Anyone using a pre-formatted resto log or journal

Jimmy The Greek · 02-17-2012, 07:26 AM

Are any of you guys using a electronic log/journal/diary to keep data on your restorations. If so what are you using and how do you like it.

I know there are several available for download at a cost but I figure some of the guys here have "been there/done that" and would be able to offer their insights before any cost is incurred.

If you set up a spreadsheet or database of your own then by all means chime in and let me know what you are doing.

Thanks

Eric Animal · 02-17-2012, 08:29 AM

I have about 400 pics on a Sandisk and a loose-leaf binder full of receipts (which I am afraid to look in)!.............

Jimmy The Greek · 02-17-2012, 09:06 AM

Eric- That seems to the way I am going also. But yesterday I was looking for a receipt and damned if I could find it. And I can see the potential for more of this happening. What I really need is a secretary for my hobby.

Eric Animal · 02-17-2012, 09:37 AM

Jimmy, This is how I do it....when I get the part, I imediately throw the receipt, and "instructions into a draw in my work bench......then when I have the time, I take a bunch of them out, punch holes and put them in the binder. Otherwise I loose them....As far as a secretary goes, just don't give the job to your wife!!!

389tripower65GTO · 02-17-2012, 11:10 AM

Jimmy,
I'm a little old school, and technologically behind...
I just have a manilla folder that I put all the receipts into,
and keep it in my filing cabinet.
It keeps getting thicker and thicker though.....

BearGFR · 02-17-2012, 11:55 AM

I use a combination of things...

For paper receipts, I've got a manilla folder I just stuff them into. I haven't organized them or anything yet. At some point I might scan them and do that, or I might not...

For things that I order online, I've got a separate email folder that I move all the order confirmations, email receipts, etc. into.

We use Quicken for managing all our household finances, so whenever I record something in Quicken I put a "tag" on the transaction that says "GTO" so I can pull everything together into one report if I want to. I just went into Quicken and did that - had it total everything that was tagged. Whoa!

I knew it was a big number, but it was a little sobering to see it in black and white.

I've got a separate folder for other documents, like installation instructions, specs, and etc. that I want to keep but that don't have anything to do with a financial record.

For a project record, I use a free photo web-page builder doo-dad called PhotoOnWeb. I got it here: Online Photo Sharing, Picture Sharing, Share Photos, Photo Share It's pretty easy to use. It comes with some basic web-page templates that you can customize and save as a photoonweb "project document" and then publish out to a web server. Updating it is easy... you just open the project document, drag new photos into it, add captions, then re-publish out to the server.
My site is here:
My 1969 Pontiac GTO Restoration Project - Personalized photo album in html with PhotoOnWeb by VSO

Bear

64phil · 02-17-2012, 12:17 PM

Call me old fashioned but I keep a work journal in an old steno pad (anyone remember them?). This is where I draw sketches of things I need to remember during re-assembly, record part numbers etc. as well as my daily work completed. I also keep a spreadsheet of all purchases and place paper receipts in a file folder. Of course I also have hundreds of photos taken during dis-assembly which are kept electronically plus a few that I have printed out to show folks where I have been with my car to date.

Phil
1964 Tempest Custom Sport Coupe, very rusty and very dis-assembled.

facn8me · 02-17-2012, 01:58 PM

If it has a warrenty I keep the receipt. At no point do I EVER want to know how much I have actually spent. That's called evidence and may help her prove why she killed me.

Rukee · 02-17-2012, 04:36 PM

Instg8ter · 02-17-2012, 04:46 PM

...got that right Facn8, i have a bankers box and photobucket for the picks, tabbed it up at one time and after i got up off the floor destroyed all evidence.