How are you enjoying the Muscle Car hobby these days?
 

Just curious as I contemplate retirement...how are you enjoying the hobby these days? Do you have a car(s), go to cruise nights, car shows, how many miles a year do you drive your muscle cars, do you spend most of you hobby time on-line checking out the forums?

My boss retired recently and got me thinking about what I plan on doing during my retirement. He commented that retirement was boring as everyone is just waiting around to play the next game (golf, cards, board games) etc.

I suspect that most of my time will be spent doing car-related things, since I hate games and don't do gardening!

To answer my own questions above...I don't have a muscle car currently, so most of my hobby time is spent on-line when it comes to muscle cars. I still have my 993 and 2 old harleys that I spend more hands on time with.

love it... but its getting costly. trying to find stuff for a S/C 360 hornet ain't that easy. but its the hunt that is fun. never know what ya will find.

Retirement is only boring, if a person lets it be. I have enough projects to last until I'm 120. I have a couple that are drivers, but most are in pieces, waiting for the funding and time to build them. The cost to accomplish those have steadily risen over the years and have become prohibitive for me, so it takes longer.
Just have 1 nice driver and go to shows and cruises and you can keep boredom at bay. Get a basket case project and work 12 hrs a day, if you want.
I live on almost 3 acres, so there is a considerable amount of time spent on improving and maintaining that too. Yard was a mess when we moved here 3 yrs ago, so I have plenty of improving in the coming years.

I don't spend much time on forums over the summer, but winter can get more difficult to find the motivation to go out in the shop, turn up the heat and work on a car. Too easy to just sit at a desk and screw around on a computer.

Welcome, hacksaw...:biggthumpup:

I hear you regarding staying out of the garage in the winter - I do the same :)

Most weekends I am in the garage most of the day - tinkering, cleaning and just messing around in general. I take the 993 out Saturday and Sunday evenings for a drive with my wife or daughter down by the lake. Usually 1 - 1.5 hours and then it's back in the garage. I keep promising myself that I will hit a few weeknight cruises this summer, but haven't made it out to one yet.

Both of my Harleys are low mile garage queens that I am just bringing up to my spec. Then, I might ride them for an hour or two a month in the summertime. I keep them around more for the nostalgia than anything else.

Next year I might venture back into another old muscle car or Corvette.

I guess you could call my Harley a garage Queen too.

June 6th, I brought it home, 23 years ago and it has less than 13k on it.

I’m struggling a little-the costs to restore and maintain vs my enjoyment is getting tougher to make work. I’ve actually enjoyed finding and fixing up 10-20 year old drivers for my kids more than my vintage stuff over the last couple of years. A lot of my older friends and mentors in the muscle car space are just not as physically active as they used to be.

Very cool that you still have your bike all these years later! I bought my first new harley in 1993 and just bought the identical bike with 2,300 original miles. My other 93 just turned 5,200 miles :)

I have similar struggles Tom406. My 993 is 27 years old, but operates like a modern car and I can find mechanics to work on it. I had to flat bed my Camaro to a buddy's shop in Toronto as there was no one local to take it to and it was costing me $350 each way. There is a local Corvette shop about 15 minutes from my place, so that is one reason that I may go that route next year.

I have been retired 4 years and it’s fantastic. My doctor asked me if I was retiring out of something or into something. I definitely retired into something. My wife and I travel a lot and I do get to spend time enjoying cars. I don’t do local car shows anymore but enjoy being a Concours D’Elegance judge as well as Vintage Certification at MCACN. I hardly drive my vintage cars anymore and prefer my AMG Mercedes,my wife’s Porsche or my 2019 Bullitt Mustang.
I am restoring a 1971 442 convert that is taking longer than expected and when it’s done it will be my last full restoration. 45 years and 12 plus restorations are enough.
My shop time is between 12-16 hours a week and I lose focus about mid afternoon.
Love the hobby and the people. Internet time is about 30 minutes a day,that’s enough.

P.S.
My 4.6 year old grandson loves coming to the shop. He picks out a couple of 1.18 Diecast cars and plays with them.

