has been out at the farm for long while now. There are creatures at the farm who like to use fuzzy things like this for nesting as well as a repository for other bodily functions. I’m not keen on using this and anyone that has ever owned a pet will probably back me up and attest that there are some stains that just don’t come out. I’m a big proponent of just moving on and going with new in this particular category.
So now that I just made that command decision, we’ll end up using this carpet as a template to cut new stuff.
We were at our favorite home improvement superstore recently and combed through all our carpet options. There was a decent selection of options and colors, but in the end, we picked up a couple of 6x8 foot outdoor area rugs from their patio department.
The rugs are actually near exactly the same as the actual carpet sections in terms of color and texture. The rugs are a little more flexible; meaning that they aren’t as rigid as the carpet samples so we think it will be easier to cut and install. The rugs are a black/charcoal gray mix of fibers so it will blend with the interior of the car perfectly. They are for outdoor use so they can take a beating and be hosed down if we ever need to deep clean them (although we do have black rubber floor mats going down on top of them so chances are we’ll never have to cross that bridge). Beyond that, the rugs were the cheaper option too so it all worked out in the end!
Beyond that, The Gearhead pulled some dark blue carpet out of another Kadett that he owns. He took it over to a car wash and pressure washed it to see if it cleaned up (and didn’t disintegrate for that matter) as a possibility for use in this project.
Normally I’m all for repurposing things, but I have two issues with this old carpet:
1) I’m not sure a dark blue carpet will look right in a baby blue car with black interior. It just seems like one too many colors.
2) This carpet has been out at the farm for long while now. There are creatures at the farm who like to use fuzzy things like this for nesting as well as a repository for other bodily functions. I’m not keen on using this and anyone that has ever owned a pet will probably back me up and attest that there are some stains that just don’t come out. I’m a big proponent of just moving on and going with new in this particular category.
So now that I just made that command decision, we’ll end up using this carpet as a template to cut new stuff.
We were at our favorite home improvement superstore recently and combed through all our carpet options. There was a decent selection of options and colors, but in the end, we picked up a couple of 6x8 foot outdoor area rugs from their patio department.
The rugs are actually near exactly the same as the actual carpet sections in terms of color and texture. The rugs are a little more flexible; meaning that they aren’t as rigid as the carpet samples so we think it will be easier to cut and install. The rugs are a black/charcoal gray mix of fibers so it will blend with the interior of the car perfectly. They are for outdoor use so they can take a beating and be hosed down if we ever need to deep clean them (although we do have black rubber floor mats going down on top of them so chances are we’ll never have to cross that bridge). Beyond that, the rugs were the cheaper option too so it all worked out in the end!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 12: Progress report (5/6-5/9)
The engine has been our focus on and off while the car has been in the paint shop. And it’s been giving us some trouble.
Normally, I’d say that the engine is The Gearhead’s domain. But since it refuses to cooperate as of late, I’ve been called in to help trouble-shoot. Mostly that means that I listen as The Gearhead talks through the issues and possible solutions. I ask really probing and insightful questions like “huh?” and “what does that mean for us?” and “will we still be able to drive it to the show?”
Ok, so I’m not giving myself enough credit here. While I don’t claim to understand engines inside and out, they aren’t completely foreign to me so I can follow along pretty well. I figure that I’m involved in these conversations to help The Gearhead get to an end result as quickly and as pain-free as possible. If that means moving some things around in our resto-schedule, then I can do that.
So we started by yanking out the original engine with the plan to use another Kadett engine that The Gearhead bought earlier this year. As it turns out that there were some issues with it so he went hunting through storage and found yet another Kadett engine. He brought that one home and the hope is that he can take them both apart and, between the two, reassemble one good one.
So far, so good, although in the end, this reassembled engine won’t be all that reliable for highway miles which means that eventually we’ll have to replace it. I’m not one for rework, so this bugs me a little. However, on the other hand, it’s better than pulling the car to the show so I’m all for anything that will allow us to drive it in.
There will likely be more on this as The Gearhead works through the kinks today and tomorrow. Beyond that, the car should be back from the paint shop on Wednesday so we’ll be able to start putting it back together again later this week and into the weekend. First up: carpet!
Normally, I’d say that the engine is The Gearhead’s domain. But since it refuses to cooperate as of late, I’ve been called in to help trouble-shoot. Mostly that means that I listen as The Gearhead talks through the issues and possible solutions. I ask really probing and insightful questions like “huh?” and “what does that mean for us?” and “will we still be able to drive it to the show?”
Ok, so I’m not giving myself enough credit here. While I don’t claim to understand engines inside and out, they aren’t completely foreign to me so I can follow along pretty well. I figure that I’m involved in these conversations to help The Gearhead get to an end result as quickly and as pain-free as possible. If that means moving some things around in our resto-schedule, then I can do that.
So we started by yanking out the original engine with the plan to use another Kadett engine that The Gearhead bought earlier this year. As it turns out that there were some issues with it so he went hunting through storage and found yet another Kadett engine. He brought that one home and the hope is that he can take them both apart and, between the two, reassemble one good one.
So far, so good, although in the end, this reassembled engine won’t be all that reliable for highway miles which means that eventually we’ll have to replace it. I’m not one for rework, so this bugs me a little. However, on the other hand, it’s better than pulling the car to the show so I’m all for anything that will allow us to drive it in.
There will likely be more on this as The Gearhead works through the kinks today and tomorrow. Beyond that, the car should be back from the paint shop on Wednesday so we’ll be able to start putting it back together again later this week and into the weekend. First up: carpet!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 11: Progress report (4/29-5/5)
Since the car has been in the paint shop, we’ve been working on other details of the project.
We booked our hotel room and registered for the car show. So exicted!
Then we cleaned up the seats of the car with good old fashioned soap, water and elbow grease finished off with a high-gloss Armor All chaser. We let them dry in the sun and they look marvelous! We really saved ourselves some time by choosing to pilfer another Opel for these seats; they are in great shape!
And we finished up most of our shopping to get all the supplies we need now while we have the time to talk through options and whatnot. One of our big decisions was around door panel recovering. Let’s talk fabric, shall we?
I love picking out fabric. It’s like putting together a terrific outfit but without the stress of making sure you find it all in your size. The original door panels were covered in vinyl and they had that fake stitching pressed into the vinyl so that there was a 4-inch stripe created across the panel where the window crank is located. I can only assume it was an attempt to create some interest in an otherwise fairly basic model. So we decided on a dual fabric combination to enhance that feature even more.
Since the interior is black, we went with black vinyl. Again, we’re just breaking the mold here aren’t we? The vinyl we chose is not smooth; it has a slight texture to it. Frankly, it’s the kind of vinyl you’d see in cars that had vinyl in them. So it works.
The complimenting fabric we chose is baby blue – exact color of the car or darn near – with a small diamond pattern embossed into it. It’s outdoor canvas fabric so it’s heavy, durable and stain-resistant. And we gave it a spray of Scotch Guard just to be on the safe side.
