I am aging out of the hobby I admit and over the many decades I have built many, even learned decades ago to do my body/paint. I paid the machine shop, the upholstery shop, and I paid a bud to do my trans. I did the rest after I learned to do my own body/paint. Lived in Missouri for 37 years before I moved to S E Texas in 2017. I have a muscle issue and for me to rebuild the front end would be a real stretch. I am down to just my 64 Comet ( yea I always wanted one) and I have all new parts for a complete front end rebuild, upper and lower loaded arms, tie rods, sleeves, drag link, idler, shocks, springs, strut bushings,idler, spindles, loaded backing plate with everything, goes to existing pitman! We live out in county with one traffic light, but people drive to Houston 1 to 1 1/2 hours for high paying jobs compared to "country " wages. (Underworked and overpaid???)
I have a "young"mechanic ( probably about 35) maybe a 1/2 mile down the road, has a lean to off his home for a shop, no lift, not even a torch, just him. So I had him give me a price to pull off the old suspension and install the new. Like just said, ALL new parts. $600 is his price. I figure 6 hours at most.
I realize when I take the family ride to have work done at a "regular " garage, the owner has the shop and makes a living, and pays mechanics a living. And the one man show mechanic down the road has to make a living.
Maybe $600 is a true bargain??????? :BangHead: :thumbsup::steering: