D.I.Y.: Wheel Spacers on a G35 sedan

Guest Blogger on:

Wheel Spacers on a G35 Sedan

Thank you for having me as a guest blogger! I recently installed wheel spacers on my 2006 G35 sedan, and I'll take you through my thought process and some of my considerations.

Figure 1: Overall Pictures of Before and After.

The Problem: 

Wheels looked odd with a "tucked" look after lowering the suspension by about 1.25" from stock height. Normally I don't care too much about pure aesthetics, but it was enough to annoy me into looking for a solution.

The Options:

1) The best option is always to get a set of wheels with the proper width and offset to suit your application and tastes. 

Normally I would go for this option, but I actually really like the look of the stock 18's, I prefer using OEM wheels, and I just purchased new tires, so I wasn't about to spend $1000+ just to get a nicer stance. My current setup is 18x7.5 +45 offset with 235/45/18 tires. If I was starting from scratch (i.e. car sitting on blocks), I'd get a set of lightweight 18x9 +30 offset, running 255/40/18.

2) The next best option is to widen the track with the use of wheel spacers. This is what I used. I will say that there is a lot of negative hype about wheel spacers, and for good reason. After doing a lot of technical reading, I've come to the conclusion that concerns are generally well founded. A lot of the horror stories result from people not using common sense. However, spacers can be used safely (and they are, even on AutoX courses and on the track) if you know a few key things:

   a) They must be "hubcentric" spacers. This properly locates the axis of rotation between the wheel, spacer, and wheel hub by means of features on the spacer which aligns all three components. The diameter of the spacer hub should match the wheel hub and wheel exactly (female on one side, male on the other). This is a much more reliable way of getting everything lined up properly compared to relying on the lugs to get everything centered. The consequence of misalignment is tooth-jarring vibration at high speeds.

   b) Proper studs should be used. For those with smaller spacers (5-10mm), this likely means removing your factory studs and replacing them with longer ones. For larger spacers (15mm+), this means using spacers with studs already attached. 

Drawbacks to Spacers:

1) Increased scrub radius. This is the same problem that would result from using the same width wheel/tire but lowering the offset. The axis of rotation from steering movements is no longer in the center of the contact patch. The major symptom is the increased effect of 'tramlining,' which is the phenomenon of your tires wanting to grab and follow features on an uneven road surface. More on this later.

2) Increased wear on wheel bearings due to lengthened lever arm. Again, this is a problem that is shared with reducing the offset of your wheels. I view bearings as wear items, and if I have to replace them 10% sooner - so be it!

3) Increased rotational inertia and unsprung mass. This one is unique to spacers, as using wheels with a different offset does not inherently add any mass. The extent of the effects is usually not noticeable, as the spacers are made of lightweight 6061-T6 aluminum alloy and the weight is added close to the axis of rotation. I personally did not notice any dynamic differences from the result of adding this weight.

The spacers I used:

I picked up 25mm hub centric spacers with integrated studs, made by a company called Precision European Motorwerks. The studs secured in the spacer are Metric 10.9 studs (equivalent of Grade 8 bolts), and the spacer simply bolted to my wheel hub with the supplied M12 nuts:

Figure 2: Spacer Install.

I initially found them on Amazon for ~$62 a pair and they had good reviews. I then checked eBay to see if they listed there as well, and sure enough they were - and for only $55 a pair! I purchased two pairs, and they arrived at my house in just two days. There are many "brand name" options out there, but lets face it - they are all just machined aluminum. As long as you trust the quality of the machining, all of the hubcentric spacers are going to be about the same.

Installation:

They installed without issue. Before bolting on, I checked for play between the spacer and the hub and also between the spacer and the wheel. It was dead nuts on. The diameter spec was almost certainly within 0.001". The quality of the machining was excellent. No problems trusting the supplied metric 10.9 grade studs.

I applied copper anti-seize lube to the back face of the spacers and to the OEM studs since I probably won't be touching them again until I need to replace my rotors again. Tightened to 85 ft-lbs. I used a 2x4 and the power sliding seat to keep pressure on the brake pedal while I tightened down the fronts.

The rears came out a little further than I was expecting, so I had to roll the fenders a bit. Used a heat gun and a 2" SCH40 PVC pipe, about 2.5' long. Each side took about 20 minutes to roll and was relatively painless.

