Anyone want to work at a hot rod shop in the beach city of Wilmington, NC?

Hey Guys

Again, thanks for all the pms and emails etc... I have met and heard from all kinds of super folks on this site.

One thing I wanted to throw out there is this apprentice position:

I am looking for someone like myself say 18 years ago. In love with cars and the hot rod life, no responsibilities, some experience with cars. Whether as a hobby, or just a couple years on the job. Someone who is looking for an adventure, and looking to learn all about the business.

What you would do: help set up the new shop, clean, help us work on cars, detail cars, clean cars and the shop up, send out t shirt orders, fix the roof, clean tools, be a shop or office helper, or both etc etc etc..... Run errands. Take pictures of cars we are selling etc and put them on Egay and other places. Help us move cars around for movie car jobs we do. Basically you are the guy in the shop that gets all the little things done.

What you get out of it: Experience, an opportunity to prove yourself, an adventure, learn how to surf, live the life for real, not just on myspace. Over time you could become a mechanic or fabricator. Basically it is up to you where you take it over time. Or you could become a pro at being the guy up front in the office. Learn tons.

I would let you stay in a vintage airstream trailer ( we fix them up and sell them ) in the back lot of the shop for free. That way it works for everyone. Since you have no real skills and monetary value to a shop if you are in this catagory ( not trying to be harsh, but this is the truth ) your monetary compensation would be extremely low, but it is an opportunity. It is always a huge financial drain in time to take an apprentice on, but I have had some great experiences in the past, and would love to p*** some knowledge on, with the hope it would be mutually beneficial for everyone. I would have walked across America in my sneakers for this opportunity when I was at that point of my life years ago. And that is the honest truth, not an exageration. And, I bet most successful people in this business would have done that also.

This is not a dead end opportunity. The last guy that started as an apprentice took advantage of it. He started working and helping out for free 24 / 7. Within 2 year time period: he was a solid in the office, then he became a solid mechanic, then he became a good welder and fabricator working for the shop at $17.50 an hour. Not bad for only 2 years experience. When me moved the main shop out of LA, he landed a job at one of the best shop in Los Angeles with what he had learned in such a short time. Though there was nothing 9 to 5 about the last 2 years. I am very very proud of him and how far he has come in such a short time. I would love to find someone else to bring along as others have brought me along in the past.
I would choose him over 100's of guys who have applied for a job with 15 years experience, and I guarantee you other shops would also.

Well there is an opportunity for the right person. This life is not for most people for sure, but if you know it is for you:
Then email me at sakowskimotors@gmail.com. Include tons of info and pics all about yourself personally and your work. I will get back in touch between working on cars, so it might take a while.

You must be an outstanding human being, and have a bunch of solid people who will vouch for you.
This is sort of like Wytotech, but you don't have to pay.

Take Care
Wil Sakowski
www.sakowskimotors.com

p.s. I am still always looking for pros also.

 

Wil,

Hey, what's going on? I contacted you a few months ago...prior to me leaving on deployment. The shop looks great...****s I missed the PC Rumble....I'm sure you met some of my "Mauler" buddies. I'm ready to get back and check out the shop. I picked up a project last month (64 Econloine pickup) talk to you offline about some restoration work when I return home.

Again, great to hear about the shop.......can't wait to meet you and your family - we return the end of March.

BigScott

P.S. - you eatin at Flaming Amys yet?

 

Sweet
We just got back from a lunch time surf session. It was fun.
Back to work now.
I need to get to Flaming Amys I hear from everyone.
I look forward to catching up when you get back in town.
Wil
www.sakowskimotors.com

 

Wil,

Outstanding shop and location. Wish I could take that apprentice job but it's about 25 years too late for me. I've got a son that would be all over that if he had the chance. He'd be good at it too. Never found anything he didn't want to try to work on. I can't let him go yet. He's only twelve. Maybe you'll have another opening in six or seven years, huh?

Good to hear about someone running a place that's not all about at***udes and partying. There's enough of that going around.

 

No, but we can pay you to work on it.

I just sold the FED, and now he is having the car shipped to the NC beach shop to have the car finished the way it should be done. All old school. We are going to make it so he can fire it right up and putt around the neighborhood, cacklefests, and as a pit vehicle.
Wil
www.sakowskimotors.com

 

Wil, over the weekend I mentioned your town to a car buddy who is thinking about "having" to relocate because of the job market in the Metro Detroit Area. I told him he really needed to consider this cool little beach town in NC that I read about on the HAMB as a possible location. He's an Automotive Engineer so he's not what you are looking for BUT your wonderful post has brought the light to a very cool sounding community.

 

Have you come up with a date for everyone to come check out the shop? I just got a 63 Chevy II wagon and plan to take it on a beach trip in about 3 weeks or so.

 

I will come up with a date real soon. Look forward to seeing the 63.
Wil

 

Sounds good. I will hopefully have the car ready to go for a long trip here soon. I need to swap out my powerglide for the TH350 sitting here, paint the ****** and engine, fit some wiring and new rear shocks and I will be ready to roll.

 

Sorry I missed you the other day.

Waves were good.

Where have you been hitting up...the NORTH end?