We designed a pattern that is pretty close to the lines of the original door panels…ours just includes two colors. This is repeated on the side panels in the back seat as well. We also used the fabric on the rear shelf cover too. It has a large stripe of the blue fabric down the center of the shelf with the black vinyl on either side. This follows the line of the painted stripe on the hood so your eye follows from the exterior to the interior through the whole car.
Overall, we didn’t use much of the baby blue fabric which I think makes it seem all the more special. I had thought about tufting all this too, but the seats aren’t tufted so I decided to save that idea for another car.
Beyond that, The Gearhead found a web site that makes vinyl headliners on the cheap so we ordered that up in order to save ourselves a wee bit o’ time to focus on other things. The headliner also comes with matching black vinyl for the visors too. Bonus!
We booked our hotel room and registered for the car show. So exicted!
Then we cleaned up the seats of the car with good old fashioned soap, water and elbow grease finished off with a high-gloss Armor All chaser. We let them dry in the sun and they look marvelous! We really saved ourselves some time by choosing to pilfer another Opel for these seats; they are in great shape!
And we finished up most of our shopping to get all the supplies we need now while we have the time to talk through options and whatnot. One of our big decisions was around door panel recovering. Let’s talk fabric, shall we?
I love picking out fabric. It’s like putting together a terrific outfit but without the stress of making sure you find it all in your size. The original door panels were covered in vinyl and they had that fake stitching pressed into the vinyl so that there was a 4-inch stripe created across the panel where the window crank is located. I can only assume it was an attempt to create some interest in an otherwise fairly basic model. So we decided on a dual fabric combination to enhance that feature even more.
Since the interior is black, we went with black vinyl. Again, we’re just breaking the mold here aren’t we? The vinyl we chose is not smooth; it has a slight texture to it. Frankly, it’s the kind of vinyl you’d see in cars that had vinyl in them. So it works.
The complimenting fabric we chose is baby blue – exact color of the car or darn near – with a small diamond pattern embossed into it. It’s outdoor canvas fabric so it’s heavy, durable and stain-resistant. And we gave it a spray of Scotch Guard just to be on the safe side.
We designed a pattern that is pretty close to the lines of the original door panels…ours just includes two colors. This is repeated on the side panels in the back seat as well. We also used the fabric on the rear shelf cover too. It has a large stripe of the blue fabric down the center of the shelf with the black vinyl on either side. This follows the line of the painted stripe on the hood so your eye follows from the exterior to the interior through the whole car.
Overall, we didn’t use much of the baby blue fabric which I think makes it seem all the more special. I had thought about tufting all this too, but the seats aren’t tufted so I decided to save that idea for another car.
Beyond that, The Gearhead found a web site that makes vinyl headliners on the cheap so we ordered that up in order to save ourselves a wee bit o’ time to focus on other things. The headliner also comes with matching black vinyl for the visors too. Bonus!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Scenes from The Shop: How to buy your very own Opel
Originally posted in January 2006 on The Gearhead’s blog Seeing the World Past the Bug-Splattered Windshield and re-posted here in it’s unaltered entirety (except for five wee typos that my English minor background just could not leave alone) with permission from The Gearhead because the more Opelers in the world, the merrier!
Opels are interesting cars. They were imported and sold through regular Buick dealerships all over the US from about '57 to '75. That's a pretty good run, all things considered, roughly equivalent to how long Hyundai, Acura, Lexus, and Kia have been selling now. That's long enough to have purchased one as your first car going off to college, then as your second car because of brand loyalty when you needed something bigger for your new family. As they were pretty solidly engineered cars, with decent features and in the last few years excellent handling, there's a few of those folks still around. They are all by now 50-somethings set in life with the kids out of the house and some $ to spend these days bringing back a long lost friend from the dead.
But they also sold a lot of them, and they are all 30+ year old cars now, and new they were the cheapest cars GM sold here in the US and advertised everywhere as such. Which means they aren't particularly worth a lot. That brings an entirely different demographic under the "Opeler" umbrella, the folks who have an Opel strictly because it's cheap. These are the folks who squirm at the idea of an "expensive" $500 paint job or $800 5-speed transmission upgrade. (Well worth every penny, by the way.)
So what do you get into when you join the Opel community, then, with these two completely different demographics dominating the scene? Strangely enough, unlike most other similar marquees you get an amazingly open, helpful, friendly group of folks that'll usually give you the shirt off their back if you really need it. See, unlike the MG, Triumph, Corvair, Jaguar, Fiat, Morris Minor, Etc... groups, the Opel community was all but abandoned for the better part of 20 years here in the US. In 1975 you could get parts at any Buick dealership or parts store. By 1995, I had to drive all over Houston to find a valve cover gasket on short notice, and to get the "good" ones I had to agree to buy all 50 of the minimum batch Fel-Pro would make to get them ordered for me. We would have all given up on our Opels and tossed them into the crusher if it weren't for the internet and the new-fangled shrinking of world economies it provided. This orphaning, though, made for a remarkable tight group of old-timers, and they smack the kids into decent people before they associate with them.
So, now maybe you've decided you want to look into buying an Opel yourself? How does one go about doing it these days? There are club listings, and E-bay, and the like, but they do occasionally show up even in the local paper. Here's how my last purchase went:
Looking through the paper, stumbled across an "1975 Opal wagon for sale, $250" ad. The obvious (to an Opeler) misspelling of Opel was sure to keep the usual Opel vultures away, and the price was so low the car was obviously junk or the seller didn't know what they had. Either way, well worth the look anyway just-in-case. Called the seller, set up a time, and went to look at the car. Those of you familiar with the ritual of buying an old car know all the usual stuff that happens during that first meeting:
-"Is this the car for sale?"
-"Yep, that's the one."
-"Have you had it long?"
-"No, not long, only (yada, yada, yada) Got it as a project and not going to get around to it."
-"I see, did it run well when you bought it?"
-"(It doesn't really matter, just trying to see if they feel bad for it going down the tubes or good for restoring it some.)"
-"It looks like just about what I was looking for, I was hoping for (whatever) though." (sigh)
-"That would have been nice for sure."
-"Is $250 your bottom dollar?"
-"I could probably let you have it for $200."
-"Thanks, let me go get the $ and my trailer."
Next thing you know you'll be bringing home a car in need of some work for sure, but worth more to your friends in parts than what you paid for it complete. Sure $500 would have been a bargain, but no arguing that $200 is a lot better, right? Besides at $500 you might have to consider the Karma check and the rest of the VW Idiot's Guide's pre-buying techniques, whereas at $200 you can take your chances and give it a once-over at home. What am I saying, I always mash myself into the seat and do a quick "does this car feel right?" check.
Opels are interesting cars. They were imported and sold through regular Buick dealerships all over the US from about '57 to '75. That's a pretty good run, all things considered, roughly equivalent to how long Hyundai, Acura, Lexus, and Kia have been selling now. That's long enough to have purchased one as your first car going off to college, then as your second car because of brand loyalty when you needed something bigger for your new family. As they were pretty solidly engineered cars, with decent features and in the last few years excellent handling, there's a few of those folks still around. They are all by now 50-somethings set in life with the kids out of the house and some $ to spend these days bringing back a long lost friend from the dead.
But they also sold a lot of them, and they are all 30+ year old cars now, and new they were the cheapest cars GM sold here in the US and advertised everywhere as such. Which means they aren't particularly worth a lot. That brings an entirely different demographic under the "Opeler" umbrella, the folks who have an Opel strictly because it's cheap. These are the folks who squirm at the idea of an "expensive" $500 paint job or $800 5-speed transmission upgrade. (Well worth every penny, by the way.)
So what do you get into when you join the Opel community, then, with these two completely different demographics dominating the scene? Strangely enough, unlike most other similar marquees you get an amazingly open, helpful, friendly group of folks that'll usually give you the shirt off their back if you really need it. See, unlike the MG, Triumph, Corvair, Jaguar, Fiat, Morris Minor, Etc... groups, the Opel community was all but abandoned for the better part of 20 years here in the US. In 1975 you could get parts at any Buick dealership or parts store. By 1995, I had to drive all over Houston to find a valve cover gasket on short notice, and to get the "good" ones I had to agree to buy all 50 of the minimum batch Fel-Pro would make to get them ordered for me. We would have all given up on our Opels and tossed them into the crusher if it weren't for the internet and the new-fangled shrinking of world economies it provided. This orphaning, though, made for a remarkable tight group of old-timers, and they smack the kids into decent people before they associate with them.
So, now maybe you've decided you want to look into buying an Opel yourself? How does one go about doing it these days? There are club listings, and E-bay, and the like, but they do occasionally show up even in the local paper. Here's how my last purchase went:
Looking through the paper, stumbled across an "1975 Opal wagon for sale, $250" ad. The obvious (to an Opeler) misspelling of Opel was sure to keep the usual Opel vultures away, and the price was so low the car was obviously junk or the seller didn't know what they had. Either way, well worth the look anyway just-in-case. Called the seller, set up a time, and went to look at the car. Those of you familiar with the ritual of buying an old car know all the usual stuff that happens during that first meeting:
-"Is this the car for sale?"
-"Yep, that's the one."
-"Have you had it long?"
-"No, not long, only (yada, yada, yada) Got it as a project and not going to get around to it."
-"I see, did it run well when you bought it?"
-"(It doesn't really matter, just trying to see if they feel bad for it going down the tubes or good for restoring it some.)"
-"It looks like just about what I was looking for, I was hoping for (whatever) though." (sigh)
-"That would have been nice for sure."
-"Is $250 your bottom dollar?"
-"I could probably let you have it for $200."
-"Thanks, let me go get the $ and my trailer."
Next thing you know you'll be bringing home a car in need of some work for sure, but worth more to your friends in parts than what you paid for it complete. Sure $500 would have been a bargain, but no arguing that $200 is a lot better, right? Besides at $500 you might have to consider the Karma check and the rest of the VW Idiot's Guide's pre-buying techniques, whereas at $200 you can take your chances and give it a once-over at home. What am I saying, I always mash myself into the seat and do a quick "does this car feel right?" check.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Scenes from The Shop: A new site series
So it occurred to me the other day that The Gearhead is a wealth of Opel knowledge and it would be nice to share some of that. I just have these epiphanies sometimes! There was even a light bulb that turned on above my head and everything.
This new series of posts will provide how-to and otherwise instructional information on Opels. But since I’m writing it, the perspective will be just a wee bit different. The twist is that this series will speak to people in layman’s terms. Ok, you caught me. I admit it. I’m not versed on the ins-and-outs of how to do much of anything car related. But this series will change all that! At least, I’m hoping it will. A girl can dream.
So if you are a new Opeler or a veteran who just wants a little refresher, this series may be for you! Stay tuned.
This new series of posts will provide how-to and otherwise instructional information on Opels. But since I’m writing it, the perspective will be just a wee bit different. The twist is that this series will speak to people in layman’s terms. Ok, you caught me. I admit it. I’m not versed on the ins-and-outs of how to do much of anything car related. But this series will change all that! At least, I’m hoping it will. A girl can dream.
So if you are a new Opeler or a veteran who just wants a little refresher, this series may be for you! Stay tuned.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 10: One of these things is not like the other
All this talk about Opels has me thinking about my first car. The Gearhead has had many Opels since the one that started it all, but not me. Nothing puts me back in the day more than thinking about my first ride. I practically lived in that thing through high school.
So, my first car story begins as a sixteenth birthday present. My father had his ideas about the kind of car that his daughter should have. Basically, it needed to run. And be reliable enough for him to trust it with precious cargo on the back roads of rural South Dakota. That's it.
So a quick trip down to the used car lot and he sets his sights on my new ride. It was a great condition 1978 black Chevy Nova with red interior. The car was owned by a little old lady who was on the verge of losing her license when she originally got the car and hadn't driven it since for years. She decided to sell and basically took it in with clear instructions to the dealer: "no one is gonna buy a piece of crap car from me, so make sure everything works". I love tenacious elderly folk. New plugs, new wires, new tubes, new tires....freshly detailed and the for sale sign was out on the dash.
Along comes my dad and before I knew it, I had keys in hand to my first car. He had even hung a pair of red fuzzy dice from the rearview mirror for fun.
And I loved that car. My friends dubbed it the "Mighty Nova" because we basically put it through hell. Miles of back roads, ditches, cornfields, mud, snow, you name it. And it never let us down. It always got us home. Pile in a couple of crazy teenagers with nothing better to do on a summer Friday night but roll down the windows, turn up some tunes and drive. Looking back now, it really didn't get much better than that.
Once I got to college, the Mighty Nova was handed down to my little sister whose friends changed its name to the "Super Nova". And they were even harder on that poor car. Sadly, the Nova's life ended on a stock car racetrack many years ago...and on its maiden run no less.
Since then I’ve been pining for another Nova just like the one I used to have back in high school. Then along comes The Gearhead and fulfills my dream. In October 2009, he found one online and it was perfect! Sigh. I just love it when the stars align.
So, my first car story begins as a sixteenth birthday present. My father had his ideas about the kind of car that his daughter should have. Basically, it needed to run. And be reliable enough for him to trust it with precious cargo on the back roads of rural South Dakota. That's it.
So a quick trip down to the used car lot and he sets his sights on my new ride. It was a great condition 1978 black Chevy Nova with red interior. The car was owned by a little old lady who was on the verge of losing her license when she originally got the car and hadn't driven it since for years. She decided to sell and basically took it in with clear instructions to the dealer: "no one is gonna buy a piece of crap car from me, so make sure everything works". I love tenacious elderly folk. New plugs, new wires, new tubes, new tires....freshly detailed and the for sale sign was out on the dash.
