Quick Survey. Answers appreciated

[CKreations]

Hopefully I can get a few quick responses from the as many of you folks as possible. I would love to get an idea of what the Pro-Touring community thinks of getting work done, so If you've got a minute or two responses would be helpful and greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your help!

1. What do you think of the idea of a full service shop for cars like ours that would focus on bringing customs and classics up to par with modern vehicles in performance, comfort and technology and offer ways to enjoy them like drives, meets and shows?

2. Currently, do you do most of the work on your own vehicle or do you take it to a shop.

2a. If you do your own work, why?

2b. If a shop works on your car, why?

3. What is it that you like to see in a performance shop? What would you change?

4. What hourly rate do you think is reasonable for high quality work?

[CKreations]

Nobody has any input?

[bs46488]

I do most of my own work because its a hobby.

I determine what I can and can't do based on the complexity of the job and my comfort level (and required tools). I feel comfortable pulling a trans, but I'm not that confident that I could re-build it.

I would like to see an hourly rate for performance work vs regular mechanical work. I had a wonderful experience with a tuner in the Los Angeles area. I was fully okay with paying a high dollar rate for getting my car dyno'd and tuned. But I looped the belt on backwards around a pulley when I installed a supercharger. They fixed it (took like 3 mins) by taking a big pry bar and stretching the belt to get it into place. That doesn't seem like "performance" work to me, but you can bet they charged me extra at their high hourly rate to do it.

[Pancho79]

1. What do you think of the idea of a full service shop for cars like ours that would focus on bringing customs and classics up to par with modern vehicles in performance, comfort and technology and offer ways to enjoy them like drives, meets and shows?
What I've found with shops that do specialty work like this, opposed to normal "turn and burn" repair shops, is it helps to have a good reputation for doing it. People aren't going to take their projects to anybody except someone that they KNOW knows what their doing. It's a good idea but "turn and burn" repair work is what pays the bills. The restoration and performance side pays good money but it's so far down the line from when the project starts that running a business solely on those is hard unless you have people bringing them to you every day and you have a team that really knows their stuff so they can get it knocked out quicker.
2. Currently, do you do most of the work on your own vehicle or do you take it to a shop.
I do work myself.
2a. If you do your own work, why?
I work at a shop and I have access to it on the weekends :)
2b. If a shop works on your car, why?

3. What is it that you like to see in a performance shop? What would you change?
Techs that know about Pontiacs. IDK how it is around where you guys live but all the perf shops here are all about Ford and everyone thinks my engine is the same as a SBC.
4. What hourly rate do you think is reasonable for high quality work?
A shop worth their salt is worth around $90-$100/hr. and this is assuming they have the diagnostic equipment to allow them to do dealer level diag and repair. Not all shops can afford that but that doesn't mean they are inferior as far as quality. Otherwise I would say $80-$95/hr. This is also the going rate for quality work around here in SC, it may change if you live somewhere else.

[slimjim]

I agree a lot with the above comment, and I am happy to pay top dollar for top quality, especially in areas I have little experience.
I believe $90-$100/hr is a reasonable price for good work, but I think it needs to be earnt.
For example, that is what I'm paying for a shop to do my fabrication and body-work on my car (a process I cannot do myself) and for the first approx 150+ hours it was worked on by an experienced fabricator. Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances he had to leave and someone new was employed, who although was very skilled in certain fields, had no experience in body-work or classic cars. So i find myself paying $90/hr for a very slow learning curve and have paid thousands for only minor progress. I think this is an example of when the hourly rate should be lower, and something a new shop should consider, as not everyone is as skilled as the next.

[rfalker1]

Hopefully I can get a few quick responses from the as many of you folks as possible. I would love to get an idea of what the Pro-Touring community thinks of getting work done, so If you've got a minute or two responses would be helpful and greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your help!

1. What do you think of the idea of a full service shop for cars like ours that would focus on bringing customs and classics up to par with modern vehicles in performance, comfort and technology and offer ways to enjoy them like drives, meets and shows?

I like the idea but, think that it would lose out on a lot of busy for restoration projects etc... maybe its the shops specialty but i don't think it should be the only focus !


2. Currently, do you do most of the work on your own vehicle or do you take it to a shop.

Take it to the shop

2a. If you do your own work, why?


2b. If a shop works on your car, why?

Not the skills or tools or time. I am out of the country 10 months out of the years.

3. What is it that you like to see in a performance shop? What would you change?

Consistency in the quality of work, fair prices.

4. What hourly rate do you think is reasonable for high quality work?

I have no idea. A friend does my car. Charges me 30 bucks an hour. I told him it was too low and gave him 40 bucks, but its just an hobby for him. So I can't say because I am cheap, but an 100 dollars an hour is expensive to me unless you work fast

[CKreations]

I have no idea. A friend does my car. Charges me 30 bucks an hour. I told him it was too low and gave him 40 bucks

Sounds like a great deal, and a good friend!