Why in heaven's name do we do what we do?

Cor66Vette · 06-14-2012, 07:13 PM

Ever wonder why we can't leave well enough alone?

Why we try to build a better mousetrap

only to find ourselves in deep $hit with all the problems we cause ourselves- not to mention the wasteful financial expenditure associated with our OCD!

I stopped that nonsense a long time ago. I realized that the engineers who designed the car must have known what they were doing.

Who am I to re think their engineering? But this obsession continues and is obvious from some of the threads I read on this and other forums.

Let's spend more time driving them and less time under them. Life is short. I'd rather have a steering wheel in my hands than a wrench.

Kap142 · 06-14-2012, 08:20 PM

Much to be said but they are "our toys". I, as you, simply enjoy the awesome engineering that sits under my buttocks.

**Rich Z** · 06-14-2012, 08:41 PM

Well, much can be said about the benefits of choosing wisely concerning WHO you pick to work on your car, I guess. But without having the benefit of a crystal ball and someone qualified to be able to read it, regardless of the care you try to take in making such decisions, things can go into disaster mode through no real fault of your own.

As for second guessing the engineers, well, one aspect that should be kept in mind is that one of the constraints placed on engineers at GM is *cost*. Quite simply if they have to choose between a part that is "adequate" and will only last comfortably through the warranty period, and one that is "better" and will last the lifetime of the car, and the "better" part costs $100 more, guess what choice they have to make? For a single car that me or you will work on, that's really a no-brainer. Most of us would go for "better" given the opportunity and choice. But with a GM engineer, who has to consider that his bosses are going to look at that $100 multiplied times each vehicle in the projected run of vehicles using that part, well, you can pretty much bet on getting that "adequate" part incorporated into the design.

So yeah, sometimes the plan to make something "better" doesn't go as planned and hindsight has you wishing for a time machine to go back in time with and kick your own butt soundly for such a harebrained idea. But be that as it may, some people prefer to have a unique car, and not the same exact thing that everyone else who bought the same model and options has sitting in their own garage. It's just that some will go much more overboard in this pursuit than others, I guess.

Cor66Vette · 06-14-2012, 10:01 PM

I'm talking about those who have to change out a suspension part in order to make the car sit 1/4 inch lower (or higher). I'm talking about the guy who can't live with the bushing that GM put on a part of the car. I'm talking about the guy who is obsessed with posting about all he's doing to his car! I'm talking about the guy who takes the fun out of Corvettes. You know what kind of guy I am talking about.

**Rich Z** · 06-14-2012, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedRestoredRoadster

I'm talking about the guy who is obsessed with posting about all he's doing to his car! I'm talking about the guy who takes the fun out of Corvettes. You know what kind of guy I am talking about.

That sounds like me. Sorry if that takes all the fun out of Corvettes for you...

But there's a simple solution. Stop reading what I post....

navy2kcoupe · 06-15-2012, 06:19 AM

Why do we do what we do???? Being the devil's advocate here, I could ask you
"why aren't you doing anything to your Vette? What's the matter with you?
Don't you know you're SUPPOSED to try to make it better?" It's all in what you
like! I prefer to keep my Vette stock, or as near to stock as I can, while others
just LOVE to squeeze every single horsepower out of it that they can. Still others
love to "adjust" body lines and interiors to make them appear more pleasing, or
more functional. "Why do we do what we do?" Because we all are different, and
have different views on how we want our cars to look or perform. Like I said, I
want to keep my Vette stock, but that doesn't mean I want everyone to be like me.
I can appreciate all of the work, time, planning, and money that went into someone's
project even if I'm not thrilled with the outcome. Bottom line, I guess, is that we
are all individuals, and so are our cars. Enjoy YOUR car the way you want to
enjoy it, I'll enjoy mine the way I want to, and others will enjoy theirs the way
they want to. Enjoy it however you want to, BUT DRIVE IT for the MOST enjoyment.
Andy

Cor66Vette · 06-15-2012, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich Z

That sounds like me. Sorry if that takes all the fun out of Corvettes for you...

But there's a simple solution. Stop reading what I post....

I did not mean you. I find your posts informative. I don't consider what you are doing with your rebuild to be obsessive- there's a difference between being obsessive and being a perfectionist. I simply meant that some DO go overboard and get carried away. No foul intended.

Cor66Vette · 06-15-2012, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by navy2kcoupe

...
I can appreciate all of the work, time, planning, and money that went into someone's project Andy

I agree. Obviously I chose the wrong phrasing in my post. I DO appreciate seeing a project reach fruition even if I don't like the results. I am talking about this obsession in the hyperbole.

navy2kcoupe · 06-15-2012, 10:02 AM

Hey RedRestored! Then I'm in complete agreement with you. I'm pretty obsessed
with NOT doing anything to my Vette, so I'm in that group as well!

I guess it just really depends on what you want your "finished project" to be,
although we both KNOW that Vette "projects" never reach the finished stage.
It's part of the obsession! I like driving mine WAYYYYYYYY to much to have it be
down for an extended time for a project, or projects. On the other side of the coin,
you have a mid year from the looks of your avatar. Doesn't it make sense to go
to current technology when replacing something, unless you're doing the NCRS thing.
40 years will bring a bunch of changes to equipment and parts. If I have to change
something, I'll go with the newer technology if I can, but I'm not obsessive to swap
just for the sake of swapping. The are, however, some people that fall into that
category, and I say "good for them!" They help to drive the technology advances
that I'll enjoy when I need it. You like the looks of your Vette the way it is, I like
the looks of my Vette the way it is, and there are others out there that
would like their Vettes to look a little different, sit a little lower (or higher),
go a little faster, and on an on. So I guess it's "each to their own, said the old lady
as she kissed a pig." One person's obsession is another person's project. At
least it's THEM spending all that money and NOT me.

Andy

**Rich Z** · 06-15-2012, 11:38 AM

Well, my project wasn't supposed to be a 2.5 year rolling disaster. That's why I paid Harwood up front. He was supposed to have EVERYTHING at his shop before I even rolled it in the door. The plan was to roll my car in, pull out the old stuff and put in the new stuff, tune it, deal with the issues expected to crop up, and I would be on my way. I groused at the thought of even having my car tied up for a month or two. If I was told that my car would have been tied up even just 6 months I would have declined doing the project.

But once it started, first through Harwood's shop, then through Aaron Scott's shop, the only two choices I had were to keep on going, or abandon the car at a complete loss of everything put into it up to that point.

Obsession or perfectionism had nothing at all to do with this. It was a pretty cut and dried case of simple survival concerning the car.

As far as now that the car is home, I really don't think there is that much of a dividing line between obsession and perfectionism at all. Trying to make things perfect IS an obsession, I suppose....