For those of you that do this for a living
well we'll see. everything is rosy on the honeymoon of course. and not all of it is fun and games. I have installed more trailer hitches in the last 3 months than my prior 40 years of life lol.
but the way I see it is, and this is just my take. I havent seen any real evidence we get more than one shot at life on earth so why not try and make cool stuff if thats what makes you happy. If it doesn't work out it's not a failure, it's a well earned lesson.
and not having to sit in anymore goddamn pointless meetings is doing my soul right.
carry on brothers!
but the way I see it is, and this is just my take. I havent seen any real evidence we get more than one shot at life on earth so why not try and make cool stuff if thats what makes you happy. If it doesn't work out it's not a failure, it's a well earned lesson.
and not having to sit in anymore goddamn pointless meetings is doing my soul right.
carry on brothers!
I was a jet engine mechanic (who woulda guessed) on F18's. Went to school on the GI bill and got a masters in mech engineering. I had about 8 years of interesting, fun/challenging work designing heavy duty Semi's. Now I'm a manager and bored out of my mind. I had the same feelings as you (OP) about not wanting to wrench on my ride if I had gone to UTI instead. My plan is to keep my boring day job since it is stable and takes care of the fam, but on the side try to start designing parts, learning advanced fab techniques..etc, you know, stuff to use the skills I have but don't use anymore.
Big companies not only pay your salary but most also pay 401k matching and Insurance, dental, stuff that really adds up if your purely on your own.
Big companies not only pay your salary but most also pay 401k matching and Insurance, dental, stuff that really adds up if your purely on your own.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,643
Likes: 526
Another thing to consider if you are working on other peoples cars as a side gig is liability. If you work on let's say the brakes or steering and then something happens that causes an accident they are going to come after you big time. Consider some type of mechanics insurance.
I do it for a living and wish I didn't. Between misinformed customers that spend too many hours on the internet that like to tell me how to do my job, hack work from other shops, customers who want "a deal" on everything. I'm ******* sick of it.
There's a big difference between working on cars and working on cars for a living....
Everyone is a ******* expert. No one wants to spend any money.
Everyone wants 500whp or 1000whp.
Everyone wants to buy their own parts and bitch when i tell them they don't work and I am going to have to charge them more to make them work.
So no, no I don't like it. I use to love to work on cars. Now I dread going to work everyday.
/rant off
There's a big difference between working on cars and working on cars for a living....
Everyone is a ******* expert. No one wants to spend any money.
Everyone wants 500whp or 1000whp.
Everyone wants to buy their own parts and bitch when i tell them they don't work and I am going to have to charge them more to make them work.
So no, no I don't like it. I use to love to work on cars. Now I dread going to work everyday.
/rant off
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
11 Second Club
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,541
Likes: 15
From: South Florida
Liljay's post is good. It can get very frustrating. Sometimes very rewarding also. I've been around cars all my life. As my father was a mechanic I wanted to be one too. Never forget he used to tell me "it's hard work". It sure is. Some of the things I've gained from it is knowledge, factory training, & experience from one end of the car to the other. Now have a huge tool set that I barely use. Lol. But when it's needed I probably have it. Then working in the metal industry for a bit. Then performance shops. As liljay posted. Stuff does get old and annoying. I just love cars, horsepower, racing, engines, etc. Being at a speed shop, not working on cars, just gets me around what I love. Always enjoy helping people but you can't help everyone. Good luck.
Top of my list are ebay/cheap injectors with no injector data. Been down that road too many times. Now it's either you use an injector with known good data or get charged by the hour. It's not ******* worth it.
And most people bawk at the $650 dollars for a N/A dyno tune. I don't care if the "other guy" is doing dyno tunes for $250-300 bucks. IMO the "other guy" is a ******* idiot and must not like making money.
Depending on the vehicle it costs at least $100 bucks in credits. Most of the newer stuff is double that and that doesn't include the TCM. Then you want a full dyno tune, plus driveability, cold start oh and the trans shift points to be spot on...for $300 bucks. You are either misinformed or a window licking fucktard. Do you have any idea how much a dyno costs? How much it takes an hour to run or how long it takes to strap/unstrap a car? You probably don't but I do. But you want your perfect tune for $300 bucks because that's what the internet says it should cost.
I want to open an internet/Google shop. People pick their parts from the forums from people who have no idea what they are talking about, buy the parts online as cheap as possible and have the internet keyboard jockeys tune it live on Facebook. Have AutoZone or OReillys do the free diag with their junk *** code reader, sell them the parts and I will put them on.
Still working out the details on that business plan....
Last edited by LilJayV10; Sep 16, 2018 at 04:22 PM.
