How many build their rides that do not do this for a living?

[nebdrummer]

I did mine the first go around in a 16ft wide 30ft long shed with a nipco heater, a 300 pc craftsman tool set, a bunch of lights, and a home made hoist. That was when i was 14-18 yrs old. Im now 24 and im getting sick of the rigged job i did. so its coming all back apart at a diesel shop. I do work on restorations/collison work as a job, so its kinda nice to keep the refresher course on someone else's cars.

[Tri5Nerd]

Originally Posted by Kid

OK I'm in, all home grown here too. I tinker in my 30x36 shed behind the house. My paint booth has 2 doors & is attached to the house. I work in aircraft manufacturing by trade...

Kid,
You are one serious dude! You have a car lift in your garage. A man can never have enough tools for his hobby and toys.

Tri5

[maxdog51]

I am building mine in a 2 car garage and do not work on vehicles for a living. I used to build and install conveyor systems (19 years)and now design them. Building my 51 is a hobbie for me. I've always had some type of muscle car or motorcyle that I've wrenched on but the Chevy has been the largest, most involve project to date.

[solidaxel]

Originally Posted by Lextech

I am a Lexus technician by trade. I have been into hotrod stuff since I was a kid. Dad bought me and my twin brother a 51 Chevy 5 window P/U in 1978. We were 14 years old. We still have it. It has been finished about 5 times I enjoy the hobby of doing everything myself. The finished project is not my biggest joy---The journey of the build is. I need to start a build thread for my 54 5 window Chevy.

Jeff

I hope you are putting a Lexus engine and transmission in it !! [

[Lextech]

Solidaxel,
I had a 1UZFE 4.0 V8 and trans and gave it away. I have a .040 over 500 Caddy in it for the moment. I don't want to hijack this thread. I will make a build thread soon.

Jeff

[tttuba]

Been working on cars off and on since I was 14 and my friend's dad showed us how to do it. stopped doing it for about 15 years when I had kids but then my son was interested in it. Finished a 78 El Camino in my garage at my last home and now in this house...a 2.5 car with another 10 feet or so at the back for tools and equipment...and it took me 4.5 years. Now Elkie gets half the garage and the 47 GMC is torn apart in the other half.

[cajundragger]

I dont do this for a living, yet. I go to school full time for mechanical engineering with a minor in nuclear power. One day I hope to own a small shop that builds high end cars. As of now, my Dad owns a shop that is many thousand square feet, I am blessed. This by no means makes me a professional. I work my a$$ off and make the highest quality work I can and am never satisifed. Shouldnt matter if you have a shop or work out of your gargage. I've seen many killer, perfect paint jobs come out of a tarp booth hooked to the side of a guys house. If you have the desire to create something awesome, then you'll make it happen.

[1952ssr]

I work as a receiving warehouse supervisor by day, been with the company for 16 years. At 16 my first real job was with a body shop not far from my house for several years, and then another year or so at a body shop owned by my at the time girlfriends Dad. When my friends and I was into lowriders I was the painter for them all. I always was painting something or doing something creative for my best friend in my late teens and early twenties cause he had the shop. I also have experience working in several sign shops around home and my own fulltime for a 2 years and part-time for 10. So I consider myself a Jack of many trades.

[StudioJAK]

I am a Draftsman by day, animator by night, but have had my pickup for 4 years now... moving about ever year. upgrading ever year. as the photos show the progression of the shops and pickup.
First time hot rodder!!

[Jb55]

im outa my garage with limited tools the things i cannot get done at home i take to work and get done a little g job action!!!

[dewey777]

24X26 attached garage with baby's room on adjoining wall. Hard to find time to work, especially for cutting and grinding! Also have to clean up after every work session so the wife's minivan can be parked inside.
Electrician by trade, working as an estimator.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

Two car garage for me. I'm retired.....


But, since we're talking garages, I have to show you my brother's garage. He's the "car-painter/body-man" in the family. He and I have been restoring Mustangs and selling them for quite a few years now. Together we took this....



and turned it into this....



