Hot Rods Once you retire how much time do you spend in the shop??

Been retired 2 years now. The first day was the strangest because of no alarm clock. Spend most of my day either in the shed or do odd jobs around the 5 acres. All better than working. Trouble is the locals found out I was a 40 year truck driver so have been doing some grain harvest tipper work. Long days but I pick the days and it's good to get back into a big jigger but it reminds me why I retired.

 

I'm on track for March 2025 .

Cars lined up already, still collecting parts, shop supplies, some equipment. I like to work into the night, so maybe 12 to 12 (yes, I plan to live away from people)......we'll see what kinda shape I'm in then.

 

I will have been retired 12months at the end of this month. I love it. Can spend as much time in the shop as I want all except Fridays when I am banned as we have the grandchildren to look after. If the weather is good at the weekends I try to do something nice with she who must be obeyed.

 

Been retired for ten years but the first year got taken up taking care of my ailing Dad. He got better but I met my wife and spent the next year getting married, buying a house, then another year settling in and getting my shop done. I usually hit the shop around nine, lunch at 1 or 2 and come in for dinner around 7.30 or 8. I may go back out til 10 or 11 if I’m really into something and it’s not too cold. I’m in the shop every day but I do take a day here and there to do something with my wife or to help my Mom.


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Been retired ten years, for nine, every day, 8 or more hours in the shop. Last year, I started keeping the doors shut, looking like I wasn't in there, too many drop ins, "can you help me with?" shit, that I'd end up doing, not helping.
This year, sometimes the couch hangs onto me too long, one coffee turns into two, decide I gotta go to town to get the mail, meet someone along the way, or in town, don't hurry home, suddenly the day is shot. Today I got up at 4, in the loader at 5, loaded snow till 9:30, got home, went back to bed till 11, then watched a movie with the boss lady.
Ain't retirement great?

 

I retired almost 12 years ago at 57 1/2. The plan was to finish the shop and then work on my old cars

Didn’t work out like that, though. I did pretty much finish the shop, but I outgrew it. Picked up a couple of additional houses along the way, along with a bigger shop, a dump truck, excavator, CTL, and tractor, along with more project cars and a winter house in the southwest, with no shop but a tiny two car garage.

I have spent more time rehabbing properties and upgrading shops than actually working on my project cars.

I’m ok with that. We’re in the process of selling a one of the houses now, so that should free up some time.... Maybe I can get something done on one of the 36’s or the 60 F100 or the 65 Falcon.

 

All interesting stories for sure, I will be retired 15 years in May and what I do is spend all summer driving my cars. Like some others, when the sun is out, I'm outside enjoying the weather. I have two farms to do a little work around, 6 grand kids, 3 of my own children to do things with, friends to hang and do things with. I have a nice small machine shop that I like to visit if it's very cold out. Everyday when I get up, I ask the wife: what are you doing today? I worked hard all my life and I don't want to work like that anymore, especially on cars. It's way more fun going places in the hot rods with friends, family. Retirement is about surrounding yourself with people who either love you or enjoy being around you and having the time of your life with them. I wish you a happy retirement too.

 

Less than I thought I would, though much more than prior to retirement. The honey do list seems to have grown arms and legs as swmbo is still working, she is 8 years younger than I am. I still get calls from old customers, so have been working some what. One thing I will say if possible make your shop
comfortable with heat and a/c, it really helps make it more enjoyable.

 

I spend as much time as I can, I retired Oct. 2014. The only thing that keeps me out of the garage is home projects and the cold, no heat out there!

 

I have been retired about 20 years. I have lost count. I go to the shop about seven o'clock each morning and I stay to about five in the afternoon. Somedays more and somedays less. The last couple of years I have not hit it as hard as in the past. I am slowing down. During my retirement I have help built and I was the crew chief on a record setting Bonneville car, I partnered in the build of a nostalgia gasser that we raced for 12 years until its end this last summer. I have built numerous hot rods during this time period and I finished a car for my wife that I had been working on for many years. Last year I built a vehicle to race in the Hot Rod Drag Week event but of course that was cancelled.

I am very fortunate to have had the opportunities to do things that I always wanted to do. I am adapting my shop and my tools to do smaller projects in the future. When I can, I do try to help others who are struggling trying to finish a project. I had one dropped off just yesterday.

Usually I have a regular crowd of visitors that pass through my place but this year is different. I have the driveway blocked and skull and crossbones signs that say keep out quarantine. I have avoided the public in anyway I can, and I order most everything on the phone or online. (I have not had a haircut in the last 10 months. I am starting to think about buying some tie dyed shirts, going to some concerts, and attend some protest about world peace.)

 

Don't forget the Birkenstock sandals....

 

5 to 9 hours a day, 6 to 7 days a week! The biggest obstacle, is physical limitations, problems with my hands, back aches, etc.

