opinions..... front end rebuild

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barbee6043 said:
It not a Mopar. ITs a 64 Comet (Falcon). NO TB!!! Good thing we don't live in Calif!!!!!
He does not need any special tools! A 12 year old can do it/
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Guess I read that too fast I thought it was a coronet.

But other than torsion bars nothing else really changes, you’ve got coil springs to unload instead of torsion bars. Still need to remove and reinstall all those bushings, still needs an alignment, etc.

You’ll need to find a 12 year old if you want someone else to do that for $600. It’s still a steal, and if it was that easy you’d do it yourself.
 
aside from it being a ferd, that's a smokin' deal.

finding anybody to do front end work on vintage cars these days is nigh impossible, even at high end shops. and those that do, charge a million dollars.

if you trust the guy's ability to perform the work correctly and to your satisfaction i don't see how his working conditions should have any effect on what his price is.
 
I'm gettin REAL close to doing Vixen's front suspension rebuild. If there's any interest in a how to, I might do one.
 
as I'm getting ready to do the same on a 83 D250. last of my parts will be here in a couple of days.
 
That's parts included? Everyone seems to be assuming it's a "6 hour job". I've done it on different vehicles over a dozen times without a lift...never in 6hrs.
 
volaredon said:
I've had it take 4 hours and I've had a job like that take 4 days.
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I'm honestly not sure I could have ever done it in 4 hours. I'm not sure I could do it in 6 now. But then, I ain't gonna try. I'm just gonna do it at whatever my speed is that day. It won't be fast. lol
 
72bluNblu said:
Guess I read that too fast I thought it was a coronet.

But other than torsion bars nothing else really changes, you’ve got coil springs to unload instead of torsion bars. Still need to remove and reinstall all those bushings, still needs an alignment, etc.

You’ll need to find a 12 year old if you want someone else to do that for $600. It’s still a steal, and if it was that easy you’d do it yourself.
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The upper and lower A arms are loaded, as in Ford parts that come with new bushings. Bolt in.ALL new parts to go back on. Everything. A real mechanic would have a torch to cut the coil springs, my guy does not , not even a concrete pad to work on. He can get it close, but it would GO to an alignment shop for that!
But you are right, I could take it to a real shop and they might want $1000 for the job.
I could have taken it to a "real" body shop and spent $7-8000 and spent 6 months to 2 years waiting! ha, or so but I did it all myself as always 2 years ago.

Lile I said, I would do it myself as I have in the last 77 years of my life, BUT I have a muscle disease and can hardly put one foot in front of the other much less get down to do it all.
Time to get rid of this my LAST classic...period.
 
volaredon said:
I've had it take 4 hours and I've had a job like that take 4 days.
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If this was a Mopar, it can be a PIA somedays I admit. Yea I have done plenty of Mopars years ago, it can be a struggle!

This Ford I am talking of gets ALL new parts, sitting right here, I have them all except a new strut rods..paid for...Ford upper and lower A arms, comes with new bushings installed. Bolt in. Taking out the old parts, most work is unloading the coils, but a torch gets them out in what 30 seconds, and every mechanic around here will use a floor jack and not a coil spring compressor! So...? V8 drag link. all new inner/outer tie rod ends, sleeves, new idler, uses the existing pitman and steering box! New shocks, even have new shock mounts to boilt to the A arm! 2 bolt/nuts. Guess I could do that for him. Really///????!
My spindles are complete, backing plates loaded with all brake stuff, hubs ready and done...... I will do the rubber line and bleed it.
Probaby just sell the darn thing and call it done.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
No lift , No torch. He is working hard for his money.
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I guess if he wants $80/hr he should have a lift, do it all quicker and easier.
Lets figure. $80/hr and a guy works 40 hrs a week, that is $3200 a week. That times 50 weeks a year figures out to $160,000 an hour, NO garage no concrete, no torch, no lift, not having top pay any help, or property taxes, etc..... REALLY????????? What am I missing?????
Or IF I am his only job and makes $600 in a day. He is 35 and single, goes to the lake a lot...like to crappie fish. Illegal but he sells dressed crappie for I forget, we buy some from him occasionally.
 
