Hot Rods How do you hot rod in retirement???

Bout two years away at 66....if I make it. The effort has been to get all my stuff in one location - forwhatever / organization - have a lot of collectables - I need to go back to the top five I'd want to keep. It's kinda hard with a few dozen or more cars and vintage motorcycles - most all runners. After finally getting my place I've been after some 50 years or more - an acre or so - with a tennis court - suitable for a nice shop.... I really want to move out side the city......

 

I think hauling all your tools and equipment half way across the country every 6 months or so would be a PITA, especially as you get older.

A big question is how well appointed is your current shop? Is it basic (compressor, torch, welder) or is it totally tricked out with metal fab stuff (brakes, etc)?

You have 3 years until you retire. Take the money ($2000?+) that you would spend on a service bed/trailer and spend the next 3 years hitting garage sales, swap meets, estate sales and auctions (in NY and KS). If you're patient and smart, you can find killer deals on used tools and equipment, especially if someone is shipping out, moving out of State-that's where you'll find a low use air compressor, etc. because it's too big and heavy to take along.

Starting out, you "need everything". This can work to your advantage in bundling up a large purchase. Estate and moving sales would love to sell off all the tools and equipment in the garage in one fell swoop rather than dick around one tool at a time and still be stuck with half of it come Monday.
This is where money talks. I have a friend that wanted to set up a woodworking shop in his garage for his retirement. He lucked into an entire garage of high end woodworking machines and tools for $800 at an estate sale. The entire garage, wall to wall. Table saw, joiner, planer, drill press, lathe, dust collection system, tool chest full of specialty tools, bits, full router bit sets, etc. Everything was about 5 years old and perfectly clean. New, probably 10k retail. Family just wanted all of the old man's stuff out of the garage. He was Johnny on the spot.

I'd go for an air compressor, small MIG, and small O/A torch and any other "big and heavy" stuff to take with you the first trip and leave it in Kansas. Secondly, would be air tools, bench grinder, vice, tool chest and basis hand tools.

You'd take your tool chest with all your specialty tools, wrench and socket sets, torque wrench, etc. to Kansas, then bring it back to NY. Everything else you brought would stay in Kansas as it's a duplicate. So, you'd only be transporting your chest and hand tools back to NY.

Once you're in Kansas, you can build out a bench and the rest of the shop. Then the fun begins; you can start shopping around for tools! The idea being that eventually, you would have duplicated everything and not have to transport any tools at all.

 

In a couple of months, it will be 20 years since I retired. I have medical issues, and am lucky to be alive, but they do prevent me from moving much in the morning. Depending on how well I am doing, I spend the afternoon and evening working at things as time and health permit. My problem is, that my to-do list keeps getting longer
I have two smaller garages, but they are full of tools and other valuable machine tools and no room for a vehicle.
I live on the wet coast, and although the climate is mild and we get a minimum of snow, when I am working outside, it is still a pain in the butt to have to pick up the tools and put everything away at the end of every day. It adds to the amount of time it takes to complete projects, and makes it that much more difficult to get those complex jobs done.
I am building my dream garage, 2 stories, 2000 sq ft, after spending most of my life working on my vehicles in the driveway. I was hoping to have it done before the end of summer, but I have had to divert my attention to other, more important issues.
At 76, I am still not tired of working in the shop, and believe that nothing is going to change as long as I am still mobile.
One thing I had to stop doing, was welding, machining, and repairing stuff for other people. My projects suffered from time spent on other peoples machines.

If I had a situation where I wanted to pursue my hobby at two different sites, I think the idea of buying an older truck with a utility box would be the plan that would work best for me.
Bob

 

Before I retired I worked at 2 different locations every week as a truck mechanic. I wasn't about to move my big tool box twice a week so I bought another [Craftsman] box and moved all my duplicates into it at the other location. I fleshed it out with el cheapo Craftsman tools so I had 2 full tool boxes. I inherited my dad's tools for home use.
When I retired I ended up with a BUNCH of tools and boxes at home! I've stacked 'em up in the garage and separate workshop and when my grandkids get old enough, I'll make sure they have full sets of tools...and my big Mac box will stay with me.

 

I lived in Alaska for 55 years and retired 6 years ago. Since retiring I am putting the final touches on a custom home that I had built 15 years ago with a 6000 square foot shop. Getting it ready to sell. In the mean time I am working on a high end 32 Ford 3 window coupe , Completed 5 vintage race sled restorations. Bought another place in Reno Nevada with a 7500 square foot horse riding arena which I am converting into a killer shop. Have been hauling all my toyz and equipment to the new location. Not going to have 2 places to maintain and duplicate shop equipment in both places. So the wife and I are out of here . Good luck on your retirement.
Vic

 

Announced my retirement 2 months ago, since then I have been busier than ever. Seems everyone wants me to do one last job for them before I finally quit, and the better half has already got a list for me that includes a gut job bathroom remodel, then the kitchen etc. So I don't expect to get as much garage time as I expected for at least another year. I do plan on doing a few smaller jobs in retirement to pay
for my garage addiction.

 

I represent these remarks , awww fuck it is my knew favorite saying ..

 

lets see.......retirement.....racing good combination......

 

Carl, could you show us how you have your race car trailer set with those wheels! I assume those fold down so you can move the trailer by hand?
I carry a “ dolly” to do mine and I would like to do something better.






Bones

 

I'm not procrastinating. I'm still thinking about the proper way to approach the problem.

 

Same as when we were kids, slick back your hair, maybe only on the sides, pull your Levis up or down to get around your belly, put on your Penelton shirt and button just the top button, spit shine your shoes, Ya get rid of the sandles and shorts nobody in their right mind wants to see that, put on your Raybans and make it.

