Restoration insanity

[cj847]

I am starting this thread to hopefully get input from others with experience. I am going to list some common 'errors' that people make when restoring vehicles. Of course, it will be riddled with opinions, which is OK.
So, I will start:

1) Buying glue on door seal sets (vs push on). When you include the cost of glue, they are within $5 of each other. At least 80% of folks can't successfully glue them to the cab anyway.

2) Buying all your parts at the start of the project. See facebook and craigslist, "Truck project for sale, includes sheet metal, rubber, wire harness etc". Point is, don't get in over your head.

3) Building your engine first. Why have 5-20k invested in an engine that is going to sit for 2 years while you build the truck?

4) Sheet metal pieces. The aftermarket is flush with components for our trucks. Why replace an inner and outer door bottom when you can buy a whole door shell. I get the fitment arguments people make, but fitment and warpage due to huge lengths of weld seams is just as bad.

5) Depending on a friend or relative. Don't do it. Noone wants to work on your junk more than a day or two. If you can't do it yourself, budget for a professional.