DIY or Pay Someone on your project?

[Rooster's82]

I recently responded to a post with this comment...

"If that fails, i may have to bite it and pay someone else to do it for me. I don't know if other people feel this way...but is seems like I'm cheating myself in someway...or that the truck won't have the same meaning when it is done. This is my first truck, and my first real project, and i lack experience...but i do want to do as much as i can. What do i have to lose? my eye brows and a $400 truck? I guess it could turn out like total crap...but it would be my crap....and next time around it will be slightly less crappy."

What do you think about DIY vs paying someone to do it for you? Is it better to have an armature job and be able to say you did it yourself, or have it done by a professional and get seamless perfection? I'm thinking about all work on your project...from lowering and body to new cam and engine.

[slug]

the only thing i let people do to my vehicles is put the tires on the wheels (because i dont own a tire machine) or bend exhaust tubing. i am a perfectionist and if i do the work i know it will most of the time meet my strict standards. and there is a large sense of pride that comes with doing it yourself. i have had the privelage of working in a couple of shops. one shop was restoring/customising classic cars and trucks and the other was a body shop. and did i mention my dad was a mechanic and a paint/body man about 20 years ago, so, i had a few good teachers.

[pcmcobra]

I try to do things myself, but when I know it's out of my "range", take it to a pro. Wish I could do everything, but it's good to know limitations. Some things I just don't want to know how to do, much less attempt. There is only only 2 guys in town that I would trust working on my stuff, and it took a lot of time building that relationship and seeing some of their work before I let them. The guy who did my exhaust has a restoration shop, looks run down, but it's big and he has literally tons of 67-72 and mid 80's trucks at his place, along with some nice late 60's camaros, buckets, and vintage mopar stuff. I would stop by every few weeks to see what new stuff he was working on and he let me wander around wherever I wanted, many conversations and visits later, I took my truck to him to do the exhaust, and he will probably be doing some more work for me in the future.
Sorry for the babbling, I guess I feel lucky to have 2 people around that are "old skool" mechanics that know their stuff and are reputable and trustworthy.

[knightlife]

do it yourself if you know what you are doing to start with...

if not, it would be a helluva lot cheaper than a learning experience, to pay someone else...

[Blackstone]

DIY... as much as possible, especially with bodywork because labor is so expensive. Where I live, body shops have moved toward more profitable collision repair and away from restoration-type work. They're more than willing to take on such projects, but at a premium.

The way I see it... You could buy a mediocre paint job for $3000, but why would you if you could instead get years of enjoyment from a new compressor, welder, a shop full of supplies and the satisfaction of doing it yourself, even if it took you three tries to get it right?

In your case, I'm guessing here but I don't believe you'll find a shop that will touch your windshield channel rust for less than $300... I'd be very disappointed in you if you let half the cost of a decent-quality MIG welder slip away that easily.

[old Rusty C10]

part of doing things yourself is to know when to say its too much for you to do.. now i dont know what kind of aproject you are doing.. mine will never be a show truck.. i love old trucks but to me a truck should also earn its keep and not be a garage/show queen
even so there are things i will farm out either when i dont have time to do it or im cncerned about it getting done right.. right is important on a daily driver work horse as well as a show truck.. just my 2 cents

[69BBsuburban]

I do everything on my projects except the engine machine work....and if I had all the machinery, I'd do that to....I just don't like others working on my stuff. If there is something I've never done before, I just jump in and figure it out.
Always learning new tricks and better ways of doing things....

That said.....there is no shame in paying someone do to work that ya don't feel comfortable doing. Just do some homework so ya don't get ripped off.

[Mr79C10]

ALL ME! and ALL the mass help from this forum!!
Have learned SOO much from every one here!

[dhughins]

i like being able to say i did it myself, but some things are beyond my abilities. i usually dont find which things until i try for 2 weeks than have to pay someone to fix what i did.