Impressions:

For the most part, the spacers are not noticeable at all from the driver's seat. I was certain that widening the track by 2" would have a tangible effect, but I have not noticed it at all in the month I've had them on so far. I also did not notice the effective decrease in spring rate by the lengthening the lever arm. I have noticed some of the tramlining effect, although I'm unsure if that is just due to my heightened sensitivity to this.

The biggest difference is just in the stance - the way the car looks. My goal was to improve the look of the stance, and these spacers achieved that goal without hurting my wallet. Mission accomplished!

Figure 3: Front Wheels before & after.

Figure 3: Front Wheels before & after.

I often find myself doing double-takes on my car now as I'm walking away after parking. An unknowing observer would probably be wondering where the hot girl is hiding that I keep turning around to check out.

Best,
Guest Blogger.

AUTOX: 2015 Autocross Solo Guide - Chapter 4: Driving Techniques, Looking Ahead

Guest Blogger Information on:

2015 Autocross Solo Guide
Chapter 4: Driving Techniques, Looking Ahead

Chapter 4 - Driving Techniques, Looking Ahead

Looking ahead is one of the most common things people will tell you to do when you first start autoxing. It sounds really basic, and it is - but that still doesn't stop novices, and sometimes intermediate drivers, from failing to exercise this habit. What people typically say is that you want to be looking 2-3 gates ahead (gates being an element/turn/offset). I don't know about an exact number like that, but what you definitely want to do is be aware of what's coming up ahead. Regardless, IMO sometimes looking ahead means just having it in your peripheral vision or awareness, and sometimes it means actually focusing on gates further down the course, actively looking at them.

General Awareness

When you only get 5-6 cracks at a course (3 at nationals), you don't want to waste a run because you got lost or confused somewhere out there. Looking ahead helps prevent this (duh). In this sense, you need to be aware of what is coming up & have it in your peripheral.  When I walk the course, one of the things I'm trying to do is memorize a "general" course layout. i.e., "Left, Right, Sharp Left, Slalom, U Turn." I don't need to know exactly what it looks like yet - I'll find out when (before) I get there. I just need to know the basic element to know what to look for.

Then when I actually drive the course, my eyes look for that general element so I know where to go. This technique will help you know the course better without having to completely memorize it from the get-go, though you will eventually memorize it. Think about it like this - memorizing the course is looking ahead before you even get to the starting line.

Rally drivers have a million blind corners they have to fly through completely balls out - but what do they have? They have a codriver reading to them exactly what is coming up ahead - in other words, they have someone looking ahead for them, which lets them run through the course at full speed & confidence. In autocross, having a codriver doing that for you in the beginning will help you be faster at that particular event, but eventually you need to train yourself to do it on your own. One of the things I will be doing when I ride along is exactly that - probably shouting "GO GO GO" if I see it's relatively straight up ahead. Anyway, I think that's a pretty good illustration on how looking ahead adds speed.

Conscious & Unconscious Components

The other thing I do when I walk the course is I try to construct the line as I walk it. Keep in mind however, it may drive completely differently than it walked - often that is the case.

Regardless, looking 2-3 gates ahead helps me know what line I want to take when I enter a corner. The line you want to take going in is largely impacted by how you want to exit, so you need to "see" that full line going past beyond where you currently are. That bit alone adds so much speed - you know it's relatively smooth ahead, so long, long before you ever get there you keep your foot on the gas all the way through, or you know a sharp turn is coming two elements after the one you're currently at, so you know what angle/line to take through the next element, to execute better for that 2nd element. In this sense, looking ahead while on course translates to actively planning ahead to know exactly where to go & how to get there. This is the conscious component of looking ahead.
The unconscious component of looking ahead is that, like many other activities, you will go where your eyes go - the same applies to driving a car. When you go bike riding, you look ahead - not at your front wheel. When you bowl, you look at the pins or the arrows ahead - not where the ball first touches the ground. With racing, you will steer where your eyes lead you - so look where you want to go, and your car will take you there. This sounds basic, but in the beginning a LOT of times you just look at the cone of the corner you're approaching and not any further than that. It's not just looking at the corner you're at that's a problem - a lot of people, and I'm guilty of this too, often look back in their rearview mirror, usually to see if they've hit a cone. For this reason, some people turn their rearview mirrors up & out of the way, for a little better view up front and so they don't try to look at what's behind. I leave that up to you - I'm not 100% comfortable moving forward until I know I did or didn't hit that cone, so I normally leave mine set where it is.

