Hot Rods Who else does NOT enjoy working on your cars?

Yes l totally agree....l am a lone wolf car guy. My "shop" is a regular 2 car garage in an average working class neighborhood....l have been blessed with a couple of neighbor kids who like to check out my work sometimes...l have recruited them to help me do things like pulling the trunk lid...and yes they do get heavier with age....the kids have been a tremendous help and a great source of encouragement....kind of like a workout partner in the gym...

 

I'm just the opposite. I enjoy working on them, but don't enjoy owning or driving them. I finish a car, and in a few months it is invariably for sale. I don't get it either.

 

I couldnt wait to get out to the garage, now i cant wait to get out of it.

 

At 76, I'm in pretty good health and have a shop with AC and a four post lift. However, I've had three rotator cuff surgeries and can no longer lift my arms over my head, so I just made a deal with a car guy do help me for small unmarked bills. I'm fortunate to be able to do that and hopefully help somebody else out.

 

Maaaan....... I feel ya. I relate to several comments here... Someone said that when a project is running and driving they don't want to work on it anymore. Yeah, that's me. Some might remember "The Varmit" build thread. I got it running and promptly got very bored with it. Sold it here on the HAMB in April. The new owner is in the process of prepping for paint, something I never would have gotten around to.

Also, my new project a 56 Buick Super is so big that I can't get around it in my garage. So now I have to push it outside to work on it, and it's 100+ degrees, and my 3 kids are little, and I work, and I'm broke and and and.....

I think when it cools off outside I'll get motivated. It goes in seasons for me.

 

Thanks for this discussion,
It's motivated me to get back out to the garage and work on the engine for my woody.
In the shop every night this week so far !


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I do. But my car is an '02 Town & Country. No garage. No driveway.

 

Other than required maintenance I'm pretty much done wrench'n for pleasure. I'm almost 64 and can't do nearly what I used to do physically, although still very active, admitting I was becoming limited was a huge hurdle for me.

My last build is/was my 40 Ford Coupe, very challenging physically but I got er done never the less with a little help where I never needed it before.

My 40 Coupe, 49 Chevy PU and OT 46 CJ2A Jeep will certainly out last me, but in the time left I still have to maintain them.

Done building for sure, just maintaining for now.


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I hate having to pull and engine or transmission I just put in or doing the same thing more than twice. For instance having to drop a transmission for a second rebuild after 300 miles after a cheap stall converter failed and killed the pump (my fault entirely, replaced it with a nice Hughes converter). Otherwise I don't hate working on my cars but I sure do enjoy driving them much more than wrenching. Driving older junk is freedom.

 

Several of the comments ring true. For me, I have reached burnout. Not on my project, but by getting my mom's car up and running. I drove 6 hours each way every other week when I had 4 days off for over four years. Her 58 Impala sat for over 10 years. It needed everything, tie rods, ball joints suspension bushings engine rebuilt, trans rebuilt floor pans Etc. It still needs interior and paint. The car is running and driving now, but since it was done in April, it has been out half a dozen times including when I took it to cool April nights in Redding. It frustrates me beyond belief, especially when I could have put that time in my car. That said, I have all the parts to put my car together. problem now is I just cannot get motivated.

 

I enjoy the planning and building part of the cars far more than the everyday maintenance and cleaning.

Probably why my old beater deuce sedan is such a great driver,about the only time it sees water is if it's raining. HRP

 

It's funny to me that a lot of you loose interest in a project after it's running. I get it, that everyone is different. I am opposite, I love being able to walk out and hit the key on an old car and have it fire up and be reliable. That, to me, is the best part of this lifelong obsession with cars; being able to drive something neat whenever I want. My current favorite car to drive is the one I bought complete & done. I don't care at all that I wasn't "the guy" who sanded on it for days on end or re-built the 4-speed. All I did was change the wheels & tires, and shift knob ! I love the damn thing and don't feel bad at all when somebody asks "did you build it" and I reply "nope" I always think to myself "if I did, I would have 20 grand and ten years more into it" I have friends who are quite the opposite, to them, if they didn't tighten every nut themselves then it just isn't worth owning. More power to them I guess, to each their own. I know I CAN do a full build, I'm just getting to the point I don't want to.
Having said that, I do (like most people I think,)get a total high out of accomplishing creative tasks or finishing a project. In the last 10 years I have built two houses and it's a fantastic feeling to live in something you created, much like drive something you created. BUT, I would 100% happily pay somebody to build a house for me, or live in a house somebody else built. I love guns, and I have built several customs (much smaller and easier to store !) but I still buy and enjoy and shoot guns other people have built.
I really appreciate all the feedback ! when I started this thread I was having a bad day and was about ready to push the roadster out in the driveway and light it on fire,piss on the ashes, and take up knitting, but now I feel much better !
la la la (whistling)...............off to browse the classifieds for a done '32.................