(check out the video, it took us about 4 hours to edit it)

http://youtu.be/aZlRIjHmljc



all in this little garage....

[alwaysbroken]

im proud to say im a back yard builder. i have a driveway for the summer and a 20x10 (i think thats what it is) tarp tent for the winters. it gets it done tho.

[68GMCCustom]

no paint and body yet....but did a complete body off naked chassis up on my with new grade 8 hardware replacing 95% of what was on the trucks chassis.

everything moved to frame on the right:


new '09 LY6 and a 200-4r for power/trans:


after a 4/5 drop with drop spindles and springs, 1.25/1.125 f/r sway bars, tubular upper control arms, all new steering components, and all new brakes, cowl hood, etc:




paint and body is next...

[pockets]

It is nice to see a few other software/IT people here. When I tell most developers than I like to work on cars/trucks they just kind of stare at me. Before I did software for a living I fixed airplanes in the airforce. they also taught me how to paint, but i have yet to paint my first non-flying vehicle.

I've always grown up around hot rods though, mostly chevelles as that is what my dad always had.

[bruin_d]

I'm in the Navy and have done 95% of mine in the driveway. I borrow my neighbor's MIG welder when I'm too lazy to use my TIG...which is usually all of the time. I wouldn't call it a hobby though, more of an obsession.

[Gordonr1973]

This is an awesome thread!!

I am doing mine in my 2 car garage --- only heat is from a propane heater and an overhead radiant light in the winter --- warms it up to a balmy +10'C when it's -35"C outside.

Hard to convince my wife to park outside over winter because I need the space for the project!!

[88Jimmy4x4]

Doing mine from neighborhood driveway open to elements, wish I could get paid to do this kinda work.

[Russell Ashley]

I retired from IBM in 1999, spent 37 years of mostly enjoyable work there. I've had 14 different old trucks since 1970, some real nice and some just old trucks. I work out of one half of a two car garage now. It's cramped some time but I try to keep my wife's side open for her. I'm 70 now and this is my third "last old truck" to fix up, LOL. My truck is a lot farther along now than when this was taken.

[Atomsplitter]

Maintenance Mechanic at a Nuclear Power Plant.
I use half the 20x20 garage in the summer to park the truck and the other half to work in. In the winter the working half is where my wife parks HER car, a New Beetle Convertible. The heater keeps it at about 45deg. so "Bullwinkle" can hibernate in comfort.

[55metalmonkey]

work on ships during the day, work on cars and truck at night to relax..... well most of the time it's relaxing. I'm part of a car club where we work on just about everything from motorcycles to RV's.

[bobinbc]

I work from home, been doing this off and on for about 30 years now I guess. Used to have a bigger shop but now I work out of a 15x29 garage that I just lifted and put a new concrete floor into a little while ago.




No matter how hard I try, I always seem to have more parts (junk) and tools (toys) and treasures (projects) than I have room for... I dont have pics of most of them on my computer, but Ive built quite a few from jacked up 55 & 57 Chevies, a 65 Triumph TR4 with a 327 in it (cheap Cobra) ,




Chevelles, Novas and some early Camaros and Firebirds to the last one I built, the yellow 57 in my avatar. I do pretty much everything at home except upholstery beyond simple things like door panels etc.




By day Im a trainer and manager for a school bus company where I put in mostly 12 hour days, and I did train long ago as a heavy duty mechanic. My current project must think I forgot how to find the garage as I havent touched it since christmas but I promise soooon....






oh yeah and if I ever get this last one done (the yellow 57 was the last one for sure when I was doing it) Id like to builld this



And then that will be the last one LOL

[heeroyue2002]

i do all my work outside

[DransportGarage]

I worked for Cincinnati Milacron for 42 years, and have been messing with cars for just about all of that time. Was in software development for the 8 or so years before I retired.

[bensimmons_05]

I have been working in manufacturing for 5 years now. I worked in a body shop for about a year when I was 17-18 and learned a great deal of what I know there. I have since picked up on some custom painting. Some of my projects...








All the other stuff I learned from you guys mostly!! I recently welded my first patch panel and it is going good so far!