Have you every gone cheap and regretted it?

Have you ever gone cheap, to save money and regretted it?
I have gone cheap in the past, never again. Never have time to do them two or three times.
I don't buy the most expensive, But I do my home work first !
Let's here the stories so, We all can learn form them!
One of mine was to buy a tci turbo 400 for my warmed over 502cid. It lasted one summer. I went to a 4L80e, with a Compushift Programer. It is the best thing I did for the Divco, as it weighs 4200 lbs

 

I did. I drilled my frame and welded some nuts in for a radiator support, I had some cheap bolts laying around I figured I'd use. Since there was no weight on them I figured they'd be fine. After mounting and unmounting 3 times, one of the cheap bolts decided it didn't want to come out and sheared off. Now I have to drill it out and see if I can retap the nut. Never again will I use chinese bolts/nuts!!

So for christmas my pop loaded my stocking with grade 8 nuts/bolts!!! Thanks Pop!

 

Once, she gave me the clap.

 

bought the cheapo 32 ford hinges from speedway. turned out they were CAST IRON! should have just shipped them back but I put them in and they broke the first time the door was slammed!

 

Seems like every time I try to save a buck, I get bit.... especially when I'm using junkyard parts. Sooner or later, I'm gonna hafta go get a new one to replace it, so now I'm out the cost of the junkyard part plus whatever it took to R&R it (by now I'm at 50-80% cost of a new one), plus whatever repairs/modifications needed after it was on the road + the cost of the new one that I should have gotten in the first place.

I re-did the rear suspension on my last 52 Chevy three times. Couple rounds on the clutch setup. Couple different radiators. Front brakes. And more that I'm choosing to forget. You think I'd never learn.

 

Boy, do I ever. I sent all my window trim chrome pieces to Canada for this GREAT deal, about 5 years ago. At the time I thought, well they are not perfect but for the money it'll do. (I don't have these thoughts any longer.)

Now, next to the AWESOME paint job, KILLER interior and PERFECTLY chromed everything else from Advanced Plating, the Canadian "chromed" window trim pieces look like SHIT.

I sure hope it doesn't rain alot next summer cuz my windows are going to be down ALOT

I have learned, pay the price the first time and have stuff done right, the first, and only time.

 

It all depends...
Things that might potentially kill me such as brakes, steering, suspension, ect, I will always get quality first and foremost.
Things like carpet, horns, ect... I will shop around and try to draw a happy medium on cheap and quality.

 

Do it right and never have to deal with it again is worth the extra $$$. And sometimes you get a good deal on quality stuff.

 

Yeah, one regrettable Saturday night in Tijuana.

Don't ask.

 

OLD EXPRESSION
" It only cost a nickel more to go first class".

You always pay for cheap........

 

What sucks is, when you do all the homework and pay all the $$ up front and still end up with shitty quality parts. I'm sure we've all dealt with that too.

 

I bought a Studie engine for my Studie and I didn't want to drive 25 miles to get a more expensive engine stand. I went to the local FLAPS and bought the best stand they sold rated at 750#. When I unloaded the engine off my truck and the full weight of my engine on the stand, it folded up with the engine nose down at a 45* angle.

The end result was I still had to drive 25 miles and the extra $30 for a stand rated at 1000# and the extra trip to borrow a engine hoist.

 

my dear ol' pappy always said...

cheap now is always expensive later...

a sign i saw at a shop said something to the effect of...

the sweet smell of low price is outlived by the sour taste of poor quality

 

I bought a 425 Olds for 400 bucks.

"Fresh rebuilt"- The fella sold the car it was supposed to be going into.

Riiight.

it was a blast for all 140 miles it made it. At least I have another 425 Core laying around now.

 

And don't even get me started on cheap paint jobs.....

 

I've bought so much crap on the ebay that wasn't right or wasn't what was suposed to be that i should of went ahead just bought new and saved money.

 

$225 for "regular" tires
+
$150 Krylon, thinner, tape, etc.
=
$375 for the worst "whitewalls" I've seen. I saw some on here make it work, not me...Never again! I just bought my Cokers and got them on this last week. So instead of the $700 I spent on Cokers, I've now got over $1,000 into tires.

(anyone looking for some 0 mileage 205/75/15 blackwalls???)

 

I built a 56 panhead chopper back in the early 70's and decided to save a few bucks on a front wheel,,,I thought the Hallcraft wheels were just too pricy,,,,

I was hauling down a back road when my thrifty purchase wheel with sealed bearings decided to lock up,,,,it wasn't pretty,,,,

My saving a few dollars ended up almost causing me to loose my right ankle and spend a solid year in a cast,,
I now have an ankle that has very limited movement,,,I got 9 screws and a couple of plates,,,but I still have it,,,

AND THE DAMN THING HURTS A LOT!

Saving a few bucks cost me close to $18,000 bucks and I didn't have any insurance,,,It took me a long time to pay off that debt.

I learned the hard way,,,,the cheap way can cost ya a lot more that cash. HRP

 

I re-built a 427 Chevy with a slightly tapered bore in the mid eighties.
The machine shop offered to knurl the pistons so I could cheap out on buying new oversize pistons and boring the block.
I had buyers remorse right after the motor went in the car.
Funny thing...that motor had good ring seal (no blue smoke) and those knurled pistions outlasted the bottom end which was done the right way!

 

more times than not
"you get what you pay for"

 

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100&#37;" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">More than once and always regreted it later somehow. Rags
</TD></TR><TR UNSELECTABLE="on" hb_tag="1"><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height=1 UNSELECTABLE="on">
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

going cheap is like buying a 4 door when you really want a 2 door

 

People REALLY try that?

 

I bought a set of "rebuilt" double hump sbc heads at Super Chevy Indy a few years back. The guy that sold them was a cool old dude with white hair and blue jean overalls and he had several sets of "rebuilt" heads.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. I thought I knew what I was looking for so I went ahead and bought them only to find out later they had a hairline crack that sprayed water out one side upon first firing. Also, after pulling them back off and looking a little closer, the valve guides were SHOT! Definitely should have known better. I didn't look at them that closely because the guy LOOKED trustworthy. Haven's seen him back at any of the shows since, but I bet he made good money that one year.

I then bought some brand new bare Dart Sportsmans and put together a good set...

 

I recently replaced my thermostat on a 283. I tried to get a high flow Stant but Napa didn't have it on hand so i went to a local speed shop that carried Mr. Gasket brand in a high flow,and not cheap at 11.99.

Well it worked for a couple thousand miles then I started having higher than normal temps. Thought it was my gauge and replaced it. I'm thinking the new thermostat is good..right ?

Finally pulled the new thermostat and checked it on the stove twice... it was a 180 degree and wouldn't fully open till 220.
I even checked it before I installed it on the stove and it opened at 180.
Checked the package...Made in China

No more china stuff for me, even if it has a good USA brand name.
I replace it with a Stant that was made in the good old USA in Tenn. and it was $6.00.

 

Wife number 2

 

So, does that mean your on wife #3 now.....cuz I really like her.

 

You get what you pay for.

 

Ha, dont feel bad i have two sets here that are only good for boat anchors
that good old boy's sold me!

 

There's an old saying that goes something like: "If you don't have the time(money) to do it right the first time, then how are you going to find the time(money) to do it a second time?"