Getting older and working on your car

[joderest]

Well.
Went past government retirement age on Saturday, so now have my old age pension and i do not pay national insurance anymore, but decided to carry on working until mortgage paid off next year.
I am, at the moment, quite bored (as you can tell) as have yet another operation for osteoarthritis related issues. Cannot remember or spell the name of the operation, but involved removing a bone at base of thumb, cutting a tendon and doing something to make it all work again, it was done 7 weeks ago, and still hurts !!!
That along with both knees replaced, spinal fusion, and having a heart attack and stroke last year, is making me feel older. (hips are ok though, well at the moment).
I have had to buy tools now that i would never have considered years ago, long breaker bars, rattle gun etc, as i do not seem to have the strength to get some of the tight nuts and bolts to slacken off. I also feel quite knackered when working under cars now, for example, replaced a rear damper and spring on the W163 couple of months back, and it took me longer than when i did both sides a few years ago, defiantly slowing down.
I will continue as long as i can doing the simple things, like oil changes and brake overhauls, but at what age do you think "thats it, its going into a garage to be done".
How to other older members here get on ?
And what other items of tools can i consider to make life easier ? ( i just love buying tools !!!!) I have a shed full of the dam things.

 

[00slk]

Well joderest you're not alone on this, I too have arthritis and stents fitted along with new knee and various plates inside the aging body, only I still got a way to go before I can retire.
I still manage to struggle on with my own car repairs and buy what tools will be needed for doing the job if I still haven't the right tools already. Though I still use my Indy for work I can't do myself like awkward stuff
I was lucky enough to get a 2 post lift which is a god send for chaps like us, plus I have built a 5 car garage to work on, which may I ad is still not 100% finished due to some unforeseen circumstances, it will get finished soon at least it is usable at present. Going to put another 2 post car lift in the garage as soon as I can find one! The other is outside and really only dry warm weather usable.
A compressor, welder, good work bench with vice, a press is always handy, and in my case with 8 cars a tyre machine and balancer would be great, wishful thinking there though Oh if you are going to do any body repairs, a puller, chain and clamps do make that side of the spectrum easier
You can never have enough tools!!
My wife is over retirement age but she can not possibly retire yet while I still can spend her money on me!!

 

[LostKiwi]

Know the feeling. I hate lying on the ground these days as I know it's going to be awkward getting back up due to me shot knee. Getting old is a pita.

 

[Droverunner]

It comes to us all! I'm a few months behind you not reaching the official age until next May. However a degree of general creaky joints has started and I do have specific weakness in my right shoulder/neck which limits excessive lifting and needs longer bars for a high torque rusted nut. I also suffer an achy back if I lean into the engine to do a longer job and things like a cylinder head swap which would have been no trouble 10yrs ago I'd avoid now.

I'm lucky with our current CLK and Viano diesels that all filters are easily accessible and I use a vacuum oil extractor so that basic engine part of the service is easy. Discs, pads, calipers, suspension arms still no trouble. A couple of years back I bought a floor mounted hydraulic coil spring compressor not so much due to lacking strength more I thought I've reached 60+ with all my fingers and I'd like to keep it that way.

Regarding hand tools I have pretty well everything built up over decades and always happy to buy a special tool if needed rather than struggle with a DIY attempt without.

Unlike years ago I would no longer do a transmission, clutch or engine swap. I'd be borderline on a job that needed the exhaust dropping and propshaft off... in fact I always get an exhaust centre to fit exhaust sections which with no lift lying on your back on concrete and rust particles in your eyes is a thankless task.

We are lucky being in a village with two honest and helpful old school garages who I'd be happy to employ for anything that was just too much trouble.

But above all I tend to spend a bit more these days on a used car example that is at the better end of the scale rather than projects of which I've done many in the past.

Overall though I don't begrudge this life stage. I've been working on my cars for 47yrs now with everything from V6 engine rebuilds to chassis upwards Land Rover restorations so feel I've earned these quieter years on the maintenance front.

 

[joderest]

Thanks people.
Thats the issue above (Droverunner) I have always bought cars at the cheap end, as i always knew i could fix/repair anything that went wrong, i am also quite handy doing a bit of body work as had a mis spent youth doing that sort of thing.
Now i have to consider well looked after and more expensive cars that, i hope, i do not have to do much to.
The W163 needs a small amount of tin worm repair to body work, only three very small patches on front and rear arches where they always go, was going to do it this summer, but the hand op put a stop to that, and as i have to do all work outside ( no luxury of a garage, but a decent concrete drive) it will have to wait. I suppose i could deal with the rust and leave in primer.
I also live in a village, but as i have never in the past used any of the local garages for anything else but an MOT, will have to decide which one i can trust to do the work when needed. I have spoken to AF as they hang around the Forum, and they are not that far away in Tonbridge, so they may well get some work soon.

