we are once again at full capacity, here are the old fuel tanks, we have to cut them open for the steel man to take them………I used to cherish every one of those….now it becomes more evident to me than ever doing away with a critically recognized bad idea just had to happen.
But that’s nor the weeds I was talking about but in the past it was the part of this business that literally almost killed me and something I promised those that helped me not die I would not do again. Please, this is a tough subject but one that seems to creep into everything we always want to do for fun but this always sneaks in and somehow taints the fun thing………don’t shoot, I’m the messenger but a messenger with a purpose:
It is always and I mean ALWAYS a mistake trying to hurry any involved project, it always leads to some failure! How can we not intertwine time into everything we do…….its everywhere but is that a good reason just cause I’m that way on everything? I’m really trying to be delicate but asking someone doing a pretty involved project when will it be done is kinda like asking a flower when is that bloom going to happen……..its the same people the painting on the church had.
Everyone has a motivation to get something done fast but when the decision is made to spend more money on speed than quality someone is not going to be happy.
Its said “it’s all about the money” and it sucks but it’s true. We have an amount of time, manpower and materials to put into a project that is fair………that work has to have the proper amount of time, quality and money put into it for the project to work……think about it really, a business cannot roll the dice to win or loose or they WILL LOOSE. A customer would be stupid to play odds like that so don’t squeeze anywhere……..it’s like a ball on, squeeze on one side the other will expand…..there’s so much that goes into a project and I will not sacrifice quality for speed.
No one can predict how long it will take to remove 14 rusted grade 8 screws rusted into a hollow extruded hi tensile strength aluminum beam…..and that time and the quality of that job directly relates to how much MORE labor and quality will go back into the job! Rushing that is a mistake to hit a predetermined timetable.
We always go into projects like this with a budget and a timetable………reroof your house…..hidden wood damage will be extra……that’s a 20 year old roof that now leaks and there has been damage…….your motorhome is over 40 years old and NO ONE has ever renewed a seam! So how long will that take to fix? How much will that cost? Your Honor, I rest my case and this is only 1 phase of trying to stop wakerleaks as an example…..on a 45 year old bucket that’s never been fixed……So now the “please don’t get mad at me the messenger” comes in…….
My doctors, my wife and both sons and everyone around me are all collectively yelling at me to “take it easy, slow down, relax a little, we want you to stick around”. Ok then, as I know I have and will continue to discuss one of the first things when you bring a project to me………now here it comes……. please act like you don’t even own this motorhome….make no plans for its completion or expectations until its done. Male no plans, I cannot offer a delivery date. My chrystall ball never has worked….no ones does ….any timetable is a guess that cannot be used to make any plan. If we both understand this we will make you a dream machine…..if not we cannot begin. ”
Unless its an oil change or an off the road emergency which in Florida is another big possibility I also cannot predict and absorb that labor. There are only so many of us…….bout now some of you may really be getting upset, please read on…….. I would do the same for you….u are headed to Disney for 5 days of the happiest place on earth and you loose brakes……..I’m going to help that man…….I’m going to pull a man maybe off of your project and I’m going to get those folks to Disney. I’m going to put that man right back on the job he was on……..not another project that’s trying to deliver on a date that coensides with a wedding and he will keep his head in the work he is doing! Period, end of discussion!
I have a delivery today…quite seriously an oil change, lube and check freon. It will go out today. We have no less than 7 projects in house and each one of them in a “Q” is being restored, rebuilt, welded, painted, upholstered or whatever all day. When will one of them be done….I swear I’m not trying to be rude, cute, authoritarian or whatever….I’m not playing politics or a physics puzzle….I don’t know! If I have to stop the project I’m doing….make it take longer……to find out what’s going on and glue the crystal ball back together for another optimistic but probably wrong prognostication….. Why am I’d doing this…its all wrong……
And ill tell you it’s what put me and a million other people put into an impossible question. I made a promise to get off the squirrel exerciser……..please, just don’t make any plans for you or your coach..Take this machine out of your lineup of gun things you want to play with until YOU literally have it IN your hands and YOU have done enough shakedown you feel comfortable.
The capitalized words were on purpose……….I can’t tell you if looking at every project this way would work but restoring or doing anything for that matter with any machine of this age simply cannot be looked at like doing a brake job on a Toyota……all these are things we have all heard and said ourselves before but when the rubber meets the road…..when something happens no one figured on having to do with a really old piece of equipment there is one reason that happened…..as the Boy Scout motto says “Be Prepared”. If you do not prepare……..having to do with replying on a GMC….that was your SECOND mistake…your first one was even getting the thing!
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A MECHANIC TO OWN ONE OF THESE but you coach DOES need to be up for the task and TOU need to take responsibility that you bought the thing you you need to know what to do when there is trouble!
Dang…2 soap boxes in one day! No, let me not subject you or me to that bit let me say to deliveries, please stop the pressure…..my doctor says stop……I never made a delivery when we started any any timing we have give after that has always been predicated on so much trying to force a date you can cram this freshly screwed with motorhome back into your crazy lifestyle………no, we just can’t do that. I have some folks actually flying in from the UK soon. Worried their coach will not be “done”. Spoiler alert….it won’t…..it will NEVER be done but you will enjoy your time in it when you get here…..provided you don’t worry about the ladder being powder coated or the furnace we’re searching for suitable ducts……hey, ITS summer in Florida! We DID get his headlights and wheel liners back in
Guys, we all need to roll with this sort of work like this. It too 26 years but it came close to killing me, want God to let me finish the projects I’ve started! And there are a few!
A moratorium today on calling to ask when a coach will be done today please. Because this freak has taken $14,000 from my bank account……..oh yeah, I’m not supposed to talk about that, rent was die yesterday, Phillip has his daughter this weekend…..and all the other very important things that are happening in all of our lives every day………….I can tell you we are as the Cub Scouts motto says “Do Your Best, every day.
Next week is a new one, we have several coaches do close to ready to go out and the guys are working hard on them………..
If I have missed off, offended, irritated or done anything else to have you feel anything thanwarm and fuzzy that we’re hard bringing your dreams come true I’m sorry…….that’s no my intention, I want your experience with us and your coach to be a good one so lets focus on that………….see ya tomorrow