 

Tennis court is exactly the right size for a nice shop

 

HI HAMB

So I guess I will continue to keep doing what I have been doing...saving like a dirty dog...I am also thinking now if I can find something with a smaller garage or a barn I might be able to enlarge it to fit my plan...

The smaller the house the better for me...from what my wife has alluded to she is staying in the house we are currently living in...so as long as I have a place to sleep and eat and shower....I should be OK with a tiny house of sorts I guess....the shop and the tools will be all the work for me in the near future...

thanks for all the insight...

MikeC

 

HOW DO YOU HOT ROD IN RETIREMENT???
For me (I retired in 2003). I had at that time a 48 Buick Sedanette sitting on a 73 Caprice complete chassis, (lowered), a '66 Riviera GS 425 dual quad show car, and my project car the 34 coupe you see to the left.
In the ensuing years since, I've completed the 34 and sold the Sedanette and the Rivi.
We live in the Seattle/Tacoma region of Washington, but bought in Apache Junction Az. in O8, selling that this year and will now stay the winter months here instead of traveling there for the winter. There, I "hottroded" simply by attending the auctions there in the winter, becoming a member of the local car club, "Senior Rodders", and taking in as many car shows as the wife would tolerate.
Now I just pretty much keep the 34 on the road, in tune, new rebuilt B&M hydro this summer.

When planning my retirement I built a new over sized shop and garage in 94. Then went looking for my 34, (steel), which I managed to find, stock piled parts, bought the engine, (hemi) and B&M, outfitted the back half of the garage as my "shop", and surveyed what tools I'd need that I didn't already have. Planed on retiring in May of 2004, but then came 9/11 and was asked to retire early to keep a job for a younger engineer as Boeing was laying off, of which I did. That was a year and a half earlier than I planed so it put a strain on getting the finances where I wanted them but it worked out.
Then I spent my time building my 34, getting it where it is today in 2016, among being recalled to Boeing Flight test, buying and traveling to and from Apache Junction Az .
This past summer was busy with yard, house and keeping the 34 on the road. Now I'm tweaking the 34 with ideas of new dual quad air cleaner, narrower wheels and tires in front and just tinkering around on it some... Oh yeah the guy that has my Rivi. wants to sell it. I've offered to come look and see what it is after him having it the last five years. Says he will sell it back at the 18K he gave me for it.
The years have caught up with me and I won't be taking on any more projects, so from here on it will be just keeping the the 34 like you see it, and doing the chores related to home owning. If I get the Rivi. back it will need upkeep also. So that's how I have hotrodded in retirement and plan to continue doing so. Oh ............ and keeping up with whats going on on THE HAMB.

 

Retirement.... I don't know what you mean by this word

 

Roger that!

 

Well I can agree with Bones in that procrastination is probably the number one issue with those of us who are retired. That and Bucket list items seem to take precedent over a lot of stuff.
Tools, most of us who are retired can probably sort out our tools and come up with two or more complete sets with one being the primary set and one being the secondary set with not quite so good tools but plenty good enough to do what we have to do at the "other" place if we indeed have another place.

I'm not really interested in taking care of a second home but the wife thinks we need an rv to head south with for a bit in the winter and trailering a hot rod to use as a "dingy" seems to be a reasonable idea. Hotrod sure beats VW for fun run around rig from a warm area base camp.

 

Same as when we were kids slick your hair back, ride around, go to a dance, squeeze a girl, smooch it up in the front seat,when you get older you can get stuck in the back seat. Avoid old guys in shorts explaining how much they spent on their cars. Levis Tee shirt grab your lady and Go!

 

Been retired coming up on 10 years and will say the time has flown by. I would follow the suggestion to shop wisely and have 2 sets of tools, shop equipment, etc, as hauling them back and forth is not practicable IMO. Another suggestion is to think about your location/ weather as you are not heading south, there's a reason thousands do if they can swing it. I waited a little too long, this winter is my second year of heading to Az., The cold, snow and all the crap that comes with Winter, I did not miss any of it for a second. I owned 2 homes for 20 years, said never again and here I am with 2 homes again, kinda a PIA, but getting away from Winter is well worth it for me/us. Good Luck, Enjoy your retirement as the time races by, "Every year you get older the clock runs faster" words of wisdom from my Mom, gone 40 years already.

 

Been retired since 2009 , moved to Fl. to take care of my mom. Big mistake. Opened a shop and built some nice hotrods for other people.
Got a fill of my mom. Long story . Moved back to Tn. Could not see moving all of my tools twice a year.
Built the Dancing Rabbit SEGA car and working at a golf course part time. Got the wife a job there too. We both work so we can race and travel.

 

I retired at 57 1/2, ten plus years ago. I had a fair amount of equipment at our house in suburban Chicago, but built a substantial shop (32x54) at our cottage, 450 miles north of home, where we planned to live full time,

The Michigan shop went up about ten years before I retired, so I ended up with duplicates of just about everything. We sold the Illinois house about five years ago. I eventually bought a larger, 45x75’ shop about a mile from our cottage / home, so there are now two shops to split the tools between.

Flash forward ten years, and we just bought a house with an undersized two car garage in Arizona, where we’ll spend five or six months annually. I’m still relatively young and mobil, but don’t anticipate any intense projects during the winter months, at least for a few years. Time to relax, travel, and explore our new surroundings. I may drag the 36 down to Az. for next year. I have enough triplicate tools laying around that I can probably stock the Arizona shop with hand and power tools with little cash outlay.

When I eventually pass on, my kids are going to have a heck of a time cleaning up th mess I have made, with things scattered across the continent.