One last thing to keep in mind in terms of looking ahead - there are no cones on an autox course. They should never be in your focus, always in your peripheral. Let that help you focus the path you want to take through the course - the cones are on the outside of it.

Next Chapter - Driving Techniques: Inputs

AUTOX: 2015 Autocross Solo Guide - Chapter 3: Seat Time

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2015 Autocross Solo Guide
Chapter 3: Seat Time

Chapter 3 Driving Techniques - Seat Time

Seat Time

As far as driving goes - there's very little I or others can tell you that will make you faster. The only way to really improve is by getting seat time in. That said, there are obviously things to keep in mind that we'll go over later.

I'm counting around 20 events this year in the St. Louis region alone. It's also a good chance to drive/experiment without being as worried about how you do. Sometimes when you race competitively you get too caught up in getting in a clean run (no cones) that you end up driving too conservatively. Finally you'll also want to visit http://ccsportscarclub.org/ & hit Online Registration and register on axware at least for that very first event ($5 discount for online preregistration).

So, there's really no way around seat time, but there are ways to speed it up. Obviously we have our Test 'n Tunes on 3/29 & 8/2 in STL. 20 runs each driver for $45-50. There are also novice schools that you can attend both in Champaign & in St. Louis. Champaign has it's annual driver's school on 4/11/15 for $75, which to me is extremely worth it - I'll probably bring my Evo to that one if the car is ready. You get 1 on 1 instruction & about 20 runs. St. Louis has 3 schools - Evo School (coincidental naming), Novice School, and Starting Line. The Novice School is about $100 for 20 runs, it's the only one worth the money.. The other schools are both a few hundred each.You can attend all or none of these. You may or may not get anything out of the instruction, but seat time always always helps, especially in a non-competitive environment once in a while.

I'd say 60-100 runs (10-15 events) is a great amount of racing for one season. Just as an FYI, my hypothesis is that it takes at least 1,000 runs to get to "nationals" level, about 10 years worth of autoxing. I'm cramming down 200+ runs/yr in hopes of getting nats-level good as quickly as possible, so I'm still in the early phases of my experiment. The first year you improve/correct the big stuff, and every year after that is just more and more marginal things, tenths at a time.

Anyway, the real key of seat time is that you get used to pushing the car. For me, I know my technique still isn't great and my lines are still meh, but the one big thing I gained in 2014 is that I'm now used to being on the edge. You learn to trust the car. You might hear me shout that if I ride along with you in the beginning. Trust the car, it can go faster. You start to understand how fast the car can go under what circumstances. At times, you'll spin out, have tank slappers - you'll be on the ragged edge, but you'll start to get it. Even on the last event of the year last year I spun out on my first run. After that, I had a friend ride along with me throughout that event and he told me there were multiple times he thought I was gonna lose it - but I never did, and I never ever felt like it was out of control. That's the goal as far as what kind of comfort level you want to reach driving the car.

When you're not comfortable, it makes a huge difference. I dropped about 20 places in index the one time I drove Doctor STS Miata. First time driving a Miata, or rwd, in anger. I just wasn't comfortable pushing the car. Didn't know how fast the car could go. In the slaloms I'd be worried about spinning out and losing it, etc. I'm 100% certain I would have actually gone faster in my Mini than I had in his car. Just goes to show how important getting used to one specific car is.

I was going to include Looking Ahead this chapter but it's fairly important & long, so I decided to make it it's own. Also, I probably should have included this in the last chapter - I'd strongly recommend getting your own helmet - borrowing helmets is nasty and we're going to be driving a lot this year. These are quite cheap & legal: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005JHSH3Q/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Next chapter: Looking Ahead

AUTOX: 2015 Autocross Solo Guide - Chapter 2: Car Prep, General, & Event

Guest Blogger Information on:

2015 Autocross Solo Guide
Chapter 2: Car Prep, General & Event

Chapter 2 - Car Prep, General, & Event

Car Prep

Luckily enough, we are good in the area of car prep. Both the NA & the NB will be fine for now and we can decide later for the NA whether or not we want bumpstops. If I had to guesstimate, I'd say the NA will probably give up 1.5-2s to the NB, given the tire & bumpstop situation. IF both cars were on same tires, bumpstops etc., I'd say it's a 1s difference, a little less if the course is more technical, a little more if more power is involved. If it's giving up less than 1.5s with same driver, I'd be inclined to leave it alone (not add bumpstops) because balance even without must be pretty decent.

