Projects Do you ever give it a rest?

As a retired federal "silly-servant" trust me..........I KNOW how to take-a-break!!
Seems I always have something that needs my attention besides the "M-word" car.
At 70+ ..getting ready to build the "final house" and a nice garage. Just hope I can get my money's worth before......well y'all know!
Between my wife...daughter....church...friends...in-laws...etc. I can pick any of these to stay busy.
The old "M-word" car seems to get pushed to the back burner a lot.
6sally6

 

Funny you should say that. I have a friend who is a racer etc. He has the Cannondale and it trying to get that freaking grease that turns into cement out of the Shimano shifters. He has it in his ultrasonic cleaner now. Hopefully, he will get it freed up or I have to drop $400 on the latest and greatest compact crank and shifter set. I am thinking the bike may provide some needed alone time.

Kim is a trooper. She hangs out in the shop and reads the tech manuals to me, keeps the white board organized and general morale support.

 

At 74 years old I need a lot of breaks. Matter of fact I need a hoist now to do the underneath work. All that said I enjoy working on them it's mental therapy for me.

 

In two months it will be the end of land speed season, then the roadster goes into its place in the shop until next April when we do the things we should have done during the winter break,,,
But during the winter break we work on the other hot rods, the wife's daily 28 roadster, the 40 pickup we have had for 40 years, tune the 50 Ute, floor and window glass the 54 Country Squire,,, and on for the vehicles,
Then catch up to the yard work, in California we don't have the 'Dark Time' when nothing grows,,,,,
At 66 it keeps me going and wears me out,, but it keeps me going

 

Yes! Until my insulated and air conditioned shop is built the winter and summer tends to give me a break each year!


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

We only have 2 seasons here. Summer and Tornado season.

 

I am going the other way. In 22 working days I am retiring from diving a truck (41 years is long enough) and looking forward to spending lots of time in the garage, not playing with cars when the other stuff is done. I think the honey do list is getting long too

 

I'm tired of listening, I'm taking a nap!

 

Giving it a rest now due to the virus stuff. Nothing to work on at the moment other than house things-- to risky to go traveling around looking for a project. If someone brought me something to work on I would be all over it. At 77 hoping this stuff calms down as I think I'm good for one more at least.

 

I've never been at it enough to take a break. For me, getting a chance to work on cars is few and far between. I enjoy the chances I get, and continue to gather parts for the "someday I'll get to finish XYZ" I hope someday comes, cuz if it doesn't, my family sure will have a mess to sort out. LOL

 

I've taken too many breaks.

 

Always limited $,just very little,about same all the time now @ 78 YO= Many times even made $$ off some of my hobby's,,so running out of $ n parts,or time was forced brake time,if making a living was getting in the way of hobby's fun.
But adding to that is some burn out on one hobby,need a brake,an move for a time to another hobby.
I believe many of us car nuts have a number of hobby's that match. My burn out brakes;;Nearly all are racing something,,Sailboats,powerboats,sportscars,stockcars*****,human powered speed bikes at Indy 500 track,model airplane's,modelcars,art=pinstriping,names on cars/signs,airbrush Wildcar T-shits*{my art name"The Bat",,some of those,now do to my age are more back ground.

 

Good one Squirrel .

This is my idea giving it a break.

Spent five days a week for the past three months doing this. I even got my wife hooked. She beginning to show me up. Says she wants a T-shirt that says
“Fish like a Girl”.

 

I'm the same only about 15yrs ahead of you and not going to have kids. I consider research on the internet working, so after work and on the weekends. The "break" is weekend nights we go driving for a few hours, when this covid thing is past the swapmeets will return.

 

I had a heart attack last year that gave me a mandatory break. I came roaring back but then started slowing down for some reason. I think it's because the things I have always done to charge my batteries were/are screwed up due to the virus and all the rules. I'd always visit friends, go to the drags, the big car shows, or camping and get a boost but not this year. Add to that our unfriendly 100+ weather and well.... For all the time I have had in the shop there is little to show, I guess doing all the weather related work-arounds has my priorities a little mixed up right now.
I think I'll take a break and go make some new priority lists.

 

Hey Petejoe,
That's a pretty big sardine!

 

I've never really taken a real "break". Not more than just a week or so of getting things done that needed to get done.

I do cylinder head porting for some extra money sometimes. BUT when either I have sweat dripping in my eyes from 95° to 105° weather (obviously no air conditioning), or my fingers are getting numb from it being cold, yea, I've put the breaks on until the weather is more favorable.

BUT, I AM in a slump of sorts right now. I have a car that I've been working on (actually two). New engine, fresh trans., new brakes, mostly fresh interior, all done. All it needs is an exhaust system and wiring. I have both the tubing and wiring...but I'm having a hard time getting out there to do the work.
Like the above note, our (SoCal) mostly three digit weather this summer has put the desire level way down, but we have had comfortable weather too. I don't go out there..!
I need to find that kick in the ass to go out and finish it. It's got some unusual parts on it, and I really do want to know how it's gonna run..!

Mike

 

I’ve been perpetually wrenching on stuff since I was 14!
Even before that on bikes, skate boards dirt bikes etc.
Had kids ..... holy crap my oldest will be 13 in a month
But still had a hobby car .
I sold the merc a month ago and I think I’m done for the short term.
Work is busy, renovations on a 70 year old house
And has been said bike riding ?!? With my kids it’s a blast.
Soon enough, I won’t be cool anymore To my kids and I can get back into the hobby with a long term project.
Unit I’ll then, I bought an 86 mustang gt t-top car so I can relive my teens and be a Gino again !!! Lol. Not exactly the car I want right now, but it’s a cheap , fun everyday beater that I’ll drive in the winter and not care about. But still something I can have fun with.

being tired from work, taking time away from the family to work on a car just ain’t doing it for me right now, my priorities have changed in the short term.

