if I get my parts the clutch goes in on Saturday and then I need to cruise out for a visit Posted from Jalopyjournal.com App for Android
There is a car show a south side johnnies. I will be there. Without a car to take for the first time in 8 years! It is a fun show. There is the car show during the day, then the bands playing that night. Real fun actually.
Yeah the Hot Rod Hoe Down... Same weekend as the hill climb this year, gonna be madness I say...madness
Lines on the merc look perfect , is the rest of it really that wobbly or is that just an illusion due to the way you have taken the paint off ?
we did a quickie strip to identify problem areas. She is actually pretty straight but full of rust. And those spots full of rust, were actually full of mud. That's why we did the strip. To see what we were up against.
Thank you. the 58 chevy has been delivered to the customer. He has taken on the task of putting her together. Soon as she is all put together, I will put up some pix of her.
Very nice thread, definitely subscribed as I've just spent half of my work morning oogling it.. You have a keen eye for profile and this I can truly appreciate. Great fab work as well, keep up the great reading...
here are a few pix of the 58 all done up in her stainless. Finally looks complete! some bear claw latches
Yeah. it turned out pretty good I think. I do have a bunch of stuff to redo. I call it a learning curve I guess. I have some sand scratches showin up a few weeks after I painted it. So I will be redoing them to make it all correct. After all, that is why he spent the money right? But otherwise, it looks real cool all put together.
Here is some more on the merc. Quite a bit more actually. I can not talk about what else has been going on in the shop until the owner lets the cat out of the bag. I have been sworn to secrecy... trying to figure out where everything will go so when I build the new floors, I have a plan
all 4 corners lots of frame work hid all the airlines inside the rails. As well as the parking brake cables. We even built access panels so we can adjust them and what not.
How do you keep your customers happy when you jump from car to car? Seems like you keep bringing in more work without finishing what has already been started. Hopefully you have it all worked out with them because it sure death to a business when you loose your priorities and your faithful customers. Don't overwhelm yourself and focus on what you are good at.
I do keep focused on what is in the shop at all times. For most of the cars in the last year, I have had guys on a budget that only had $XXX to spend a month. So we work till we hit that mark for them, then move on to another car, do the same for the next, and so on. With the amount of work it takes to get a car built, there is no way one person can afford to have their car worked on 40 hours a week for 160 hours a month. Just not possible. So if I work on a few a month, it keeps it real for both me and the customer. Keeps me paid, and the customer's happy. If I find my self in a place where I have the kind of customer that can afford $8000 a month, I would be happy to only get one in every few years. but that is just not possible. And not something I am sure I would want to do. I love cars. And to have the chance to do a few a year, makes it great. Keeps it interesting. Keeps it real. But thanks for your concern.
It's tough out here economy wise, but what he is doing is a common practice. Our tech industry folded long ago and all we really offer is a pretty skyline to offset the lack of salaries. I got a buddy who is internationally know for his restorations on old off topic German cars... When he restores a type 2 of those it starts at $100K. He happily stores cars for people who make payments and does just that $400 a month on a car or what ever the customer wants. Being flexible is what keeps these shops afloat. I admire the courage it took to "go all in" on your dream of building quality cars in this town. I have seen shops owned by other amazing talent go belly up time and time again. You know the guy got serious when he started sellin his toys and moved out East to afford shop space and even got his wife in on the game rebuilding carbs etc to help the cause.
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