NON profit ROD SHOP DALLAS TX. would it work?

Here is a community in North Carolina where they have a community garage where people can hang out and work on cars together

http://www.hawkshill.com/more.htm

 

they just opened up a garage like that around here in charlotte you can take ur daily driver and work on it there they got lifts and u can get the tools you need and its only open when someone is there to check tools in and out. they got the insurance so they dont get sued and you have to be over 18 to use the garage. idk how long it will last i believe it has been open about a year

 

Google DIY repair shops. There are tons of these places around. Most are hourly for average Joes.

I think this is a great idea for hot rod guys only. A good lawyer and set of contracts could clear up a lot of insurance hassles I think. You would need a good set of bylaws. I think only renting large tools, things that can be bolted down or put on rolling carts would prevent loss of tools. I would think most car guys own a set of standard tools.

 

here's something:

http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/14/technology/techshop/index.htm?iid=EAL

 

Well your hearts in the right place but the ugly truth is I have allowed people to work on cars in my shop only to find out when they get bored with it and they just sit in the way . My own son too and when you help them with parts getting your money back forget it !! My shop has been non profit from day one I have one car that has been in my shop for 15 years and one for 6 years and it would not bother me if they would work on them . I used to keep beer in the fridge to no honor there either !! There alot of wanna beez' real car guys find a way ! Good Luck it will be cheaper to do your own thing by yourself. The old roomate syndrome same thing applies !

 

x2!

 

"Hey", When are you gonna be done with that, I need it!

 

John n Dallas,

Don't let the nay-sayers get you down. If you really want it,
theres a way. If it's being done elsewhere, you can do it also.

Good luck

 

I've often thought about the same thing but kept running into more negatives than positives. I think it would be great to have a place to use a lift, special tools the avg. joe can't afford or would never use again, etc.

 

It's a great idea but the insurance and other regulations would kill it. The dad and kid or mom and kid thing probably wouldn't fly with the insurance or the uptight doogooders who think kids shouldn't be handling tools or in a shop type area.

Any time you get more than a couple of guys working in a shop, keeping the shop clean and picked up seems to become an issue. some guys are anal about keeping things spiffed up and some seem to think their hands weren't made to fit a broom or mop handle. Plus unless you have someone 24/7 to monitor the tool room and hand out and collect tools they will soon end up missing for one reason or another. That is probably the hardest thing to keep up with in a school shop class let alone a shop where guys are continually going in and out with their cars.

 

Most of the guys running shops have to pay mechanics $25,000 to $70,000 per year (or more!). This place wouldn't have those expenses.

You hit the nail right on the head when you said they would need a ton of storage space. I would think that is where the money would come in. The shop and tools would provide the draw and some money, but the storage would provide a large portion of income.

If I don't have a place to work on my car, I (a potential customer) also wouldn't be as likely to have a place to store it. As long as I'm storing it somewhere, it might as well be some place I can work on it. Most self-storage places don't allow working on cars and will kick you out if you get caught. Most self-storage places are impractical to store a car at because of the time it takes to drag it back and forth to your house whenever you want to work on it. Dragging it across a parking lot (using a battery operated puller) would only take a few minutes.

Most of the expenses could be recouped by providing secure storage - some covered, some fenced.

You would also profit by making it available to everyone. Not just traditional hot rodders who subscribe to the HAMB's philosiphy. (Duh.)
If it became overrun with patrons, only then would I start restricting it to guys that think like us.

You would have to make some kind of profit to cover unexpected expenses. They pop up, whether you foresee them or not. A non-profit place sounds great, until you try to find someone to volunteer. People need to be paid. You wouldn't want to spend all your time down there waiting on people, would you? You have to make a small profit in order to pay someone.

I think it's doable and potentially profitable. One cautious thumb up.