 

This should be the only reason you need to take a break.

 

I´ve been thinking about taking a break from building cars lately myself. I ´ve been building and wrenching so much lately I ´m not really enjoying it anymore. 10 or 15 years ago a trans rebuild was a month´s project and an engine rebuild took me 3 or 4 months. Nowadays a trans rebuild is a lazy Sunday and a frame off resto a half year´s job. It was more fun when I had to take my time to figure out how things work and I think I still made less mistakes because I took more time and tried harder to do a good job... Not like I feel like I screw up a lot now, I just should take it easier, enjoy what I´m working on and forget about time. That´s what a hobby is there for after all, right?
Heck, I don´t drive most of my stash of cars because I have no time to take them for a spin.... I´m at work or spend my free time workin in the garage. Probably need an attitude adjustment, hahahhaha anybody got a timing light?

 

I take breaks. You can get burnout if you don't. I have had episodes of burn out. But you need to be careful if you give it a rest. You might end up selling off something that you end up really regretting later on. If you give it a rest, do it thoughtfully.

 

I just read 56don's post and I need to say something about regret.
First off I am car crazy from birth due to my dad. When I was really
young we went to church on Sundays, came home, had bacon and eggs,
the most awesome fresh bakery hard rolls. Then we went looking for cars.
Dad was a car nut. Not a builder but sort of a "rescuer". He loved
trolling the back row of the Used cars lots of the dealers, looking for a "find"
Then he would buy an older car, bring it home and turn it into the newer family car.
He was off Mondays, and when I came home after school, he would say, "come on
help me buff this thing out!, or Brillo these white walls!"
Early on I learned about potential. I enjoyed the hunt, and turning some nasty old car
into something cool. It never left me. For me. the next car was always the driving force
in many ways. So I never looked back with regret, only with " Man if I didn't
get rid of that '61 Olds F-85 I wouldn't have gotten the '52 Chevy Delux coupe.
Or the '54 Dodge Royal with the Red Ram Hemi, or the '64 Jag E-type that got me
over 140 MPH! Enough about the cars but the list is loooonng! I'm 70, and have had some
AWESOME cars. I never restrored or completely built rebuilt any car.I have
huge respect for anyone who can do a 5 year build! I still love the
chase- find- rescue- get running-pass on and go to the next.
My list is still getting longer, and more varied! Bottom line: don't regret the ones that
got away. Enjoy the ones you caught, and keep on fishin!!!
Petejoe, This was for you too!!!

 

No.

 

Either I'm working on something or thinking about working on something. That's the whole point
of being an hotrodder, and how I decompress. I have to admit that my tool box and garage is not
as organized as most of you, but I'm not in a hurry to relax, surrounded by the smell of gas, cleaner,
exhaust or grease....but not so much 90w.....

I've bought and sold lots of stuff, made some money, lost some, but never kept a ledger. Cars kept me
out of drugs, alcoholism and jail, so life has been good to me through hot rods. I hope I go in the middle
of rebuilding a motor with a wrench in my hand.

Peace out.

 

Boy, Tony M's post sums up my childhood too. My Dad did the same thing, find the silk purse in some questionable back row sow's ears, drive it for a while while looking for the next one. I have kinda done that but I keep 'em longer than he did and dig a little deeper into them. For the most part, when they leave, it was time for them to leave and the regrets are small.

 

I try and pace myself, but it seems that my hot rod appetite is bigger than my calendar. I start building cars on paper that I don't even own. I have 5 folders on my desk at work with different projects researched.

 

bchcitybob,
I'm sure there are a lot of us here that had similar experiences!
Also, I was sort of a "Hot Rodder" before I realized it!
Getting physically tired happens to everyone sooner or later. But the fun stays,
as long as you have enthusiasm. It's been 4 years since I had to sell my '31 Model A coupe.
Had it longer than any car I ever had. Sold it to a kid from Wildwood NJ that
wanted to and did get it in TROG, a place I always wanted to go but never made it.
It was accepted first try with no changes needed. I got it from a buddy that got tired
of working on it. I finished it up and drove it for 12 years!
Wife also had to get rid of her '67 Cadillac that she loved. We still aren't looking back, just ahead.
We will be back into it soon. So I still scrounge Hot Rod parts that I find, but
I sell them quick if someone needs them because there is always more parts
out there than I could ever use! I can still find 5 Model A's or parts
within 100 miles from my house every week!
I talk too much!
Don't give up!

 

I finished up my roadster earlier this year. I thought it was my last build. I made a few bird houses and flower boxes. That didn't quench my thirst. Got bored. About a month ago I started giving some thought to building another hot rod, but it has to be done on the cheap, since I'm retired and on a fixed income.
I guess I missed solving those hot rod building problems. So now I'm looking for a 25-26 T coupe body. Bill

 

I reached the point on the Roadster were I needed to buy a frame, sold off stuff to cover the cost of it, and paid off bills in stead. I really feel better, and I'm selling off more stuff to see if I'd be as happy spending the money on a frame.

Bob

 

Bob, What frame Are you looking for? Maybe I can help.
You are not too far away! I love the hunt!
Tony