successful hot rod shop?

[THX 138]

I got a machine shop handed to me but its kind of a pain sometimes with work being too slow one day and insane busy the next, but I guess any small business would be like that.

I never wanted to be a mechanic in the sense of fixing other peoples daily drivers and things but I think it would be cool to have a hot rod type of shop that fixes up new and old cars. What are the odds of something like that being successful you think?

[MrQuick]

Congrates on the business. But repair and custom work takes up a lot of room. Try to think of something you don't need a lot of room for. Also stuff thats not going to be there long if it doesn't take up much room.

Are you an engine machine shop or a parts fabrication shop?

A good idea for an engine shop would be to put complete engine packages together.

Custom parts...find a builder you can do a contract for. This makes for long term and repetitious work.

[BonzoHansen]

Maybe you could make 'things' in the slow times, like Steve makes fender braces and such. Might be a better way to slide into it w/o starting over.

[ironworks]

Trust me it takes alot of work and space to run a hot rod shop. And it takes alot of money in california to pay the rent. It is fun, but the days are long and the pay is short for the first couple years.

Rodger

[THX 138]

thanks guys. Its parts fabrication not engines. The current building is paid for. I'd like to sell it and buy another one and still have it paid for. Back in the 80's my dad and uncle got 2 high paying jobs and just bought the building insted of speding money on rent.

More than likely the "hot rods" and 4x4's will be a side thing. I'm gonna start by getting a lift and going from there.

[pushrod243]

From my experience over 11 years as a bike builder and motorcycle speed shop our products we make and sell are far more profitable than building bikes and/or just selling parts. We build high-line customs to showcase our parts and help develop new bikes. The real money in our business is in the parts we make and regular service type jobs. You already have an advantage if you have the abilty to make things take some ideas and build quality parts that will help hotrodders build thier projects. You can use the product development as an excuse to build cool rides to break the monotony of day to day machine work.

[ProdigyCustoms]

We make loads of money building cars. I suggest everyone do it! Suuurrrreeee!!!!

Around here Chopper and Hot Rod shops are dropping like flies. All of a sudden in the last few years shops popped up everywhere. People saw Motorcycle Maina and decided they were going to be Jessie James. then everyone saw Barrett Jackson, a frenzy started and the rest is history. But now with many of these shop owners dreams of building Choppers and Hot Rods turning into Nightmares, one of the main things that keeps us going so strong is our ability to finish the closing shops screw overs!

Seriously, I do not want discourage anyone from starting a Hot Rod Shop for selfish reasons. I have a saying, "everyone I meet wants to get rich like me!", Which is a fricken joke. I just had a conversation with another well known and respected builder on this board about how there are 200 un billable hours from the time a project is finished until it is ready to deliver. I also spent some time with one of, if not THE premiere builder in the world a few weeks ago, and it only took 5 minutes of conversation for him to tell me the only part of his company that DID NOT make money was his shop!

Don't get me wrong, I am not crying. In fact I am having more fun working now then I ever have in my life. We make a "living" through the shop and get to build some fantastic cars. As John mentioned. He builds bikes to showcase his parts. Well, we build cars with the intention of profit, but also to support our parts business. I believe the car shop is a very important aspect of my parts business. Since the advent of the Internet where any wanna be that built one car, if he even finished one at all, or that has never even built a car can sell parts in his pajamas from his living room. I think it has made it VERY important for us to use the products we sell, and be able to report from experience to prospective customers. People are getting aggravated buying from people with no real experience of using the stuff they sell. I hear it everyday. Unfortunately, it takes a ton of money to build show cars and the business in general, and only the strong will survive.

So what I am trying to say is if you want to build Hot Rods, you need to know it will interfere with your regular business unless you give that up. And if you give up your regular business for Hot Rods, you need to be ready for some lean years building the business, all while you watch your old competition make the money you gave up in your old business.

[BRIAN]

There is no real money in building Hot Rods unless you are in the very upper end or simply ripping some rich dude off or have very lite overhead. Costs money to build that car to attract attention. The money is made by selling the merchandise that you showcase by building that one off way too expensive car.

Look at Jesse James, hasn't built a bike in years but probably made $20 million in t-shirts. OCC over $40 million in merchandise.

Everybody hates Boyd but the man is a genious as he built his name along with building high end cars.

Always wondered why somebody like Troy who builds so many cool cars with one off parts never ventured into selling parts?? Look at all the cool parts he puts on his cars. Who wouldn't want some of them? Living is cheap where he is but everybody like more money.

Go for it but do it for the love of building cars and the money hopefully will come. At least you will build a car or 2 that you always wanted.

[Rolling_Thunder]

Trust me it takes alot of work and space to run a hot rod shop. And it takes alot of money in california to pay the rent. It is fun, but the days are long and the pay is short for the first couple years.

Rodger

yep... basicly... all true

[Duesey2]

I've painted part time for 10 years for my grandfather in law. He is a well known restorer in our area and has been for 35 years. I quit my full time job two years ago to do restorations on my own. I worked ten years in an automotive R&D center and I can tell you that I couldn't go back and work for the man. Since my grandfather is 80 years old he is slowing down. I've been taking over some of his clients and getting my own. Without those contacts and his vast network of friends into old cars it never would have happened. Well, it might have happened but I haven't had to go hungry and I would have had to work for pain in the butt customers and paint jobs on gremlins. It's tough work and non of it was given to me. You have to work for demanding people that think their car is more important than your life. Sometimes it's not much fun but most of the time it's great. Television shows get free equipment just for showing a banner. I can tell you most of the money made gets invested right back into equipment. At least for a while. Starting to run out of equipment that I need. It's a great feeling. I'm small time and I will always remain small time. I walk out to the shop and do my best to take care of the customer. Once you go big and start having a bunch of employees then your just running a big boy day care. I do know that anyone with cable or dish can watch a couple wrecks to riches or hot rod shows and they know it all.

[paul67]

What friend of my used to to was servicing ,thats were the bread and butter money is, then do the other projects on the side.And if from what was shown about jiffy lube there should money out there to be made from that report.