Staging Lane
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 72
Likes: 2
From: Cocoa, FL
I too was in the Army. Flew Apaches until I got medically retired and did a lot of cars on the side for some spare cash and to cut soldiers a deal on stuff. When I got out last year I started working on my commercial airplane stuff and building hours and somehow managed to get a job as the only competent mechanic at a body shop/restoration shop/restomod shop. Doing pretty much the same stuff that I use to love to do and now I can't wait to be done with it and back to flying. I didn't mind when I did it myself as much and I had more of a deciding voice on what mods happened and soldier's tend to listen to the advice a lot better. Trying to tell 80 year old Joe Schmo with the trailerpark Nova that LS engines don't use 3/4 race "cams", the lowest possible temperature thermostat isn't going to do anything except potentially hurt economy, or that the biggest cam imaginable isn't going to work well with the setup is nigh on impossible. Not to mention you have a boss that's great with body work, but is also stuck in the 70's makes putting things together the right way incredibly difficult when the correct stuff costs a minute amount more. Just food for thought. If you can run your own shop and do things your way then by all means. It's really the only way that i'll continue doing this once I start flying. Either that or consider myself a contract mechanic and not a hired employee to i dictate what happens.
Flashbacks. Hahaha!!! Is it possible to have automotive based PTSD?
You guys are all saying almost exactly what I'm thinking. This is why working on vehicles is a hobby and not my full time income. I have made some wonderful friends from customers and I really like dealing with them but I also run into random people who just don't get it. Since it's a hobby I have the flexibility to only work on stuff I want to. I'm willing to build a vehicle that it isn't my style IF the customer is intelligent but I won't touch anything from an idiot or know it all.
Now if I could somehow weed out the tire kickers who will never buy, the know-it-all types wanting 1000 HP street cars and people too cheap or broke to afford one hour of my services. If this could be done before they waste precious minutes of my already limited car time daydreaming in front of me so I could focus on my projects and paying jobs I would love it. I would even build a business around that and quit the day job if I could. When you get someone who has reasonable expectations, goals and ideas then you get to work with them to achieve those goals and see them drive away happy it's magical.
Make no mistake, I have no problems chatting about what you want to do and how to get there I just can't do the dreamer thing when I know it's never going to happen.
You guys are all saying almost exactly what I'm thinking. This is why working on vehicles is a hobby and not my full time income. I have made some wonderful friends from customers and I really like dealing with them but I also run into random people who just don't get it. Since it's a hobby I have the flexibility to only work on stuff I want to. I'm willing to build a vehicle that it isn't my style IF the customer is intelligent but I won't touch anything from an idiot or know it all.
Now if I could somehow weed out the tire kickers who will never buy, the know-it-all types wanting 1000 HP street cars and people too cheap or broke to afford one hour of my services. If this could be done before they waste precious minutes of my already limited car time daydreaming in front of me so I could focus on my projects and paying jobs I would love it. I would even build a business around that and quit the day job if I could. When you get someone who has reasonable expectations, goals and ideas then you get to work with them to achieve those goals and see them drive away happy it's magical.
Make no mistake, I have no problems chatting about what you want to do and how to get there I just can't do the dreamer thing when I know it's never going to happen.
Whats it like? In high school I always wanted to work on hot rods, but I decided to take another route after earning the GI bill while I was in the military. I did the University thing and ended up in a white collar office/desk job which apparently is the thing to do these days. Long story short, I dont like working in an office and Im still addicted to working on cars. Ive always wanted to work in the performance aspect of the automotive industry, but I never pursued it for fear of ending up being a joe shmo mechanic working on regular cars all day. My buddies that did the mechanic route dont work on their hot rods anymore if they havent sold them already.
I always thought that if I worked on cars, even nice ones, for a living, I wouldnt enjoy it anymore.
Do you guys still enjoy it?
How did you get into the industry?
I always thought that if I worked on cars, even nice ones, for a living, I wouldnt enjoy it anymore.
Do you guys still enjoy it?
How did you get into the industry?
No matter the field you choose to work in, after a time it changes and leaves you to wonder. I have a friend whos a lawyer who started out as a mechanic and wishes he never left the tools. Key to appreciation is understanding yourself and knowing what you want out of life, theres no do overs so dont rush this process and earning money while you think is wise. Prudence and pragmatism serve most the best over the run of life. Blind faith leaps seldom work out
^ this here guy knows what he speaks.
I learned one today. Don't necessarily listen to ****-talk on other tuners (or fabbers or wrenches for that matter)
I been working with this guy to get his turbo swap dialed in. I actually took pity on him and cut him a deal when I saw how far his tune was.
Turns or he failed to mention the previous tune was for a different turbo, intake and tire size/gear ratio.
How did I find this out? I happen to know a guy who works with said previous tuner. Dude contacted me directly and clued me in.