Along comes my dad and before I knew it, I had keys in hand to my first car. He had even hung a pair of red fuzzy dice from the rearview mirror for fun.
And I loved that car. My friends dubbed it the "Mighty Nova" because we basically put it through hell. Miles of back roads, ditches, cornfields, mud, snow, you name it. And it never let us down. It always got us home. Pile in a couple of crazy teenagers with nothing better to do on a summer Friday night but roll down the windows, turn up some tunes and drive. Looking back now, it really didn't get much better than that.
Once I got to college, the Mighty Nova was handed down to my little sister whose friends changed its name to the "Super Nova". And they were even harder on that poor car. Sadly, the Nova's life ended on a stock car racetrack many years ago...and on its maiden run no less.
Since then I’ve been pining for another Nova just like the one I used to have back in high school. Then along comes The Gearhead and fulfills my dream. In October 2009, he found one online and it was perfect! Sigh. I just love it when the stars align.
Kadett Chronicles 9: From crap to cool – a process
It’s all about the project management. The strategery if you will. This is where I can be exceedingly helpful to this project since that’s basically what I do for a living. I like to get things done. I think it’s important to explore this part of the process because, let’s face it, if we lollygag around for the next few weeks, we’re not going anywhere. I also think that this might be the post where you sit up and pay a little more attention since it’s stuff you can apply to your very own “crap to cool” project of passion.
Here we go…
Make a list. Make several lists if you have to. Lists will save you!! Well, they help you prioritize the project anyway. And work backwards. I call this “Blue Skying”…in a perfect world, if you could complete everything that can possibly be done for this project, what would that look like? Write it all down in one giant to-do list. This allows you to figure out your priorities since you can see all the things that should be done laid out before you in one place. Then pare back and organize from there as necessary to meet your deadline and still be happy with the end result with your sanity intact.
In our case, we have 5 lists that I shared in an earlier post: things we need to buy; things we need to get out of storage that we’ve been saving for a rainy day or a project like this; things we need to pilfer off of other Opels that The Gearhead owns; things we need to make (like door panels); and finally, things we need to install to put the Kadett back together again once and for all.
Plus, lists also give you the added bonus of being able to cross things off the list as you complete them which is all kinds of satisfying. But that comes later.
Set your expectations. Talk through your project idea and your priorities to understand and be completely content with what you want to get out of it when you’re done. After all, why go through all the work to be angry in the end because you committed to too much in the beginning? No one wants that.
To alleviate that, I tend to work in phases…Phase 1 is the essentials. In our case here, our focus is that the engine runs and maybe some seats and windows are installed since that would be nice on a drive to halfway across the country. Does the car HAVE to be painted? No (chagrin!). Do we NEED door panels and headliners and radios? Those aren’t really all that integral to the trip. The criteria for Phase 1 is simple: if we don’t do it, we don’t go anywhere. Then it’s just a matter of prioritizing what comes next for Phase 2 and beyond. For The Gearhead, it might be installing the under-dash; for me, it might be installing cup holders. Go ahead and negotiate as necessary on what is important to you and any partner you have with you on this journey.
Decide on a timeframe. You need a deadline. Not that the deadline couldn’t be flexible (in our case it’s not, but you may have more time on your hands), but you need to be accountable for showing progress or the project will never get done. This is especially important if you are taking on this project by yourself. There’s no one there to prod you if you’re lagging so a deadline is a nice reminder that can help keep you going. The priorities you end up with from your lists will help to inform your timeline (and budget too).
Plan, plan, plan. Did I mention that I’m a planner? This is extremely helpful. You need to be able to look into the future to see how this project gels with other commitments you have for yourself. Then you can adjust your timeframe to accommodate your busy schedule. Or you can adjust your busy schedule to fit your timeframe. Either way, something may have to give and you need to know what that has to be.
But don’t forget to be flexible!! This is the trap that most of us get ourselves into when we plan big projects or trips. We get so married to the plan that we can’t adapt. And frankly, we just get cranky with ourselves, each other and the situation. Where’s the fun in that? That’s where the phased approach comes in so handy. In the end, as long as the car runs, we’re on the road, remember? Baby steps. Small victories. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Insert any other quote or adage that makes your heart stop pounding and makes you enjoy life a little more. It’s too short for getting too worked up about something that’s supposed to be fun for you!
Evaluate. Choose certain intervals of the timeline to stop and check out your progress. Are you on track? Do you need to change things up a bit? Do you need to re-prioritize anything? The key to successful projects is being able to recognize progress and lack thereof – and be willing to make necessary adaptations to keep the project going. Plus this gives you a chance to take your own temperature as it relates to the project. Are you still into it? Do you need a break? Are you getting frustrated with your progress? Are you overwhelmed? Are you cranking things out and can step up the pace? How do you feel? In the end, that’s a great gauge for staying sane along the way too.
Enjoy the end game. Don’t forget to revel! You did it! Remember that your journey doesn’t end with the completed project. We get to drive a snappy new vehicle around long after the car show blows outta town. And every time we do, we can relive the process it took us to get there in all its glory. Booyah!
Anybody have any other project management tips to share?
Here we go…
Make a list. Make several lists if you have to. Lists will save you!! Well, they help you prioritize the project anyway. And work backwards. I call this “Blue Skying”…in a perfect world, if you could complete everything that can possibly be done for this project, what would that look like? Write it all down in one giant to-do list. This allows you to figure out your priorities since you can see all the things that should be done laid out before you in one place. Then pare back and organize from there as necessary to meet your deadline and still be happy with the end result with your sanity intact.
In our case, we have 5 lists that I shared in an earlier post: things we need to buy; things we need to get out of storage that we’ve been saving for a rainy day or a project like this; things we need to pilfer off of other Opels that The Gearhead owns; things we need to make (like door panels); and finally, things we need to install to put the Kadett back together again once and for all.
Plus, lists also give you the added bonus of being able to cross things off the list as you complete them which is all kinds of satisfying. But that comes later.
Set your expectations. Talk through your project idea and your priorities to understand and be completely content with what you want to get out of it when you’re done. After all, why go through all the work to be angry in the end because you committed to too much in the beginning? No one wants that.
To alleviate that, I tend to work in phases…Phase 1 is the essentials. In our case here, our focus is that the engine runs and maybe some seats and windows are installed since that would be nice on a drive to halfway across the country. Does the car HAVE to be painted? No (chagrin!). Do we NEED door panels and headliners and radios? Those aren’t really all that integral to the trip. The criteria for Phase 1 is simple: if we don’t do it, we don’t go anywhere. Then it’s just a matter of prioritizing what comes next for Phase 2 and beyond. For The Gearhead, it might be installing the under-dash; for me, it might be installing cup holders. Go ahead and negotiate as necessary on what is important to you and any partner you have with you on this journey.
