04/24/2026
Being a military aircraft mechanic for 23 years has indirectly messed up my business plans. I enjoy being a mechanic and taking pride in my work, but my bottom line has suffered.
How so?
Let’s take this brake job for instance.
I informed my customer her brakes, ball joint and tie rods were in bad shape and needs a complete refresh. I gave her a price and she agreed.
Any other shop in the world would replace the parts and call it a day.
My ridiculous self needs to scrub all the rust, clean and paint everything. So when you do the math I make around $7hr after factoring time, parts, chemicals and consumables.
I have to figure out what’s important to me.
Raise prices so I can earn some income? ( all my income is rolled into the shop anyways to expand tools and equipment) or do I just do the bare minimum albeit correctly and professionally and put my name on it?
I think my problem running this business is I pretend every car is mine. So I go overboard. It doesn’t make me any extra money but perhaps if I’m lucky someone will admire my efforts one day when they take this wheel off for whatever reason.
Guess this is a thought for another day. Now that brakes and suspension are done. Camaro engine is going to get dropped in.
Now my last big hurdle.
Engine bay…. I kinda want to paint it. I make zero money. Again… but there’s too many small rust spots and GM did a terrible job painting the engine bay from factory. This is a sentimental car for my customer. I want her to be blown away.
More pics coming up… stay tuned.
