Art & Inspiration Restoration/age concern

Sometimes you can remember what kind of job you used to do, and think you can still do the same.
You mentioned bodywork. Well, nothing wrong with some filler vs perfection
Nothing wrong with primer/sealer vs show quality paint.
Running reliably, stopping properly, mechanically and electrically safe and up to the task, turn the key and enjoy it.
If you put it up for sale, most likely you’ll never be close to breaking even on your time or $$ spent.
If you’re good with that, send it down the road, if you feel it will nag at you, get it on the road and enjoy it.
Truth is, the only time you see what the outside of the vehicle looks like is when you go to get in it, then get out of it.
Spend your time behind the steering wheel and enjoy it.

 

Watched the latest episode of Nick’s Garage last night. In it they featured the body shop doing work on a OT vehicle. The guy was a part owner of the shop (3 man crew). Said it was likely the worst car they had ever worked on. Guessing he was in his 60s. He worked on it, and mentioned his frustration at times, but then said seeing the progress/improvements kept him motivated to finish it. Body was getting a poly coat and he said it was easy street going forward. Point is, even tried and true professionals can get overwhelmed and frustrated, but keep going.

 

I just put a battery in my Ford last night. I had dropped a piece of hardware and my son was in the area, he found it for me, hung up in the front sheet metal. I was not able to climb up enough on the fender high enough to see it.

My current condition, I expect it to improve. My OTHER back injury, I'm going for a nerve block in the near future. The volt gauge shows a no-charge condition. I'm going out in a bit to buy a multi-meter. I'm still buying tools.

 

As we age into retirement, I’ve found there are two types of people— those that have worked all their life, usually at a job they hated, and all they want to do is nothing. The other type is like most of us here, we were fortunate enough our careers were something we enjoyed, and we still enjoy working, just not full time.

My two current vehicles may never be “ finished “. Doesn’t stop me from enjoying them, working on them when I feel like it, and showing them off. It’s not an everyday thing, some days it’s lawn mowers, building a shed, doing work with my tractor. I don’t start early and don’t work late. I put in the time I want and it not feel like a job.

I’m a youngin at 65, as long as I’m physically able I’m going to be working on something. Probably never do another ground up build from parts and pieces, but that’s OK. Even small simple jobs can be satisfying, and you put them together and you have something bigger. The way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, not at one sitting!

 

From the aspect of doing a lotta this shit for a living I might have an advantage (disadvantage?) as far as the outlook. The disadvantage is I'm always last on the list. It didn't used to bug me much but lately seems like it does. I switched into "check boxes" mode. Being my own worst enemy I take a structured A-B-C/1-2-3 approach and try to a build "in order" which means in garage speak don't fuck around with "this" when "that" has to be completed. Now I think of, find, see something, it has to be done anyways so screw it. That box checked. Having help means more now than ever too. I have a very dear and close pal that has cars too. We tag team both of em at times. Frankly he pushes me a bit on mine "Lets get (this or that) done today..." and it helps. Another disadvantage to being a living, end of the day rolls around and it's easy to say to yourself you've just had a shitty day and the LAST thing you wanna do is more of the same, even though my stuff is more rewarding in some ways. Real easy when the outside temp ticks up into the 90s. No AC in my shop. I'm a 1957 model, I got rust too, my frame is sketchy, my fuel system needed work too But like these old cars we keep em running and do our best to keep em serviced so why not us too, right? So, the best take away here is probably start checking boxes. Do the easy ones, no shame in that. Try to think of the last minute pain in the ass stuff that we always say "Shit, I shoulda-coulda..." and now you have to disrupt your mojo to get it done. Like in my case, had to prefit the dash and windshield garnish molding before it's all cleared and pretty. I'm into the window felt stuff so they can be 100% rt now, no worries when headliner and interior work takes off in earnest. Got interrupted on that so now chasing any related fixes (one of my regulators for the back window is bent) and now I can just assemble and install once all the felts arrive. At the risk of excess redundancy, check boxes.

 

Richard do you have car club in the area? Also there might be fellow hambers in your area who may offer a helping hand as needed. If you were close by to me I would help occasionally, sanding, wiring , turning wrenches - whatever! Over the years I’ve had people help with lifting truck beds, cabs, putting a car on rotisserie etc. even help cleaning garage. I try to reciprocate or supply beer, pop and pizza! Always a fun day.

 

Hello,

10 years ago, we had the same thought of rehashing whether or not to get a completed old hot rod, just for taking our granddaughter around to her activities. Soccer practice, games, family functions, the beach, various parks, Newport Harbor ferry rides, numerous restaurants, coastal cruises, and of course, shopping. etc. were the places we went together all day.

So, at the time, she loved this old convertible that was always coming by her house when we were in the garage doing Toddler stuff. pretend play, art work, journal writing, more arts/crafts and playing games. The inside of the house was nice, but we spent a lot more times outside and in that garage with our playtime activities. Between walks to the local park and stores.

The convertible was bright red, rumbled like it had a huge, powerful motor and it was a beautiful sight rolling down the street. she would always stop what she was doing and run to the edge of the garage opening and wave as the “rumble” came by. The owner waved back with a smile. That made her happy. When asked about the convertible, she and my wife would go on about how cool it was to ride in one and drop the top. So, I thought there is still the hope that some hot rod influence is still available for the next generation.

We now were searching for the right hot rod to move us into the “influence” for possible future scenarios. Arriving at a soccer game parking lot in a one of a kind 40 Ford sedan with an SBC motor and rumble, certainly would score plenty of points with her friends and families present.

Do we buy one? Fix up an older one? Or just go spend something on a cool nicely built one, ready to rumble?

Note:
We looked at two 1940 Ford sedans with roomy back seats. One was a two door with an SBC motor.
It was local, just a few minutes away in location. But, just when we were heading to the place to buy the sedan, it was sold and we were now stuck for an alternate choice. We wanted a two door sedan. So, the next choice was this one:
This Candy Apple Red 40 Ford Sedan was well built, but was farther away requiring a fly and drive home vacation to park it in our small garage. It would have been a fun road trip for us… But, the SBC + accessories would have made it a nice drive home.

Note2 :
Now, for our granddaughter...we treaded lightly when she was little, but now that she is older (an individual... 18 going on 30) she, too, has no interest in cars, but has a great attitude towards life, family, friends and her future. Although, she and her friends that we picked up everyday after school, always told each other that our cars always sounded powerful and cool. It was the rumble of the motors and the nice ride home. There is hope, yet...

She surprised us with the best thing I have seen in quite some time. Perhaps, being a recent high school graduate sparks some good old memories of Hot Wheels, a powerful sounding neighbor’s cool red Comet Convertible rumbling down the street and waving to it, as if to say hello to a hot rod. The countless flames she saw me drawing on restaurant table tops and in our scrapbook journals we all created.
similar in looks and styling
But, realizing the economics of today’s world, the cost of teenage insurance and the liability/hazards of convertibles, she and her family opted for a newer sedan for comfort and reliability. After all, it is something to drive to get to college, job interviews and just have a freedom that we all enjoyed with our first car experience.

So, get one while you can, enjoy it to drive. Building one, repairing one is/was fun in a way that is hard to explain to others. Even our son who saw me working on our old cars, went a different way and that was his choice.

For a solution, sell the old Ranchero and start looking as a running hot rod in great shape. The cost is negligible toward your goal at this stage. There are folks out there that are in the Ranchero mode… just recently, we saw three small Ranchero in various “hot rod” stages in coastal So Cal. So, your market is already there.

Move to the next level. It would be good to buy a hot rod in a great condition and now, you have a base to which to create your own changes. Or… get one and start driving around and enjoy that mode we are all happy to have or had at one time. If we did live in a three car garage house, we would own a 1940 Ford Sedan, or a small custom Chevy Nova Wagon. today.

Jnaki

So, now a new idea and probably our last go around with new/old station wagons is this idea drawn a month or so ago.

