Used to think I was saving money going the full rebuild route. This post changed my mind though. Found a hairline crack in the block on my old 350 after I'd already spent 400 on machine work. Never again.

Man, that flat fee setup sounds like a dream. But here's what I'm wondering: did the flat fee client actually know they were paying for three months of work? Because I've seen people get burned when the flat fee client suddenly starts asking for "just one more tweak" every week, and suddenly you're working way past what you planned for. Was there a strict scope of work in writing, or was it more of a handshake deal? I'm asking because I think that retainer vs flat fee thing really comes down to how clear the boundaries are from day one.

Oh man, that reminds me of the time I tried to eyeball the angle on a picture frame hanger... ended up with a whole row of frames leaning different directions like a crooked smile. Spent the next hour with a level and a tape measure fixing it. Sometimes you just gotta go with the gut and then fix the mess later, you know?

My old group still plays elimination games all the time. We keep Bang! in rotation and I think it's fun to watch from the sidelines and roast people still in. @joseph_torres I get what you're saying but sometimes getting taken out early is part of the tension, it makes everyone play faster and less careful.

Yeah man totally, I fell for that too and now I just bring a power bank instead of messing with a panel.