Classic Car Repair Shop

[Erik70rt]

I think a guy proficient at front end alignments/suspension would be good to have around.

We've already decided that suspension/alignments would be an area of focus.

 

[Budnicks]

To answer the question, vintage car repair shop,
is it worth it ? or would you go to it ?

We have one here California Hot Rods, always packed
it's more of a custom shop & resto-mod shop, welding performance oriented
then a basic tuneup, tire rotation, alienment, transmission repair or brake jobs
type place

we do have a pretty good 4wd shop here Kaiser's
or another more of the more technical side for 4x4s or conversions,
'Precision Fabrication'
or run of the mill 'Auto Tech & tire'
better than taking something to the dealership, if it was out of warranty
you don't have the tools or skills to fix it & they actually know what they are doing

Only if it is of vintage prices too,
at an all-encompassing shop, that's also doing a lot of different work
these are much simpler cars to work on...
compared to all the electronics & readers needed/mandatory, in newer stuff
OBD2 & later

NOW crazy $200 an hr shop rates now,
in bigger shops & dealership labor rates
'out Here' (anyway), how can anyone afford the labor rate ?

I do 99% of all my work, I also procrastinate doing a lot of it now too
not as fun as it once was,
nobody over bench-racing or to BS or to help or drinking my beer etc.
I have 99% of the tools needed to do it too
some I will need to replace soon too, like my floor jacks (30+ y/o Craftsman's)
I don't do interior work except simple replacement stuff
I'm not very good at sewing stuff
done almost every other aspect of the car...

I don't trust many people working on the older stuff, even when it's easier

carry on

 

[Dennis H]

I got lucky too. Got a hole in the wall Shop(s). Valaya Motorsports. San Jose. Ted.
He worked for Dodge. Put the Edelbrock Pro Flo 4 on the Coronet. 440. He put the Blower on the 5.7 2009 Challenger. He can clear codes in modern and still work on the old stuff.
For body stuff, I use ‘Great Paint in Campbell. Alex. Plus, he’s a Mopar guy.

 

[The Rebel]

Thanks for the replies. It reinforces what I already thought. Yes, I am in discussions about opening a shop in south central area of PA, not far from Carlisle in an area that has good $$ and lots of retirees. We already decided we would not do body/paint as we don't want to get into that and all of the red tape that goes along with it. We see there is a demand and we don't see much competition in the area, esp since places like Totally Auto have shut down.

I've been repairing/restoring cars (mainly Mopars) since 1988, so I have a pretty good knowledge and a lot of tools!! After being an accountant for 37 years, it's time for a change to do something I actually like doing! LOL

That's awesome, good luck and keep us posted on your shop.

 

[Outlawd]

A classic car/truck shop would work around here for sure but nobody wants to take the first step to open one so I pretty much do all my own work and as the years roll by I decided to build a bigger shop and put in a couple of 4-post hoists. It was a life changer, should have done it years ago. It makes working on these old cars fun again. If there was one tool I could suggest to everybody and if you have the height....buy a hoist and you will never regret it!! And then it starts....all your beer drinking buddies start bringing their wives cars over to change oil, just tell them to keep donating to the beer fridge and you'll never have to buy it again! The hoist will pay for itself over a couple years....

 

[cosgig]

I have a buddy that works on classics out of his home shop. He welcomes just about any work, although for some things we have other friends that come when called to do specialty work, such as painting and welding. It’s not that Rick can’t do those things, but his “system” is geared towards getting the job done to the best it can be. I’ve sent many FABO/FBBO members to him, all with great results. We did my floor pan work there, and we have pulled out a few vehicles from the honey hole and went through them and got the back up and running again. He charges $30/hr and works at a pretty good pace. He has about 15 of his own Mopars, and he worked at the Ford Wixom plant, so he knows all makes.

This Barracuda was pulled from a barn and taken to Ricks for a go through, and same with the Trailduster. Both returned running and driving after sitting idle for about 15 years. That’s our favorite thing to do. The Valiant Signet convertible got the engine and trans rebuilt, factory air added and some floor pan repair. These are just a few of the many cars we’ve done at Ricks.

 

[Hey-O]

Interesting...that's the same payment schedule I had with my body man. Instead of asking for a certain amount up front, he would let me know every month or two that he needed more money, depending on what issues he found while working on my car. He would also send photo updates of the progress. I liked that idea because it showed work was ongoing, which you might not feel if you paid a bunch up front, for example.

When he's building a car, in two weeks he can rack up a big bill if he's at that point. No one wants to get hung with that and have someone walk away. I had over 7 thousand in parts for my front end this last year, I paid for that up front. Some of these cars take a few years to finish.

 

[68BabyBlue]

When he's building a car, in two weeks he can rack up a big bill if he's at that point. No one wants to get hung with that and have someone walk away. I had over 7 thousand in parts for my front end this last year, I paid for that up front. Some of these cars take a few years to finish.

That outlay for parts is a serious deal. When I was still running my truck, the cost of components far outran the labor bill. I used a factory authorized CAT dealer for my engine work, and a local towing company for everything else. Both shops laid out major capital for parts, but they had the legal recourse of a mechanic's lien, significant leverage with commercial vehicle owners. My friend Sam, who owned the towing company, told me he typically had to strong arm customers on engine overhauls. He briefly got CAT certified, and did the second overhaul on my engine. When it was done, I asked what I owed, and he said he would send me the invoice when he got it figured out, come get the truck out of the shop.

I was shocked. Sam told me that's what you get for paying bills in full seven days after invoice. He didn't have any other customers who did that as consistently. Sam was also a serious Mopar collector, who owned half a dozen, including a '67 GTX he restored from the ground up. He spent a month going through Baby Blue after I got the car back in 2013. I ended up with a re-cored radiator, fresh transmission, and new brake cylinders, all for under $1000.
Sam passed the year before I retired, and the change in the shop's management helped motivate me to hang it up.