[bagged81]

The way I look at it is if someone else can do it so can I. I have been fortunate to extra vehicles laying around to drive incase there was something that I needed to do research on. It is nice when someone asks, "Who did you get to do that for you" and you and you can say, "myself." I would consider having someone work on my DD or my wifes car though. That has yet to come though.

[streetstar]

I don't feel like compromising my vehicles by trusting myself to "learn my way through " a tough repair.

It gets to the point where you ask yourself "What is my dang time worth?" and would it be easier to save the cash to have a pro do it in half or a quarter the time. But it depends on the job too (you have to pick your fights)

Front end work, detailing a frame, or refreshing a motor, i am all in ----- but when it comes to real bodywork, or rebuilding an engine that i would want to last more than 25k -- i farm it out.

Body work is an obvious given for a lot of people, but engine building --- quite a few people don't have the chops to build one to last and it is easier to buy a crate motor. It is easier to work on a race car motor that is pulled down every 10 passes than to homebuild one that lasts as long as an out of the box "GM crate motor"



I have to add though that i dont depend on an antique ride for daily transpo --- then if thats all you've got, and you cant afford for it to be down 3 weeks while you save cash for repairs -- thats another story. But even then, dropping in an inexpensive crate motor is less bucks than a stock rebuild if you factor in machining time --- unless you are at Dollar General level wages --- then get ready to hitch hike

[James McClure]

Many of you all make good points. I spent 33 years getting to know what I know today and realize I don't know it all and never will, but that doesen't stop me from attacking a project. God gave us all brains and tech writers gave us books, read and then decide. It's only nuts and bolts, don't let it intimidate you. Look at your own job, did you know it all before you started? NO and you made mistakes and learned from them. Now your older and smarter. You understand your going someplace new and you have to be careful and plan out each step as you read the instructions. Farm out machine work like milling, boreing & valve jobs or press work. Body and fender is much the same thing. Fortuneately most of our vehicles are bolted togther so it's no big deal. Only places where there is any cut & weld is floors, rockers and cab corners and of them the only place you have to be real careful is the corners cause you see all of them. Tools might be a little expensive, BUT, you can use them to make back thier expense. Time is an issue too just as money is and may force you to farm out, but don't let lack of confidance in yourself stop you, if I can do it anyone can. Jim

[TexasJeff]

I think the main thing is know your own limits. (I.E. knowledge, tools, time, money) It all factors in, on my own project I did all of the mechanical work myself (with lots of help from family and friends) now the paint I left that up to the professionals, I have neither the time or the patience for body work, or even the space to tackle something like that. After 27/28 years of working on cars and trucks you learn what you can/want to do and what you just pay for.
There is my 2 cents, ZI hope it helps.

[killthewabbit]

Originally Posted by streetstar

I have to add though that i dont depend on an antique ride for daily transpo --- then if thats all you've got, and you cant afford for it to be down 3 weeks while you save cash for repairs -- thats another story. But even then, dropping in an inexpensive crate motor is less bucks than a stock rebuild if you factor in machining time --- unless you are at Dollar General level wages --- then get ready to hitch hike

THIS!

I drive mine daily - 35 miles each direction. Unless I have experience fixing what's broke, I take it to my very trusted mechanic. I love working on my own stuff, but I love eating even more.

If you have the time, money, and inclination then by all means learn to do it yourself. As much as we love our trucks, you're not trying to improve the Mona Lisa.

If you happen to screw something up, you're just out what you got in it. And now you know better.

[AceX]

I believe that the DIY approach is the best one overall because you will know the vehicle more intimately and ultimately appreciate it more.

I've done most of the work on my truck, but when it came to converting the A/C system to R134 I took it to a shop that does the conversion on a regular basis.

I also took the truck in for the new stereo system. Mostly because the truck is now representing a large company (the shop will do a better job) and I just didn't really have the time to deal with it.