I retired September 2022. After 47 years of being in the electrical construction trade as an electrician- contractor- estimator-project manager- consultant and more retirement is a total different ball game to me.
Lost interest in the car show scene many years ago and only go to a few cruise ins local to me.Today I got the 4K car for the first time this year and cruised in to town and back home, about 15 miles. I enjoy driving the 02 Camaro more than the 4K car.
I have a nice 30x50 shop that I spend a lot of time in piddling on stuff. My neighbor stopped by yesterday questioning me about a welder outlet circuit and I jumped at the chance to help him install it LOL!! So yes I’m bored!
I got sad news past Saturday about an old friend that owns an Automatic Transmission shop, he has had a stroke and hasn’t been to his shop for 3 weeks. If a guy has his health and can get out n go each day you’re in fine shape.

ICL

I have only been retired for two weeks now. I was going to retire in Feb of 2024 but GM talked me into staying home 😉. It comes at a perfect time as I’m restoring my 67 Z. So lots of time to dedicate on that project. The biggest hurdle is finding my routine but I’m getting there.

When I announced my retirement, one of my longtime colleagues dug up this pic of a cold weather trip we were on in 1991 for the 92 Bosch ASR system in Kinross, MI. Great memories.

Congratulations on the retirements guys! And thank you for responding to my post. It’s great to hear that I’m not the only one who prefers “older” cars over “old” cars now 😀.

Hi Mark-hope all is well-I retired last August on my 60th birthday-I loved my job of 33 years but hated the politics and some of the new people hired who feel entitled and don't want to get their hands dirty-I really don't know how I got anything done while I had a full time job-lol-my daughter lives next door so I have twice the work and half the pay!I have always said you can't buy back time-still love the old cars-just yesterday went and saw a numbers matching 70 SS 396 M21 Canadian docs chevelle yesterday that may be for sale soon-don't know all I do in a day but I am tired at night!!!!
Keep on Cruising!!!!
Dave

Hey Dave…all is well here, hope the same for you! Congrats on the retirement! We’re the same age btw. I really do like my job and I work with good people, so I’m not sure when I’ll pack it in for sure. Right now, I’m focussed on simplifying life a bit.

Any good cruise nights out your way? I want to get out to a few good ones (if good ones still exist up here).

Good luck on the 70. My fist car was a 70 Chevelle and I alternated back and forth between Chevelles and Camaros during my teens and early 20’s. Still love a nice black or silver 70!

I’m glad I bought my cars when I did, as the current prices are insane. I do miss finding great local deals on Craigslist, getting them cleaned up and running, and making a few grand selling them. Getting awfully tough to source deals like that on anything pre-72 so I’ve been scouring for 5.0 Mustangs instead.

The biggest issue that keeps me from doing more with my cars is TIME….

I semi retired four years ago and worked part time. I fully retired in January of this year and love it, but our weather is nice year-round (aside from July and August). I don't have any problem with filling the day as I workout hard every day without fail. We have a good tight group of Corvette and car guys in Austin that meet on Saturdays, and we still work on cars. My wife and I love to travel and we just got back from Holland and celebrated her 65th birthday over there. I'm fortunate to have some really nice old Corvettes and of course, the bronze Kirkham Cobra that keeps the neighborhood kids entertained.

PS, and the 2015 Harley only has 495 miles on it. I just don't drive my bike like I used to.

----I've been retired for a while now, and it's true that you end up having more to do than before retirement. The cars are mostly done, but I always say I've found new ways of loosing money by having a marine addiction. Just finishing one 24ft Donzi after about ten years and have one more Donzi (18 ft Donzi Corsican, google it) to rig and then maybe I can wind down the bleeding! But there's always something to do even if a boats done, GRR!.....Bill S

We need current pictures, Bill.

