The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Get motivated

I have a 58 chevy fleetside for 10 yrs sitting in garage cant figure where to start,I'm a perfectionist think part of problem getting started.It's great to join the stovebolt page newbee thanks.

My advice is to just start. After my project sat for 7 years, I just made the decision to do something, anything, once a day on the truck. It is amazing how after you start, you just want to do more. When I run out of money, I just do stuff that I can do for free.

Good luck,

Jeff

How bad a shape is it in? I'm with stotman. Do something. Work your way backwards through the power train. Check/rebuild the brakes. You need to be able to stop before you worry about starting. Get the motor running next. That will allow you to assess the transmission. Work on electrical. Get all the lights and gauges working.

Once you get it driving, drive it for a while and see what you think. Often people have pre-conceived notions about what to do to the truck. You may think that unless you relace/upgrade everything on the truck you won't like driving it. That is not true. These trucks are perfectly fine as built for everyday driving. They were state of the art in 1958.

Drive it for a while and then figure what if anything you want to change.

Bottom line is Do Something! Good luck.

Get it running and driving first. Whatever it takes. Don't obcess about how neat/pretty it looks just make it functional. Safety first, brakes and steering. If the engine ran when it was parked it will run now. Remove the spark plugs and lube up the cylinders. Rebuild the carburator. New points, condenser, rotor and cap. Fire her up and go for a drive. Be sure to take a clean shop towel along -------- to wipe the huge grin off your face! A little each day and before you know it you will be out having fun, then you can decide which way to go.

Even if you are not going to put it on the road for a while, getting it running is a good thing to do. With it running on jack stands you can check out the driveline and see what kind of shape it is in. You can shift through the gears and check the speedometer out too. I find playing with a new old vehicle is a very intriguing voyage of discovery. The main thing is to have fun working on it.

Welcome to the site! great advice for you in this thread! I completely agree with getting it running. I have a 58 2-ton I drive daily, I re-did the interior but left the outside of the cab original for now. As Stotman said, brakes, engine, then trans, change all the fluids and get lights and gauges working, putter around with it and then drive it a bit (unless you have it too far torn apart).

Also, come see some others close to you that may be a bit farther along to get you motivated!
Not sure where in Washington you are but if close, come by and see me and talk trucks!

Welcome to the Stovebolt, 58oldblue. Stotman and the guys are correct about just a little each day. For years here I have suggested that just 15 minutes a day will work wonders. I showed a friend how to mark off just one foot squares and 15 minutes a day to sand/strip down his truck. Well, in 30 days he had most of it stripped and sandy.....but he admits, once he got started the 15 turns into 30. Still 15 minutes a day! And its nice to do some small pieces. Blast/sand/prime and some maybe even a coat of your favorite color will keep you motivated.

If all else fails, come visit us. We listen as well as give advice!!!

Find a like-minded old truck enthusiast nearby and bounce ideas back and forth about what you want to do to yours, and what he wants to do with his. I find that to be a very good way to keep me motivated.
Carl

Also, put the "perfectionist" part of you on the back shelf for a while and don't over think it. As you move through the steps these guys have laid out, there will be days when everything is NOT perfect! But as time goes on you will work through those things as well. Good luck, and keep us posted.

The above posts are exactly what I was thinking when I read your intro. I have refurbished many trucks. I never say restore. I don't do a Barrett Jackson on them. Anyway, motor running is very motivating and somewhat straight forward. Your plan will depend on what needs to be done. Try not to get into something like body work that takes forever. Try to do things that have a fairly short term and that you know how to do or are easy to learn. If you have a specialty, start there.

I have never found that being a perfectionist is value added. It gets in the way of progress. I do things right, safe, careful and when I feel like working on it. IF perfectionist is a show truck, that is not a one man fun job. That's a team, or taking to shops to have things done. At least in my world.

If you don't know where to start it means you don't have experience at this. It's going to take longer than you think. Make short goals and each will be rewarding.

1. Don't make a list on a grease board, tried that, it stresses you out everyday because nothing gets checked off. I retired to get rid of friggin schedules.
2. Don't start buying parts. Just go to work and buy what you need today or tomorrow.
3. Arrange the work space to have room for you. Have places for parts that come off and get stored. Not laying around under your feet.
4. Tag everything. I don't care if you think you have the greatest memory on earth. You will forget how and what and where that little perpenhexular piece goes. I like pictures to store on my computer. If you have backup.
5. Watch those car shows and get classic truck magazines for motivation.
6. Don't waste time putting your tools all back on that peg board with outlines of the tool. You will just need them the next day. Put the "kit" of tools you are using in a bucket and go take a shower.
7. Don't expect your wife to really want to see that your plug wires look cool.
8. Ask any question here on Stovebolt anytime, we welcome you and your silly questions.

I'd like to add a comment that I forgot above.
On my last vehicle I decided to "finish" a piece as I took it off but that did not include finish paint. For me, but perhaps not for everyone, finishing a piece and putting it up kept me really motivated on an otherwise big bad basket case. The P.O. had done a lot of "dismantling"....but my first pieces was the front fenders. I had them blasted and coated and put them up. The next piece I did the same. If money was not available I went on to the next piece and "finished" it. Along the way, when money was available, I did scan the catalogs and ordered some stuff that was not costly but I knew I absolutely needed.

.....when I got down to the last piece, the chassis, I blasted it and afterwards I looked forward to assembling all the pieces I had already done. It was truly a pleasure pulling stuff from under the bed, from under the work bench, out of corners and even pieces up in the attic of the shop. What a thrill.
It may not work for anyone but me but it may be worth a try?!!!