Decide on a timeframe. You need a deadline. Not that the deadline couldn’t be flexible (in our case it’s not, but you may have more time on your hands), but you need to be accountable for showing progress or the project will never get done. This is especially important if you are taking on this project by yourself. There’s no one there to prod you if you’re lagging so a deadline is a nice reminder that can help keep you going. The priorities you end up with from your lists will help to inform your timeline (and budget too).
Plan, plan, plan. Did I mention that I’m a planner? This is extremely helpful. You need to be able to look into the future to see how this project gels with other commitments you have for yourself. Then you can adjust your timeframe to accommodate your busy schedule. Or you can adjust your busy schedule to fit your timeframe. Either way, something may have to give and you need to know what that has to be.
But don’t forget to be flexible!! This is the trap that most of us get ourselves into when we plan big projects or trips. We get so married to the plan that we can’t adapt. And frankly, we just get cranky with ourselves, each other and the situation. Where’s the fun in that? That’s where the phased approach comes in so handy. In the end, as long as the car runs, we’re on the road, remember? Baby steps. Small victories. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Insert any other quote or adage that makes your heart stop pounding and makes you enjoy life a little more. It’s too short for getting too worked up about something that’s supposed to be fun for you!
Evaluate. Choose certain intervals of the timeline to stop and check out your progress. Are you on track? Do you need to change things up a bit? Do you need to re-prioritize anything? The key to successful projects is being able to recognize progress and lack thereof – and be willing to make necessary adaptations to keep the project going. Plus this gives you a chance to take your own temperature as it relates to the project. Are you still into it? Do you need a break? Are you getting frustrated with your progress? Are you overwhelmed? Are you cranking things out and can step up the pace? How do you feel? In the end, that’s a great gauge for staying sane along the way too.
Enjoy the end game. Don’t forget to revel! You did it! Remember that your journey doesn’t end with the completed project. We get to drive a snappy new vehicle around long after the car show blows outta town. And every time we do, we can relive the process it took us to get there in all its glory. Booyah!
Anybody have any other project management tips to share?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 8: Progress report (4/26-28)
We finished stripping the car and it’s off for paint, baby! I’m extremely excited about this because I think it’s one of the few things that will make a huge difference in the transformation of the car. Most people I say that to responds with a resounding “duh” but to those that aren’t into restoring old cars, the transformation is actually mostly in the details rather than in big blanket changes.
Sidebar – I’m not sure that I qualify to fit into the “into restoring old cars” category, but the fact that I’m calling out transformation details, gives me carte blanche to go with it. That and it’s my blog and I can do what I want. So there.
For example, the weather-stripping around the windows of cars gets really rigid and brittle and cracked over time. It also fades some so it’s more like a charcoal grey than black. Replacing just that rubber around the windows makes a big difference in the overall look of the car. It’s really quite amazing.
The other subtle thing that creates huge impact is changing the rims. We went from standard and blah wheels to vintage and cool simply by putting on new tires white-walls out (for the vintage) and slot mag rims (for the cool). You can cause a sensation to sweep the nation with polished slot mags. It’s true. You can look it up.
So all that said, I’m still looking forward to getting paint on the car. It almost has that “it’s really real” feeling. Wait. The biggest portion of our budget is being spent on this. So that feeling might be the early onset of nausea as I’ve subconsciously realized that a large sum of money will no longer be in our possession come this time next week. Gasp. Sigh. Hmm. Meh. Oh well. I’m over it. Onward!
The Gearhead went to about a 42 body shops in the area, hauling around the car on a trailer so that the guys could all have a look-see and bid on the paint project. We finally decided on a local place to do the job. All the bids were pretty close to each other, but this place is right in our town and about a hop, skip and a jump away from our house so it’s convenient and they could get it done in the next week. On top of that, the painters are super excited to do it.
You know that feeling you get when you just click with someone who has the same interests that you do? The painters were gushing over the car, looking past all the surface rust and door dings and envisioning the car as it could be. They’d step in to examine some detail, then step back to ooh and ahh. One of them even started running his hand over the lines of the car, following it all around the Kadett as he gave it the once-over. The Gearhead ate it up. And for good reason really. It’s so nice to have someone you’ve brought into a project be as excited about it as you are. Not only do they get on board with your vision, but they put a little extra care into the job they are doing for you. They want to see the car look as good as you do and they are ecstatic to have a hand in getting something gorgeous out on the road again.
The paint we have chosen is actually the same blue that is already on the car. We’re really stepping out of our comfort zone on this one. But the thing is that I really like the baby blue. The lines on this car are smooth and curvy. The shape and style of the body almost remind me of an Austin Powers mobile. No gadgets or hidden bells and whistles though. More like the car he would have taken out on weekends to unwind.
There’s a perfect line that lends itself to a two-tone color combination, so we’re gonna class it up even more by adding white to the hood, roof and trunk top. So the top 1/3 of the car will be white and the bottom 2/3rds will be baby blue. The hood has two inset panels on it with a raised section in the middle that’s about a foot across. Following the line of the car means that we’re going to bring the baby blue color up and onto that raised section on the hood. So we’ll have a bit of a racing stripe effect. Beyond that, I think that the baby blue and white is so bright and fresh looking. It makes you smile to see it. Add in the black interior and now we’ve amped up the retro factor a bit too. Kool and the Gang.
Sidebar – I’m not sure that I qualify to fit into the “into restoring old cars” category, but the fact that I’m calling out transformation details, gives me carte blanche to go with it. That and it’s my blog and I can do what I want. So there.
For example, the weather-stripping around the windows of cars gets really rigid and brittle and cracked over time. It also fades some so it’s more like a charcoal grey than black. Replacing just that rubber around the windows makes a big difference in the overall look of the car. It’s really quite amazing.
The other subtle thing that creates huge impact is changing the rims. We went from standard and blah wheels to vintage and cool simply by putting on new tires white-walls out (for the vintage) and slot mag rims (for the cool). You can cause a sensation to sweep the nation with polished slot mags. It’s true. You can look it up.
So all that said, I’m still looking forward to getting paint on the car. It almost has that “it’s really real” feeling. Wait. The biggest portion of our budget is being spent on this. So that feeling might be the early onset of nausea as I’ve subconsciously realized that a large sum of money will no longer be in our possession come this time next week. Gasp. Sigh. Hmm. Meh. Oh well. I’m over it. Onward!
The Gearhead went to about a 42 body shops in the area, hauling around the car on a trailer so that the guys could all have a look-see and bid on the paint project. We finally decided on a local place to do the job. All the bids were pretty close to each other, but this place is right in our town and about a hop, skip and a jump away from our house so it’s convenient and they could get it done in the next week. On top of that, the painters are super excited to do it.