The place is still good, but that combination of a full service truck garage, along with high level Mopar expertise, was impossible to match.

 

[Hey-O]

That outlay for parts is a serious deal. When I was still running my truck, the cost of components far outran the labor bill. I used a factory authorized CAT dealer for my engine work, and a local towing company for everything else. Both shops laid out major capital for parts, but they had the legal recourse of a mechanic's lien. My friend Sam, who owned the towing company, told me he typically had to strong arm customers on engine overhauls. He briefly got CAT certified, and did the second overhaul on my engine. When it was done, I asked what I owed, and he said he would send me the invoice when he got it figured out, come get the truck out of the shop.

I was shocked. Sam told me that's what you get for paying bills in full seven days after invoice. He didn't have any other customers who did that as consistently. Sam was also a serious Mopar collector, who owned half a dozen, including a '67 GTX he restored from the ground up. He spent a month going through Baby Blue after I got car back in 2013. I ended up with a re-cored radiator, fresh transmission, and new brake cylinders, all for under $1000.
Sam passed the year before I retired, and the change in the shop's management helped motivate me to hang it up.

The place is still good, but that combination of a full service truck garage, along with high level Mopar expertise, was impossible to match.

A good reputation is a good thing on both sides when they come together. Harder to get, easier to lose!

 

[Dodge-Scatpack]

I would definitely think a shop dedicated to antique or special interest vehicles would be very good. While most “car guys” do most of they work themselves, there are some enthusiasts who can’t. Whether it’s lack of knowledge, tools or space, some people just don’t have the ability to work on an old car. And for those of us who do, as we get older and perhaps have limited mobility, it’s a nice option to have someone who specializes in old cars. Thankfully I’m not there yet. Just my thoughts.

 

[Billccm]

Local shop here started out as a Jeep customizer and now wrenches mostly on C4 Corvettes, tri five Chevy, and 1950s pickups. I commissioned them to pull the motor and transmission out of my Road Runner. They treat the vehicles with care and respect, and believe it or not, ALWAYS return your phone calls.

Google Search

 

[BB BELLA]

Got a couple this side of the border, Legendary Motor Cars is just that legendary! Paul Speirs Automotive , I would feel pretty comfortable going to either one of these places for a restoration!
Paul had his hands on this to get it back on the road with a drivable chassis you can stay in your own lane rowing the gears, not the way they were built! was sitting in Garage for 25 years! My son behind the wheel!

 

[azblackhemi]

I have had a Classic car (mostly mopar) paint & body only shop for the past 20 years. It's been very successful and busy the whole time. The main reasons it's worked out so well is I've kept it small and the overhead low. I have a 2400 square foot shop in my backyard with a spray booth and lift. I built it almost 30 year ago when building was a whole lot cheaper. Other than a few times I needed to play catchup it's been a one man shop. Had i expanded and hired people to do the work I honestly think I would of had more headaches than profits. Having complete control over everything made it an enjoyable experience and didn't ruin the hobby for me. So my advice is keep it small.

 

[turbine68rt]

The guy that bought my Charger when it was 2 years old celebrated his 50th year in business a couple of years ago. He's 81 and still working, sort of semi-retired. He was selective when it came to who he wanted to keep for customers and had a loyal following. He even subbed me out a few times when a Mopar came in needing a torqueflite rebuilt or advice where to find certain parts. He built his new shop in '77 next to his house. Although he did routine maintenance and inspections on pretty much anything, he mainly focused on the classic car restoration and maintenance.

 

[68BabyBlue]

I have had a Classic car (mostly mopar) paint & body only shop for the past 20 years. It's been very successful and busy the whole time. The main reasons it's worked out so well is I've kept it small and the overhead low. I have a 2400 square foot shop in my backyard with a spray booth and lift. I built it almost 30 year ago when building was a whole lot cheaper. Other than a few times I needed to play catchup it's been a one man shop. Had i expanded and hired people to do the work I honestly think I would of had more headaches than profits. Having complete control over everything made it an enjoyable experience and didn't ruin the hobby for me. So my advice is keep it small.

Sounds like my one truck, no employee deal, after I left corporate trucking. Low overhead and no employees are a major advantage.

 

[cosgig]

I have had a Classic car (mostly mopar) paint & body only shop for the past 20 years. It's been very successful and busy the whole time. The main reasons it's worked out so well is I've kept it small and the overhead low. I have a 2400 square foot shop in my backyard with a spray booth and lift. I built it almost 30 year ago when building was a whole lot cheaper. Other than a few times I needed to play catchup it's been a one man shop. Had i expanded and hired people to do the work I honestly think I would have had more headaches than profits. Having complete control over everything made it an enjoyable experience and didn't ruin the hobby for me. So my advice is keep it small.

Best advice right there.

 

[Coelacanth]

I have had a Classic car (mostly mopar) paint & body only shop for the past 20 years. It's been very successful and busy the whole time. The main reasons it's worked out so well is I've kept it small and the overhead low. I have a 2400 square foot shop in my backyard with a spray booth and lift. I built it almost 30 year ago when building was a whole lot cheaper. Other than a few times I needed to play catchup it's been a one man shop. Had i expanded and hired people to do the work I honestly think I would of had more headaches than profits. Having complete control over everything made it an enjoyable experience and didn't ruin the hobby for me. So my advice is keep it small.

You pretty much described my body man's shop. He does it all himself, has his shop out on an acreage with paint booth and heater, and enough room to work on maybe half a dozen cars at once. Furthermore--and possibly more importantly--he's single. No wifely obstacles.