Fitzee’s Fab the Flip Side just posted a very interesting video aimed at the true hobbyist. “Do it Right” and the various real world implications of this... Now I know skill level, income, time allowances, etc. all very amongst us but it is well worth viewing! Has our “hobby” gotten out of control for the average person?
That’s the one! His point I believe is that you should do the best you can and be proud... not everything has to be of AMBR or Riddler Award quality.
I have watched some of his videos and he has taught me that I can weld in patch panels like him. Although the quality is definitely not the same as his. But at least I am moving forward after his ideas. I try and do things correctly-may not be the best quality due to my skill level but I at least try and get them done correctly.
Do your best with the abilities and resources you have available. Be happy and enjoy your accomplishments. But save your self some grief, don't show it here. The self appointed "experts" here will always tear it apart.
There's a give-and-take when it comes to posting your work publicly, and while the feedback can range from effusive praise to harsh criticism, you have to be prepared to take whatever comes your way. That's not to be taken as an endorsement of either extreme, but honest feedback, taken with a dose of humility and the willingness to learn and improve, is never a bad thing IMHO. I have watched many Fitzee's Fab videos, and learned some things along the way, but rarely check out his Flip Side channel. He's very relatable and the focus is always about the work, not himself, which is always appreciated. Stick around...
I can appreciate what he's saying. I was watching a YouTube video from someone a while back and they were doing some metalwork on a pre-war car. They said the only way to do it was TIG welding and everyone should do it that way. I commented that I'm a good MIG welder but have never picked up a TIG torch, what should I do? I'm building one car. Their answer was to get the TIG equipment and practice until I have the confidence to do the metalwork I need to. Sure, that's the right way to do it. However, if I'm building one car and can get it on the road much sooner by using the technique I know how, that's what makes more sense to me. Luckily, there are tons of videos on how to do it by MIG. Do I want to learn TIG? Absolutely. Do I have to do it that way to finish the car? Nope. Doing it the way you can to make an end product that satisfies YOU, the owner and end user, is what it's about. Fitzee hits it on the head. If you're doing it as a hobby, do it in a way that makes YOU happy. It's a hobby, you're doing it to enjoy and have fun. A quote I saw recently said "People will only see the choices you made, not the choices you had." An old guy once chastised me at a show because my 46 wasn't restored and I "ruined it". He wasn't there when I was building it and didn't see the discarded shell I started with. Do what makes you happy, it's a car.
I watched the guys video before I posted my 1st response. What the guy said makes perfect sense to me, not disagreeing with him in the least. I probably won't watch any of his other videos, he and I sound like we are close to being on the same page. I am now retired from the building experiences. I've also been on the HAMB for more then 23 years. I've watched the place change from being a place where offering encouraging words was normal to mostly being a place where many are critical of how people built their own hot rods. Too many guys around here these days think that "building it right" only means building them the way they think they should be built. Having watched what and how they say things, I suspect most of those "experts" have never completed a car, ever. I stand by my statements.
I plan on having a sign to display with my car: “ If you see something you don’t like send cheque to the following address (cxxxxx) or phuque oph”!
The key is to not give a shit what other people think, I build cars because I enjoy them, not to sell or impress other people.
FYI, Fitzee is a member here and used to post on threads. If you look at some older threads you'll see his posts.
I will admit there was a time I stalled building stuff because I was mad it wasn’t perfect, once I stopped worrying about it it’s been way more fun
There is a term “Project Paralysis“ where the fear of getting started or being able to do something perfect stands in the way of ever getting anything done. I tend to be anal about how I want things done and my friends often make fun of me as a result. I’ve learned over the years sometime you just have to get started and make revisions as you go along. Perfection comes from experience and you can’t get experience by just thinking about something. To each there are various levels of perfection but at the end of the day the only one that has to be happy is yourself.
The Jalopy Journal