 

My age and just being worn out is my problem. I still won't let anyone work on mine unless absolutely necessary. I'm motivated to change out the stock head GMC in my roadster with the Howard /Arias 12 port I have ready but my sons 1/2 dirt Super Stock seems to come back every month with 30 days of work needed for the next race. He work a lot of hours and would have a harder time trying to do it all himself. He was my crewman and driver too for many yrs so I feel that is just payback. I enjoy his as much as mine along with taking care of our 39 Indian and 56 Victoria.

 

There will be things that you will favor more than others. Heck I'm 19 and can completely relate... I spent a couple weeks on body work on my '62 and then it sat in the garage for a couple months before I even touched it again. We've been building the car for 7 years and I'm just now about to put the locks in it. I still need anterior pieces but I just don't want to. BUT, I know the end result is gonna be completely worth it.


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Hey OP.. no way you're a looser.. youre still visiting these pages !... The only thing you're missing is drive.
I remember being mid thirties and buying cars with the idea that there's plenty of time to get round to building them... now at 59 it's a matter of choices and not buying for the future.. that's a hard call.
I'd rather build than drive and spend most of the day in my shop catching up on stuff I brought thirty years ago,there's just not enough time. Hanging out with lifelong buddies,several of which are well into their 70's... we feed off each other's problems and are there when the going gets occasionally tough for any of us.
Car guys are special,matters not if you're a builder,buyer or whatever,we share the same DNA...
Good luck with sorting your niche,you've time on your side

 

Can relate to this. I enjoy building them but at 74 I'm a good bit slower. Still enjoy the build but crawling around under one etc makes me a little sore and I have to back off for a day or two. Always tell myself this is the last one but about ready to do an other 40 coupe and have a 37 woody to finish up for a friend(maybe 60-70 hrs) The 40 coupe will take me at least 3-4 months not counting uph shop time-paint is done already-must be nuts huh?? Another fellow wants me to build him a 40 coupe as well. At my age I'm not going to commit to more than one at a time. Told him about a couple I know of that are very nice but he wants one from here I guess. When I build a 40 I build it the way I want. If they have interest I tell them they have 1st right of refusal-it is my car until it is done to my satisfaction with my funds. I will not commit to build a car for anyone or accept any $$$. This way no one is upset-if they change their mind, no harm no foul. Have never had an issue this way and no pressure.

 

I do enjoy working on them but have found myself in this weird conundrum. I own a high volume independent repair and maintenance shop and we stay very busy, which keeps me there on average 55-60 hours/week. I have no desire to be there after hours, and even if I did we have our bays working all the time, there is just no room so working on my own projects has decreased dramatically. I am hoping to find a place where I can build a shop at home and make it comfortable to work in on the weekends.

 

Hell yes! That's what we need right now. Some good ol'fashioned, testosterone pumping, torque wrench clicking, stand up when you piss, fire up the torch and ice down a drink tech week. Let's make the HAMB great again!

 

I'd give anything to feel well enough to be able to work on my junk.


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I don't give one shit if anyone ever sees my car. I just have fun driving it.

 

I started working in a frame and suspension, alignment shop at 15. Now I'm 53, done everything to a car but set up rear end gears. Built, repaired, straightened frames, narrowed rear ends, built numerous engines, all kinds of body and paint work etc etc.

I think that I've gotten to the point where doing it this long as a living and the thought that I've pretty much learned all the basics and then some, there's just as not much fun in it anymore. Part of the excitement for me was learning something new all the time, now that's pretty much out.