Right now I'm building an engine cover for the truck out of a newer Vortec plenum cover and a set of Corvette coil pack covers. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[GMBowtie79]

DIY is by far the best way to learn. Read, plan ahead, talk to those that have done it before, information is more valuable than money. It helps to know your limitations. It sucks when you bite off more than you can chew.

[Thumpin455]

I am 99.9% DIY, its how I learned to do 80% of what I know. The rest I learned either in VoTech school or from helping friends with their rides. The only hands that touch my vehicles, other than if I am teaching someone else to do something, is my machinist. I can do that too, I just dont have the facilities available to me.

If I had money to burn I would pay people to do things I dont like doing, like bodywork. I dont so I tend to do more myself to save money. If i am not payin anyone else to do it, I can put more into parts and fun stuff, like beer..

If I can learn it by doing, researching, reading, and plenty of homework (but its fun homework) then pretty much anyone can. Except my brother, he is clueless about vehicles even though he thinks he isnt.

[tyjoja]

great thread. This is exactly why this forum is so great. I try to do as much as I can wich is fairly limited, but with the awesome help from everyong here, I'm taking on more and more, and learning all the time. There is no stupid questions here, people always take the time and help with limitless knowledge of these trucks. thank you, bob

[Blackstone]

Anyone remember way back before the internet changed the world... where you practically had to hike Mt. Everest, find a key in a cave that unlocks a portal which would transport you to the Grand Wizard of China's underground lair to get advice?

Now, anytime I hit a snag I can't figure out on my own... I can get a series of solutions, often within minutes. Folks who would have never considered DIY 20 years ago now find themselves with virtually unlimited resources at the click of a mouse whether it be plumbing, roofing, cooking or auto repair.

Without a doubt, if it weren't for forums like this one, I would have spent thousands of dollars at local shops.

[Rooster's82]

It's great to hear everyone's view on the subject. From what i understand, the answer is do what you feel confident you can complete, if you have the time and inclination to do it. Even if you haven't done the job before, with the right homework and determination you should be able to complete it. If you can't you have only learned from the experience, which is valuable too. If you don't have the time or the job needs to be done quickly, pay a pro...or if it is a job you hate to do. Oh, and leave the machining to the pros. Is that about right?

[wrench]

hello all! First post and i must say i like the mentality of this board.

DIY ALL THE WAY!

My personal sentiments is i will be a bit less particular and critical of my own work than I will be of a pros work. If i paint my truck and there is some orange peel or a run i just have to work a little harder to fix it. However if i drop my truck off and pay a premium for bodywork and paint it dang well best be premium work.

Like my grandfather said years ago "Why pay someone to possibly screw it up? You can do that for free."

[xtreme80]

I didn't read all the replies, but I'm sure this has been said already...

There's nothing wrong with trying to do the work yourself, as long as it won't compromise safety. Don't go try to bag your truck when you don't know how to weld or how to get the angles correct. Don't built a rear end unsure of how to do it only to have an axle come apart and a wheel come off because it was done wrong.

Things like that should be left to professionals. It's not just for your safety, it's for the safety of everyone on the road.

[Blackstone]

Originally Posted by xtreme80

I didn't read all the replies, but I'm sure this has been said already...

There's nothing wrong with trying to do the work yourself, as long as it won't compromise safety. Don't go try to bag your truck when you don't know how to weld or how to get the angles correct. Don't built a rear end unsure of how to do it only to have an axle come apart and a wheel come off because it was done wrong.

Things like that should be left to professionals. It's not just for your safety, it's for the safety of everyone on the road.

Great advice... exactly why I subbed out rearend bearings on my wife's truck. In many cases, "Don't touch it" ended up being the best advice I've ever received from an internet forum.

[Rooster's82]

Anytime a pro tells you "Don't touch it" it is probably some pretty good advice!

[zz4cheyennesuper]

I farm out everything. The only thing I do personally with my vehicles is wash them and drive them...