The region does something called 'annual tech' early in March - you bring the car to a location, probably Gateway, and they tech it a little more strictly than usual, you sign a waiver etc., and then no more tech inspections for the year. Just one less thing to worry about. I'll leave pulling the mats out up to you guys (I don't anymore), but I'd leave the spare & tools at home. 

The only other thing I can think of is an alignment. It may not be a bad idea just because the cars are so old, probably haven't been aligned for a really long time, etc. It will make a big difference in how the car feels. Again, I leave that up to you. I can get my guy to do it to the specs we request ("race" alignments) for $60/car, or we can try it on our own. We just need to max camber & 0 the toe. Whichever way we do it, I think it's pretty crucial that we do.

EVENT DAY

Arrive early

Ask co-owner 1 about this one. I'll have an exact time of when to arrive soon, and for co-owner 1 it'll depend on his work assignment, but right now I'm gravitating to around 8am. This should give you enough time to get settled and walk the course. For any Champaign events you guys want to attend with me, we should def split a hotel the night before - I normally go the morning of, and it can be brutal. 

Know the Course

This will be one of the most important things to do, period. Minimum number of walks should be two, especially for novices. The more you walk, the more familiar you will be when you're driving the course. Less 'sea of cones'/'I'm lost' effect. You'll be focused less on where you are and where to go and more on how & how fast to go. If you can manage it, walk 3 times. I think at nationals events I walk the course about ten times, after hours upon hours of studying the image of the line lol. Later in the season you might feel more comfortable with 2. I still usually walk the course 3 times. First is usually a chatty, general walk. Second is less chat and more about what line to take. Third is a brisk focused walk. Something like that - it's different for everyone. 

EVENT

General

You guys are lucky in the sense that you will be able to push each other. Just knowing the fact that the other guy went half a second quicker lets you know the car has it in it, and that you can push harder. Here's how I'd like to split up the runs for general events, at least to begin with: First 3 runs together and/or with me riding along, last 2 runs on your own. First 3 to give you an accelerated familiarity with the course, last two for speed & competition. For a car like the Miata, light, low torque, no ABS, 150-170 lbs is a big deal, should help with your raw times. Also, one of you will be faster than the other - it'll make you guys start pushing the car harder, get more familiar with the car's limits, etc. Test n Tunes, etc. are a different story. 

Also, get to know a few people, especially if there are any in your class in the same heat. Ride along when possible, watch their technique. Try to get a feel for who the competitive ones are that don't want to give ride alongs, and who don't care all that much. 

Video & Data

We will be taking a lot of video & data recordings this year. Normally I record every run. We can use my point & shoot or something else if you guys want. Post-event video review is always a great way to see how you drove from a 3rd person perspective, what you're doing behind the wheel, what line you're taking compared to the other. Doubly useful since you guys will be in the same car. We'll try pinpoint who picked up time where, etc. I also have a data acquisition system we can use, though I personally haven't found much utility from it.

Next Chapter: Driving Techniques - Seat Time & Looking Ahead

AUTOX: 2015 Autocross Solo Guide - Chapter 1: Goals

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2015 Autocross Solo Guide
Chapter 1: Goals

Chapter 1 - Introduction
All right folks!

Solo season fast approaches with a ton of races upcoming for the cars. This e-mail thread can be used as food for thought for autoxing/competing, driving techniques, etc. Obviously the Mini is a fwd car, but same basic principles apply... I say that but the one time I drove rwd last season I was terrible in it - more on that in the future.

First things first - SCCA memberships - get one if you aren't one already. You can wait until March but the sooner the better - you need it if you want to preregister on motorsportreg.com. Use ### as your reference when you do register for SCCA. If that's already taken care of, remember Geico gives discounts if you're an SCCA member..

