Freudian mech-tech mindgame

[Discseven]

Something I've done for recent build---that's new to me---is creating & referencing a thorough, step-by-step procedural checklist. Did list over a number of days under various influences... java, martinis, naked dancing gurl, warm chocolate chip cookies with cat-in-lap, and the like. Important point here is, checklist was composed when it was possible to relax & enjoy thinking all details through... no rush... allowing refinements... and more refinements.

What I found working from/with checklist was a very different "environment" compared to working without such a reference. "Environment" naturally divides into two arenas: prep & mindset. Prep... yeah, perhaps boringly obvious. (In my case, due to condo-loco garage I work in, being prepcrazy is killer necessary due to major hike from car to abode. Single family home's garage is totally different---been there... miss it! Bless it!) Still, and simply put, detailed checklist allows a definitive sort-out of everything needed for a given assembly to be done eeeefficiently. And am not talking checklist for seeing what fuel gauge reads! Am talking major mech-tech-surgery where much work is new territory. So... prep's boring "arena 1" of what I'm driving at. Next, I propose is where it gets interesting...

Arena 2... we enter Freudian realm. We're talking mindset. I could say what's experienced---what to expect---but surly that would burn the experiencial house down for a genuine explorer. Instead, I leave this space open and... challenge you---respectfully---to this checklist composition & referencing experience. Again, is for unfamiliar, complex process that spans hours with minimal breaks. See what happens..."under the influence."

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[targa44]

Are you still under the martini phase?

[LJ851]

Originally Posted by targa44

Are you still under the martini phase?

I was thinking something stronger than than that.


Karl, some pictures from this rabbit hole you've found yourself in might help some of us understand the situation a little more clearly.

Keep your head up!

[rsrguy]

Reminds me of a movie..

[ian c2]

And how does that make you feel ?

[RWebb]

possible he stared at the Op Art Recaro seat fabric too long

[tirwin]

Karl,

Have you ever thought about finding a couple of other car enthusiast friends and renting a garage/storage space?

There are 3 places here in the Atlanta area that cater to people who need to wrench but are in situations similar to yours. Monthly fee includes storage space for car(s), tools and access to common equipment like lifts.

When I do work I try to anticipate what I’ll need and how the job will go. I have learned I’m not really good at it. Inevitably, there seems to be something that gets me sidetracked (rusted bolt that requires extra work to remove, for example).

My ability to deal with these surprises is directly tied to my experience and the growth of my toolbox. Just having the convenience of shop air can make a huge difference in whether the unexpected is a momentary distraction or a 2-hour annoyance.

Food for thought...

Also hard to beat a good old fashioned martini for such ponderings.

[jlex]

I understand your plight. What I've done in working on a complex project is to leave a trail of breadcrumbs that can lead me back home.
I'll take a legal pad and list on each line every action I took whether it's as simple as removing a bolt or pulling a fuel rail. When I remove an item, I'll number it on the list, then place it in a numbered envelope.
Retracing your steps to reassemble using the list promotes confidence in what you're doing. Added benefit is no left over nuts or bolts at the end of the job. In my book, execution of the plan is as important as the planning stage Wouldn't dare to do either under the influence. Wouldn't trust myself to be able to find my way home to point A.

[Geneman]

Jlex. There are drugs for that syndrome....

[Dpmulvan]

Paralysis through Analysis is the name that comes to mind. When you spend more time in the garage with baggies and a sharpie than a wrench.
When your garage looks like a grenade went off that’s a sign of getting something done.
Must be some good shrooms down in Miami!!

[jlex]

Originally Posted by Geneman

Jlex. There are drugs for that syndrome....

No syndrome... just shows I don't know what the hell I'm doing

[Discseven]

HAAAA! Some of ya look to be enjoying yourselves a wee too much at my expense! Alright. Perhaps instructions for yooos noncreatives are in order. Later with that.

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Karl,

Have you ever thought about finding a couple of other car enthusiast friends and renting a garage/storage space?

There are 3 places here in the Atlanta area that cater to people who need to wrench but are in situations similar to yours. Monthly fee includes storage space for car(s), tools and access to common equipment like lifts.

When I do work I try to anticipate what I’ll need and how the job will go. I have learned I’m not really good at it. Inevitably, there seems to be something that gets me sidetracked (rusted bolt that requires extra work to remove, for example).

My ability to deal with these surprises is directly tied to my experience and the growth of my toolbox. Just having the convenience of shop air can make a huge difference in whether the unexpected is a momentary distraction or a 2-hour annoyance.

Food for thought...

Also hard to beat a good old fashioned martini for such ponderings.

Tim... yeah, you got it! Shared space for a while with Ppro that owned local shop. Lots of fun and much learned. AND AIR! But he moved out. No space in his new digs for me now.

Looked into two local places that rent DIY space with pro-tools & lifts as you mentioned. One nearest me… place has strange vibe going. Am listening to gut & steering clear of that. Other place might as well be on Mars. Idea of renting space as a collaborative... thought about it but haven't pulled trigger. Am waiting on something that may work out space-wise.

When project calls that’s too radical for condo garage, and I can bang session out between a sunrise and set, I go to nearby marina’s parking lot. Great vibe. Any Porsche that drives by... they stop for a look & conversation---always good stuff! Shade tree is bonus. Matter of fact, marina’s on for this weekend if weather’s good---valve adjustment, oil & filt change, painting engine bay decal deck, dealing with water leak in oil cooler system.

