FACT !! Preston



To think what I've spent on "hot rods" -- now versus what I used to spend 25 years ago is mind boggling! But a hot rod used to be a SBC -- some wide tires - some Weld Wheels <see what I did there?> "decent" paint - which could have been a single stage urethane or enamel..... upholstery from the local shop.... a four speed tranny and a rear end from the junkyard. The fact that you could "box" a frame in your garage - made you a "real hot rod builder".... let alone chop a grill.... or cut in some patch panels.


I agree with you -- it's gone so far over the top that it's almost taken the fun out of it. A home builder struggles to be "proud" of what he's built... We no longer can just MIG weld something - we all have to have TIG machines now.... and the gaps and bodypanels have to be Rolls Royce quality... and as you pointed out -- the have to have trick EVERYTHING from the ground up.

I'm not complaining --- it is what the hobby is.... we all want to improve and get better - and guys like Mark Stielow continue to raise the bar... and we eagerly follow (with our tongues hanging out!).

If you'd have told me 20 years ago that guys were going to be doing long distance tours in 950 hp cars with the AC on with 40,000 dollar paint jobs - I'd have thought you'd gone mad! LOL


There's SO MANY GREAT PRO SHOPS...... it's sad when they start out and then get fat and sassy. Why can't they just can't put their noses down - put their pedal to the metal - and crank out the work... Maybe they're good builders and just not good business people... the skills to build do not automatically transfer to management. Capital allocation.... hiring (or firing) skills... time management.... parts sourcing skills.... planning... managing thru lean months or years...

Greg, thanks again for sharing your experiences and being transparent about them. I (and countless others) have learned so much from you through your posts and commentary. You're like a hot rod dad to many of us with your wisdom and humor.

Being a little guy who still does all his own work, I feel what you are saying. I have heard countless horror stories about cars going to a shop to die and rack up an incredible bill in the process. My cars are still built the old way with junkyard parts, ingenuity and my own hard labour. They are also 100% reliable and I know exactly what parts were used so I know what worked and how to fix them. The only thing I farm out are items I don't have the tools to achieve (machine work and interior) From what I read even though we live in the same city and have never met, I believe SSLance is the same way. I would love to have the money to pay someone, but honestly even if I did I would rather get my hands dirty and do it myself. All more money would do in my case is buy more tools, a larger space to use them plus additional cars and parts. The end result of driving my creation and meeting new friends is simply the icing on the cake.

Thanks for the kind words....


I ALWAYS built and repaired my own stuff - or my friends stuff.... until I became busy doing other fun things. These days we're traveling WAY more than we used to.... and just doing other things - more golf - etc. The first "pro" (I loathe using the word in connection with this shop) build I did was the Frisbee '32 - and that was only because it's purchase - and subsequent re-build was completely unplanned. I think I was building my brother in laws car at the time. We all know what a disappointing experience that was.

Funny --- it wasn't the quality of the bodywork - paint - chrome - ideas - execution.... it was the things that make a car a car. Leaks everywhere - the wiring - the alignment etc. THE DETAILS that keep a car running and make it reliable. Looking at the car -- it was awesome. Right up until you tried to drive it. EPIC FAIL.

The part I always prided myself on -- was that my **** ran - ran well - didn't fail - and was used and abused on a regular basis. I go to shows - or have friends - that put up with having to crank and crank to get started - or the slow errrump errrump of a poorly done starter.... or header leaks... or steering wheel shimmy. THEY LIVE WITH IT. ME? NEVER. Fix that stuff!! Have some pride for god's sake! If you make a plumbing line and it leaks - DO IT OVER - it's a hobby! Learn as you go - you'll make mistakes. So what. Examine the part - figure out where you went wrong and try to do it better on the next one.... but don't live with it. What do you learn from that? Practicing making bad parts..... LOL

For a "pro" shop to put out work that has these items - or ANY ITEMS - that don't perform... They don't deserve to be in business. The "cheaters" in the world - doing shoddy work - lining their pockets... they need to be called out. Grow a pair - if you got screwed - stand up and say so. I'm not afraid to go to a show and see them face to face -- they know what they did - I told them to their face....They ought to man up and take ownership. They don't - people like that never think it's them - they always deflect blame.

There were issues with the Brizio '33.... blowing oil out (not enough breather capacity).... A/C condensation line didn't work so water dripped inside (fixed) - Overheated - due to lack of tank on the radiator (so it was "open to atmosphere"). The Vega steering box (smoothed and painted) sucked - a new one was installed and was perfect. ALL FIXED WITHOUT A SINGLE QUESTION OR BILL.... and these fixes didn't take months -- they were fixed in DAYS. That is how to do business!

LOL -- if only things always went as planned.....


You need to get on the list of GoodGuy HOF tour and go with us.... that way Charley has someone else to beat on besides me.

just getting caught up on this, WOW, keep fighting the good fight..

LOL..... Yeah.... I've never been one to hold back!

I'm the guy paying for the job.... if I'm not happy with what's going on -- I have ZERO problem firing people. Charley's phone call was perfect timing.

You don't say....
Xoxo

So what you are saying is, building these things is a pain in the ass and if you want it done right, you got to do it yourself?:action-smiley-027:

Same boat
 

I feel your pain. It only took my 'High End' hot rod shop to repaint my car 3 years!!! This is one of those 'TV' shops with an owner that has 25+ years of experience in building hot rods. All talk, when it is on their dime to fix something it is never going to happen. Every time I asked the owner when it was going to get painted, it was 'Oh your the next one in the booth'. Ya right!!! Guess I learned my lesson.

Greg did the right thing and got out of that mess, hope the new shop works out. Also, I want to thank Greg for his insight and commentary on this board, its what makes me come back every day to see how the place is holding up.

No it's not a pain in the ass -- it's fun... it's a hobby.... and some shops can build them right - get 'em done on time - and on budget.... MANY can't.

Many times that's the owner's fault - they don't pay - they're "between money" - the owner can't make up their minds - they change direction 10 times....

For me - there's no waiting on money - I know what I want before the job gets started - I don't procrastinate..... sometimes it's the shop, and not the customer - sometimes it's the other way around.






Thanks!!!


My '33 Ford was painted in about a month.... which included gaping - bodywork/skim etc - paint - and cut and buffed. Vintage Color Studio (Darryl Hollenbeck's shop - who is Roy Brizio's Brother in Law). Mind you -- that paint and bodywork was about 40 grand.... Pure perfection by the way.... and will still be perfect 20 years from now.

http://vintagecolorstudio.com/


I think it took Sid Shavers about 2 weeks to knock the interior out of the park....

These guys know how to make money - and making money is NOT turning your shop in to a storage facility.