Larry Wells of Linden, Texas, has a unique retirement plan. He's going back to what he was doing at age 15 and hopes to make a living at it.
That is, he is going to work with cars, especially the old ones.
"I've enjoyed working on them since I was 15. Now, I'm going to see if I can collect enough models and get into the field of buying and selling them. Not sure I can make a living at it, but I'll try," Wells said.
He's off to a good start. A little more than a week ago, Wells won best of show at the Hughes Springs' Sparks in the Park festival with the 1965 Chevrolet convertible he entered. The black Chevy was chosen among some 150 cars and motorcycles on display.
This past week, the model he brought to the Linden Fight Like a Champion fundraising festival was an all-original, 1934 half-ton Dodge pickup.
The Dodge pickup is so basic, he said, that it's not likely to compete with the car owners who sometimes put everything modern into their old cars. They may have automatic transmission, air-conditioning, all-power and maybe even a DVD player somewhere.
These "modern" antique cars are works of art. Wells' little Dodge is a piece of history.
"But I really like this one. It's all just like it was when it came out. And it was the first year to be called the Ram model name and have the distinctive hood ornament. Mine has that, too."
The original model had a three-speed transmission. In its day, with its four-cylinder that made a 70-horsepower motor, it could go up to 40 mph, which was plenty fast back then.
Today, however, Wells has put in a five-speed transmission, one lower and one higher. Now the car can do about 65 mph and thus keep up with modern traffic.
"You've got to have a little more power at the start and a little more top-end speed," Wells said. "That little motor is doing all that it can, which was good for its age."
The car also has larger headlights. Some things are necessary to keep an antique car and its motorist safe.
In its day, the Dodge didn't have an oil filter. The driver checked the oil quite often and changed it when it got dirty. Wells has put an oil filter on his pickup.
One final note is that the little Dodge has only a single windshield wiper blade, which clears the driver's-side front window during rain or mud, and that's all. Everyone else rode blind.
But it did have air-conditioning, in its own way. The front windshield could be pushed forward and air flow in a breeze underneath.
Maybe one day Wells will put together the ol- time riding gear that drivers used to wear-goggles and gloves, for example-and ride around in parades to advertise his business as a buyer and seller of old cars.
After all, it's going to take modern-day smarts to succeed in a field where the cost of an antique car may get up into six figures. And there's a lot of time and effort to consider.
"I hope I've learned a thing or two since I was 15," Wells said with a smile.