Folks Of Interest We're About 75 And Still Building (Join In)

I'll assume that's you in the red shirt?
I know guys in their late 40s who don't look that good !
You have a Dorian Gray portrait?

 

I'll be 70 soon....don't feel any different than when I was 25. Been working on my 34 coupe for 10 years and there's nothing I enjoy more.

 

72 ...still cutting,bangin and havin fun

 

I'm 69 and still moving. Try to get in the shop every day. I've got to finish up the 32 pickup, so I can get on with the 27 roadster.

 

I'm 72 right now and here's a pic I took this week of where I'm at in my project. Tim

 

I'm just a youngster at 71, but I look forward to some shop time on my 32 Tudor every day. I still drive my roadster that I've had on the road since '87, but the confinement takes its toll on my old joints.
Some (most) days the knees don't want to cooperate and the body tells you when you've stressed it too much, but it's the satisfaction of completing the many small jobs that make up a big job that gets me going. I love the challenge, love the satisfaction of solving problems, and love the engineering simplicity of old Fords.

Good thing, as I have three more sitting and waiting!

 

I'm not as old a some 78. Cancer survivor, and being a care giver for my wifes,Dementia.
Love what I am doing, building A V/8,frame and running gear now. Don't have a body. Want to get further along. 2nd old car, lots of door cars and a couple dragsters.
For all of us ,just do it. Keeps us young.

 

I'm 75 and have been fighting cancer for 10 years. I'm out in the garage just about every day. Currently building a lakes style roadster. Home made 2x4 tube frame, stock beam axle, quarter elliptical springs all around, banjo rearend, 28 Chev cowl, rest of body will be hand fabed, 55 buick nailhead and 350TH. I consider every day a gift from God and try to make the best of it.
Jim

 

I'm 71 and going in for heart surgery tomorrow. I scheduled it for mid-December because I won't be missing as much time in my shop as I would have in warmer weather. I hope to be back wrenching on the '36 right after Christmas, depending on the Doctor's directions - yeah, I now follow directions.........most of the time.

I survived cancer in 2010 and I'll survive this heart thing - if not, I'll be wrenching on a cloud, with any luck.

 

Good luck with the surgery, and yes pay attention to the directions the Drs give you and what your body tells you and you'll be wrenching for many moons to come!

 

I totally get what you are saying, I have been close to death more than once and feel that I am living on borrowed time so I try to enjoy every day as much as I can! Keep on building and doing whatever else gives you joy for as long as you can!

 

And there you have it... sounds like a good plan to me.

 

So great to be a part of all these great old guys still plugging away building hot rods. 78 here and still at it. Building my 54 chev pick-up for it's 3 rd time and finished up building my 3 window deuce less than 2 years ago and have logged over 20K miles on it so far. Still have the yellow deuce on the left and my deuce roadster also. Love them all....Would like to build a 30 31 roadster with a flat motor & deuce frame after the pick-up build. So I am getting parts rounded up for it while I finish the truck.
All this is what keeps a guy going....

 

If I knew I was going to live this long (75), I'd have taken better care of myself!!!

 

I was a pilot and had to take care of myself, and it didn't make any difference. I should have kept my dirt bike and lived by the motto, "Full speed or repair"
Bob

 

I am 71 and have been building as a hobby since I was 14. I just retired one month ago and am enjoying spending more time in the shop although every winter I lay up in the house and shovel snow and build up my anticipation for getting back to tinkering in the shop. For several years I said this 57 Ford would be my last build and because of spending so much time on the road working, the build took me ten years to complete, then I have driven, shown, and raced it another six years. Sixteen years is way longer than I've owned any other car, and it is now on it's way to it's new owner in Australia. Now that I am retired, I have more ambition and energy for car projects--which is a good thing since I have two more mostly finished myself and one father-son project my son has been looking forward to for years. My 63 Fairlane is a nice rust free sweet running 5.0 car I built a complete coil over strut front end for last year. My 46 Ford hot rod pu is a street driven 10.5 capable funmobile I race at the nostalgia events around here. The Falcon is the father/son learning project for my son while I am still able to teach and give advice when asked--well even sometimes when I am not asked. I don't know if I will ever have another project---at this point I think these will do it for me----but who knows---I am open, but certainly not driven. I am content.

 

74 working on a 50 merc lowrider i go low and slow having fun

 

Kept me going thru two ministrokes...so far.

 

Is the yellow car the one that I see at spokane raceway park ? I hope when I'm in my 70s I am half as active in the sport as you guys are. Much respect!

 

Turn 81 in January, the exact same day and age as "Firstinsteel" who posted above. Have 18 projects in the shop right now but have cut back to just six days a week and maybe a couple hours on Sunday. Memory is the second thing to go soft on me but starting with ones in the two paint booths: 56 T-Bird, 70 Blazer; and in shop: 34 Ford PU, 46 Harley, 34 Chevy Master 5w coupe, two Trans Ams (70,76), Formula Firebird 72?, 73 Cuda---full frame 440 4sp, 41 Packard, 55 Chevy Belaire, 55 3100 PU, 57 Fairlane 500 HT, 1000hp 70 Camaro, 41 Ford 2T stake bed, 64 SW F100, Factory Five 33 Hot Rod, 52 3100 430hp LS. About this many more waiting outside. Wife says my target age has to be 240 to finish. Will be a big auction one of these years but funeral vultures not getting a penny--body going for med students to carve on and and hopefully crack some funny jokes about.

 

Wow! I'll never get that many done. I just started back after 20yrs hiatus when I sold my '34 Ford Pickup to a guy from Denmark. Got thinking about it earlier this year at 78 and started on my current project (avatar). Gonna be a hot rod as was built in the late '40s.....all hand made..no billet.

 

Coming up on the big 70, drawing lots of inspiration here. Just moved and gave up the nice shop below. I'll be building a new shop addition to house my 4 pick-ups and the Vette! My latest project, 35 Binder:

 

Well, hell, E, didn't know you were on here!

 

I love the slab-side shovel!.....cool!


Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.

 

75 and self taught on my lq9 install. I did everything!

 

Both you guys from Witchita Falls? I'd sure like to meet up and see your projects some time when I'm on a road trip with the '57............I go thru your town often

 

If coilover is who I am thinking of, he is about 170 miles East of me. But, yeah, give me a holler sometime.

Ben

 

As a young guy this thread is inspirational! I'm 30 and hope to have as much gumption as most of you guys when I get there! Keep up the good work!

 

Hi,
I am 64 and getting ready to retire. I have been building cars for over 45 years and work in my shop daily. I plan to keep building for as long as I can. These posts give me inspiration. Hot Rods is who we are and what drives us to get up everyday and keeps us young and excited. I will admit that I don't get off the creeper as easy as I once did and need glasses to do most things but overall I hope to keep building even after they take my drivers license away. I am thankful to been able to do this my whole life. Happy building to all!

 

...this is such an inspiring thread,...you guys are simply amazing and have and are building some nice hot rods....I'm bettin more than half the guys on the HAMB are over 50?
...I'll be 70 next May,...slowed down on buildin old cars n trucks but only because I have a bunch runnin/drivin already to maintain,(workin on a 55 Chevy 1/2 ton now)...in 2016 my wife and I put a metal roof on our house,...this year we re-roofed our 1200 square foot barn roof, roofed another garage and stained the house and two garages in the last two years.
I was on the roof of the house and a neighbor lady stop'd by, before she left she says "aren't you too old to be up on that roof?"...I said "I guess not".
...still ride my old bicycle 5-10 miles a day, even in the Winter except when it's too cold or icey.