Goals - we should talk about goals first. I think we all have roughly the same idea in mind as far as what we want out of autoxing for now - maybe not be the best, but get pretty darn good regionally. St Louis, as well as most regions, rank drivers by index -  a made up number to somehow take the car out of the equation based on a lot of fuzzy math etc etc. The key takeaway from this is that it is a very very good year for most stock classes (save for GS & HS) which got a huge drop in index. ES, for example, went from 0.814 to 0.808. This means that last year, if you had run 45s flat, your index time would be 36.63 - this year, running 45s puts you at 36.36 - boom, you just went 3 tenths quicker without improving at all. The flip side of this is that other stock classes have similar gains. 

Anyway, the goal here really is to get within 3-4s of the #1 index driver - his name will be Doctor. Novices last year breached into the top 20, but after the index adjustments this year I don't see it happening too much. 3-4s behind index will usually put you anywhere from 25-30 to 35-40 overall, depending who's there. Your goal will be to get under Top 30, and your goal is to be novice champion, 1st and 2nd. I think these are fairly reasonable goals, but keep in mind everyone is shooting for the same thing - so it won't be easy. You might not hit any of these goals until the last few events.

Goals: Top 30, within 3s index of #1 driver, novice champion.

Next chapter: Car prep, General & Event

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PROJECT: The Tale of Two Miatas

Introductory Post about a Project for Autocross and Miatas:

The Tale of Two Miatas

Four days and 2 miatas ago, I did not care much about the poor man's S2000. Now I own 2. Well technically I own 2/3 since it is a co-ownership. Yes, 3 owners and 2 miatas. We were supposed to own only 1 miata.

Why a miata?
Currently the miata is one of the more competitive cars in E Stock autocross class. Mazda currently builds the 3rd generation miata called NC with a 4th generation (ND) entering production soon. The ND is too new to the scene for comparison and the NC is a miata generation slighted. The main conversation when it comes to miatas are between the first two generations, NA vs. NB. First-design engineering vs. refined engineering. So of the two cars, which generation did I get? 1 of each generation. But the real question is, how did this happen? I will let the co-owners tell you that story.

i) Me, co-Owner 1: Do you know what just happened? You bought 2 miatas?

Co-Owner 2:
Didn't really expect to own a Miata let alone two.  I did always consider getting one for a track car because the price and performance combination was good.  Not ever much of a fan of them growing up.  The extent of my experience with them was using them as a starter car in Gran Turismo.

Co-Owner 3

Co-owner 1 looks at craigslist 1 day after we buy a miata. now we have 2

ii) Co-Owner 1: How you saw miatas before you bought em. How you see them now.
Co-Owner 2:

As mentioned earlier I was never really a fan of Miatas.  I didn't really dislike them but thought of them more as a girl car.  I was always aware of how well respected they were from automotive magazines such as Car and Driver so that did make me curious what people saw in them. When I started going to Autocross events it was quickly apparent that these cars were the overall favorites.  They seemed to be very competitive and strong competitors in AutoX events and has great handling.  This experience made me more likely to consider buying one.

Ended up finding one at a good price that allowed me to get into racing without spending too much. After purchasing the NA Miata I am shown an ad for an NB on Craigslist listed for a great price.  Too good to pass up so we didn't pass it up.  Ended up owning 2 Miatas in a couple of days.  I would have been surprised to know I would buy two cars within a few days in my life, let alone two Miatas. A car I barely knew anything about last week.

First impressions driving the cars were better than expected.  I did expect great handling but I also expected a very sluggish engine and noticeable lack of power after driving the NA.  I was pleasantly surprised to notice the car was quicker than I anticipated.  Although not by any means fast, there was not a huge feel of power lacking.  The throttle response was good and the steering responsiveness was great.  It was my first time driving a car so light and it was very noticeable.  There was also another factor that I quickly noticed while driving the NA.  It feels like a proper roadster.  By that I mean it feels like how a classic sports car should.  It is raw in a lot of ways.  It is not a comfortable car with all the luxury items.  It is a car that will make lots of noise and squeaks when you are driving it.  Something about driving it made me understand what the hype was about.

The NB was a bit of a different experience for me.  After inspecting the car it was easily noticeable the car appeared to be a good deal and something to consider buying.  It was by no means perfect but for the price it was great for what we needed it for.  The test drive was interesting to say the least.  It was in a neighborhood which meant a very limited ability to fully test the car.  It was quickly noticeable that the NB was a more refined car in a lot of ways.  The interior was nicer and quieter than the NA.  The suspension was adjusted and the motor had more pep.  After pulling into a parking lot to test out the handling I promptly found myself in an unexpected power slide.  This was a bit of a worry as to how easy and long the powerslide was.  We ended up chalking it up to bad handling tires and pulled the trigger on the deal.

