Built n Bought

What a topic there allways seems to be some stigma attached to this subject.Whats your views.The favorable is allways build it yourself or you dont get no respect.?????????? :? Does it matter that you got the enthusiasum for the brand(VW) whether it be built or bought.

I think people should do as much as they can themselves, i understand that the standard person wont want to touch bodywork but there isnt much that you cant do with a fairly basic kit and a manual, i know every inch of my car and find it very rewarding knowing what i have done and am doing to it, its much more personal if you do it yourself

Who really cares though ?  Mk1's have become so trendy that there will always be those with loads of money who want to buy a ready-made show winner and thereby gain some kind of street cred. On the flip side there are enthusiasts who appreciate the history, design and engineering that make up the Mk1 (as well as many other VW's/Audi's come to that), and take enjoyment and pride in restoring and maintaining their cars (either themselves or through garages), for their own sake - not for others confirmation.
Personally, I do 99% of the work on my own cars as it's part of the fun of owning them (IMO). There are others who aren't that mechanically inclined who need to pay for work to be done. Nothing wrong in that either.
I hope the bubble bursts soon and something else will be 'cool' and then I might get an early Gti in good condition at a decent price (!)
Those who really like VW's - great, enjoy. Those who are looking to be cool - buy a Saxo with a bodykit, go down to McDonalds and do some wheelspins

I have no driveway, my road is at about 10 degrees.

Kinda limits what I can and can't do!

I think theres a lot of people who don't have garages have to weigh up whether they will actually be able to do the work or not.

Mine is also a daily driver so I don't have the luxury of leaving things half done and coming back to it.

All a bit irrelavant really anyway, no one would argue that Dibner was rubbish because he got someone else to do the signwriting on his rebuilt engine, or that Brunel was a bit slack cos he didn't physically build the Tamar bridge.

Peter.

Keeping them on the road and driving them is the main thing - how its done isn't that important. However, I personally feel that with classic cars there is a more of bonding process when you do the majority of work youself. Although this could just be a form of pyschosis brought on by the inevitable stress and frustration of car restoration  
 
Tallpete - I also have no driveway - just a white residents parking box painted on the road. Can do some work here, but usually have to beg, borrow and steal brother or parents driveways. Need to find a house with a garage. Partner is lookng to buy a mint Golf cab in the next year, have convinced her that this will be best kept undercover in the winter and that therefore we need to move to a place with a garage  :wink:

I think there are a lot of myths on this subject.

I disagree that it is necessarily someone with loads of money who will go and buy a car to show standard, particularly modified. I know how much it costs to build such a show winner and believe me it is cheaper to buy one already done. A main reason for this is the cost and time of bodywork and other things like chroming. For show standard paint you need proper facilities, equipment and excellent skills that few, including myself, possess. The mechanical stuff I and most can do at home as it is practically more feasible.

Many folks say they build it themselves, but in fact the body and paint (which is the large part of the work) is sub-contracted for this reason. I really admire someone who can do a quality job on bodywork themselves!

I think financially it is better to restore a standard car rather than build a modified one yourself as the %age return is better.

On my cars, I bought my modified '74 at around 90% of the way I wanted it already done (it is still not there yet!) and the work needed just to make the repairs. The chap I bought it off spent double what I paid for it! I could not afford the time and money to do it all myself (it needed major bodywork). I have a '79 GTi on which I did all the work myself. My '76 LS is undergoing resto at the moment - I intend to sub out body/paint but I am having trouble finding a decent bodyshop and estimate so am contemplating at least doing the welding myself. The '76 L and GTi are pretty good already so just a case of as and when stuff needs doing (it still adds up to a surprising amount though!) but will do it all myself. Finally the '80 GTi is waiting for inspiration but maybe a track car if the shell is salvageable.

I love working on the cars myself and there is a great pride in the finished product when done yourself. But at the same time I am pleased at not having lost the kind of money I would have done on building the '74 myself.

To answer the question, who cares as long as you enjoy your Mk1s!

Dubboy wrote

Many folks say they build it themselves, but in fact the body and paint (which is the large part of the work) is sub-contracted

There does seem to be a bit of a phobia when it comes to bodywork. I'm trying to do as much bodywork myself as possible, this includes welding and finishing. Ok, I'm never going to have the facilities of some bodyshops, although there are plenty of 'bodywork specialist' out there who are cowboys.

Had been thinking about having a 'proper' paint job in the future, but for mean time (when all welding is finished) will be spraying car myself. Did the lower door panels last year with good results (alpine white is probably one of the easier colours to get looking good). Hardest part is getting good finish when spraying, but any imperfections can be rectified with very fine wet'ndry, cutting compound and a lot of elbow grease. All this means I can go caning it done B-roads without getting to scared about stone chipping an expensive paint job   .

I brought my '83 cabriolet in may last year and the main attraction was the body work was pretty much imaculate and it had a respray (of sorts) not long before I brought it, although on closer inspection I've realised it was a very poor paint job, although it looks ok from a distance.    

I didn't even look at it mecanically to a great extent, hence since buying it it's had a lot of bits replaced, including steering rack, and most of the suspention, all done by me in my poky little garage mainly because I enjoy a challenge, and get immense satisfaction from putting it all back together again, and it working!

Most people I know who own one of these cars are mechanically minded so do a lot of the work themselves, but along with many other people most of them, including me, won't attempt body work as the skills involved in sorting out bodywork to a good standard are difficult to aquire and even harder to master!

Then on a simelar comments to some made above, other people I know would really love to work on the vehicle themselves, but don't either have the proper facilities or the skills necessary so feel more comfortable asking other people to do the work for them.

Personally, I will attempt anything mecanical myself, but bodywork is a big no go area for me.  Seems like a lot of people have simelar approaches to me.

to be honest, i dont care what kind of respect /credit i get for my car… shouldnt bother anyone else either!

dunno about every1  else but i dont fix up my cars for others…ive been building my 2.0 16v for myself and once its done, im gonna enjoy every miniute of it…

as for paying others to do the work, i dont think theres anything wrong with that either, some people just cant/havent got the knowledge to do this..im paying sum1 to do the conversion for me but all the knowledge is comming from wot i have gathered off the internet and from various friendly fellow show goers, therefore ive been helping out as much as possible for two reasons

1/ to keep the cost down
2/ to learn how its done/ how the car works

as dubboy says its much cheaper to buy a car already converted/restored as it saves a hell of a lot of money, ive seen some mint mk1 16vs on ebay going for cheap, would have saved me alot of time and money which is quickly running out

just cant beat the feeling of looking at the car and saying i made that!
 
even if had the money to throw at a garage and say paint this and put this engine in i prob would still help out as much as, all because its an interest…

i rate any1 who attempts bodywork as its so difficult and every time i try it always comes out looking like doggs mess!

but if credit does come into it, all credit to those who build cars themselves

As everyone says its what you can do with the knowledge you have. With my current project I could do the engine and get it running but I'd be learning as I go along, so I'm sending it to my mechanic who will get it running for me so I have a good starting point. I'll be doing all the bodywork and suspension, sorting the rust and some small welding here and there but for example my skills aren't up to welding I will get someone else to help. End of the day someone is trained to do the things I can't and until I know how to do it I feel happy letting someone do it for me.
I do believe if you buy someones project thats finished thats ok because someone wants to buy into the scene and give the person the money who is skilled to do a project start a new one.
I don't like the people that put 0% input into a project and just give it to a shop, thats a waste and credit isn't due.

All this means I can go caning it done B-roads without getting to scared about stone chipping an expensive paint job   .

I found my first stone chip since the car was finished - Right on the front panel between the grill and the bumper…
If I had payed over the odds for a show quality paint job - I would be too scared to drive it incase of chips etc. Where would be the fun in that!

I built my car to enjoy it, not to show it off. The fact that I have showed it (and won best Mk1 and best Watercooled at my local annual show…) Is not cos I want to show off - I love talking to people about my/their mk1. I have had so many people ask how did you do this or how do I get that to fit etc, this is what I enjoy, apart from giving it a good blast round the twisty bits!

i have done as much as i could to my car but am limited as i too have no garage but did for 6 months rent a work shop to get a friend to weld all the bad bits and strip down etc ready for the paint shop, i am lucky i have good friends who are willing to help me and are also into vw's as well but i must admit i have still spent a small fortune my GTI but its what i wanted for ME no one else.
BUT and its a big but here if i had lots of money available to spend on a car project like this i would send it off to be done by some one to MY spec and would over see its completion but save my self from the cold weather nagging wife, cuts all over my hands and the general 'lows' that make you want to sell half way through.

I have been restoring a MK1 GTI 1600 for about 7 years on and off !! believe it or not I have done almost everything that I can except the painting which I left to some monkeys, since then I lost interest in it , still not going to flog it though, probably end up stripping it again and getting it painted all over again. it does look ok but it is not as good as I would like it to be - suppose i have got caught in the perfection trap. I may well have to pay to get it finished in the end as we have got a sprog due in a month. Meanwhile I have bought a mk2 off of ebay because i cant drive my mk1.

mk1inbits

I do all my own paintwork , welding , electrical , mechanical , etc , etc .

I dont see why built or bought is so important ? After all the only reason i and all the other users are here on this site is because of the Golf MK1 . So if your Golf was bought  as it is or you have lovingly restored it bit by bit what does it matter ?

                 Lifes to short so just get out there and enjoy it .


Chudd…

G60RGE said

just cant beat the feeling of looking at the car and saying i made that!
 

Exactly the same reason I enjoy doing all my mechanics, as I enjoy the satisfaction of driving my car that I maintain!  Even if I could afford to pay a mecanic, I probably wouldn't.

AL_Mk1 said

All this means I can go caning it done B-roads without getting to scared about stone chipping an expensive paint job   .

I found my first stone chip since the car was finished - Right on the front panel between the grill and the bumper…
If I had payed over the odds for a show quality paint job - I would be too scared to drive it incase of chips etc. Where would be the fun in that!

I built my car to enjoy it, not to show it off. The fact that I have showed it (and won best Mk1 and best Watercooled at my local annual show…) Is not cos I want to show off - I love talking to people about my/their mk1. I have had so many people ask how did you do this or how do I get that to fit etc, this is what I enjoy, apart from giving it a good blast round the twisty bits!

That sums it up for me, bought or built were all into Mk1's and that is good enough for me 8)