Does time = money?

[KarlVP]

How many of you (primarily the Jeep YJ/TJ crowd) Would rather buy a "bolt on" acessory instead of making it yourself.

Myself, I don't have a shop. When I do want to work on my rig, I have to use someone else's place, thier tools etc... With My TJ there are too many bolt on mods that actually work, but to me, well worth the money. I don't want to inconvienance the shop owner(s) by having my junk taking up space in thier shop while I am fiddling with things. I can just buy a kit and slap it on in a day or two.

Case in point. When I did my 8.8 install, I could have spent all day making brackets for the suspension links. Instead, I just bougt a kit from M.O.R.E. and modified it to my liking. This saved me a whole day of fabrication, but cost me $300. We got the whole axle installed in a day. This includes the r&p steup with locker and such.

But on the other hand, this takes some of the personalization out of things. Plus, everyone and thier brother can buy this stuff, half ass slapping it on, and go wheeling while looking good doing it.

What's your take, spend the time and effort to make a custom "one off" rig. Or buy the kit and go wheeling tomorrow?

 

[CrustyJeep]

I build pretty much everything lately, and do all my own wrenching/rebuilding/wiring/whatevering.

Exceptions for parts would be d-ring/tow points, leaf spring pads, caliper stands, tube adapters, that sort of thing. The stuff I can't build, like hydraulic hoses, I have custom made rather than settling for some pre-made doesn't-quite-fit thing.

Exceptions for work are stuff that my welder can't handle, or that my press can't handle, or that requires machining. Stuff like splining shafts, retubing axle housings, etc., I won't be able to handle any time soon.

I may out source a cage. I'd rather do my own, but the learning curve for serious tube work is gonna be steep and I've barely started it.

One major annoyance I've had, is when you buy a weld-on part (leaf spring pads, for example), WHY THE FAWK do they paint them, or worse yet, powder coat them??? The only reason for me to buy them is that they're too time consuming to make vs. buying, but they force you to waste time grinding off brand new paint

I've built up a pretty decent set of tools and fab equipment over the last couple years. I started out with nothing but a set of metric hand tools left over from my pro wrench monkey days. I couldn't fab anything. That SUCKED SEVERE ASS, since I had enough fab experience to know for sure I wanted to do it. I don't see how anybody can be in this sport without doing at least some fab work, I would be suicidal.

 

[JOOP]

Well it depends on the project. I like building stuff, but if I dont have the proper tool's I'll buy a bolt on.

 

[CrustyJeep]

That's when I usually buy another tool

 

[Jaydog]

It depends what I have more of when I do the project, Like now, I am needing sliders, but the bolt on's are around $350, and they will cost me around $35 to build them myself, so I will do them myself, because at the moment I have more time than money, If I was loaded, then I would just buy them.

 

[JOOP]

That's when I usually buy another tool

x2 :redneck:

 

[PORTER]

I used to actually enjoy building rigs, but my very busy lifestlye leaves me no time other that getting behind the wheel. Since my time is more valuable to me if I need something built I take it to S&N, or Those Guys.

 

[Freeride]

I enjoy building stuff myself and foolishly deceive myself into thinking that I'm saving money. The reality is, by the time I buy the tools, and screw up some material in the learning process, plus spend my time and gas running around, it's almost always cheaper to buy a bolt-on, or pay a shop to do it. But then I wouldn't learn anything, have any tools, or have the satisfaction of knowing I built it myself.

 

[boxboy]

I enjoy building stuff but I will buy pre cut brackets and have shops build different parts for me. But I have found that even if you buy an off the shelf kit unless you keep all the oem parts like axles tranny's, and so on you end up having to fab something to make everything work together.

 

[Wildman1]

How many of you (primarily the Jeep YJ/TJ crowd) Would rather buy a "bolt on" acessory instead of making it yourself.

Myself, I don't have a shop. When I do want to work on my rig, I have to use someone else's place, thier tools etc... With My TJ there are too many bolt on mods that actually work, but to me, well worth the money. I don't want to inconvienance the shop owner(s) by having my junk taking up space in thier shop while I am fiddling with things. I can just buy a kit and slap it on in a day or two.

Case in point. When I did my 8.8 install, I could have spent all day making brackets for the suspension links. Instead, I just bougt a kit from M.O.R.E. and modified it to my liking. This saved me a whole day of fabrication, but cost me $300. We got the whole axle installed in a day. This includes the r&p steup with locker and such.

But on the other hand, this takes some of the personalization out of things. Plus, everyone and thier brother can buy this stuff, half ass slapping it on, and go wheeling while looking good doing it.

What's your take, spend the time and effort to make a custom "one off" rig. Or buy the kit and go wheeling tomorrow?

Well after doing all the work I have done to my Jeep I would have to say both.
I bought a lot of bolt on parts but then also had to fabricate a bunch more during my buildup. Would I do it again? Sure. Would I do anything different? Maybe. Am I happy with my rig? Yes.

Now I always try and compair things as far as how much it would cost me to buy it or fab it myself. If I can buy it for less or close to the same then I will buy it. Somethings it just plain feels better to do yourself. But like my cage I wanted it done by someone who is a better welder than me.

 

[03 CON]

For over 20 years I did probably 85-90% of my own junk stuff, for the last 4-5 years I am probably down to 20-30%....
I understand what is being done, but work at this point in my life has made my time off to enjoy the "fruits of my labor" important to me.
On the up side, my junk seems to be more reliable then when I was using almost all salvaged "junk" stuff.
I understand more the risks and costs of being stupid, not that I do it any less, I just understand it more now.
The biggest thing is that I have reached a point that the only one I have to prove anything to is myself. Some days I have to prove to myself that I can be stupid, some days I can live with the fact that I already know I am stupid without proving it again....

 

[H3RESQ]

I think it all comes down to "you wheel what you can"
You have to spend both time and money to have a rig. The question is how much time does it take to make the amount of money u need to build or buy your rig. It takes less of your time to make $ if you Fab everything but Fabing everything gives you less time to make $. go figure.
I think either way is great as long as you get out and enjoy your rig. I'd rather spend $ than time myself.

 

[crash2]

I have gotten to the point of my experiance to buy certain items that just are not worth my time to build---cheaper to buy them...

 

[JPFREAK]

I definitely enjoy the process of fabrication.

It takes time and money(tools, materials, shop space), but for me its worth it.


I think back to the days when I was stuck with what a shop could do, or some bolt on wiget........ I can't count the times I was disapionted with the results.

 

[99redtj]

that depends on the part. i just build a bell up skid for my tj with the help of my buddy. during this mod i came to conclusion that i had to do something for my rear shocks. my buddy wanted to make new brackets because i have plenty of 1/4 plate. i almost bought bolt on extenterds but bought the weld on brackets instead $31 . we both agreed that was money well spent because it would have took about 4 hours to make the brackets with the tools we had. and it gave more time to spend on getting something to work for my tc linkage.
my bellup skid alone only cost me $20 dollars .

 

[SCOOTER1]

I have gotten to the point of my experiance to buy certain items that just are not worth my time to build---cheaper to buy them...

Amen....I have seen someone take a couple hours to build some stupid lil part ..Later to tell them .."Hey ya know, I know where to get those for like 12 bucks....''

 

[Comet]

I enjoy building stuff, and I can't help with tinkering with stuff I buy either. I seem to always think of something I like better and tinker with it. Having said that, I've been working a ton of overtime lately and that leaves very little time to work on my junk. So with the extra $, I'm just about at the point of where I'm saying fawk it and take it to someone to do a few bigger/time consuming things I need to get out of the way.

 

[AMJ]

I have gotten to the point of my experiance to buy certain items that just are not worth my time to build---cheaper to buy them...

:cheer: :cheer: Exactly.

Even when you do buy off the shelf items a certain touch is still needed to make them work correctly.

 

[binderbound]

You guys have it so easy!there is nothing bolt on for early scouts except crappy jeep lift springs that can't hold the weight.

Everything on my rig I built or did myself except drilling the knuckle for hi steer and making the actual hi steer arms.just some stuff that I would much rather buy.drive shafts,hi steer arms,pre-built ram set up,shifter knobs,etc...

Sometimes I don't think its fair when sombody can run out and buy a coil over kit and bolt it on in a day,where it would take me weeks to build the same thing for my rig.but nothing I can do about that.

there is a certain level of responsibility to building your own parts.when your rig falls apart on the trail,you got no one to blame but yourself!

 

[Dirtball]

well as anyone who has seen my rig knows, i like to keep everything completly stock. no special "one off" mods. everything has to be "off the shelf"......... no wait? there isnt anything "off the shelf" for mine, what was i thinking????? never mind.....