1963 Chevy NOVA Nomad Station Wagon
still room for two and our “stuff.”
But, across the small two car garage may be a similar powerful red El Camino that would take us back a few years and still fit in the secure parking space, next to the small station wagon. Two for the price of one long standing set of memories, just sitting in the small garage… “If only…”

A small powerful V8, Nova El Camino with road height/heavy load adjusting suspension for all of our household needs that would or could not fit in the small station wagon... One of these or a new Audi…

Sure, we would enjoy a nice hot rod sitting in our small garage, ready made or the two versions of the Nova customs. As far as the work there are plenty of good hot rod shops doing great modifications in So Cal, so there are choices. It certainly would add to the daily drives or at least weekly coastal cruises we enjoy and have enjoyed all of these years in coastal So Cal. It never gets old… My wife and I are content with the final results as we mellow out into old age… YRMV

 

I will be 78 this year and I fully understand how you feel.
On the other hand, even though it takes me longer to do anything now, I still enjoy working on my projects and knowing that I have a project to work on is part of what keeps me getting up and getting busy everyday.

 

I;m sneaking up on 76. My avatar is a car that was on the very top of my bucket list. It took years of work to get the body in shape and another year and a half to build the chassis, stab the engine/trans etc after I got it home .
Then, it happened! My #2 car came up for sale.....a '50 Pontiac coupe in remarkable condition for a price I could afford so I bought it. Now, I have 2 projects that needed work and $$$$. After coming to grips with reality, I had to sell the Pontiac..........hurt my heart but I didn't have time, money, space and energy it was gonna take to make that old coupe the way I wanted. Good news is I have the chopped 34 Ford coupe I always wanted.
Still................

 

I just turned 74 and know I'll be facing the same issue someday. I retired at age 69, mostly so I'd have the time to finish my '40. Got that done in a year, enjoyed it for awhile, then started on my roadster which has turned into a major project. Hope to have that one finished next year. After that... who knows? I'll see how I feel. My biggest issue is that I don't own any shop space and paying rent for the place I'm in now takes a large chunk of my disposable income.

Was talking about this with my friend Rich, my age, who is into the downsizing mode and getting rid of a lot of stuff he's accumulated over the years. He said "Yep, you're going to have a lot of tools and parts to get rid of so you'd better just get prepared to deal with it."

Another buddy, Tom, and I were having the same conversation a bit later, and I told him about Rich's comment. To which Tom replied "And then what are you going to do?"

Good question...

 

I had a good career now that I look back on it, virtually 1 in 10,000 has done what I was doing for over 30 years. It was a dream job, but things were turning "woke" and the corporate culture was becoming one big SUCK.

So I do what I can do on the car. I have one buddy I can rely on, I work on his cars too. I can get one of my kids to help with heavy lifting.

Right now, if I could open the garage door by myself, I would be happy about it. I just dug out my Tens unit and I have it on charge.

I went out last night to my model car club meeting. That was at 7. I started getting my shit together about 6, hot shower on my lower back, a fresh pain-patch and an oxy. I was good but tried to stand as much as possible. I have pain management early next week, maybe I can get a cortisone shot to get the muscle inflammation down.

 

Update on my condition: The TENS unit wasn't much help. I start out doing pretty well during the day, make coffee, feed the cat and birds outside. I do computer stuff and some model car stuff, as I did have a model car show I am skipping today. I decided a couple of weeks back not to be a vendor this year.

I find that sitting at my dining room table does me in. I can't go more than 10 or 15 minutes without being in more pain when I get up. I figure that the cause is possibly getting a draft on my lower back and I recall taking a bad step a week ago. I generally do better in warmer to hot months.

 

Whatever you decide to do, I live by this motto and I am 74 - a body in motion stays in motion. Just stay busy, whatever you decide to do, both mentally and physically.

