jasonmrenda
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 13, 2009
- Messages
- 271
- Reaction score
- 1
as i got into the whole classic/muscle car game later in life at 35 and had never as much replaced a battery cable, i wanted someone who knows much more than i do to go over the car before summer driving season.
over the pasts 6 months i learned a tremendous amount about cars, patience, effort, and finally reward. my goal was never a show car or a 10 second racer. i simply wanted a car to learn on and be proud of and that ifelt safe and confident to put my family in for cruise nights.
well over the fall and winter my bud helped do a complete 318 driveline swap from the /6. i swapped the k frame and replaced pads dropped in a new hi torq starter, new pow steering box, redid all the front suspension, patched the enormous holes in the floorpan, ran all new brake lines, installed a carpet, and lots of other little things.
most of you guys can do these things in your sleep but it was a learning experience for me. so i dropped the car at a local shop and said "please go though it and do what needs to be done to make it safe and hiway worthy".
expecting to hear that i'd done some serious hacking and that the bill was going to be ar more than my overly-hopeful $500 budget, i anticipated getting the dart back.
the mechanic had the car for three weeks and spoke to me for at least 3 hours over that time. he ran a new fuel line, measured my wheel offsets, had it realigned, fixed a bad wheel bearing, inspected my suspension work, tuned the engine a bit, did a little brake upkeep, and lots of small things to tidy her up.
i picked her up saturday morning and saw the bill on the dash. i gathered myself for what i expected to be a pretty solid lightening of the wallet.
total bill inc parts and labor at $96/hr = $292. THATS NOT A MISPRINT! under 300. i had to give him a $50 tip because he did so much more than what he charged. i drove the car all weekend - even hit the hiway and put the family in it. i was so happy to have met a mechanic i can trust. and to validate my own efforts is something i am still proud of. the fact that he didnt need to do major fixes to my work made me feel really good.
i wont be starting a shop or anything lol, but i am very happy. if anyone even close to the boston area needs a mechanic, let me know and i'll gladly give you his info. i'd post it here but i am not sure if that is allowed and certainly dont want to step on the toes of the members here.
and to everyone on the forum thank you for all your help in answering my pestering questions. next on the list is new leaf springs, some minor body work and then going to try the paint roller approach for a cheap paint job.
- jason
over the pasts 6 months i learned a tremendous amount about cars, patience, effort, and finally reward. my goal was never a show car or a 10 second racer. i simply wanted a car to learn on and be proud of and that ifelt safe and confident to put my family in for cruise nights.
well over the fall and winter my bud helped do a complete 318 driveline swap from the /6. i swapped the k frame and replaced pads dropped in a new hi torq starter, new pow steering box, redid all the front suspension, patched the enormous holes in the floorpan, ran all new brake lines, installed a carpet, and lots of other little things.
most of you guys can do these things in your sleep but it was a learning experience for me. so i dropped the car at a local shop and said "please go though it and do what needs to be done to make it safe and hiway worthy".
expecting to hear that i'd done some serious hacking and that the bill was going to be ar more than my overly-hopeful $500 budget, i anticipated getting the dart back.
the mechanic had the car for three weeks and spoke to me for at least 3 hours over that time. he ran a new fuel line, measured my wheel offsets, had it realigned, fixed a bad wheel bearing, inspected my suspension work, tuned the engine a bit, did a little brake upkeep, and lots of small things to tidy her up.
i picked her up saturday morning and saw the bill on the dash. i gathered myself for what i expected to be a pretty solid lightening of the wallet.
total bill inc parts and labor at $96/hr = $292. THATS NOT A MISPRINT! under 300. i had to give him a $50 tip because he did so much more than what he charged. i drove the car all weekend - even hit the hiway and put the family in it. i was so happy to have met a mechanic i can trust. and to validate my own efforts is something i am still proud of. the fact that he didnt need to do major fixes to my work made me feel really good.
i wont be starting a shop or anything lol, but i am very happy. if anyone even close to the boston area needs a mechanic, let me know and i'll gladly give you his info. i'd post it here but i am not sure if that is allowed and certainly dont want to step on the toes of the members here.
and to everyone on the forum thank you for all your help in answering my pestering questions. next on the list is new leaf springs, some minor body work and then going to try the paint roller approach for a cheap paint job.
- jason
