Eastern Members - Shops poke your heads in please

Alright well im in the military now and have about three years left. im wanting to do some research and all that maybe when i get out to open a small LT1 shop in the MD, De, PA, VA, NJ Area. located in 21901. there are NO LT1 tuning places or shops. i know this is a long shot that i will even get any advice and i know some people are gonna talk shit about it. but i would love to start a shop for the LT1 guys in my area work ranging from the basic oil change and all, all the way to motor builds and custom work. i obviously dont plan on my first job being a full build lol or anything. but starting out small. getting some reputation build my own LT1 to represent it, hiring some good people to help out and see what i can make of it. but can some shops in the area please tell me the nuts and bolts of starting a shop. how to, what to look for, what to stay away from.


I hope you all understand what im looking to do. i was close to starting my own parts business a couple months ago but the guy helping me kinda fell through. so i said to hell with it im just gonna plan if i get out in three years what i can do and maybe at 23 owning my own business and start putting my name out there.


Thankyou to anyone who helps i appreciate it

also to the mods. im sorry if im breaking any rules. im just triyng to get advice.


also if your not a sponsor please dont try and post up about your business, i dont want anyone getting in trouble over this

please anyone?

and it wont be a LT1 only shop. that will just be the specialy of the shop. tuning building everything. but your not a shop or asponsor or anyhting on this website so :GTFO:

i would say an lt1 shop wouldnt be as productive as you would think, unless you have something to set yourself apart and do crazy shit to them. i wouldnt advertise it as an lt1 shop but rather a performance shop that can do lt1's good luck on your venture, but opening a new shop without any reputation in the car world has to know its gonna fail. kind of hard to compete in the MD, DE, PA, NJ area when you have reputable companies like Race Proven Motorsports, TTP, Slohawk and a few more. I no doubt wouls stick to a shop where good things have been proven of them.

i understand. im not looking to go from nothing to the king over night. im hoping to start out small and work my way up. i know its gonna be tough and alot of in the whole time and struggling and all but idk i just really wanna have something to look forward to and something to fight for cause i highly doubt im making a career of the military just not really my cup of tea

send me a PM I got a shop thats doing 408 LT1 motors, hes gonna be one of the only shops doing this. He bought the last couple of stroker cranks left over for LT1s and is building them right now.

Don't really have much advice other than the best thing to do, it to make your car a show piece. If you make your car faster than most, it will bring attention and you can promote your business this way.

Other than that, good luck and thank you for serving our country!

LT1's wont make enough money to pay the insurance nevermind rent and/or a helping hand. Your better off opening a general repair shop and advertise LT1's on the side. If the LT1 market is there you can wean yourself off the everyday cars and work on LT1's alone.

LT1's is too small of a market.You figure an average LT1 can go for under $6k.When a kid buy's the car they are not going to build the car right.So,no $$ for you.

LT1's is too small of a market.You figure an average LT1 can go for under $6k.When a kid buy's the car they are not going to build the car right.So,no $$ for you.


Yea :( but i also look i know of alot of people from the back home area that would pay a shop to build their LT1 and all i realize they wont upkeep my shop. but idk like i said im just planning its still three years awaya.

i will agree with above statements. i started out doing performance/fab. but went to general repair to keep the bills paid. i keep the performance on side/filler work when i don't have as much repair coming in. once your name is established then it will be easier to do transition to performance work.

thats what im thinking just being general main. but specialize in lt1s and shit

Best bet would def be general repair. Too much other competition for the performance market in this area. There are a bunch of shop with years of experience, R&D, track times to back it up, and just getting out there with results. The lt1 market is very very small and specialized. If you want to do a performance shop the only one I would go for is the hot/street rod segment. These people have the money to invest in their cars and there isn't a whole lot of competition in this area. You could specialize in carb tuning and/or fuel injection conversion.

You could also do specific segments such as forced induction, nitrous only, chassis tuning, braking systems or something like that. You will need proven results and knowledge for anyone to take you seriously and give you money for services.

I love the lt1's but in my opinion the market is getting smaller and smaller and a business focused on this alone will fail. The lt1 could be your platform for showcasing what you can do but I would not focus on this market. Besides, the lt1 is basically the same as sbc but with reverse cooling. Good luck in whatever you choose.

There is at least one tuner in PA that does LT1's, by the way...

eskimo who does tuning for LT1s? bryan at PCMforless is the only one.

EVERYONE: IM NOT STARTING A SHOP SOLEY ON THE IDEA OF WORKING ON LT1S AND LT1S ONLY. THERE IS A SHOP THAT ONLY DOES LS1S AND IM NOT A HUGE FAN OF IT.


im talking a basic shop kinda like son and father shop garaunteed to beat everyones price and slowly build a cliental and then in time get a reputation and build my own LT1 with alot of my own custom ideas to showcase what i am capable of. then hopefully just keep building.

