How Late Have You Worked On Your Car?

[bkreigsr]

have to admit that I did forgo my husbandly duties a few times for an all-nighter prepping the de/autox scared car for regional concours.
Bill K

[rnln]

Now I know I am just a junior among the crazy car heads :lol:

[Danimal16]

You know I think staying out late in the garage is a sign of outstanding MENTAL HEALTH. For me there are so few times when it is quiet and serene. My concentration goes up as my body wears out. That is one of the main benefits of being a gear head.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Many a night around midnight, then I typically run out of gas. However, as an early riser you can normally find me up at 6 am on the weekend, either wrenching or cleaning. It's quiet, cool, and there's no pesky sun to cause water spots on a washed car. Also gotten up at 3-4 am and wrenched until heading off to work at 7, having a broken daily driver is good motivation.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

About 4AM (turbo replacement). I'd have gone longer, but I had to get a new mounting bolt (rounded out the head). Why Porsche used allen-type head bolts to attach the turbocharger to the mount, I have no idea. Did they not think it would GET HOT?!?!?! And maybe WELD THE EFFIN' BOLT TO THE MOUNT?!?!?!

$18 later (for a single bolt, yes you read that right) I was able to resume the following weekend (special order part).

[VINMAN]

Pulled tons of all niters! Cant tell you how many times Ive watched the sun come up, working on the raceboat the night/morning before a race.

Anyone else ever fall asleep on a creeper under the car??

[Tishabet]

I've done the all nighter a couple of times... first time was when I painted my VW bug back in high school, was using catalyzed acrylic enamel and it requires a specific temperature range. As I was painting in late spring, the easiest way to achieve the cooler temp was to paint all night.
This was my first frame-off restoration, and I had spent about a year doing body work etc to get to the point of painting color. I showered and hit the sack at around 6AM, woke up around noon and went out to check the results... stunning!
That's when I knew I was hooked on auto restoration.

[azasadny]

My wife and I are driving to Oxford, OH on Friday for the "Porsches to Oxford" event and we're going to drive 500-600 miles so I'll be in the garage late Thursday night, cleaning up the car, installing the bra, checking the fluids, hoses and putting another coat of Rejex on the paint to protect it from the hordes of bugs we'll kill on the road.

I anticipate staying up most of the night working in the garage... thank God for coffee!

[bkreigsr]

not to mention the midnight auto x that Chesapeake region used to run in August.

First car off at midnight, 6 runs each for about 60-80 cars, gets you done about 3:30-4am, then the 140 mile drive home to NJ as the sun comes up.
Pure bliss.

Bill K

[gsmith660]

When I was building the car from a stripped frame I would routinely work on the car till 12 am, 1 in the morning then go to my real job on a nuclear submarine. Oh by the way the guy I was share shop space with was rebuilding a wrecked Ferrari 308 at the same time.

[yellowline]

Only midnight. But I was working in December (New England winter: ~20 degrees) outside, in the dark (except a small flashlight), installing cheesehead CV bolts. Does that count for anything?

[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

Anyone else ever fall asleep on a creeper under the car??

LOL, yes. "oh I'll just close my eyes for a couple seconds..."

Like others, I find I get into an almost altered state late at night in the garage. I'll usually have the CBCs overnight service on the radio, with broadcasts from the BBC, Belgium, Russia & Denmark. There are birds chirping and light coming underneath the garage door when The Voice of Russia is finishing up. I always find it interesting to hear the same stories/issues reported by 4-5 different countries. Amazing how varied the reporting can be.

I usually keep my focus by setting a target and not going to bed until I'm done. That could be getting an engine out, or maybe bolted back in place. Could be getting something completely dissassmbled.

I generally don't fire an engine or reassemble engines/transmissions when it's that late. Too easy to miss something. I like to get things at a stage where I can get back to it the next week with all the grunt work done.

A few years ago I promised my girlfriend (now wife) that we'd go on a winter skiing/hiking trip. Problem was, the headgasket went that thursday and we were leaving Saturday AM. So, friday night I pulled the head... and then dropped the oil pan, popped the pistons, honed the cylinders and put in new rings "while I was in there". It was January, -5F and I was in little more than a carport. I got the thing buttoned back together and running at 710am just as my girlfriend was getting up to make coffee. We left an hour later, she drove the backroads to break in the rings and I slept. Beautiful fresh snow through the hills and a great weekend.
Would I do it again? Not a chance.

[mattdavis11]

Sunrise. It's almost necessary to do so, it's definately the only way to beat the heat.