the little things...

Steve Jobs once said “We’ve got to make the small things unforgettable.”. One thing I learnt from an early age was to focus on the little things. This week it's all about the little things.

Aug 18, 2023

Over the past year that I have been writing and posting to this blog, I repeatedly come back to one of my life mantras, it’s all about “the little things”. In everything I do, work, sports, fitness, or life in general to building Stacey, I always focus on the little things. I think it’s an important aspect in life, and if you focus on the little things the bigger picture will fall into place all by itself. When it comes to building a car I don’t think that it’s much different, it’s easy to make a car look great. A lick of paint and some shiny new wheels, anything looks great at 100km/hr going the other direction, yip it looks great, job done!

Well no…not in my case. It’s a whole different story when you stop and take the time to look over the final result up close. Week 4 of the build process, I wanted to focus on the little things, the finer details to what makes Stacey special. There’s probably too many things to mention here in one post, but I wanted to cover off a couple little things that I thought were important in the overall look and feel of Stacey.

Stainless steel, is not the first thing you think of when you start to rebuild a car. Most people think of pots and pans or cutlery. But stainless is tough, subtle hint at a tough car build, and it always looks good, it’s stain-less. While I wanted the look and feel of stainless steel throughout the car, most of the stainless nuts, bolts and screws, are hidden behind doors, in the engine bay, or under carpet. Well whats the point you ask? For me it was about the detail and knowing that almost every bolt or nut that I touched, with some safety exceptions, was replaced with stainless. An expensive exercise, but nevertheless I knew that it had been upgraded, even though it’s a minor detail. It’s also good discipline and a good habit to not overlook the finer details to get to the end goal faster. Sometimes you have to take the time to work on the little things that people don’t ever see, to have a good foundation in life, to ensure the overall picture is complete.

I went thru Stacey with a fine tooth comb to ensure I was doing her justice. This decision also went towards the theme of the car. I wanted a monochromatic theme, with pop of colour in key strategic locations, I mentioned this in the last post. There are splashes of intentional colour throughout the build, from the Red MSD parts in the engine bay, to Blue springs under the car. These colours were somewhat intentional as I highlighted the colours from the Holden Statesman badge. This was one of the little things that I spent hours polishing and painstakingly painting by hand to bring them back to a show room finish.

Steve Jobs once said “We’ve got to make the small things unforgettable.”

I have tried to emulate Steve on this car rebuild. There were a number of things that I focused on to show that little extra detail that you would only notice if you looked for it, or I pointed it out. Here’s a few more examples:

Polishing parts: Part of the car build is obviously money. When you go thru different events over 18 years of a rebuild, money comes and goes, you go thru high patches and periods where you think money is growing on trees. Well kinda. When it wasn’t there, and in an effort to save money, I tried to keep costs down by polishing or cleaning up parts so they looked new. Time consuming I can tell you, but rewarding nevertheless. From power steering pumps, to unique screws and brackets. Sometimes its just easier to do it yourself and helps keep costs down.

Engine de burring casting marks: something not many people will see, but I know at the heart of any project is the detail. Small as it might seem, the engine was smoothed out and repainted to match the body colour.

Colour: As I mentioned I have tried to keep the colours neutral or monochromatic, from HSV accent grey throughout(driveshaft, gearbox, engine, body to ash parts) to blacks (interior, brakes, covering wiring with black sheathing), with a pop of red throughout the car(MSD ignition leads, Distributor, Coil, B&M shifter logo and extinguisher) all chosen for that pop of colour in an otherwise neutral colour palette.

One of the most important little details on most cars is the chrome. Who doesn’t love chrome?!? We all love sparkling things, don’t we? Chrome subtly features throughout Stacey, though I have tried to keep this minimal and clean though where it is present, it is PRESENT! I chose to remove the side chrome protection strips from the body, to clean up the look of the exterior, accentuating her body lines. Often hand polishing the chrome from the engine bay, to bolts, to spacers, and brackets. I spent 2 days alone polishing up the power steering pump with a wire wheel and a dremmel. If you want to take the time and look closely enough you can find the small details.

Chrome in my view is often relatable to several aspects in life, to motivation, thru to professional development in your career. I thought I would list off some ways in which I think chrome, and the little details can relate to everyone:

Attention to Detail: Chrome detail on a car requires meticulous attention to detail. Involving carefully polishing, cleaning, and maintaining the chrome to ensure it shines and stands out. It doens’t take much to damage the finish, so you need to take care. I spent hours using Autosol, jhand polishing up individual parts, to a show room finish. Similarly, in life and professional development, paying attention to detail is crucial. Focus on the little things either for you or your team, they will often wonder how you have the time to get it all done. Strive for excellence in your work, you can achieve exceptional results and make a lasting impression when you focus on the little things.
Presentation and Image: Chrome detailing enhances the appearance of a car, adding a touch of elegance and sophistication. In life and in your professional career, presentation and image can play a significant role. Take pride in your appearance, whether it's your physical appearance or how you present yourself professionally, even down to a simple haircut, or polishing you shoes. When I was younger my dad used to make me polish my shoes every night after school, ready for the next day. A finer detail, but looking back I can see that it was setting me up to succeed in life and focus on the detail and taking pride in my appearance. Not to mention the discipline to constantly turn up and polish them every night. I hated it, though something has rubbed off. This can make all the difference. It creates a positive impression and can lead to new opportunities, often opening doors that you never thought possible.
Perseverance and Patience: Achieving that flawless chrome finish requires perseverance and patience. Thankfully I could afford for a professional company to bring the once decayed, and pitted chrome back to life, as it takes a lot of work, often taking, multiple polishing and buffing sessions to achieve the desired result. Perseverance and patience are essential in a career or in life. Success rarely comes overnight, and it often takes time and effort to achieve your goals. Persistently working towards your objectives and having the patience, or what I refer to as life superpower, you can achieve the desired outcomes.
Value and Worth: Detailing, especially chrome adds value to a car, making it more appealing and desirable. Similarly, you can apply this to your life and career, adding value to yourself and to your work is important. Continually improving your skill sets, your knowledge, and your expertise can enhance your professional worth and make you a valuable asset in your chosen field.
Chrome exhaust tips peaking out from under the rear quarter panels
Self-Reflection: When I looked at the bigger picture in rebuilding Stacey, I took the time to think long and hard about what I wanted her to look like and what accents would stay and go. Taking some time to reflect on your own strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement allows you to identify and address any imperfections, leading to personal and professional growth.
Pride: Detailing the chrome requires a sense of pride in craftsmanship. It involves taking pride in your work and striving for excellence. Similarly, in life and professional development, taking pride in your work can lead to a sense of fulfillment and personal satisfaction. By doing your best and maintaining a high standard of quality, you can achieve a greater sense of pride and accomplishment.
Shining through Adversity: Chrome is known for its reflective properties, shining even when there is no sun. This can be related to resilience in life and in our careers. Just as chrome shines through adversity, developing resilience allows you to remain strong and resilient in the face of challenges, and we all know we have challenges thrown at us daily. Being resilient enables you to overcome obstacles and to continue to thrive. To develop a thick skin and to be able to handle the big things that life throws at us.

Parts ready to go for re-plating and polishing

As I have learnt throughout the build and process, the little things matter. The more I think about the 18 years I have spent building the car, the more I have reflected and learnt about myself, and what it takes to stick at a project and to see it thru. We cant always see the final result or the light at the end of the tunnel, often it’s just a pin prick or a distant goal of what we want to achieve. But if we keep at it we can achieve greatness and we can achieve our goals!

Until next week…

Beam me up Scotty

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