You know that feeling you get when you just click with someone who has the same interests that you do? The painters were gushing over the car, looking past all the surface rust and door dings and envisioning the car as it could be. They’d step in to examine some detail, then step back to ooh and ahh. One of them even started running his hand over the lines of the car, following it all around the Kadett as he gave it the once-over. The Gearhead ate it up. And for good reason really. It’s so nice to have someone you’ve brought into a project be as excited about it as you are. Not only do they get on board with your vision, but they put a little extra care into the job they are doing for you. They want to see the car look as good as you do and they are ecstatic to have a hand in getting something gorgeous out on the road again.
The paint we have chosen is actually the same blue that is already on the car. We’re really stepping out of our comfort zone on this one. But the thing is that I really like the baby blue. The lines on this car are smooth and curvy. The shape and style of the body almost remind me of an Austin Powers mobile. No gadgets or hidden bells and whistles though. More like the car he would have taken out on weekends to unwind.
There’s a perfect line that lends itself to a two-tone color combination, so we’re gonna class it up even more by adding white to the hood, roof and trunk top. So the top 1/3 of the car will be white and the bottom 2/3rds will be baby blue. The hood has two inset panels on it with a raised section in the middle that’s about a foot across. Following the line of the car means that we’re going to bring the baby blue color up and onto that raised section on the hood. So we’ll have a bit of a racing stripe effect. Beyond that, I think that the baby blue and white is so bright and fresh looking. It makes you smile to see it. Add in the black interior and now we’ve amped up the retro factor a bit too. Kool and the Gang.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 7: Of lists and men
I’m not sure what it is with guys and making lists. They just don’t do it. Or, to be fair, the men in my life sure don’t. And it’s not even that they dislike said lists…they do appreciate them if the lists happen to be around. They just don’t create them. Or, more accurately, the men in my life don’t write them down. They just like leave the lists up there in their noodles to marinate around in there for a bit I guess.
Since that just sounds like a casserole that I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole, I usually take it upon myself to jot down the list for them. Plus I love lists. I put lists right up there with babies and strawberry shortcake and skies of blue and all that is right with this wonderful world. That’s normal, right?
So here is our list for this project. You’ll see there’s lots to do and some of it is already done, but I wanted you to get the full effect of what is involved in this manic race. Enjoy the insanity!
The Shopping List (I have mentioned the fiscal ramifications of this project to you before, yes?):
Buy window rubber
Buy door rubber
Buy seatbelts
Buy new taillights
Buy sound deadening material
Buy center caps for wheels
Buy new fuse box
Buy new washer pump
Buy new shocks
Buy carpet
Buy fabric/vinyl
Buy door panel materials
Buy touch-up paint
Buy new cigarette lighter
The Storage List (this is all the stuff we have that we need to find):
Find windshield gasket in storage
Find headlights in storage
Find gauges in storage
The Pilfer List (other Opels will be a bit more naked soon):
Get heater
Get door handles/openers
Get shift knob
Get steering wheel adaptor
Get visors
Get steering column/ ignition switch
Get front spindles/brakes
Get door window
The Make List (yep, this projects crafty too!):
Make new door panels/side panels
Make headliner
Make rear shelf cover
Give the seats a good cleaning
The To-Do List (once we have all the above, we need to do all the below):
Take windshield out
Take engine/transmission out
Take doors apart and get windows out
Get the car painted
Paint bumper brackets
Replace ignition switch
Install new cigarette lighter
Install new fuse box
Install sound deadening material
Install carpet, door panels, rear shelf cover and headliner
Install seats and seatbelts
Install dash and under-dash
Install gauges
Install window rubber
Install door rubber
Install new washer pump
Install windshield, rear window, and door windows
Install headlights and taillights
Install door handles and window handles
Install center caps for wheels
Install new front spring
Install sway bars/suspension bushings
Install new shocks
Get new engine running
Make tow bar brackets
Check wheel bearings
Inspect/fix brakes
Basically put Humpty back together again
Register for the show
Book our hotel
Decide on my outfits for the show
Since that just sounds like a casserole that I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole, I usually take it upon myself to jot down the list for them. Plus I love lists. I put lists right up there with babies and strawberry shortcake and skies of blue and all that is right with this wonderful world. That’s normal, right?
So here is our list for this project. You’ll see there’s lots to do and some of it is already done, but I wanted you to get the full effect of what is involved in this manic race. Enjoy the insanity!
The Shopping List (I have mentioned the fiscal ramifications of this project to you before, yes?):
Buy window rubber
Buy door rubber
Buy seatbelts
Buy new taillights
Buy sound deadening material
Buy center caps for wheels
Buy new fuse box
Buy new washer pump
Buy new shocks
Buy carpet
Buy fabric/vinyl
Buy door panel materials
Buy touch-up paint
Buy new cigarette lighter
The Storage List (this is all the stuff we have that we need to find):
Find windshield gasket in storage
Find headlights in storage
Find gauges in storage
The Pilfer List (other Opels will be a bit more naked soon):
Get heater
Get door handles/openers
Get shift knob
Get steering wheel adaptor
Get visors
Get steering column/ ignition switch
Get front spindles/brakes
Get door window
The Make List (yep, this projects crafty too!):
Make new door panels/side panels
Make headliner
Make rear shelf cover
Give the seats a good cleaning
The To-Do List (once we have all the above, we need to do all the below):
Take windshield out
Take engine/transmission out
Take doors apart and get windows out
Get the car painted
Paint bumper brackets
Replace ignition switch
Install new cigarette lighter
Install new fuse box
Install sound deadening material
Install carpet, door panels, rear shelf cover and headliner
Install seats and seatbelts
Install dash and under-dash
Install gauges
Install window rubber
Install door rubber
Install new washer pump
Install windshield, rear window, and door windows
Install headlights and taillights
Install door handles and window handles
Install center caps for wheels
Install new front spring
Install sway bars/suspension bushings
Install new shocks
Get new engine running
Make tow bar brackets
Check wheel bearings
Inspect/fix brakes
Basically put Humpty back together again
Register for the show
Book our hotel
Decide on my outfits for the show
Monday, April 26, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 6: Progress report (4/24-25)
So we were back in SD again this past weekend to gather up Opel spare parts while we can. There’s lots going in on the coming month and we weren’t sure if we’d be able to get back again before show time, so we’re covering our bases.
It was actually a great exercise because it forced us to look ahead to future projects and make some early decisions on what’s high on our priority list to restore the next time around. I didn’t want to pilfer something off a car that we were going to restore in the next year or two, especially if it was in great shape and referred to as “my baby” by The Gearhead. That last thing I’ll need in two years is him being disappointed that he can’t find the exact part he needs to restore his favorite car. The Kadett does not hold this honor; it was just in the best shape to be able to start this project and finish in time for the show so it won the right to be the first car done. I’d rather get creative and put slightly used or not quite original parts on this one so The Gearhead will be happy now and later when we finally get around to restoring his real prize. That’s just the kinda gal I am.
So we pilfered a new driver’s side window, locks, visors, suspension parts, brakes, and various door handles.