99% of buisness' go out of buissness due to under capitalization.. so if you do not have a pile and i mean a pile of money you wont make it long. but if you do anything is possible, you can always turn $$$ but making a profit is another thing...

thats why im thinking about it 3 years ahead of time. i know i shouldve started saving a little while ago and all.



but back to the reason why i made this thread to the shops or anyone.

what do i need to get started? obviously a shop and the nuts and bolts electric. toools. etc etc. lol but what else? do i need insurance or anything like that? does anyone know of the laws for any type or permits in MD?? or anything else like that

You definitely need insurance which is not cheap at all for a new shop.You'll need a bussiness permit from the town you open in.You need to setup a bussiness name and tax ID with the state and federal.

Thats a few things.

Also don't plan on making a penny for awhile. That moto of the cheapest around is probly the worst thing to sell.

ok lol well i guess its more about the quality well thanks man i appreciate the help

On a more serious note i would suggest helping out/working in a performance shop before trying to start your own. Theres tons of things to learn that you will never figure out just helping friends in your/their garage.I know have learned alot in the past month that i have been working at a lsx performance shop.

oooo yea that makes sense thanks man

From a business standpoint, be prepared for a lot of ups and downs. You have to have the equity, and time, to be able to manage the low times. My wife has her own graphic design business, and it can be a tough route to go. You never know what week to week what things are going to be like.

I'd second the notion of getting in with a good shop first, and developing your reputation and skills before trying it on your own.

Just look at Chip Foose. He started as a designer / fabricator for Boyd Coddington before opening his own business.

At least you have a plan, and goals. Work hard to reach them, but don't be afraid to drop back and punt if things don't work out.

/\ yea definately a good buddy of mine runs his own vinyl graphics and decals and shit and sometimes he has some really shitty weeks but then again som really good weeks also i know its not gonna be easy but ill do a little more talking and listening. i have three years before my active duty time is up

On a more serious note i would suggest helping out/working in a performance shop before trying to start your own. Theres tons of things to learn that you will never figure out just helping friends in your/their garage.I know have learned alot in the past month that i have been working at a lsx performance shop.

Thats the best advise right there.

I worked on my own and with a shop for 8 years before opening this place.There are only 2 people working here and it's tough to stay busy all the time.

Only thing I can tell you is good Luck. After spending the last 15 years of my life around speed shops and seeing some really good ones close. Dont put all your eggs in one basket. This is one of the worst times to start a business. Go to SEMA Ask for some figures you will see how much the aftermarket industry has taken a hit. Look at all the dealerships closing. And the area your are proposing to place a shop in is already so saturated with shops. I give Fran at RPM a lot of credit he took a huge risk and it paid off for him. But Im sure he would say they same thing it was a lot of luck and hard work. Plus Fran had a financial backer who saw him through the hard times. Which i sure were many in the first year or so. Go sit down with Nelson Sr of Evolution Performance he started a tiny tire and gen repair shop which over 30 years grew into his performance shop. Mustang performace just fell into thier lap. He didnt start out wanting to do Stangs. When I first stated there I had the only Mustang and they were into GTO's now they one of the biggest names in aftermarket Mustang Performance. Just be prepared for the worst of the worst. Owning your own business is hard and sometimes so frustrating that you wished you worked for someone else. But the best advice I can honestly say is Go be an apprentice go work for someone who has a shop learn the ins and outs learn the ups and downs figure out how to do it better. See what ideas have worked and what ones have failed. Spend a few years there then make your move. Im not saying steal someones business plan or take customers from them but if you work in town A and open a shop 40 miles away in town B is that really hurting your old boss?

Only thing I can tell you is good Luck. After spending the last 15 years of my life around speed shops and seeing some really good ones close. Dont put all your eggs in one basket. This is one of the worst times to start a business. Go to SEMA Ask for some figures you will see how much the aftermarket industry has taken a hit. Look at all the dealerships closing. And the area your are proposing to place a shop in is already so saturated with shops. I give Fran at RPM a lot of credit he took a huge risk and it paid off for him. But Im sure he would say they same thing it was a lot of luck and hard work. Plus Fran had a financial backer who saw him through the hard times. Which i sure were many in the first year or so. Go sit down with Nelson Sr of Evolution Performance he started a tiny tire and gen repair shop which over 30 years grew into his performance shop. Mustang performace just fell into thier lap. He didnt start out wanting to do Stangs. When I first stated there I had the only Mustang and they were into GTO's now they one of the biggest names in aftermarket Mustang Performance. Just be prepared for the worst of the worst. Owning your own business is hard and sometimes so frustrating that you wished you worked for someone else. But the best advice I can honestly say is Go be an apprentice go work for someone who has a shop learn the ins and outs learn the ups and downs figure out how to do it better. See what ideas have worked and what ones have failed. Spend a few years there then make your move. Im not saying steal someones business plan or take customers from them but if you work in town A and open a shop 40 miles away in town B is that really hurting your old boss?



Now i wouldnt go saying i had a finacial backer there scoop. MY mom gave me 5k when i first started to buy my lifts and stuff and MAYBE another 5k through out the first year or so. She has LENT me money here and there but only ever GIVEN me alittle bit of money.