 

I know that feeling of being old and taking on an extensive project. I was in the same position when I bought my '39 Chev, and knew it would be the most challenging save of any car I'd ever started with! I told myself that I wished I'd found it a decade earlier as a decade earlier I was in better shape having recently retired and still feeling fairly good for that age.
I've got one knee that's been operated on 4 times, and a 95% disability in my right wrist that wont allow it to move. Add to that problems with my right foot that are complications from the knee that doesn't bend past 90 degrees.
But once I decided to forge ahead with the build I found that it actually kept me in better physical shape by going to the shop each day to work on it. I didn't work as many hours as I did a decade earlier, nor did I work 7 days a week either. I worked 4-5 days a week, and maybe 4-8 hrs. a day depending on how hard I worked that day. I did 100% of the work on my '39, and decided to tackle things I'd previously farmed out to other shops like paint and interior. I found the more I did, the more I wanted to try myself. At one point I decided to try doing the entire build myself, and it kept me interested, and motivated.
My suggestion would be to forge ahead, and see how much better you'll feel by keeping active, and getting excited as the build goes forward.

 

Right! We should not turn away from the thing that gets the juices going, without having a replacement desire.

 

Get moving before you get stuck. You may be flipping and flopping like a fish on the dock when you get up but you can still get up, it just uglier and uglier to watch. HAHAHAHhaaha. Get Moving !!!!!

 

Not too many years ago, we all laughed at those Life Alert commercials. Now I'm living inside one. I keep a kitchen stool handy to help me get up from kneeling on bad days. I have a garden stool I use outside for garden work and washing the cars.

 

I will be 74 my birthday. For me it's like Jimmy Buffett said in Coastal Confessions.
"But still it's fun, hey I'm not done, gonna dance till I fall"

 

75 here Recognize all the issues, but as I am close to finishing one vehicle, I hope to start another soon after, I am sure that will be my last build mostly because I am slow as hell now.

 

I'll keep swingin' 'til I can't... I hope to someday finish the projects I have going. I still find building therapeutic, but sometimes I get stuck or frustrated. I've got one "finished" that I can take out & enjoy... it keeps me inspired.

 

I think the answer to your question will be different for everyone. I turned 76 last November. I still do the same stuff on my cars that I always did. I do work a little slower, but I am retired so time is not an issue. I am also lucky that I am in good shape which can be a factor for a lot of people who are not. I also don't look at how much time I have left. My older brother is 85 and he recently did the disc brakes on his OT car.

 

I wrote on this a couple of pages back but some of the comments got me to thinking about my dad. He retired from Boeing at 62 and I think that shorted him on his retirement kitty plus he spent a bunch on a car that he thought was great but I thought was junk the day after he retired, His dream car so to say.
The rest of his life he dwelled on what he thought he couldn't do rather than what he could do. He wanted to go to the badlands of the Dakotas and poke around and I offered my truck and camper for him to go and he found a laundry list of reasons why that wouldn't work.. Truth was I don't think the 77 one ton crew cab and same age camper were fancy enough in his mind to impress the ladies. Greatest dad in the world and a fantastc grandad who would drive 170 miles to see one of the kids participate in most anything. Did the same for my cousins and their kids, They knew that Uncle Harold would show up if anyone showed up. Still he wasted a lot of years dwelling on what he thought he couldn't do for very lame reasons.
My shoulder is getting better and once I get caught up on my house work (wife still hasn't fully recovered from being sick) I'll spend a few hours a day trying to make a semblence of progress that I can actually tell about.
First the daily has to be squared away as it pisses all over it's self in the engine compartment and along with fixing that pull the alternator and decide what to do about it. That leak pissed right on the alternator.
Then set my frame for my 48 up on what I use to hold it level and secure and set donor cab number 1 on it and do some cutting.

 

I'm just a youngster, will be 70 in July and up until 3 years ago was super lucky in my good health, until I wasn't. 3 years ago had a moderate heart attack, 2 years ago was hospitalized with the COVID and last August had a stroke. Once again (I'll say thru the grace of God) was super lucky and have made a good comeback. Like a lot of the guys have said, it's important to keep going, every day doing what you can. Last year it was a struggle to go for a walk, now I can walk 2 mile's a day no problem. I started lifting small weights to build back lost muscle and that's progressed as well. Do word games on my lap-top to re-strengthen my vocabulary. Used to spend all day in the shop but 1 to 2 years ago that was down to 2 hours or less, now getting back to speed. My wife's mantra "pace yourself"!

