Near future plans...for retirement

[8cuda]

I'm nearing retirement 10+ years. I have pushed aside my enjoyments of muscle cars, to care for my family and my career. I have collect a Plymouth Cuda basket case and a 67 K10 basket case(thank you 68bowtie for posting the K10 on the thread Craigslist Finds). I was looking at another basket case 72 C10 roller. Are 2 project vehicles enough or should I add another project to my collection? I still need to purchase other parts to complete my Cuda and K10, as all the vehicles I purchased are rollers.
What are others doing at retirement age? Building cars and trucks?
Or you have competed vehicles and enjoying them?

[bill3rail]

I wish I knew when I would be retiring! I would hope that when I do retire, I am able to keep working on my truck. I am thinking that I do not want to push all of my time into working and hoping more time would be spent enjoying cruising!

Just my .02!

Bill

[OregonNed]

Its about 7 years for me, and guessing my truck, and maybe something else will still be my main hobby.. never seems like I am finished working on and improving the one I have, and I enjoy working around the garage.

[Grumpy old man]

Buy any needed sheet metal now ,The prices just continue to climb

[special-K]

By basket case you mean you bought a dismantled hulk of a vehicle that came with all the parts loose or in boxes? That takes up a lot of space, so is there room for another basket case? My exact plan for if I retire or at last not work all the time has always been to have the stuff I need to keep busy messing with these and older trucks. Driving them as primary use, repairing as needed and driving on some, restoring others, helping others with theirs, etc. Due to a divorce I have had to sell ff a lot of that dream and am now down to two and some parts. I still hope to gather more, but it looks more and more doubtful with crapped out trucks costing what a good driver should be and the good parts being snatched and resold at ridiculous prices.

I would suggest, if you are nearing retirement, is buy all you know you need for what you already have before looking to buy anything else. What you know you need and what you will discover you need are two different things. There will be more once you get into it.

[ga-stepside]

I retired almost 10 years ago. At that time I already had my 280z I resto-modded and continued to play with and enjoy driving, showing and racing. I then picked up my 1970 AMX, a return to my youth where I bought a similar AMX brand new. For the next few years I restored and modified it. Then at a cruise-in I saw and ended up buying my 1967 C10 step side. I am still playing with it. Having three cars plus a daily driver is a lot of work but it is what I like doing in my retirement. If I were going to do it all again I think I would stick with no more than two project cars. Having one to play with and one to drive.

[raggedjim]

I have one blazer I drive and just do small things on. I have one jimmy blown apart and hope to finish it when I retire. I also have a couple of cars I MAY restore.

I hope my body holds out, my knees and lower back ache a bit.

I'm pretty sure cleaning my garage could be a full time job!

Good luck, Rg

[Boog]

Like most everybody I would love to have a large building full of my favorite cars, trucks but at my age that isn't going to happen so I have to be content with the one truck I have. It's been apart for over 20 years so I'm picking up the pace just a bit to hope to get it done before I expire. I don't want to leave the wife with a truck in pieces to have to deal with when I'm gone.
As far as picking up basket cases I understand they can be bought well cheaper than a running, driving vehicle but they can cost more to build too in the end.
I am sometimes amazed at just what some guys begin a build with though.

[flashed]

I hope to retire in about 10 years , God willing . I buy and sell and collect trucks and parts to get what parts I need and to help my fellow truckers with their projects .I keep my prices on what parts I sell fairly low unless its something hard to come by that I really dont want to sell such as my pair of nice 72 doors which I paid dearly for or my Buddy Bucket seats .I even give some away to regular customers who do the same as me .

[jocko]

If you're looking for a basket case, those aren't hard to find, now or in the future - so no need to stockpile projects - that's my 2 cents. I think the real question should be what do YOU want to complete? Is the goal to continually work on one because you enjoy that part of it and don't care to drive it - or work on one because you enjoy it, but with the goal of cruising the country with it? If more the latter, I'd get the one project you really want, and spend the $ gathering the parts now - rather than filling the garage with multiple projects. As for basket case(s), I'd personally rather start with one solid project that costs as much as three basket cases than just stockpile three basket cases. Having said all that - while my mindset is to focus on "the" one project truck, I'm ALWAYS on the lookout for that next one, or the one I wished I'd found in the first place - there's always time to find that next project, and no rush. If you have the room to store a project-in-waiting, I'd just get the one project you know you want, start getting its parts readied, and keep that one corner of the barn clear to store that gotta-have project "next" that you will certainly stumble onto as you move through the first. I wouldn't, personally, start off thinking "I gotta have 2-3 projects lying around because that future basket case might cost more" - I'd only do that if I stumbled across three rare diamonds in the rough on the same day. But otherwise - just one, and enjoy it, while keeping an eye on the possible next - that way there's no perceived pressure to buy one NOW, you've got one to tinker on and enjoy. I guess the lesson I've somewhat taught myself, not very well, I might add - is that the most fun is in the garage or on the road, not on the interweb searching for the next project. Go and and have fun with what you've got and don't sweat what the right number of projects to have lying around might be. There will ALWAYS be other ones out there when the time comes. Again, if you do find the type that only comes around every once in a blue moon, then grab it and stick it in that empty corner just in case

[Mikes68C10]

Sounds like were about the same age, similar plans for retirement.

