What is the definition of a project car?

"CobraJoe" (cobrajoe) 07/26/2016 at 11:08 • Filed to: None

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I’ve been binging on back episodes of Roadkill, and it’s got me wondering: What is the real definition of a project car?

I mean, I have done quite a bit of work on my 2005 Legacy GT, but I wouldn’t consider it a project car. Everything I replaced was with something that was either a stock type replacement or wasn’t critical to the vehicle’s operation.

Now, my ‘88 Thunderbird (which is for sale if anyone is interested), that’s a project car. I’ve had the engine torn down the block and rotating assembly, the AC system torn apart, the tank out twice (always with too much gas in the tank), the springs replaced with Mustang springs, and dabbled in nearly every other system in the vehicle.

So, what’s the definition of a Project Car? I say it must have the element of the unknown, accomplished by your own hand, and the possibility of it never driving again.

Bolt ons specific to your vehicle? Not a project because you are pretty sure they’ll work.
Paying a pro for a tune? Not a project because you’re not doing it.
Building a custom grill? Debatable... You’re doing it and you’re not really sure how it will turn out, but you could always drive it without the grill.
Major driveline component swap? Absolutely a project car.

So, what say ye? Is your definition different?

fourvalleys > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:11

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Is it a car you bought with plans to repair/significantly modify it yourself? It’s a project car.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:13

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Any car you can’t trust to jump in and 500 miles with no worries is a project car.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:14

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Project: a government-subsidized housing development with relatively low rents

Project car:

In all seriousness, to me a project car is a car that is not your daily that you do the work on yourself. Whether that’s just bolt-ons or drivetrain swaps.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:16

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Anything you bought specifically to tinker on, whether it be modifying, restoring, upgrading etc.

Eg, my truck is my DD. I have many plans for improving it, and while it IS a “work in progress”, it isn’t a project vehicle.

CobraJoe > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 07/26/2016 at 11:18

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I don’t know, I’d happily set out on a 500 mile roadtrip in my Thunderbird, and the only stock parts in the drivetrain are pistons, connecting rods, crank, and rear axle.

Though I would bring some tools, just in case.

Urambo Tauro > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:19

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When I hear the phrase “project car”, I immediately imagine a car that spends all of its time in the garage. So, it either stops being a project car when the work is done, or the scope of work is just so massive that it never seems to get finished.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:23

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So not worry free, I’ll jump in damn near anything for a 500 mile run with a full set of tools, a cellphone and prepaired to rent a a uhaul and trailer. Worry free is where I draw the project line.

CobraJoe > Urambo Tauro 07/26/2016 at 11:29

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But that takes half the fun out of it, being able to drive a car that’s incomplete is one of the most fun things about owning a project car.

CobraJoe > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 07/26/2016 at 11:29

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So, intent is everything?

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 07/26/2016 at 11:30

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That makes my Mini a project car. Though it’s more because I haven’t tried any long trips yet so I don’t know if I trust it yet.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 07/26/2016 at 11:32

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Has it given you reason not to trust it?

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:32

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I would say a project car is any car that you deem to be ‘a project’. Something where you have a definite start point, and an end point that is significantly different from where it started (that may or may not be defined when you start).

Could be done entirely by you or by a ‘shop, performance oriented or purely cosmetic doesn’t matter what it is.

CobraJoe > fourvalleys 07/26/2016 at 11:34

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I’ve had plans for several of the cars I’ve owned, but with very little actual modifications done. Plans without the action is like the guy who brags about the engine he’s going to swap in someday.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 07/26/2016 at 11:35

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Squeaky idler pully, a negative battery connector that refuses to stay connected to the battery when the car starts. It’s all being addressed on friday at which point it has to be ready to do the 250mi to school in the fall.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:42

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Pretty much.

CobraJoe > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 07/26/2016 at 11:44

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But if you have a shop do it, it’s not really your project is it? Granted, I’m not sure what else to call it, but I feel like you have to do some of the work to make it yours.

fourvalleys > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:44

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I agree. My thought is more that it’s something broken that you either fix or live with. It should read more like this:

It’s a car you bought with plans to repair OR it’s a car you bought that you significantly modify yourself (not just plan to).

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 07/26/2016 at 11:45

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Yup project car, by the way vice grips wrapped in socks make a great temporary battery connection fix.

Urambo Tauro > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:48

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Ok, maybe not ALL of its time in the garage. Test drives are part of wrenching, too.

Justin Hughes > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:49

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I debate whether my BRZ is a project car or not. I have not, nor intend to, do anything particularly wild with it. I’ve done most of the mods on it myself (K40 and Boomer Nashua installed the RL360i for me for a review), but that’s just wheels, tires, axle back exhaust, and such. It’s not like I’ve dropped an AWD STi drivetrain in or anything.