I'm gonna finish the thing at the quoted price and just avoid that customer since he'll probably say the same damn **** about me.
djkhaledyouplayedyourself.gif
I learned one today. Don't necessarily listen to ****-talk on other tuners (or fabbers or wrenches for that matter)
I been working with this guy to get his turbo swap dialed in. I actually took pity on him and cut him a deal when I saw how far his tune was.
Turns or he failed to mention the previous tune was for a different turbo, intake and tire size/gear ratio.
How did I find this out? I happen to know a guy who works with said previous tuner. Dude contacted me directly and clued me in.
I'm gonna finish the thing at the quoted price and just avoid that customer since he'll probably say the same damn **** about me.
djkhaledyouplayedyourself.gif
Last edited by truckdoug; Sep 17, 2018 at 08:07 PM.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,643
Likes: 526
I spent 25 years selling mega buck packaging machines to companies large and small. Some times it seemed like I talked folks that had no chance to afford our level of equipment. But as the small companies got bigger since I spent time with them they came back to with some great orders. I hope that is the case with some of your customers.
$650 for NA tune seems a bit much. $100 for the credit and then $125 per hour on the dyno? Of course it depends on the combo. Monster cam or other mods make for more time. I've spent $500 for a LS 427 small cam tune. $300 for a basically stock LS1 tune. The tuner spent a bit more on the 427 LS to get the shift points right. Took him two hours dyno time and then a short street drive. The LS1 tune he pretty much loaded a previous tune and it ran great. Maybe an hour on the dyno. I had all the cam info for both engines in hand for his reference.
So maybe can I suggest different prices for different levels of tune?
Also in regards to supplied parts what has turned me off is the upcharge charged by shops for parts. How about the shops tell the car owner what to buy? Everyone has access to Jeg's and Summit. If they want different parts from what you suggested tell them to go elsewhere.
Injectors. I did buy some "rebuilt" injectors for a built LS6 engine. I spoke at length with Frost tunes. He really schooled be on injectors. I had no idea that the specs on injectors are so detailed. I would not buy rebuild or off shore injectors again. He mail order tune for my LS6 was spot on.
Just my .02 on the OP. Good luck wit every ones businesses.
$650 for NA tune seems a bit much. $100 for the credit and then $125 per hour on the dyno? Of course it depends on the combo. Monster cam or other mods make for more time. I've spent $500 for a LS 427 small cam tune. $300 for a basically stock LS1 tune. The tuner spent a bit more on the 427 LS to get the shift points right. Took him two hours dyno time and then a short street drive. The LS1 tune he pretty much loaded a previous tune and it ran great. Maybe an hour on the dyno. I had all the cam info for both engines in hand for his reference.
So maybe can I suggest different prices for different levels of tune?
Also in regards to supplied parts what has turned me off is the upcharge charged by shops for parts. How about the shops tell the car owner what to buy? Everyone has access to Jeg's and Summit. If they want different parts from what you suggested tell them to go elsewhere.
Injectors. I did buy some "rebuilt" injectors for a built LS6 engine. I spoke at length with Frost tunes. He really schooled be on injectors. I had no idea that the specs on injectors are so detailed. I would not buy rebuild or off shore injectors again. He mail order tune for my LS6 was spot on.
Just my .02 on the OP. Good luck wit every ones businesses.
^ this here guy knows what he speaks.
I learned one today. Don't necessarily listen to ****-talk on other tuners (or fabbers or wrenches for that matter)
I been working with this guy to get his turbo swap dialed in. I actually took pity on him and cut him a deal when I saw how far his tune was.
Turns or he failed to mention the previous tune was for a different turbo, intake and tire size/gear ratio.
How did I find this out? I happen to know a guy who works with said previous tuner. Dude contacted me directly and clued me in.
I'm gonna finish the thing at the quoted price and just avoid that customer since he'll probably say the same damn **** about me.
I learned one today. Don't necessarily listen to ****-talk on other tuners (or fabbers or wrenches for that matter)
I been working with this guy to get his turbo swap dialed in. I actually took pity on him and cut him a deal when I saw how far his tune was.
Turns or he failed to mention the previous tune was for a different turbo, intake and tire size/gear ratio.
How did I find this out? I happen to know a guy who works with said previous tuner. Dude contacted me directly and clued me in.
I'm gonna finish the thing at the quoted price and just avoid that customer since he'll probably say the same damn **** about me.
As for the job thing, Cam is 100% correct. I work in IT - it's a good paying job. I like what I do but I used to LOVE messing with computers as a child when it wasn't a job. I still enjoy my work but it's less fun than it was years ago now that I have to be responsible and make decisions. Do I regret the career field? Absolutely not. I think it's one of the better moves I've made and I still enjoy going to work each day.
I also love working on cars but I know without a LOT of effort and some money invested on my part (location, even free advertising takes effort) it will never be profitable. I'm OK with that because my shelter needs are met by the day job and my fun needs are met by the non-profit car hobby.