 

2319 days until retirement, but who is counting?

 

well I am in mine right now and will be here for the rest of the day

 

17 years on and I will admit I'm not as productive but I'm at it every day, Some days a few hours, some days 8-10. That's the plan for as long as I can.

 

Wait.....I am retired Dec 22 2020.
1 day left to work.
My plan is to do 5 hours, 7days a week in the shop.

 

I thought I'd be out there all day every day but there always seems to be something to keep it from happening.

 

It depends. Are you married? If so, don't be surprised if you have a lot of projects to do that do not involve your hobby. When I retired, it took about 4 years to catch up on all the stuff I had not had time to do when working. After that, mostly all day in the garage. But lately, old age, laziness,cold and burnout have slowed me to a crawl.
A little bit of advice that helped me. Get a part time job at an auto parts store. You get their employee discount and when they change out products you can buy the closeout stuff dirt cheap before the customers know about it...

 

My sister gave me a good quote when she retired.
She was trying to get her head around this retirement thing and said it finally dawned on her:" Retirement isn't about what you do, retired is what you ARE".

 

I'm 75 and have thought about retirement but haven't done it yet. I don't hunt, fish, boat, camp or any of the other things normal people do. I still enjoy building chassis for customers and I'm lucky that the phone rings with jobs. I usually get to the shop about 10, take a lunch and quit about 4.30 so I'm not exactly busting my butt. I work as hard as my body let's me. I suppose in the next couple years I'll pull the plug? I'm afraid if I totally quit that shortly afterward they'll bring out the shovels.

 

P.S...You do actually forget what day it is. And then you morph into getting irritated when everyone
else is off on the weekends and holidays..."Doesn't ANYONE work anymore...?"..geez....pretty funny. Favorite t-shirt that I have seen has this saying on the
back "Go around me, I'm retired" ...love it..

 

Good for you! Question, is a big jigger a large semi and grain trailer, I'm guessing?

 

I retired a decade ago, and had just purchased my Austin sedan as a project car, so time in the shop was more hours than when I was working! I spent 8-12 hrs. a day, often 7 days a week! I did that for 6 months to get the car on the road.
Before:



6 months later:



After getting it roadworthy, I cut back to maybe a few hours a day, and a few days a week, with an occasional all day project. But the next fall I put it back in the shop and blew it all apart again to strip it to bare metal and prepare for new paint. Over the winter I got it into epoxy primer, and had it painted. Then reassembled in time for spring driving again.









In the last decade I've built two more cars, and my time in the garage has slowed down, as I get older. I tend to do more 6-8 hr. days, and maybe 4-5 days a week. I've also built 3 cars for friends during the last decade too, so been a busy decade!











Between the Austin build and the Falcon, my wife put the skids on cars, and I ended up tearing out our bathroom and kitchen to do a down to the studs remodel of both. That took about 6 months out of the shop and car builds. But once she was happy again, I hit it hard all over again!

 

It's been 12 years since I last got a paycheck. I went at 62 and couldn't wait to get there; it took several micro seconds to adjust. I watch news with coffee and breakfast in the morning and at lunch. I watch a little TV with the wife after 9pm; otherwise I'm in the garage or searching for parts or , like now, on the HAMB. How could you ask for more?

 

Like most above, all day, every day. We all know people that have told us, " I had to go back to work, I just didn't know what to do with myself." To those folks, I have to say, sorry but you need to get a life.

Life is great in the shop.

 

Less time than I did before I retired. Do work when they need some fixing. Truck out for repaint. Looking at a new project. If I get one I may sell the 1946.

 

I retired 2 years ago. I'm in the shop/home garage pretty well every day for a few or more hours. Not always a rod related thing, but I'm never looking for something to do. Anytime. When people asked me what I was going to do with all the free time when I retired; I replied that I'd always be occupied. Not busy, but always something to do.

 

I retired mid-August 2019, so 16 months. Actually I was downsized. I intended to work about 12-15 months longer, but it has worked out great. Sad thing is, I don’t have a garage or shop, or a project. Our lives have been in flux since early summer when we decided to move to another state. Sold out and moved into a too-small rental in a new town... Hopefully we can buy a place with a large garage/shop/barn, or build one — soon. . Then I can get a car or truck to “piddle” with.

 

Two days to till I retire! Can't wait to be in the shop fulltime!!!
I look at it this way, everyday will either be a Saturday or Christmas Day from here on out!

 

I retired oct. 31, about 7 weeks. The first 2 or 3 weeks it was cutting wood and working on the house (things I put off when working). Now I’m in the garage every day, at lest a few hours. Today I am cleaning the back corner of the shop I haven’t seen in years. I posted on hamb on my retirement day and got a lot of great advice, thanks guys. The worst thing about being retired is no more weekends to look forward to. Lol