Poll Body vs Mechanical work

[pfrederi 18,669]

So which do you prefer to do.

[stevasaurus 23,277]

Good poll.  I hate body work.  I can never leave it alone, I can't stop playing with it, I always have to touch it before it is dry, and I hate sanding.  I would rather change out a kitchen faucet and I hate plumbing.    My blood pressure is up just typing this response.

[Tuneup 1,452]

stevasaurus - agreed on all points. I love to make 'em run and get kudos from the neighbors - which is how I got a free Horse to begin with. This one will be the first project to be cleaned and painted. Should be interesting.

My cousin is the all-in type. Makes them better than new. Restored Mustang Cobra serial #1 - was t-boned and he swapped the frame with a similar year. Talks about how it took a week just to polish the hood. Can only touch it with a diaper. 1930s Allis Chalmers family tractor for which the paint overspray put him in the hospital (was worth it).

Me? Happy to change a bearing, tune it to perfection but bangin' on sheet metal and spraying paint - not.

[Lagersolut 742]

I'll take a wrench/ratchet over the sandpaper and fumes any day of the week.

[rmaynard 16,293]

I have to agree with you Steve. When you tighten a bolt, you know it's tight. I don't know how many times I've left a finger print in uncured paint, or sanded a little too much on an edge. Although most of the time my end results look like I know what I'm doing, I am just too impatient to be a good body and paint man.
 

Good poll.  I hate body work.  I can never leave it alone, I can't stop playing with it, I always have to touch it before it is dry, and I hate sanding...

[rog 8811 33]

I have just added to the mechanical work percentage for all of the same reasons above.
I love to tinker and get it running but after that it becomes a pice of working kit. About the only one I have ever gone the whole hog with is the jeep build in my avater, I had to paint that and it looked great when it was done, I did not enjoy that part of the build any where near as much as the cutting/welding/machining.

[953 nut 59,940]

All you need do is take a quick look at a few of my good running  twenty footers to realize that I am much better at wrenching than hammer and dolly work!   

[Wishin4a416 2,191]

I guess I'm the odd one out. I'd rather blast and paint.

[tunahead72 2,543]

Definitely mechanical work.  I'm not that good at it, but I can usually figure things out (especially with help from RedSquare), and I usually know when to stop.

That's definitely not true of body work.  I'm so anal, nothing would ever get finished.  I get frustrated trying to get JBWeld to do what I want.

[stevasaurus 23,277]

Jack,I knew there was a reason we hit it off at the show, and I also knew somebody was going to mess up this poll.  I have always told my side job partner..."I love people that love to paint and people that love to do plumbing".  And don't let RMaynard kid you...his restorations are Top Notch.  That can't touch it without a diaper comment is outstanding. 

Edited August 5, 2015 by stevasaurus

[tunahead72 2,543]

...  And don't let RMaynard kid you...his restorations are Top Notch...

Yeah, it's a shame he doesn't enjoy it.

[KC9KAS 4,744]

The only body work I do is with the ladies!

[stevasaurus 23,277]

The only body work I do is with the ladies!

See, I know what you are saying... I can never leave it alone, I can't stop playing with it, I always have to touch it before it is dry, and I hate sanding.   I hope this does not ruin the thread. 

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,362]

I have to agree with you Steve. When you tighten a bolt, you know it's tight. I don't know how many times I've left a finger print in uncured paint, or sanded a little too much on an edge. Although most of the time my end results look like I know what I'm doing, I am just too impatient to be a good body and paint man.
 

Good poll.  I hate body work.  I can never leave it alone, I can't stop playing with it, I always have to touch it before it is dry, and I hate sanding...

 

I agree with Steve. I love pulling a wrench . Give 70% mechanical , 10 % body work and 20 % reading the forum so I can learn more.

The only body work I do is with the ladies!

I wish, I am too tired, been there and I am too old in body not in spirit.

[squonk 43,806]

I'm lazy. I leave the dents in. Adds character. Just got home from the steam show and all the Farmalls have dents. I got turned off to body work in college. Saw a guy sit on a running body grinder! When ever I buy paint, the dude mixing it always adds the runs to the paint to make sure I have enough. At least with mechanical work, if you have problems you can blame it on the metric system. And if your working on a MG, you can curse George Lucas

[Tankman 3,523]

A bit of both, 1st mechanical, if it doesn't work right why make it look right?

A good lookin' Horse that isn't runnin' great is a waste.

[oliver2-44 10,712]

I like both! (but I'm not an expert at either)
 like to make everything work and fit just right!
Then I equally like to blast sand & paint, I just wish I knew more to move from the Rustoleum to the automotive paints 
After a  hectic day at work i can sit and sand furniture or tractor parts all evening long!

[prondzy 3,889]

Love building a smooth running kohler!

[dclarke 4,082]

Steve, I'm with you and Bob on this one, I'm not very good at body work and hate sanding plus I'm just not set up to paint and that makes it a real hassle to get anything done. 

[JPWH 6,358]

I enjoy bodywork. It's the painting I struggle with. I don't know enough about motors nor do I have all the special tools needed to do a rebuild but it's the most enjoyable part for me because that means I'm spending quality time with my son and grandkids usually for a weekend.

[Jake Kuhn 1,579]

I like them both just as much. I'm lucky and have good access to tools to do body work so that probably is why I don't mind doing it, I like going through the transmissions and motors on my tractors too, guess I would say I like both of them pretty much the same.

[Pullstart 66,712]

Sounds like this world needs more body people!  Now, if only I could find one...

[Coadster32 793]

I agree with you Steve. I can't leave well enough alone, and end up messing body work up trying to be too perfect. When a bolt is tight, I put the wrench down...easy enough.

[pfrederi 18,669]

All of my horses have assigned tasks.  Some are not used very often but other than the snowblower/plow machines they get dirty working.  Can't see much point in glistening paint covered with dust/grass.  Besides I do not have the patience for body work, there is always more sanding needed, runs to be fixed, or bugs landing in the wet paint...

[stevasaurus 23,277]

I have done a lot of Bondo and Fiberglass through the years, and sometimes it looks pretty good...thank God for spot putty (easy to sand).  My problem with that stuff, is trying to get the right amount of hardener...you want some time to work with it, but you want it to set up and be sand-able in a couple of hours.  I've had the stuff set up in a couple of minutes...all the way to 3 days later (still tacky).  You want to take a couple of Viagra and grind them up and mix them into the paste.  You sprinkle that stuff on the potatoes in your pantry and they will stay hard for 2 years.     No...give me the wrenches and a can of Sea Foam. 

Edited August 6, 2015 by stevasaurus