I recently finished building one good Suzuki Savage out of two that each needed help. I’d call that a project, but not a restoration. It mainly involved swapping all of the good parts onto one bike and installing a new battery. But I did all the work with my own two hands, including things I’ve never done before. I feel pretty good about that.

CobraJoe > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 07/26/2016 at 11:51

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Well, I did drive it 150 miles about a month ago without a thought to tools or emergency repairs. It’s pretty darn solid and has been ever since I figured out the overheating coil (The reason the PO was selling it, he couldn’t figure the problem out).

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:52

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Any car that I own.

fennelbreath > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 11:52

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1. Something that you’re working on more than you’re driving it.

2. Something you have long-term goals for, and you’re content knowing it’ll take a while.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 12:01

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How about a once-crashed Corvette now made up of three Corvettes and hasn’t been on the road for 10 years?

CobraJoe > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 07/26/2016 at 12:08

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Absolutely fits my criteria. Especially the part where “it may never drive again”.

Pickup_man > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 12:17

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My definition is a car that was bought with the specific intention to work on the car, not simply drive it, and you have at least a vague idea of an end goal.

citizennick > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 12:17

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If my car isn’t a project I wonder what definition it falls under. Maybe “guinea pig”.

Rykilla303 > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 12:25

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Anything where you go beyond just normal maintenance. It can be as much or as little involved as you like.

PorkchoPlissken > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 12:30

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For me, at least at the moment, my DD and project are the same car. And I like it that way. At almost 30 years old, I’m always working on something and have a goal in mind, but I have to drive it every day. And that’s part of the motivation to make progress.

BigBlock440 > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 12:37

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Like others have said, it’s a car you bought with the intention of working on. Or you bought it and later decided to significantly modify it could also be considered, but the working on it thing is key. You use it to take up your free time, you work on it because you want to, not because you have to.

Needmoargarage > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 13:02

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In my definition and experience, it’s one you can’t simply ignore and drive mindlessly. Could be old, could be new, could be a full restoration or just work here and there. Most project cars I’ve had are fairly unreliable and spend most of their time disassembled but make up for it with the driving experience when they run.

Die-Trying > CobraJoe 07/26/2016 at 17:30

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anything that you are actively working on to improve....... whether that involves hiring a pro for work that you are not able to do yourself, doesnt matter....... earning the money to cut a check counts....... the more hands on you are though, the more legit........

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > CobraJoe 07/27/2016 at 04:50

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I’d say it’s still your project, you just didn’t do the work on it.

Think of it like a chap getting builders in to build his house. It’s still his project, even if he didn’t lay any bricks.

Granted, I'm much more impressed the more work a person does themselves, but I think that's different to whether it's a project or not.

CobraJoe > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 07/27/2016 at 11:12

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I’m still not sold.

Though it’s made me add something to my definition to clarify it: You need to sacrifice for it to be a project car. Time, energy, convience, money... Without the sacrifice it’s a not really a project.

Yes, someone paying to “remodel” their car is sacrificing money, but little else. There’s no frustration in trying to get it to work right, no learning proper procedures, no giving up and doing it an easier way, no sacrificing a little bit of safety just to get it to drive around the block once.... Those all sound like avoidable pains, but that’s part of the project car, what you change on it and how it changes you. Plus, it can make for some great stories.

Now, I have nothing against people who pay to have their car built. I know sometimes you just can’t afford the time or trust your abilities to make the car in the way you want it (or safe), but it’s just not the same.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > CobraJoe 07/27/2016 at 11:40

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Oh I absolutely agree that it’s not the same, but I wouldn’t take it being ‘their project’ away from someone who didn’t work on it themselves.

It was still their idea.

I suppose that’s where the distinction lies. If the project in question is their vision, then it’s their project regardless of what methods it takes to get it done.

If they just hand a car over to a ‘shop with a wad of cash and say ‘make this cool’ then it’s not their project.

Chairman Kaga > CobraJoe 09/13/2017 at 12:03

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I think it could be any of the above, but the moment you say “I’m finished” and truly never do any work other than maintenance or basic repairs, it’s not a project car.

No matter how well I get the Alfa running, I’ll always maintain its project status because there’s ALWAYS something to do. My “Someday I’ll get around to...” list is lifetime-long.

EmersonCox > CobraJoe 02/15/2018 at 16:45

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That God I found this, I’ve been tryna explain to my dad that fixing a car that I found on Craigslist is not a project car. He says, you can’t have a project car until your out of this house. He also says, if it takes longer than over night, then it’s a project car.

CobraJoe > EmersonCox 02/15/2018 at 16:57

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Good news! You can still have a project car under you’re dad’s definition. Just get one that already runs and drives fairly reliably. That was my strategy for a long time until I finally got my own garage.

There are lots of things you can fix on a car while still using it to commute, just don’t get into any of the crazy swaps or repairs that would require more than about 8 hours of down time (because it always takes longer than you expect).