Most of my projects (75% motorcycles) are financial losers with an occasional winner, we laugh about it because it's like we are rescuing stray dogs and cats. Gotta save 'em!

Current projects are my wife's 440 '55 Dodge, my '29 RPU and several bikes. I have a pile of music CD's that I listen to and just enjoy being out in the shop. I've been a shop rat since I was 12 and wouldn't change a thing.

Rick

PS: LC Garage stands for Last Chance Garage, we rescue a lot of "junk"

 

Tomorrow I will turn 79. By now I've finished the cars I wanted. It's too much physically to tackle another major project. But as I look back at the things I've done and the places I've been I have no regrets and lots of good memories. 'Probably won't ever drive cross country to the LA Roadster show again, but I've done that and have the memories of a great trip. The Lone Star Roundup is in a couple of weeks; 'would love to go again but it's just not in these old bones to solo that far again in a roadster. But, you know what? The sun is shining, it's a nice spring day here and in a few minutes I'll go downstairs and fire up the roadster for a run to the store and the ice cream shop...and I'm grateful to be able to do that!

 

I think it's good to have a project that you are moving towards completion, especially when you are retired. It keeps you going, gives you something to look forward to.
If you are doing this for passion, and you love that ranchero, that is the car of your dreams, then it's worth it. Go for it.

But if by "worth it" you mean financially, you have absolutely the wrong car. You are going to be so far upside down in that car by the time it's done you'll be lucky to get just a small percentage of your money back when you sell it. Especially if you pay people to work on it. And that's if it's done and done well. If you have to bail and sell it as a partially done project, it will be even worse. Falcon rancheros just don't sell for any money. If financial considerations are important, sell it now and get something that has some serious resale value.

Also, Highlanders idea of staying out of major projects, but buying and selling, making small improvements and profits along the way is an awesome idea. That's what I'm planning to do once I retire.

 

Time's a wastin'.
I better move my ass.
Ruh-oh...
I can barely move my ass.

 

The priorities, needs, and desires I had at age 50 or even at age 60 are different then they are at age 67. Building cars, or working on projects are just a few of the things that now carry a lower priority then they did a couple years ago.

I believe I have been fortunate to have enjoyed playing with cars most of my life. I've been able to do things many have not ever had the privilege to do (though not at the quality level of others here, I've done my best). I have no regrets and I currently have no desire to take on another project. That stated, I have not given up my tools nor my equipment, just in case something changes.

I do rather enjoy telling others what I think they should do with their projects though (online and in person). My son tells me I just don't want to spend my money on stuff, but he keeps dragging stuff here and asking my opinion. I like to supervise him. Its easier on me money wise and is considerably less painful to watch him do the work. We have traded places, I hold the trouble light and fetch the tools. Its kind of a payback for me to him for all those years when he helped me.

 

I'm close to my heart doctor and we talk, I am slowly filling in the blanks with what happened to be between coding in the ER and coming out of a 4 day coma. Now I learned that they kept me cold, to cut down on the chance of brain damage.

Stats are like 40% of having brain impairment from what I endured. I sure am not 100% and my first few days back awake were quite rough. I was cleared to drive in a month, although I drove earlier than that. I was back in the gym, taking it easy, at 7 weeks being home. 3 months later I cleared 12" of snow with a snow blower by myself. 5 months saw me changing the rear end and springs in my Ford, with help. Another month I did the big sway bar by myself.

It may be the medications I will be taking forever that contribute to my poor spelling and lousy typing. I have a good memory and do not forget anything. I was able to work at the same level after as I was before.

 

Years ago, I met a man in Nampa, Idaho who was the "I'm going to restore that someday" guy. After he retired, he'd take a vehicle out of his row of projects and "restore" it.

He was relatively slow, his eyesight was poor and he certainly wasn't wealthy but he chipped away at things and had quite the collection of finished early Fords.

This guy was definitely past 73. If he could do it, hobbling around and such... any of us can.