These were my impressions after only driving about 20 miles in the NA and 2 in the NB so they are very limited.  I expect my opinions to greatly change over time and especially once we are in an AutoX event.

My first impressions give the edge to the NA Miata.  Although performance wise the NB may be better in every way, the NA has a certain factor I didn't get to experience in the NB yet.  The feeling reminds me of watching Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear point out all the things wrong with a car and then go on to say why all those things make the car so great.  It is those things that give the car it's character.  I am curious to see how my opinions change in the upcoming months.  Hopefully they are all for the better.  My prediction is that once AutoX races start the NB will far outshine the NA and quickly change my mind on the two cars.

Co-Owner 3: 

Drivers machine. now pain in my ass

iii) Co-Owner 1: What you plan on getting out of this 3-person team with 2 miatas.

Co-Owner 2:
I am mainly hoping to get some quality race time this year.  I hope to be able to compete all year and build my driving skills up.  Challenge some friends and get in the sport.  I'm hoping to also be able to get some wrench time in with these cars by performing maintenance and performance upgrades on them.  I don't expect to be the fastest or have a greatly modified car. I so expect to be competitive with my friends and have some fun while learning a lot.  Building my experience in racing and wrenching are my biggest goals.

This is not a project I would have chosen by myself.  Having two other people to help me research, work, and race with will definitely enhance the experience.  The variety of knowledge and skillsets will also help in the long term to make these projects successful I believe.

Co-Owner 3:

Still working on that.. since i won't really be racing either.. cruises with gf?

iv) Co-Owner 1: And if you could do it all over again, would you?

Co-Owner 2:

It is too early for me to regret buying two projects at the moment.  I currently do not regret either purchase.  I think both cars were good deals and can both be sold for around what was paid for them if it came to it.  I am glad that the prices paid was low so that any big loss is not a concern.  These are two older cars that will be used for racing so I do expect problems to arise but hopefully those will be easily handled.  As long as my wallet is not badly bruised from this endeavor I think I will be satisfied with the results.

Co-Owner 3

I'd wait and just get the nb. miata ownership is on every car enthusiasts bucket list

we got a pretty good deal - as long as we can clean them up pretty cheap we should be able to flip them for little to no cost, have some fun along the way.

Thread on miata.net:

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=566418

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PROJECT/INFO: Lessons Learned from Sharing a Classic Car Project with a Friend

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from 
Sharing a Classic Car Project with a Friend

After a year and a half of co-owning the 1972 C-10, my roommate and I have sold it. First let me say it was a blast to work with my roommate and I'd pick up another project with the guy anytime. We had a lot of fun. This project had it all: head-aching frustrations, the glorious sound of getting the engine timing right, heart-skipping moments, and good-thing-that-worked-huh? moments.

Jenny put back together, with 4 good tires, finally timed, and with side view mirrors.

Adventures began on the first day of picking up the truck. Our tow truck driver decided to use incline the tow ramp and let the C-10 roll down the ramp and onto the driveway on its own power. We got it down and after thinking about it, that was a terrible idea. The brakes could have gone out, the truck could have plowed through our rental house's garage, a number of things could have happened. My roommate took Jenny out for a test drive months later after finally getting the engine timing working. He said he was coming up on a stop sign and hit the brakes but the brakes were not working. It took a slow pump to engage the brakes and acknowledged that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to take the car out without checking out the brake system. After working on the brake system, my roommate and I discovered the rear brake line was dry due to rusted holes in the line. Thank you for front brakes and a wall divider between the front and rear lines in the brake master cylinder. No thank-you to the heart-skipping moments.

My top three lessons learned were:
1) Know the goal of the project at hand and do your best to research the pros/cons for any given project. The clearer the project the better and easier it will be to focus when the going gets rough. It is difficult and tiring to research everything that might go wrong, but research is the best gauge in how much risk you are willing to take in a given project.
2) Work with people who have a different skillset/experience and a different wrenching philosophy than you. This pays off dividends in learning new skills and acquiring new experiences. In addition to the obvious benefits of having multiple hands on the project, I found we'd be willing to try new things and invest in tools we might not have valued before.
3) Expect the unexpected. Projects tend to take longer and cost more than you expect. Few will value the efforts and costs you give into a project and looking forward to a buyer to give you satisfaction is not realistic. Be realistic about the situation and circumstances at hand if it is bad, and never stop having fun. Parts break, it gets frustrating. Great teams use that frustration and turn it into motivation to work through roadblocks well and have fun doing so. Celebrate each success no matter how small or large and thank each other constantly.