 

[sl500amgsport]

Know the feeling. I hate lying on the ground these days as I know it's going to be awkward getting back up due to me shot knee. Getting old is a pita.

The only time you will catch me lying on the ground is if I find a good woman to put me there ;-)

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

 

[joderest]

I just knew this would go downhill !!!!!!

 

[Herr Rosa Teddy Baer]

The only time you will catch me lying on the ground is if I find a good woman to put me there ;-)

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

Is that for a count of 10, or a Submission ?

 

[sl500amgsport]

Is that for a count of 10, or a Submission ?

At my age either would do !

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

 

[Paul Garrett]

I just knew this would go downhill !!!!!!

Well you should know this lot by now that it would not take long!!! Ha!....

 

[rorywquin]

I’d rather let someone else do it.

Know the feeling. I hate lying on the ground these days as I know it's going to be awkward getting back up due to me shot knee. Getting old is a pita.

My mother used to say “getting old is not for sissies”.

 

[Rockron]

The only time you will catch me lying on the ground is if I find a good woman to put me there ;-)

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

The only time you will find me lying on the ground is when I've fallen off a good woman,
or even a bad one come to that.

 

[Paul Garrett]

The only time you will find me lying on the ground is when I've fallen off a good woman,
or even a bad one come to that.

Oohhh errrr missus!!! Ha!

 

[AMGeed]

I find myself in the same position having retired 7 years ago. What was a breeze only 10 years ago is now hard work. and having just replaced the brake pads all round on the E class leads me to think most of the jobs will have to be done by an indy in future

I've bought special tools that will never be used, and kneeling on the driveway for hours doing those pads left me almost crippled for a couple of days such were my leg muscles aching. All part of the circle of life I guess.

 

[Botus]

Jeremy Clarkson is five years older than me, as he turned 40 (some time ago) he wrote an article about waking up on your 40th birthday to find everything has stopped working or its just aches and pain and as you get out of bed you find you're making groaning noise effects

I found this time line and the experience is incredibly accurate. role on more than 15 years I can't even hacksaw and file a bolt without the shear force trying to sever my spinal cord. Thus needing to be incredibly careful for a week before the pain drops back to something bearable.... if the decline I see continues I don't understand how a 65 year old person moves....

that said the reason women are so weak / delicate, apparently a fit 25 years old woman has similar strength to an average 65 year old bloke

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Joderest Same here my friend ..I have had to get the people at the garage do some of my work that i can no longer do . Its not me ,,i like to know that if i do the job it is done right . Like all the new parts we buy come dry that need a little grease on them, so its easy to remove next time ..I watch the car repair shows on tv,, and the jobs they do are not up to my standard . Like remove a part from the car thats showing a little rust and fitting it back on to the car as it was removed rusty . I like to make that part look like it was a new one before it went back on my car. I cant see the reason to keep a classic car if you cant work on them anymore , and time is getting close for me to say good bye to my trusty steed .

 

[Nigel Hewitt]

Strangely I'll tackle anything on the motorbike but wouldn't touch anything on the car.
and yet
the bike is newer than the car and probably more complex.

but then I can get the bike indoors in the workshop, that's inside the central heating zone.
And the workshop has a big vice, a pillar drill, a lathe, welding gear, a bike lift and a nice bit of work bench space (if I move the rubbish off it)

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Nigel your very lucky ..i have a garage ,,well i did at have one,, at one time .. ,that was till the wife took it over . i was without a car for the first time in my life .. And she was in like a rat down a hole ... In the garage i have everything i need to do my repairs other than a pit . Its to small to get in there with my W124 , what with the bench along the rear wall . A garage is a must for classic cars, and its a shame to own a nice car to sit out side.. Some days i will dry my car off as many as 6 times after it rains but it keeps me out of trouble haha ..,,

 

[grober]

The major problem I would suggest is fatigue as you get older.. Its when you are tired you make mistakes. Key is to recognise when its time for that day the job will still be there tomorrow!

 

[rorywquin]

Working on my car has never been an issue for me. I don’t get sore, a stiff back or tired. I hate working on cars and have always paid others to do it.
When I purchased the SL I did decide to install the SmartTop myself and regretted it for a week or so after I finished.