Single family home garage I used to have is sorely missed---since I got lemons now, lemonade it is. If you have your own do-whatever-you-want-whenever-you-want garage space… bask in the GLORY of it my friend!!!

"Growth of tool box." Isn't there always... one more gadget to get.

Martini to ponder with... wonderful thing indeed!

Originally Posted by jlex

I understand your plight. What I've done in working on a complex project is to leave a trail of breadcrumbs that can lead me back home.
I'll take a legal pad and list on each line every action I took whether it's as simple as removing a bolt or pulling a fuel rail. When I remove an item, I'll number it on the list, then place it in a numbered envelope. Retracing your steps to reassemble using the list promotes confidence in what you're doing. Added benefit is no left over nuts or bolts at the end of the job. In my book, execution of the plan is as important as the planning stage Wouldn't dare to do either under the influence. Wouldn't trust myself to be able to find my way home to point A.

Jlex... Breadcrumbing… fine label you got there. Am with you. Can't beat having written and/or photo refs available when some specific info is needed. Absolutely necessary to breadcrumb when customizing.

Am game for a touch of 'influence.' Enough to loosen creative gears... To stimulate outside of the usual box thinking. Wrenching while influenced... nah.
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[Lyle O]

If you REALLY want to freak yourself out, keep tabs of every penny you spend on the projects along with the detailed action plan....I started keeping very detailed logs with costs of EVERYTHING via EXCEL spread sheet, and after just a few major projects I nearly had a heart attack when I looked at total spend. YIKES!

Properly prepping with a detailed plan is OK, but know when enough is enough...

[dwelle]

Originally Posted by Lyle O

If you REALLY want to freak yourself out, keep tabs of every penny you spend on the projects....

yeah, no thank you.

nightmare...

[jjeffries]

This is an interesting rumination; makes me think of a number of things.

One is that since I was a kid, I have always loved The Workshop, wherever it may be, the garage in Bristol, England where my Dad took his car to get fixed - it had a great smell from the excellent solvents they could still use for parts-cleaning back then - or seeing guys working on historic aircraft at museums we'd visit... mmm, the smell of hydraulic fluid and the image of zinc-oxide primer inside various fuselages. I have cherished every space where I got to work on cars and do till this day, where I'm lucky to have that suburban situation you mention. When I worked as a dealership service manager, I made sure our shops were well-kempt, to the chagrin of some of the slobbier mechanics, and I'd usually be out there with them as opposed to in my office.

It also makes me think about understanding and comprehension, which I often have to really work hard at. I learned immense amounts from the mechanics at work, some of them extremely bright guys (and one exceptional woman). And some books I read along the way which helped me develop, most important for me was John Muir's seminal "How To Keep Your VW Alive for the Compleat Idiot", a book I'd recommend to anyone new to air-cooled engines.

Then I think about how, for me, just jumping in works best. The iPhone has been a godsend in terms of taking photos for reference's sake without having to go to CVS and paying to get them processed, and has proven indispensible, probably allowing greater confidence to plough forward, as - of course - has THIS resource.

So for me, the Zen is in my workshop space, accruing knowledge (and hopefully being able to access/retrieve it when needed) and for proving myself more capable than I might otherwise have thought by simply, as the Brits say - getting on with it.

Great dialog/dialogue.
John

[megerian]

Best advice I ever saw on this forum, which I have followed without exception:

keep all your receipts, just never add them up

[ian c2]

I have todo list pads somewhere probobly from staples or Office Depot , but amongst the chaos they probobly got used as sketch-pads when I ran out of envelopes and empty cig packets

You can make your own using a lined note pad easy enough .

It’s a Method statement/jha safety work list , with a mixture of planning , scheduling , qa/Qc hold points , and progress reporting .



For work I have one of these .
Most guys use a smart phone though ...





There are also proffesional Auto restoration offerings .
Or at least there used to be before phones with cameras , I’ve not seen them since the last classic car bubble burst .

I would highly recommend a whiteboard in your work area , and I also have a cork board and a $100 wifi printer .....

[tirwin]

I’m an old telco guy. Every job (task) is driven by a MOP. Method of Procedure. Starting point (baseline). Procedure. Backout plan if the fit hits the shan. Verification.

Procedure is tested and defined in a lab under ideal circumstances. As they say... in theory there is no difference between theory and reality. In reality, there is.

The problem with lab scenarios is they lack the creative and imaginative ways someone can screw up. “Sunny day” lab scenarios ignore the human factor. The ways in which things can go wrong is limitless.

To quote Frank Zappa (since we’re talking about mind altering experiences). .. “there is more stupidity in the universe than hydrogen and it has a longer shelf life.” Frank had obviously seen some PO work.

[Discseven]

“Just jump in.” There’s a mystical undertaking to going into the unknown, be it a wrench-project or hearing the wife say “I’m pregnant.” Were there a guide book (checklist) for raising a child---surly there is---I’d not (and didn’t) read it. Was intentional. Am seeing unknown = danger + discovery. Am inclined to hold some of us got to have this duo (on occasion) or we wither. Timing comes to mind.

Difference between theory & reality... and reality...

Interesting thoughts piling up.
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