 

Mostly the L shaped parking lot up North, and C street some. If you watch the one best hour a day, I am there.

YES - OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY DECEMBER 13, 2008 FROM 1 UNTIL 4PM............. I will hang around later and have some fun if there are a bunch of folks in from out of town.
This is a just got moved in mostly party.
Look forward to seeing you guys. The address is at the top of the shop tour www.sakowskimotors.com, but here it is also.

1314 Castle Hayne Road, Wilmington, NC 28401.
910 399 5939

*** If anyone wants to go for a surf beforehand. I am thinking about a beachcruise and surf mid morning if there are any waves at all. I will let you guys know about this. Might be fun to just do a cruise anyway down by the beach. I will post info on here and at the top of the shop tour on www.sakowskimotors.com

p.s. The old FED featured in the last Ol' Skool Rodz number 31, will be here. The Bonneville lakester is here now. I sold the FED to a guy, and it is being shipped here for us to finish.
Wil


also, I am still looking for folks to fill the team for the future.
I think I might give up on finding an apprentice, and just get a shop dog.

Open House Thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3308811#post3308811

 

Man wish I was single! It would be awesome to do that. Good luck on finding the right person.

 

Wil you are living the good life...hope the new baby is doing well

 

Man, I wish I could come apprentice there. Looks like an awesome place, but life won't permit me to up and leave just yet. Maybe if I were closer... oh well.

 

I hate the snow already.....

 

dam... i wish it was in wilmington california

 

December 13th is marked on my Calendar! I will be there! I would come for some surf but I dont have a board. I was going to pick it up before I moved from California to here and never did because I never saw any good waves here and just gave up. If I had a board I'd go to that and learn.

 

Who doesn't love a shop dog?




See.................

 

See ya at the open house !

 

Are you still looking for someone to be the shop apprentice? My wife and I are looking to relocate and this is definitely something up our alley (even though we live in Wisconsin).

 

Hey
Thanks for the interest. I have a pretty good crew together now. I might even have an apprentice. Send me info to sakowskimotors@gmail.com.
Who knows about the future. Staffing a shop with great people is an ongoing process.
Wil
www.sakowskimotors.com

OPEN HOUSE SAT DEC 13, 2008
1-4PM...

 

We are open for business now in Wilmington, NC.
We build, buy, repair, restore, and sell hot rods, cl***ics, and customs all over the world. We also do picture cars for tv and film, and have a metal fabrication shop.

Come by and check out the shop and see some fun cars. We just moved the shop here from Los Angeles, and love it.
I look forward to meeting you.

Wil Sakowski
http://www.sakowskimotors.com
1314 Castle Hayne Road, Wilmington, NC 28401
NC 910 399 5939
LA 310 978 9558

p.s I am looking for some vintage boards to hang from the rafters in the shop if anyone needs any free secure storage. Also, I am looking for tons of old busted up beat up boards that I can use to decorate the rear lot of the shop.

 

I wish that I could make it for the little shindig. This is the ULTIMATE setup. My wife wants me to look into career opprotunities like this in this specific area. We would sell most everything and make the move, but I have a little comittment issue.

I am not going to tell her about this DREAM opprotunity till I am sure that you have everything filled.

If we make the trip to visit though,we will have to stop by and check out the shop.

also, I havent surfed (yet), but how is the dirt bike following there?

Jeff

 

hiboy32, dirt bike riding (motocross) here in Charlotte and Oak Island ****. There are some tracks here but IMO they are not too great. There is woods riding but if your from So. Cal like me and used to places with freestyle ramps, sand dunes, natural jumps, tracks (I used to live 15 minutes from Glen Helen) then NC is not too great for that kind of thing. If your into trail riding and such then it is fine. This is just my oppinion, I'm sure there are a few places to ride here. The tracks I have ridden on and raced at weren't great.

 

You don't want to move here. This place ****s. It never gets below freezing in the winter. There's gulf stream fishing, golf everywhere, surfing... Mytle beach is an hour away. Being a college town, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting some kind of hottie. There's a Goodguys show over in Charlotte and a gigantic swap meet twice a year at Lowes motor speedway. Seems like theres a car show every weekend. Maxton and the ECTA is just up the road. Every time you turn around theres some big name hollywood type here filming a movie. Some guy named Sakowski just moved a hot rod shop here from Cali. This place ****s!

 

Yeah it really ****s, dont move! Haha I am just kidding. Everything is great at the beaches in NC. I have not been to Wilmington but been to the beaches around it and it's nice. I guess the only thing is the dirt bike riding that you asked about. That is the only down side but hell, buy a jet ski and hit some waves. That's still fun!

 

And folks say J'ville suxs....

 

if i could talk my wife into moving..hot rods...surfing...

 

I've never had a shortage of good places to ride. Maybe it's different down near Charlotte. http://www.ncdirtrider.com/html/tracks/nctracks.htm is a good place to find your regular tracks, but most of the really good places are private. Same with most of the good skate spots and bmx stuff.

 

Yes your correct, the private places are the good ones but you need to know people who know of them and where they are at or you just need to find them on the internet or somehow on your own.