Im 24 now, recently got out of the Army (2 tours in Iraq), and have loved cars since i was a kid.. When i got out, i couldnt think of anything i would love to do more than work on cars. When i talk to my dad, he says "get a job in computer's, working on old cars wont pay nothing." Might be true, might not, but its what i love to do. Im interested in paint and body work the most. Anyone here that works in a shop, or own's one... If you could, give me some advice on what or where to start. What do you look for in possible employee's? I have started taking Auto Collision cl***es full-time at a technical school here locally.. there pretty basic, and not exactly into "HotRods" so to speak. Also, If anyone near Atlanta needs a hand doing body, metalwork etc. Ill happily work for free... just for the knowledge. As long as you dont mind me asking a few questions..
First of all, THANK YOU, for your service to your country. We cannot even begin to imagine what you went through in Iraq. Next, in my many years in the old car hobby, the one skill that has always impressed people is welding. If you control fire, you will even impress the ladies! Go to your local Vo-Tech school, and take a night cl*** on MIG and TIG welding (only takes 6-10 weeks). Then, get a job welding aluminum (TIG). Maybe at a local place that makes truck bodies, or compressed gas tanks. Not many people are willing to do this, and it is very much in demand. After that, hang a sign in front of your house, shop, or garage that says "WELDING", and people will come to you. Some of those people will be hot-rodders, and if you treat them fairly, you will be "in like Flint", ..... well, that's another story, and another generation................
You might look at the wanted section here on H A M B..I've seen guys trying to hire on there..... Your problem just opposite of mine...I'm trying to find out how to get out of it after fifty years.I'm ready to play on my own cars
this is quoted from above'Anyone here that works in a shop, or own's one... If you could, give me some advice on what or where to start. What do you look for in possible employee's'? employees are the hardest ones to figure out! I own a tow company and yes I do repairs as well, but finding that right employee is very hard, I have been through about 15 employees in 2 years +, I found that I hire a guy, have him sign a no compete clause contract and pay him a little more than hes worth, and I even have a bonus program for getting repair garages for towing as well as apartment buildings for impounding. The last thing that I do is give them a little slack on his leash and tell him to run it like its his own, but he also knows that if he wrecks anything that he pays for it unless I deam that its the fault of the equiptment, then I'll get the bill. Alan has been with me on and off for 2+ years and with the previous company that I managed befoore I bought it out. But the biggest item that gets them to do more and not be a warm body waiting on a paycheck is that i will also give them a little share of the pie at the end of the year out of the profits, remember that i couldnt have done it without him. most employees are careless and the following is true to 75% of the population out their (no direspect but its true) MIND OVER MATTER ------ ITS NOT MINE SO IT DONT MATTER if you find that right employee, hold onto him and keep him, Alan, is never on time with me, supposed to be in at 9am, but hes their by 10am, but if i need him at 2 am to run anything hes their, hes a great employee that cares
thanks.i would have to say your dad is probly right though.building cars is fun but when you do it for a living it becomes work and that **** ****s.keep it as a hobby and your love will grow, kind of like women.that least thats my experience.
Find a job working in a body shop if thats what your interested in . And get your self a project car or a bike to work on and you will learn as you go. I understand what stomp n steer is saying but im a welder and it takes year s of welding all kinds of different stuff to open a shop and a ton of money i have a lot of welding mechines tig , mig , arc and years of schooling and i learn somthing new everyday , i never welded a car panel in my life till i got my t And iv been welding 15 years with 4 years of school ,Two different worlds. Find what your most interested in as far as cars go and start there .welding is just one part off building cars. not saying not to take a welding cl*** it is one of the most important parts in building a cars from scratch . I learned in my back yard from my family ,dad and grandfather first
Sounds like we share some DNA. I have some pretty good skills, but gave up all of my past careers to do what I love most. I can tell you what I have learned in my journey of 35 years, of working for others. Do it part time to start. It is a lot more fun when you don't have to support yourself. You will have to take jobs you don't want....jobs that don't pay enough....and get the most expensive education you can imagine. You will absolutely have to do many styles of vehicles, and many styles of paint work. This hobby never stops changing. If you only do one thing...you will be gone in five years or less, as that style becomes unpopular. I've been in the hobby for 40 years. This is absolutely true! I've regularly done rods, customs, drag cars, choppers, collectibles, antiques, trucks, off road and dunes, boats, restorations, planes, special interest new cars, radio control toys, and any other custom automotive project that comes along. This is because I want to do this full time, and one type of vehicle will not support you. Live modestly, so you can live on less than you usually make. This is a luxury business, and it is the first thing to slow down when people get worried about the economy...which happens every 10 years. It will take you 10 years or more, living in a large city, to get enough of a reputation, and repeat business, to go full time. Keep your shop overhead low. A nice shop is great, but you will price yourself out of reach of half of your possible customers. If you are married, you will need your wife's support in this venture. If you don't have it, your problems can double. Not everyone is meant to be in business. If you have a problem working more than 8 hours a day, or 5 days a week, you won't make it. When you come to those tough times...and you will...tell yourself "I can't fail, unless I give up". Being a skilled craftsman or artist will get you into business, but it will not be the things that your success depends on. Be honest and reliable. If you aren't, your customers will not be back. Do a good job EVERY time. Sometimes you will have to fix things, and some times it won't even be your fault, but you will have to buy the materials, and supply the labor, then smile as you "make it right" for the customer. He doesn't care what went wrong...he paid you for a long-lasting job...and if you want to be in this business, just do it with a smile on your face. Always press harder to do a better job, better art work, better quality, and better communication with your customers. If all of this is too much for you to commit to, do it part time, for extra money, and gratification.....kind of a hobby/business. You will be happier.