It’s all about the options, baby. And incidentally, I’m amazed and slightly disturbed at the amount of options we had to choose from out there on the farm. Between The Gearhead’s collection of cars and my father-in-law’s stash, I’m not sure if I should be worried about how we’ll be able to move it all someday or thankful that it was all free. Probably a bit of both.
Oh and btw? Again, by “we”, I mean The Gearhead. I was busy this weekend in our hometown throwing a baby shower for a dear old high school friend who is having twins. She is having one boy and one girl so it was a “Two Peas in a Pod” theme. I know you find that adorably super cute and hope to high Heaven that I’ll post pictures of that instead of the car. Heh.
It was actually a great exercise because it forced us to look ahead to future projects and make some early decisions on what’s high on our priority list to restore the next time around. I didn’t want to pilfer something off a car that we were going to restore in the next year or two, especially if it was in great shape and referred to as “my baby” by The Gearhead. That last thing I’ll need in two years is him being disappointed that he can’t find the exact part he needs to restore his favorite car. The Kadett does not hold this honor; it was just in the best shape to be able to start this project and finish in time for the show so it won the right to be the first car done. I’d rather get creative and put slightly used or not quite original parts on this one so The Gearhead will be happy now and later when we finally get around to restoring his real prize. That’s just the kinda gal I am.
So we pilfered a new driver’s side window, locks, visors, suspension parts, brakes, and various door handles.
It’s all about the options, baby. And incidentally, I’m amazed and slightly disturbed at the amount of options we had to choose from out there on the farm. Between The Gearhead’s collection of cars and my father-in-law’s stash, I’m not sure if I should be worried about how we’ll be able to move it all someday or thankful that it was all free. Probably a bit of both.
Oh and btw? Again, by “we”, I mean The Gearhead. I was busy this weekend in our hometown throwing a baby shower for a dear old high school friend who is having twins. She is having one boy and one girl so it was a “Two Peas in a Pod” theme. I know you find that adorably super cute and hope to high Heaven that I’ll post pictures of that instead of the car. Heh.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 5: A brief jaunt through time
So I figure that in order to know where this little Kadett is going, it would be nice to know where it came from. Toward that end, I give you a small chunk of Opel history. There will not be a test later, but I could get some questions probing into my knowledge of this car at the show, so this was a great excuse for a little R&D for my world. Although just for the record, I am not above simply telling people that I have no idea and offering to discuss the intricacies of our paint job and matching door panel fabric instead. Have I mentioned that I’m just along for the ride here, people?
Did you know that Opels originated in Germany at the turn of the century? This is significant to me since half my ancestors hailed from Deutschland. Hmm. It could be possible that my great-great-great grandfather worked in an Opel factory.
Did you know that the founder, Adam Opel, actually started out making sewing machines? Soon after his business boomed, he got into making bicycles. His sons all joined the business and they started dabbling in automobiles in 1899. Fifteen years later, they were the largest German manufacturer of motor vehicles.
By the late 1920s, Opel had become part of GM and received a cool $33 million for the transaction. Not too shabby for the Depression era. Incidentally, 33 is my favorite number and I feel compelled to share that with you at this juncture in our relationship.
By the 1940s, Opel had tried their hand at airplane engines. World War II really threw the Opel company for a loop and they never did fully recover. Between the strains of being associated with GM at that time and their factories being targeted for bombings due to their aero technologies, it was just too much to handle. I can relate to that kind of stress.
So they took a few years to let the chips fall, get their courage back and make some plans. By 1959, Opel rolled out their new Kadett model (among others over the coming years) and the rest is history as they say.
As a sidebar, another interesting thing to note is that in the 1980s, Opel came out with a couple of cars that were low exhaust emission gasoline and diesel engines. It’s kind of cool that these green strategic pioneers were way ahead of their time.
You can still buy Opels…they are just different models than the one we are restoring. So after this travel back in time, I think our project has taken on some higher meaning. Allow me to wax nostalgic for a moment...our little Kadett is a part of a legacy that has endured for over 100 years. To restore this car to its former glory elevates the idea that we are in awe of all the twists and turns of fate that had to take place to get it into our hands and hearts. I think I can appreciate the appeal even more now.
Did you know that Opels originated in Germany at the turn of the century? This is significant to me since half my ancestors hailed from Deutschland. Hmm. It could be possible that my great-great-great grandfather worked in an Opel factory.
Did you know that the founder, Adam Opel, actually started out making sewing machines? Soon after his business boomed, he got into making bicycles. His sons all joined the business and they started dabbling in automobiles in 1899. Fifteen years later, they were the largest German manufacturer of motor vehicles.
By the late 1920s, Opel had become part of GM and received a cool $33 million for the transaction. Not too shabby for the Depression era. Incidentally, 33 is my favorite number and I feel compelled to share that with you at this juncture in our relationship.
By the 1940s, Opel had tried their hand at airplane engines. World War II really threw the Opel company for a loop and they never did fully recover. Between the strains of being associated with GM at that time and their factories being targeted for bombings due to their aero technologies, it was just too much to handle. I can relate to that kind of stress.
So they took a few years to let the chips fall, get their courage back and make some plans. By 1959, Opel rolled out their new Kadett model (among others over the coming years) and the rest is history as they say.
As a sidebar, another interesting thing to note is that in the 1980s, Opel came out with a couple of cars that were low exhaust emission gasoline and diesel engines. It’s kind of cool that these green strategic pioneers were way ahead of their time.
You can still buy Opels…they are just different models than the one we are restoring. So after this travel back in time, I think our project has taken on some higher meaning. Allow me to wax nostalgic for a moment...our little Kadett is a part of a legacy that has endured for over 100 years. To restore this car to its former glory elevates the idea that we are in awe of all the twists and turns of fate that had to take place to get it into our hands and hearts. I think I can appreciate the appeal even more now.
Kadett Chronicles 4: Progress report (4/19-23)
In the week that we’ve had the car in the garage, we’ve done the following…taken everything off the car, right down to the Opel logo on the hood. The car is almost completely stripped down to its chilly steel frame. The Gearhead has started on taking the engine out and that's near done too. We'll have it all complete by Monday so don't lose any sleep over it.
Beyond that, we made an exhaustive list of all the things we need to do in order to roll into the car show in style. It took a while too and I’m not naïve enough to think that we got everything on that list either. So when we remember what we forgot, we’ll augment the list and carry on.
Also….what’s the adage? Any project you estimate will end up costing double? Yeah, something like that. I for one was ill-prepared for the fiscal ramifications of this project. I mean, I knew it would cost some coin, but auto body shops are apparently not feeling the effects of this economy since paint jobs are not to be found on the cheap. But we shall forge ahead! Anything for The Gearhead. Given extensive budget calculations, we should be able to get a good return on our investment if we ever sell the car. Not that we’re selling it. I just need to know that the possibility is out there in order to better justify my spending. My accountant would be proud.