I retired about 3.5 years ago & to this day I don't know where I found the time to go to work. It was eating up all my needed time.
I enjoy the car hobby although I don't drive the cars as I did years before. They were daily drivers then. The 1968 Z/28 I've had since 1976 & the 1969 ss396 Camaro I bought in 1981. They have each aquired 80k extra miles on the speedo over the years so nobody can say I didn't or don't drive them. As I continue my search for a 1970 Cuda, I wish I would've bought one years ago instead of getting into the early 30s Chevrolets.....Joe

Are you gonna tell us your Corsican came with a Holman-Moody 427 ? Where are the pics !!!

Here's Bill's Donzi. I need to visit and go for a ride.

----Pics of the Corsican will have to come later, but Tim G has offered to post pics of my 24ft Donzi Spitfire. Thanks, Tim!

----It's funny you ask, Charlie, as this Corsican is serial # 2 and started life as a H-M small block with a Volvo drive. They only made 56 Corsicans and as of now I have owned almost 20% of them, but never a V-drive with 427 HM drivetrain.. I worked for Donzi Marine in the early 70's so have almost always have had 1 or 2 around. The Spitfire is far rarer than a Corsican with only around 20 produced. I know of no other Spitfire of the approximatley 5 or so left that have had anywhere near as extensive a restoration. I think mine is the only one ever delivered with twin small blocks and Mercruiser TRS drives and was used in the Donzi display booth in 1973 or 4 in Toronto CA.....Bill S

More of Bills' Donzi.

A few more.

I bet that’s fun on lake St Clair!!

----I wish I already knew, but I haven't had it wet yet. Prop testing will start soon and the Spitfire will debut at the Racers Reunion at Jacks (under new ownership) in Saint Clair Shores June 22nd. Just a meeting of a bunch of old ocean racers, the reunion has taken off and there's some really cool old race boats that show up!.....Bill S

Is that today? Wow would of shot down there

----I managed to plug in June instead of July, Crush. Sorry, but at least that gives you some time to plan,,,LOL!....Bill S

These are 383 stroker motors right Bill?

I can't wait, always a great time to be had there.

----Yup! Built for torque with 460 ft/lb apiece and right around 415 horsies.....Bill S

Well, it looks like another summer is in the books. I lost about 4 weeks to some dental work that was uncomfortable and left me not wanting to mess around in the garage much. Put a whopping 275 miles on my 993. Changed out the battery and wheels on it, but it didn’t need anything else. Got both old Harleys set up correctly and back to 100% stock. Sold the Moo-Glide to a buddy last week for about 60% of what I had in it…can’t say that was the right buy for me! I love the 93 Fat Boy, so that is a keeper until I stop riding all together.

Still thinking about retirement and what I’ll get involved with in the car hobby. I like the fact that the 993 is a 1996 and is easy to drive, parts are readily available there are good mechanics locally to work on major issues should they come up. I’d still like something American too. Might get another Corvette as there is a good shop close to my house. Probably have some time to think about that though as I have 2 more years of University to pay for!

On a side note…I’ve been an NCRS member since the mid 90’s and still check out their stuff from time-to-time. The membership has really become grey! I suspect many are enjoying the events in their retirement also. Makes me wonder who is going to buy all those cars 10-15 years from now….

Yep, the summers just go by faster the older you get too. But, we did manage to put about 350 miles on the Springer this year. It just turned over 13k late last year and if we keep up this pace it will have 14k in another 2 years... LOL. As of Oct. 5th, it is 23 years, 4 months old.

Got my '66 "road worthy" and took it to SCR. Made 1 1/2 passes and drove it back on the trailer with the entire tail housing broke off behind the mount. Getting a replacement from Crash at MCACN and will get a new, billet, input yoke to replace the scarred up one that must have seized in the bushing momentarily.
After SCR, it was all home/yard projects that are slowly coming to a close. Hoping next year won't be as overwhelming with house/yard stuff and I can do more with the "toys".
Just last week, I got the '38 down off the lift, where it was parked 11 months ago, and on Saturday, led the fall cruise for the Northstar Chevelle Club.

The Camaro got, mostly, abandoned as of June and I will be getting back on that soon. My instructor/helper bodyman has been trying to get me to let him come out and work on it, but the shop has been in use for all the home projects.