Shop progress

That all looks really awesome! Does this mean someone bought your property?
 
Awesome

Awesome man -- i would put that air compressor in the jane - keep the door closed lol - i hate them noisy things - my paint shop pal has his in a portable shed out back. looks killer laser - good luck - when i get rich ill have you do a t56 swap in my gen1!:D

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Already keep getting people stop to see if we are a shop and after throwing up the signs people stop in A LOT. Think we may just do ok. :)



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are you ASE certified? Might help to slap some of those stickers/signs around for customers to see..

Really good progress pics. I know of a closed down shop building in Tampa that I could probably do the same thing if my heart was in it.
 
Both Sapper and I need to recertify. Its been some time since I took the tests and passed and I know things have changed since them. I had cooling, drivetrain, engine performance and electrical. Sapper had several himself. Our intention is over the next couple years to both have master certification. Hope to have a dyno by then too.

Already have a cam swap and headers set up for next week on a 99 Z28. :)
 
Gawwdayum Laser. I'm gonna bring the beast down to you when I get some vacation. I wanna see this amusement park. :D
 
Looking good bill. I hope for your protection you get your occupational license and insurance cuz if anyone comes poking around and sees you working on the public and you aren't legal they will shut you down and cost you a lot of money really fast! Not trying to get you down, I don't want to see this end for you as quick as you got it!
 
Looking good bill. I hope for your protection you get your occupational license and insurance cuz if anyone comes poking around and sees you working on the public and you aren't legal they will shut you down and cost you a lot of money really fast! Not trying to get you down, I don't want to see this end for you as quick as you got it!
Way ahead of ya sparky. We have licenses we dont even need. Then on top of that we are outside of the city limits so no inspections. On top of that I have insurance, granted its only $250,000 right now but if someone brings an SLR in then I will up it. :lol:

This wasnt just a "Hey, lets open a shop!", there was much thought put into this over a long period before the trigger was pulled.
 
Ok man just looking out for you sorry I said anything
Well you should be! :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q :q:q:q:q Damnit!
 
Ok man just looking out for you sorry I said anything
Still love ya you short bastige. But yeah, been pretty up to date with keeping things legit and legal.

On that note the first day was a success. Several people were just random walk ins and left their rides there with me. Very happy customers that couldn't believe we could do their job so quick and inexpensively and done right. Was a good day. :)
 
Damn Mustang owners.

So this dude calls me up yesterday explaining his no start problem with his Mustang. I tell him its prolly the crank sensor but to get it to me so I can properly diagnosis it. Around noon an 03 V6 Stang pulls in sounding like ass. Dude has three of them and just got that one to start by replacing the crank sensor. Well lost out on that. Car still ran like crap though so he leaves it with me. Find a bad wire and the plugs (3 days old and 6 miles on them) are completly fould and ruined. I then notice the main wire harness has had every wire shaved about 1/2" exposing the bare wire. I ask him about this and he says he did that and ran a hot from the battery to each wire to see if the fuel pump worked. I also notice that he has the plug wires all in the wrong spot..... how the car ran is beyond me. So I tune it and get it running great but just cant dial it in when you get on it. Find out he randomly twisted the cam position sensor while running the car (big no no on the 3.8). I scan all the sensors and sure enough he blew the TPS, EGR, EGR pressure, crank sensor, cam sensor and who knows what else by sending 12 volts to them. Also see both motor mounts are gone so only the trans is holding the motor in place. It ran though so he took it home. Gotta save up for his next $1000 repair bill on it. He said hes in it over $5000...... for a 200k mile 03 V6 Stang.....

I swear i am gonna raise my shop rates for people that have previously worked on their car before bringing it in to me.
 
Shop Rates:

Standard - $55 per hour
If You Watch - $65 per hour
If You Tell Us How To Fix It - $75 per hour
If You Tried To Fix It First - $85 per hour

Something along those lines..... :)

We had a guy bring in an old GM with a Passkey system he tried to bypass. He wound up burning up the Passkey box trying to jump +12vdc and ground different places.

I built a new box that used a 555 timer to generate the pulse the ECM needed to see to run the car (the other shop he brought the car to told him to junk the car - that is was "unfixable").
 
I gotta tell you guys I was a little worried..... well allot worried. Was thinking we were too far out and walk ins would be scarce and would have to rely on word of mouth and friends. Turns out I didn't have to worry. Ive only done a couple friends cars and the rest have been walk ins and it ain't been too bad. The BMW has surprised me by bringing in several cars. Have a CTS I gotta work on Monday (too busy till then), Jag XJ on Tuesday and another 740i Sport next week. All of them stopped just cause they saw the BMW and the shop signs.

Word is also spreading like crazy about us and I have the fine folks of Golinda and Chilton to thank for that. Fixed the Post Masters car yesterday. He had 4 shops look at it and nobody could get it running or even to start. Turns out his ECU is partially failed and so is his RKE but since the parts cost more then the car I made a fix to bypass the issues so he can use the car. Since he also works at the only store in town he tells everyone about us. Went to the store for lunch yesterday and he flat out refused payment and hooked us up with mass amounts of food. LOL

Ended up leaving my shop today with cars on both lifts and another one under one lift. Have a couple more in tomorrow and am booked till next week. Again, all just walk-ins. Been giving people solid work at a fair price and thats really helped get our name out there.


I am EXHAUSTED but that is way better then being bored. May have to bring on another tech in a couple months. Between working on the cars and dealing with the shops logistics and paperwork its kept me quite busy.


I think we may do alright. :)
 
Really happy for you man. YOU GOT THIS!!! Just gotta keep at it.
 
Thanks all! Really is a dream come true. Sapperfire is a great guy to work with and we learn much from each other. I knew chit about drum brakes and he taught me well. I have been helping him with electronics troubleshooting and how to trace circuits and hes picking it up fast.

Unfortunately the Ranger on lift 2 is being a bitch. Was brought in for tuneup, oil change (decided to do them since Sapper had the hookup to sell our used oil and Oreillys in town hooks me up with killer deals) and a trans service. We pointed out some other issues and hes having us fix them as well. He said there was a slight coolant leak and I found the timing cover to be the problem. Damn truck, gotta remove EVEYTHING from the front to get it out and install new gaskets. At least the customer understands why his ticket tripled though. :)
Gotta get that bish done in the morning though or else Jacksuns gonna be there till late while I finish the clutch in his Cobra. :lol:

On the plus side it was closing time before I knew it and the shop is doing well staying in the black. It will be a month till I can draw a paycheck but at least everything is covered including Jeremy's salary.
Plus we are buying parts so fast that Oreillys is giving me stellar discounts. Plus they hooked me up with Mitchell1 and are a great group of guys. The manager gives me the best service too. Delivery guys love to hang out at the shop so when I order a part it shows up instantly no matter how busy they are. They even make special trips to other stores to get me what I need instantly and have my own section in their store that stocks parts for cars I work on the most.

I wake up exhausted but still happy just thinking what may come in next for me to work on. Plus learning the Mitchell1 is a blast, what a killer program. Its what allowed me to get that Saturn running when no other shop in town could.
 

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