I have a 1800 sq. ft shop at home complete with a 10" concrete floor for the floor pull system for frame work and just about all the hand tooling needed to build most anything but I would bet the last year my cat has spent more time chasing mice in it then I have.

I guess in a way the thrill of the challenge is gone. Still love walking around cars shows, drag strips etc.

 

Why don't you guys talk to the powers that be and get er done.

If you build it, they will come, right? If people want to participate in tech week 2017, or a thread gets 144 posts that means they came, right? No?

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Hey Garage Squad you out there?

This guy needs your help!!!!

Seriously help this guy out.




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Time is the enemy. Not a complaint or rant , just a fact. I too have put in 55/60 hour weeks since the day I graduated High School but in those almost 30 years , I've still squeezed in "made" time to build cars & perform life's tasks & chose my own path. I too do this "car" stuff for a living. Usually it takes me a 8-10 years to finish a ground up build , compared to good pals putting in less work hours & cranking one out every 2-4 years, well that's just life & it's not going to detour my desire to build old cars. Spending ones time wisely during younger years & not moping about the lack of funds or ability doesn't accomplish much. There is always something you can do. This year has been the most grueling ever as far as stress & time required to accomplish basic duties & the chores of life but last night I accomplished a task that was beyond rewarding. Finishing up work on a 74 years old master car builder "mentor" pals project & finally using my knowledge to perform tasks he's no longer physically able to do. He couldn't thank me enough & I felt honored & humbled to wrap up some technical stuff & physically challenging details on his latest project. Time as with many has shut him down to a snails pace. For the last few nights I've helped him & worked hard from 7pm-midnight & got 5 hours sleep to get back at work next day. His wife after he'd stepped out , told me it's probably his last build but later on , he let me know he's looking for the next ...... now that's how I want to be. All the while my 13 year old car guy son is helping & taking this stuff in. Takes us all a while to realize it's not about us. Flux

 

And I will wave the BS flag
The fact that you posted a picture of it proves otherwise.

 

It's not for everybody for sure. As I've gotten older, it's harder to get out there and work on the car. If I was retired and could put in longer hours at a time, it might be different. No shame guy. Do what makes you happy!


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Up until the mid '90s I did a lot of work on cars; engine and trans rebuilds, carbs, cams, brakes, wiring, you name it. Sometimes it was hard to get up in the morning, go out to the cold ass garage and get to work on someones car.
My avatar was an on and off project for twelve years, worked on as time, money and motivation allowed. After getting it on the road full time in '93 with the Y block and three speed it became my daily driver and my whole perspective about it changed. It was fun to drive, reliable and very useful hauling stuff. After installing a rebuilt '70 429 and toploader four speed in 1996 it was even more fun. Drove it coast to coast twice, street raced a little bit and always got positive comments on it.
Life intervened in 1999 and I had to sell it to deal with a family matter. After that there was no project until 2011 when I bought a '51 Ford F1 project vehicle that the previous owner lost interest in. After 9 months of hard work it was almost ready to get licensed when life again made it necessary to deal with family matters and it went down the road. At least I got to drive it a few times.
Nothing would make me happier automotive-wise then if I had a crusty, rusty old truck to come home to and tinker with. I even have another 429 that needs a new engine bay to live in. Hopefully some day another truck will be in the carport, but who knows?
Wildwest just close up the garage and do non car stuff for awhile. Maybe down the road something will stir the old wrench swinging juices and you'll find the motivation to get back out there. Either that, or sell all your projects, buy a Prius and drive that around for awhile.

 

My hemi powered RPU was getting the best of me so I decided to take on a fun project where I had a lot of latitude and could do what I liked . I bought a Mitsubishi Silver Pigeon motor scooter to rebuild and since there are no parts available for these I could be creative. Just getting ready to paint it and then I will get back to the RPU.

 

I like my stuff fixed and working and I have been known to work all night to keep one that way. It does help to not have to get in that vehicle the next day and go to work. I think the physical, I'm 60, I hurt all over half the time, can't take the heat like I used to impedes my desire to work on or fix stuff. Its good to know others struggle with it. I will never stop wanting to tinker on machines as long as I can.