Use you GI bennies and get a degree in business. So many of the vets are getting screwed out of their benefits it's a shame. Business school will help you organize and control whatever you end up in. Thanks for serving. Dan
I just walked into a shop one day with a machete and told the owner "give me the shop or I'll cut your **** off" and the rest is history.
Use your GI bennies like someone else said. I screwed mine off. I'm a dumb***. Don't be like me. I have an old crusty biker Friend. He's a real biker, been down since day one. His dream job was to be a Harley mechanic. He ended up with the job and hated it. He never wanted to wrench on his own **** when he got home. I got a job for the sole purpose of OTJ welding training. I even called it "welding pracitice.". It used to amaze me that very few of the guys had their own welders at home. Sort of the same thing, they did it all day and were sick of it by the time the got home. They were welding wizzards, they could have made a ton of money on their own. But they prefered the for sure weekly paycheck. I was talking to the biker (he also taught me how to weld at said job), I told him I got a lot of welding done this weekend. He said "woopie." I said "****er, you'd prolly get off on it if you never got to do it like me. He agreed. Well I got to go. Later Josh. PS Thanks for the service to your country.
I have gone through 2 shops and this is what i learned Lesson 1 Do it with your own money DON'T get a partner Lesson 2 Don't expect a pay check when you first start off it will be feast or fathom have at least 6 month of capital in the bank just in case. when it is good it good when it's bad it's BAD!! Lesson 3 don't trade labor do every thing for money or your shop will turn in to a car lot lesson 4 don't chase easy money the one or two hundred dollar job will bite you in the end lesson 5 expect to work lots of hours and don't plan on spending much time with the family When i shut down my shop it was doing good and i was making money but lost my love for cars Now I'm the general manager of a aftermarket fabrication shop making good money, 401K, medical and a new love for building cars. and can now afford to build my dream car a steel 32 ford
Again I also thank you for your service to our great nation. Welcome to civilian life. As far as getting into cars vs. a computer job, that’s really a personal decision. At the end of the day you are the guy that has to be happy with your lot in life. I have always enjoyed car building as my personal hobby, I also can't think of anything I'd rather be doing besides working on cars (except maybe being on the HAMB). I build and maintain cars for myself and my close family. Sometimes I will help friends with special projects but I don't care to ever make a dime working on cars-that would turn it into a job. I make my living in an unrelated field and am extremely satisfied with my chosen profession. Maybe what you need to ask yourself is do you want to make a living with cars or do you want to be an enthusiast like most of the people in the car hobby. If you choose to pursue cars professionally, listen to the folks posting on here, they have paid their dues.
It was all my uncles fault, he taught me to weld and do body work at a young age. I lived "the life" in high school... I worked on everybody elses cars to support my drag racing habit. I made the mistake of not finishing college... I have had four jobs all before I was 21 years old... Since then I have been self-employed... I will die working because I have no retirement... I will die of some damn disease I got from being exposed to all the toxic **** at work... But I'll die quick because I can't afford health insurance... It's been a great life with great people... What more can you ask for. Al
Look up a guy in Atlanta named Mike Saligoe, he is originally from Indy, and as good of a fabricator as there is, he has a bussiness there and he might be able to stear you in the right direction.
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