Before (left) and After (right) pictures of the same 3-speed transmission. See imgur.com/gallery/OP36R for transmission project details.

To capture lessons learned, I asked my roommate to write his overall thoughts about the project.

The three biggest lessons learned from this project for me were:

1) Know what your goal is in a project.

This lesson may sound easy but it is important to follow.  When starting a project you want to know what your end goal is for it.  This doesn't mean you have to know all of the details but it does mean know why you are doing the project and stay on track to reach this goal.  When we originally bought the truck we had a goal of just getting it running and able to drive.  Along the way there were a lot of set backs and unexpected issues as with most projects.  However, I think some of these issues caused us to slightly lose our original goal.  We ended up going from doing a basic goal of getting the engine running to doing a lot more work than originally planned.  This resulted in our costs going up higher than originally budgeted.

I also think this lesson is important so that you can make better decisions during the project.  Our goal was to fix up the truck and then sell it.  Although making money wasn't our ultimate goal we would obviously like to make more than we spent when we sell it.  This influenced our parts budget and work priorities since we tried to spend as little as we could.  If this was a project we planned to keep then keeping a low budget would not have been as big of a priority.  We also learned that if you plan to fix up a car and sell it to know the market better.  Know what your project is worth and what you can expect to sell it for.  Looking at online ads is a good way to determine the market price as well as online pricing guides.  With our truck we did not fully research the market before we bought it and as a result had a difficult time selling.  We also learned that selling a project truck takes a certain buyer and most of the time those buyers are not going to pay market value to take on a project. 

Before (left) and After (right) pictures of the engine bay from the driver's side.

2) Understand what work is involved and balance that with your skills/tools.

When finding a project vehicle it is very easy to get in over your head.  That is, it is easy to pick a project and then find out it was way more work than you bargained for.  This was something that we were aware of at the beginning but did not fully understand still.  At the beginning we knew the truck needed a lot of work but since we were not planning on a full restoration we did not worry about it too much.  This turned out to be a problem as we ran into many more problems to just get the truck on the road than originally anticipated.  Some of this was due to a lack of knowledge from not taking on a project like this before and not knowing what to expect.

Knowing what skills you have is important in knowing what problems you can actually expect to fix.  This can also be extended to realizing what tools you have and knowing what tools are required to complete a job.  If you don't have a welder or experience welding then you can't expect to fix and repair rust spots yourself.  This was something we ran into where we required tools we just didn't have and buying wasn't practical.  Without proper tools and a budget to have someone else do the work we were not able to fully address all of the issues we wanted to.  Skills can also be gained during a project so taking on something out of your comfort zone can be good to help expand your knowledge and skills.

Before (left) and After (right) pictures of the engine bay from the passenger's side.

3) Expect the unexpected.

Kind of a cliche but it is still true.  Every project will have some type of problem you didn't expect or plan on.  For this project we had several.  Things like having a rusted gas tank or having to replace a section of brake line really took up a lot of time and money to address.  Also things like having every one of tires go flat is another problem that you can't ever expect but need to account for in some way.  Hidden costs will always be present so don't try to stretch your budget at the beginning.  The costs will add up in one way or another and often in areas you didn't expect.  Setting aside some sort of budget and time for things you didn't expect is a must.  Although you may not be able to accurately account for these having any type of budget set aside can help alleviate things when a problem does arise.

Overall I was happy with the project and the way it turned out.  We were able to meet our original goals of getting the truck running and mostly road worthy.  We did as much as we could with our budget, time, and resources available.  Although we did not have as much luck selling the truck as originally anticipated we were able to sell it to someone that was going to take on the project and finish it.  In the future I will be able to better select a project and look forward to learning even more.

Jenny sold and being towed.

Jenny, you were a great truck and we hope to see you on the road someday.
And to my roommate, thanks for a great time and memories buddy. Cheers to our next projects and car projects never getting old.