Ken's 50 asked about visiting the shop and of course is welcome. There is a tale of two shops here with what I call the dirty shop and the clean shop. If you like seeing one go from horse crap to whipped cream then the dirty shop is the one to visit. If you are a techy number cruncher then the clean shop is the one. The dirty shop, it's actually very clean for a resto/rod shop but has metal shaping, grinding, welding, sanding, painting, fabricating, etc going on and is where I spend 90% of my time. The guys can come in when they want, leave when they want, work on what they want, keep account of their own hours and of what materials they use. This approach wouldn't work on a car that was used every day but it works fine with the oldies. They turn out a frame off on an AD in about 60 days which isn't shabby. I don't know what the turnover rate is because I've never had one quit and the only thing that will get one fired is to lie to or cheat a customer. Must work because we have a 2-3 year waiting list. The clean shop is a strictly an 8-5 operation with chain link, barbed wire, high tech security, and advanced notice is necessary. There are priority items, which is a fancy way of saying, "we're making something that will go faster than yours", and they throw covers over alot of stuff if a visitor is present. My eyes and stiff hands have taken most of the joy out of spending time in a place that works in 1/1000's or even smaller. I do occasionally check the condition of someones heart by actually TOUCHING a machine they are running a critical part on. If this doesn't stroke them out then an annual physical is unnecessary. Except when there is an engine on the dyno everything is clean, quiet, and serious (and boring) when compared to the other shop.
Yeah ; I like to go visit those rich shops with the polished floors but I'm @ home in the old typ places where real work is going on all the time . Out big truck shop has big divots out of the floor here and there , I know some of the fun stories about how this one or that got there.... As is usually the case , we have a few ' mechanics ' with $45,000.00 toolboxes full of the latest stuff off the tool truck , they have a conniption fit if asked to actually *fix* anything rather than simply changing parts , those guys never do clutch jobs on Allison trannies in Big Rigs , oh no . It's an interesting line of work , mechanicing is , I love it .