barbee6043 said:
I guess if he wants $80/hr he should have a lift, do it all quicker and easier.
Lets figure. $80/hr and a guy works 40 hrs a week, that is $3200 a week. That times 50 weeks a year figures out to $160,000 an hour, NO garage no concrete, no torch, no lift, not having top pay any help, or property taxes, etc..... REALLY????????? What am I missing?????
Or IF I am his only job and makes $600 in a day. He is 35 and single, goes to the lake a lot...like to crappie fish. Illegal but he sells dressed crappie for I forget, we buy some from him occasionally.
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so obviously you're hung up on the fact that the guy isn't an above board shop with all the infrastructure, but here's the deal: he's not charging that rate (at least not here!) so what's the big deal?

more over, who cares if he works on a dirt floor with two rocks and a bear skin if the work is good?

also, 80/hr rate doesn't mean you're booking that 8hrs a day. that'd be insane. if you're a one man show you'd be lucky to book half that.
 
$600 is a good deal...I'd pay it in a minute, but the OP feels like the kid is trying to get over on him. It doesn't hurt to look for a better deal, to you $400 is an insult, to me it the starts a negotiation.
 
If I give someone an est.its not negotiable
What it it turns south is th op going to pay more? Because I'm going to stay with hat I quoted
 
Mojoe9955 said:
$600 is a good deal...I'd pay it in a minute, but the OP feels like the kid is trying to get over on him. It doesn't hurt to look for a better deal, to you $400 is an insult, to me it the starts a negotiation.
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if OP feels like the kid is trying to get one over on him then it's simple: go some place else or do the work yourself.

it seems like he's trying to equate the fact that he doesn't have a concrete floor and a lift, or basically a shop to the idea that he should be asking for a lower hourly rate. which is total and utter horseshit.

i worked with a guy who didn't have a tool box, he brought his tools to work everyday in a damn suitcase. but he was the best and most efficient transmission man i've ever worked with. should he be paid less because he doesn't have a 10K snap-on cab next to the work bench?

i agree, i never hurts to look for a better deal. but this ain't no swap meet. you cain't go two rows over and find the same skilled labor for less monies.

to note, these is a stark difference between: i'm broke what can we do here to bring the bill down? and: i think that's too much for the job, imma offer you 1/3 less. we're talking about a hobby here. a toy. not somebody that's trying to fix their 2002 explorer so that they can get to their second job on the night shift at arby's. old cars are pay to play, we ALL know that. we knew the job was dangerous when we took it.
 
Just for sake of conversation..... about 2 years ago, I had a 64 Savoy I was changing over to a 383 and had a 8 3/4 in use to change over from the pesky 7 1/4. I asked the neighbor mechanic and the other one just down the road, ( the 2 in the country) if I could ask a favor and for sure pay them for time, I had everything loose or out, like shocks, drive shaft, u bolts, wheels, everything was off... I just needed the grunt help to get the one out and other placed back in. I would do the shocks, u bolts, driveshaft, etc. One wanted $200 and the other guy $250. Just to set one out and the other back in. ha
Wife and I got it done, and 2 years ago, I still had some muscle strength.
We changed out the rear in this Comet last year and it was a "hoot".

I do my own body/paint. No booth. No heat. No nothing really. Yea, I can hardly do any of it any more and do any justice.
The body shop that has heat, ac, a booth, a big compressor with a really good dryer, several high $$ guns, he gets a price for his work because he has such. Yes. he has to do GOOD work, and such equipment means he is efficient and able to do good work.
Ever try to lay down paint or understand what happens when it is 115 inside or outside with paint?
junkyardhero said:
so obviously you're hung up on the fact that the guy isn't an above board shop with all the infrastructure, but here's the deal: he's not charging that rate (at least not here!) so what's the big deal?

more over, who cares if he works on a dirt floor with two rocks and a bear skin if the work is good?

also, 80/hr rate doesn't mean you're booking that 8hrs a day. that'd be insane. if you're a one man show you'd be lucky to book half that.
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Forty miles down the road, the auto garage with 4 mechanics, the owner pays them by the hour, 8 hour day. :BangHead: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

If a guy tells me he charges $80/hour, I figure he figures his price based on how long he figures it will take him. If he wants $600 for the job, then he figures if he gets down quicker, good and if it takes longer, still good, unless he comes up and wants more!
 
barbee6043 said:
The upper and lower A arms are loaded, as in Ford parts that come with new bushings. Bolt in.ALL new parts to go back on. Everything. A real mechanic would have a torch to cut the coil springs, my guy does not , not even a concrete pad to work on. He can get it close, but it would GO to an alignment shop for that!
But you are right, I could take it to a real shop and they might want $1000 for the job.
I could have taken it to a "real" body shop and spent $7-8000 and spent 6 months to 2 years waiting! ha, or so but I did it all myself as always 2 years ago.