Oh and btw? As a general rule, by “we”, I almost always mean The Gearhead. Just so we're clear. I'm into full disclosure.
Beyond that, we made an exhaustive list of all the things we need to do in order to roll into the car show in style. It took a while too and I’m not naïve enough to think that we got everything on that list either. So when we remember what we forgot, we’ll augment the list and carry on.
Also….what’s the adage? Any project you estimate will end up costing double? Yeah, something like that. I for one was ill-prepared for the fiscal ramifications of this project. I mean, I knew it would cost some coin, but auto body shops are apparently not feeling the effects of this economy since paint jobs are not to be found on the cheap. But we shall forge ahead! Anything for The Gearhead. Given extensive budget calculations, we should be able to get a good return on our investment if we ever sell the car. Not that we’re selling it. I just need to know that the possibility is out there in order to better justify my spending. My accountant would be proud.
Oh and btw? As a general rule, by “we”, I almost always mean The Gearhead. Just so we're clear. I'm into full disclosure.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Kadett Chronicles 3: And so it begins (4/17-18)
So we picked up the car while visiting my in-laws for the weekend. It was living a peaceful, idyllic life there until we yanked it from the dirt behind the old barn (might have been a grainery, but I digress). Actually I think that if it could, the car would probably thank us profusely. A car needs to be on the open road, right!?! Up on the trailer and latched onto The Gearhead’s S10 and we were ready to go up north to our home (henceforth known as The Shop) to begin the transformation. The adventure. The journey….[tap tap]….this thing on?
The object of our motorin’ affection for the next month is this 1967 Opel Kadett. Baby blue, 2-door. That’s really all I can tell you since it’s basically just a shell right now. Anything else, like engine specs that I might happen to retain while watching it go in will depend on what engine The Gearhead decides to put in it. And let me tell you, I have no input on this matter. Paint color though…now that’s something I’m keen to take a whack at (name that movie).
The object of our motorin’ affection for the next month is this 1967 Opel Kadett. Baby blue, 2-door. That’s really all I can tell you since it’s basically just a shell right now. Anything else, like engine specs that I might happen to retain while watching it go in will depend on what engine The Gearhead decides to put in it. And let me tell you, I have no input on this matter. Paint color though…now that’s something I’m keen to take a whack at (name that movie).
Kadett Chronicles 2: From crap to cool – a perspective
Let me first announce that I say “crap” lovingly. It’s all in the eye of the beholder, after all, and every time The Gearhead looks at his Opels, he just doesn’t see the crap. The surface rust, the dirt, the torn vinyl seats with stuffing pouring out of them, the hardened window rubber, the cracked windows, the broken headlights, etc, etc, etc. Nope. He just sees the possibilities. What the car once was and could be again. You know, the cool. Actually, I admire that about him.
Then there’s me. Not a car junkie myself, but I am cut from the same cloth that appreciates a passion. I can understand the appeal in the idea that something exists in an new, altered, and/or better state all because of you. So while I see the crap, I can also see the cool. I’m perfectly willing to throw myself into any project that my loved ones have cookin’. Why? Because it’s important to them. If they have a passion and a project, I’ll gladly jump on that bandwagon.
So when The Gearhead decided to polish up the Kadett to make the car show circuit, I was all in. But I’ll let you in on a little secret….I am, after all, a girl and therefore would like to roll into the car show in a gorgeous car. No rust. No dirt. New paint. You see where I’m going with this. Hmmm. I wonder if this means that I’m actually responsible for this whirlwind month. I’ll have to cogitate on that while watching The Gearhead replace the ignition switch later.
And while we’re on the subject, I hope you don’t expect to see lots of technical details and instructional type information on this here blog. I’m writing it and know none of these things. All I can report on is what I observe or learn on this job. So alas, you’re gonna get my spin. I do hope you stick around though, if not just for the pictures.
Then there’s me. Not a car junkie myself, but I am cut from the same cloth that appreciates a passion. I can understand the appeal in the idea that something exists in an new, altered, and/or better state all because of you. So while I see the crap, I can also see the cool. I’m perfectly willing to throw myself into any project that my loved ones have cookin’. Why? Because it’s important to them. If they have a passion and a project, I’ll gladly jump on that bandwagon.
So when The Gearhead decided to polish up the Kadett to make the car show circuit, I was all in. But I’ll let you in on a little secret….I am, after all, a girl and therefore would like to roll into the car show in a gorgeous car. No rust. No dirt. New paint. You see where I’m going with this. Hmmm. I wonder if this means that I’m actually responsible for this whirlwind month. I’ll have to cogitate on that while watching The Gearhead replace the ignition switch later.
And while we’re on the subject, I hope you don’t expect to see lots of technical details and instructional type information on this here blog. I’m writing it and know none of these things. All I can report on is what I observe or learn on this job. So alas, you’re gonna get my spin. I do hope you stick around though, if not just for the pictures.
Kadett Chronicles 1: Setting the stage
The Gearhead.
My husband is a gearhead, an Opel gearhead, specifically. He loves everything about these cars. He belongs to Opel forums online, goes to Opel car shows, has Opel friends. Even the cat is named Opel. Not to mention that he owns about 10 of these cars. Most have seen better days, but all are beauties in his eyes for one reason or another.
The Geargirl.
That’s me. I could also be called The Support. The Help. The Photographer. The Blogger. The Kitchen Sink. Basically I’m in this to make The Gearhead happy so I’ll try my hand and anything that needs doing. Need a ¾ inch socket? I’m here to serve. Need a cool beverage? I’ll gladly provide. Need a dash pulled out? I’m your girl. But mostly I stick around because he looks super-fantastic-great all greased up in dirty jeans and old ripped t-shirts. And I love photography so this gives me yet another thing to shoot and practice on.
The Challenge.
Restore a 1967 Opel Kadett in one month. There's a car show coming up and we’re going. Come hell or high water, we’re going in an Opel. A pretty one.
My husband is a gearhead, an Opel gearhead, specifically. He loves everything about these cars. He belongs to Opel forums online, goes to Opel car shows, has Opel friends. Even the cat is named Opel. Not to mention that he owns about 10 of these cars. Most have seen better days, but all are beauties in his eyes for one reason or another.
The Geargirl.
That’s me. I could also be called The Support. The Help. The Photographer. The Blogger. The Kitchen Sink. Basically I’m in this to make The Gearhead happy so I’ll try my hand and anything that needs doing. Need a ¾ inch socket? I’m here to serve. Need a cool beverage? I’ll gladly provide. Need a dash pulled out? I’m your girl. But mostly I stick around because he looks super-fantastic-great all greased up in dirty jeans and old ripped t-shirts. And I love photography so this gives me yet another thing to shoot and practice on.
The Challenge.
Restore a 1967 Opel Kadett in one month. There's a car show coming up and we’re going. Come hell or high water, we’re going in an Opel. A pretty one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)