Basket cases are great if your planning a near/full restoration. I went the easier route, and am saving a lot or money and work for later and driving enjoying them both now.

Current signature lists my current and long-term driving projects. But... I'm always looking for a solid 67-72 Muscle-car for a more extensive resto-mod.

4 Kids, and 10 Grandkids sure do put the wallet in the vise!
Still saving up for retirement in 10-12 years myself, while maintaining work-life balance can be challenging.

There are so many truck and car options, everyone has their all time favorites, I suggest you get your dream set of wheels - no matter if its a basket case, roller, or resto-mod... In the end you gotta make yourself happy!

[RustyBucket]

I'm very fortunate to have been retired for a long time. Lifelong car/motorsports enthusiast. I'm a member of a pretty active 150++ member car club. I go to 1 to 3 car shows a week plus breakfast with a small crowd a couple of mornings weekly. Amazing how productive & what craftsmen some of our members are. Several of 'em regularly turn out BEAUTIFUL show cars/race cars. Most of these guys are retired from the space industry at Cape Canaveral & have impressive skills. Neither of my trucks are perfect but presentable. Just keeping them scrubbed up & maintained is time consuming. I bought both trucks finished but have improved/modified them some. I had projects in the last few years, '69 Nova, '67 C10, '72 Jimmy that I wasn't making progress on and sold 'em. Had a lot of work in the Nova. About 4yrs ago I got a deal on a '70 Nova drag car... took me about two years to figure out I'm too poor, fat + lazy to enjoy and run a race car.... sold it too. Seems like I stay pretty busy maintaining, house, shop, property, D.D. vehicles. I don't enjoy yard work. We camp in the infield for NASCAR SPEEDWEEKS at Daytona in Feb. then to ATLANTA a week later, + the 4th of July races. I camp for The ROLEX 24 at Daytona + Sebring too. I try to go to the GATORNATIONALS every 3-4 yrs. I used to hunt, fish & sail some but haven't in a few yrs. Have 3 grown kids, 2 Grandsons, same wife for 40++yrs.

ps.. I'd kinda like to find a decent car/truck roller that needed a BBC/muncie 4spd. installed. .... have parts and an engine hoist

[8cuda]

This information from members is really great, real life experience and great advice.
As for retirement, I will not find myself being bored. After sorting out my medications in the pill boxes, I will have the rest of the month to focus on the vehicle projects in my garage or drive way.

I know these vehicles are getting scarce, less on the open market or too much for my wallet. That is why I have purchased my basket cases. I have seen that with Mopar Cudas, supply and demand has driven up the prices. I do spend time on the web searchinng for parts and vehicles. And it is fun finding them. I guess it best that I don't want to over due it with the 2 project I already have. None of my project had motor as for the K10 it is complete less tailgate, wood floor, small rear window, wiring harness. Typical rust in rockers, corners, and floor.

I will focus on finding parts like newer dana 44, 396, sheet metal, power brakes, power steering...and maybe changing the 4 speed to 700r4 w/NP205.

[Already Gone]

I could have retired in 2014 but I'm still at it at 69 but feel semi retired cause with my 12 hour shifts and holiday time I only work 120/130 days a year. Retirement is what you want to make it and its different for everyone but the main thing is do something or you will deteriorate. I am a Hospital Security Officer in the "hood" and no guns or fancy toys, employed by the Hospital in a Union job with decent pay and benefits. My truck is my escape and although its pretty decent I love learning new things about it and working on it figuring things out. I say it'll be my last truck but as some of you know that have been on here for awhile I didn't think I'd ever sell my pink and white truck.

[special-K]

That's what I tell the people who want to buy my '72, "Nope, she's my keeper". I figure the same with my '67 I haven't even built yet, but have all the parts (so I think) and my '90 Harley. The Harley I bought new. I'd rather keep the same vehicle and change it as I please than keep selling and buying. If I buy anything else it will be from along other lines. I have my 67-72 collection in two trucks.

If you have the space, by all means buying now for later is the thing to do.