Lile I said, I would do it myself as I have in the last 77 years of my life, BUT I have a muscle disease and can hardly put one foot in front of the other much less get down to do it all.
Time to get rid of this my LAST classic...period.
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I'm sorry we're not local.
 
barbee6043 said:
....One wanted $200 and the other guy $250. Just to set one out and the other back in.
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question? did you think that was excessive?

because for me, i'm not getting out of bed and rolling to off site work for less than that. unless you're a friend that needed help unloading a trailer or a long time customer or something, it's day rate.

barbee6043 said:
Ever try to lay down paint or understand what happens when it is 115 inside or outside with paint?
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i do. and that's why i pay for paint and body work. and guess what? my ese is in the barrio and shoots in a old busted down two car garage attached to his house. he charges slightly less than high end bodyshops in the area. the place looks like a damn junkyard with all the low riders and half taken apart cars but his paint jobs are award winning.
 

junkyardhero said:
question? did you think that was excessive?

because for me, i'm not getting out of bed and rolling to off site work for less than that. unless you're a friend that needed help unloading a trailer or a long time customer or something, it's da
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Damn right. Thats why the wife and I got it done!!! I could have asked a friend to help, but I was raised to do what I need myself if at all possible.

This ain't Calif. Vern!
 
As someone who did build their garage by them self believe me...I know. I had all kind of people offering to help after the fact and two times more people telling me "how to do it" :) People would ask "why didn't you ask for help?" I said "people are busy and I cant wait on no one I move in a direction it may be slow but I'm still moving along with the project and waiting on no one..." that and working with people is a constant negotiation...I know a guy who will stand there and tell you how to turn a ratchet even though he's never worked as a mechanic. That kind of help I don't need.
 
At age 77 and raised and lived in the country my whole life, I fool well understand that I have a different mentality that some people that have lived in a more urban/surburban life. I have a different mindset than many much younger rural people. Being raised by parents OLD enough to have been my grandparents, same with my wife, but she was raised by her elderly grandparents. My mom was also the next to youngest of 10 surviving children, my dad was also second youngest of 10. Survivors of the Great Depression, horse and buggy days, and WW11. I say life though their eyes I guess. Back in Ga. where I was raised, I was half raised by an uncle that farmed 300 ac. of row crop with MF 30, for many years, by himself, no hired man, before he got a "little" bigger tractor!

The older you are and the further in the country you are raised, the more you learn to be self suffucient. You learn to help friends and neighbors that are willing and able top help you, and you learn to be ready to help them in a moments notice. You learn your limitations, and when you must have help. The fire dept. was a rural volunteer group. The sheriff condoned killing anyone that threatened you your family, or even your property. Rural Missouri.

I enjoy reading about the guys on her that have the $ to pay for their dream garage to be built. A few, build one themselves, I have seen some guys build one out of pallet even! A garage. Pure joy.
I would have to stop and count how many shops (like a garage maaybe), barns, sheds , lean to's I have build by just me. From the poles to the tin. I could do it, why ask for help?

I lived in Mos. 47 years ( 1970 to 2017) before 2017 when I came to S E Texas. My neighbor was a life long tractor, truck mechanic, worked all his life right on 400 ac.of cow pasture, his mother had never driven a car, and yes he could fix any truck or most cars too. He had a slab of concrete ( maybe 75 years old) in his cow barn, No heat, that was his old and dead dads cow barn, an overhead hoist and a couple of tool boxes. He passed in 2012 at age 55. A real mechanic, a cow man, my friend, my mechanic if I needed one. A real man. He never made $40 an hour. His value was unmeasurable.
 
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