Do you keep a detailed record on your car?

[Kern Dog]

I used to be more organized.
I kept service records, receipts and notes on almost everything.
Now? Not so much.
I do keep downloaded tech articles. Magazine reprints. catalogs to retain part numbers and various tech tips.
A buddy of mine that is otherwise a convoluted mess, has a binder with almost every modification he has done well drawn and detailed to his Challenger.
I do have notebooks with handwritten text. I've written about every nut, bolt or screw that I have touched. Engine builds, tuning, brakes, suspension... everything. This helps keep me from trying stuff that didn't work before. It also serves as a blueprint as to what actually has worked in the past.
What about you guys/gals ?

 

[Budnicks]

I use to especially on my racecars, tracks, prep, weather, alt., conditions,
# of runs, jetting, timing/Mag, tire compounds/air pressure, time of day,
shock & wheelie bar, boost/blower or N20 pill sizes/bottle pressures,
bar adj.'s, clutch adj.'s/wear, Lenco {Jeffco} settings, fuel pressures, fuel types,
stall speeds on a converter {they do change especially at altitude & over time},
4 corner weights, for bar tuning, also various stats for for all the above,
Various chips used & multiple setting settings, etc. etc. etc.
I'm sure I missed something

We did what was called nut & bolting after every event too,
cover every aspects of the car, my life was dependent on it

I wish I had kept them records too they went with the cars when I sold them,
part of how you get a premium price for a racecar...
Not take it in the shorts as bad...

My daily drivers just oil, anti-freeze, brakes & tune-up stuff mainly now
use to do mileage, don't really care now about mileages...

My fleet vehicles/construction rigs had a detailed sheet
they/employees had to log in every month, they were mostly leased vehicles,
of what was done & what needed to be done etc.
Prevention was the better way, instead o9f waiting to fix it when it's broke...

My 68 RR I have 4 minilia folders full of parts lists & tons of various notes
current parts #'s, parts replaced & dates, adjustments, settings, tunes, jetting etc.
It's good for memory if I put it down on paper, I retain it much better
but with only one project car now it's a no brainer/easy peasy...
Old habits die hard...

 

[moparwacko]

The only really serious logging I do is when tuning. Timing, jet changes,vacuum readings, etc. I'm not a racer, but don't like trying something again if I know it doesn't work. Every little change is documented, so if the Car comes back for rework I have some idea. Until they tell me " well I had a buddy do......"

 

[Yatzee]

I used to be more organized.
I kept service records, receipts and notes on almost everything.
Now? Not so much.
I do keep downloaded tech articles. Magazine reprints. catalogs to retain part numbers and various tech tips.
A buddy of mine that is otherwise a convoluted mess, has a binder with almost every modification he has done well drawn and detailed to his Challenger.
I do have notebooks with handwritten text. I've written about every nut, bolt or screw that I have touched. Engine builds, tuning, brakes, suspension... everything. This helps keep me from trying stuff that didn't work before. It also serves as a blueprint as to what actually has worked in the past.
What about you guys/gals ?

I really don't have to keep records, my bank has them all, going back 18 years!

 

[Dennis H]

Since late 80's. File won't close. Most everything ever is there.

 

[Xp29h]

I keep all my receipts of everything in 3 ring binders. Notebooks keep track of carb changes and settings. If I didn't do that I would never remember!

I do my own servicing but I keep record of that too

 

[Cranky]

Log books on oil changes etc on the daily drivers but more so on a drag car. Carbs are marked with size of jetting and the engine is marked with what cam is in it....

 

[440+6]

I keep almost nothing, for example I have owned the GTX for 38 years and have a folder with a dyno sheet and invoice for engine build and that's it.
Pretty much the same or less for all my other cars, I probably should have kept stuff but never saw much need for anything like that.

 

[terzmo]

Nothing...all in my brain..I have a pornographic memory....somewhere..now. My supervisor at the Air Base kept everything. When I found out he was a "nut" for receipts I joked and said in 1987...."I suppose you have everything from 1971"..The next day he brought a folder in,3 ring, with every gas,electric,water,loan payments,house payments,everything,anyone could think of plus taxes and all TDY orders. He smiled and asked what other year did I care to see. Now that's crazy.

 

[Darter6]

Used to,, I would do files on the build and when the car was finished and sold I would give it to the new owner. 9 out of 10 didn't want it.I still have a few from 10 years ago.Guess I need to clean out the drawer..

 

[Paul_G]

I have a folder on all of my vehicles. I have to. Who could remember what vehicle had what service and when? Oil changes are pretty easy, but coolant service, brake fluid flush, power steering flush, transmission, etc. Has to be in a folder because I wont remember.

 

[moparwacko]

Guess I should have specified, I went digital maybe 5 yrs ago. Thousands of files/ pics on a dedicated " garage" laptop. Similar to Cranky, I also "brand" carbs/stuff I work on, makes file hunting easier.

 

[Bruzilla]

If it's not required for a warranty, I don't keep it. Sweating all that paperwork makes what should be a fun activity into a job.

When I bought the 73 Town & Country for a doner car I got a huge folder that detailed everything the original owner had done to the car. Even gas receipts! The only things I kept were some old Esso maps from the 1970s. Everything else went into the trash.

 

[64BEL]

I keep all receipts for everything. I have a log book in each of the daily drivers showing all service notes. My truck has the most detailed book. I speced the truck out and ordered it new the way I wanted it in Feb, 2000. That log book has a record of every drop of fuel, the price of the fuel, and the mileage I got on that tank since the day I took delivery in April of 2000. Maybe excessive, but it is interesting to see how much diesel was at any given date. I find that my memory of how expensive or cheap fuel has been is sometimes not very accurate if I look in the book.

 

[Moparsmitty]

I usually keep invoices for about a year unless something is under warranty for a longer time. I have a little book that I keep regular service records. I don't trust myself to remember the last time I did a coolant flush or oil change. I may be getting old, but at least I remember that I can't remember everything.

 

[67Satty]

I have a spreadsheet for every single run down the track my Satellite has done. There are fields for 60 foot, ET, MPH, DA, and any changes I made to the car since the last time I was at the track.

Other than that I have a huge 3-ring binder with every receipt, every timeslip, I even have the the bill of sale from the original owner.

My daily driver, I don't keep anything and have a hard time remembering when the last oil change was. My motorcycle, I don't keep receipts but I have detailed hand-written log for every bit of maintenance and modification ever done and at what mileage and date.

 

[mmissile]

Technical stuff, I keep. Receipts?....I don't need to be reminded of how stupid I've been.

 

[Dennis H]

Since late 80's. File won't close. Most everything ever is there.

Would be scary to add this stuff up. Used for reference maybe twice the whole time.

 

[747mopar]

I kept all major receipts from the build but that's it. I hate paperwork and record keeping so instead I keep pictures and souvenirs from all the memories being created by it with my kids.... that's what matters.

 

[44070dart]

I keep all receipts for mine ..when I buy a car I ask for paperwork, if it doesn't have it, I'm leery of it.. EVERYONE has a car for sale with rebuilt engine,515 HP,heads done , hottest cam... but when it comes to show and tell the paperwork was misplaced ..yeah OK ,, so I keep mine with the car