@wade767 nailed it with that rack story. Used to think extra steps were just wasted time until a client showed me how much cleaner cat6 looks with cable management bars. Little details like that definitely make you look more legit, even if it feels annoying at first.

Actually that "useless fear" might be doing more work than you think. Those childhood fears keep us from running into situations our younger selves couldn't handle, like a safety net that's still there even when we've outgrown it. Maybe instead of thanking brain for nothing, you could thank it for being cautious when you didn't know any better.

Yeah the extra time is worth it. A clean joint makes the whole job look professional. Plus that retired guy might actually recommend you if you fix your work.

Right, because we're all signing bullet journal contracts now.

Oh man, you hit the nail on the head. I've been there before, and it's always a gut punch when you find someone else's hack job buried under paint. My advice is to always poke around with a magnet or a paint thickness gauge before you start any bodywork, especially on older cars. It saves you from that nasty surprise and the extra three hours of grinding. Plus, it's way better to find that mess yourself than to have it bubble up six months later after you've painted it.