When does it get too cold to work on the car?

Is this weekend too cold? Or is everyone spinning wrenches today? 

Voluntary work or involuntary? 

Lucky for me, no involuntary work has been required, this week. 

John Welsh said:

Voluntary work or involuntary? 

voluntary: when the 70k BTU forced air propane heater no longer warms the garage.

Involuntary: similar to voluntary ... depending on problem. If it's a quick and easy fix then I'll do it. if not it waits until its warmer.

John Welsh said:

Voluntary work or involuntary? 

Garage or not?

I work through whatever weather. I'm getting old and don't want to waste a single day.

I try, but when the wrenches are 17* like the air temp......

I agree with Cuzn Eddie, I don't want to waste a day, but it's hard to work with gloves on and without them it just hurts.

It's too cold, or at least it was the last few days. Today is a bit warmer, so theoretically it might be possible if the lock on the workshop has started to thaw out yet.

It's been to cold for me. I'm prepping to replace the timing belt and water pump on my wife's Pilot, but with highs in the teens, I have no desire to go back in the garage. It's in the 20s outside today, so I'm hoping to jump out there either later today or tomorrow.  The temp right outside the door to the house is 41 right now, and it only gets colder as I move towards the middle of the garage.

Depends on desperation.

depends on the work. Outside and under the car? gack. But I also don't do interior work if it's below 20 because that's when trim plastic breaks like a potato chip :/

Which is fun cuz when are ya most likely to need to replace a heater fan...

Sub-50 degrees.  It's my same basic standard anymore for a bike ride.  It helps that I don't live north of much.

David S. Wallens said:

Is this weekend too cold?

Now. You're looking at now.  Everything that is happening is happening now.

I still feel like crap from plowing the drive at work on Friday morning with the open-air 6-by Cub Cadet.  It was subzero and very windy, not counting the head of speed you need for the lightweight little V-twin buglet to move appreciable amounts of snow.  

Somewhere along the way in life my body forgot how to shiver or properly regulate its temperature.  Been feeling positively elderly.

I did some fairly non-precision reassembly last night when it ws bout 45-degrees in the shop. That was fine, but I way moving big things and using large tools. Smaller, fiddlier stuff where I had to stand still for a while probably would have tried my patience.

My next major operation involves starting with some pressure washing. That's going to have to wait another day or two until we're back in the 80s just four days after two nights in the 20s in Florida. Yay, weather.

I have frozen myself to my own driveway.  According to my notes, the windchill was -23C. Obviously, that was not too cold.

It's too cold for me right now.  I need to change the oil in the family van, and am halfway considering letting somebody else do it.  

It's warming up in Chicago but still in the 20'sF so my garage is in the mid 30'sF.  

I need to change out my orange Koni's that are leaking after a year and I'm totally unmotivated to tackle these on the Silverado today.  It does need to be tackled soon.  

I have the new blower motor sitting on the engine for the e36 and I haven't been able to bring myself to go out there. I clean the drifted snow out of my generator, ran it to warm up and check the battery, reset the garage door opener after it froze down and cleared the limits and am not going back out there!

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Can't think of a more appropriate vehicle to be working on outside in winter. First photo looks like a magazine lifestyle ad! Of course, the picture also works if you're working in shorts and flip flops on a sand road within sight of the ocean.

Below 30 is too cold to work in the garage. When the outside temps are in the 30's, I can fire up the torpedo heater and comfortably work in the garage in the 40's.

It is cold enough in the garage that the propane tank for the torpedo heater drops pressure so fast that the heater shuts off.

That is kind of a sign.  Like the time I wanted to weld but couldn't because it was too cold for the MIG to feed.

I don't have a garage, so when it gets cold enough to where I can't feel my fingers. I guess that's generally below 30. Keith's photo really has me questioning my commitment to the hobby and tolerance of discomfort. 

The garage is heated this year so work continues on the E28 engine rebuild. That car is immobile though so if the daily needs attention it will happen outside and then it just comes down to if I can put the work off or not. If not then the temperature won't matter.

If it's fine work, 45F as I want the garage doors up for more light.  Otherwise I really don't care, the 100k btu garage furnance works just fine.  Although even with that, it's just harder to get motivated when it's cold

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

David S. Wallens said:

Is this weekend too cold?

Now. You're looking at now.  Everything that is happening is happening now.

I swapped the rear end out of my AE86 ice racer before sun up at the track,-35 pre windchill probably closer to -50 with the wind funneled thru the paddock.

 That for sure qualified as too damn cold to work on a car.