New career?

[79wagonator]

Nothing worth doing is ever easy..
There's always ups and downs in life.
What makes you think your not good enough for resto work?
Sounds like you have the passion and are meticulous enough to do restoration work.
Why not go for it? 8)
You might be the type that's needs to work for yourself.
No Guts No Glory.

It's been the dream...I'm not mechanically savy as in engine and electrical work. It's always a possibility. Won't be able to do it alone though. People don't have the money...but if you are good enough you can do it anywhere. The hardest part would be to have a reputation and be able to keep it. So many people now complain/sue/slander others and businesses over the Internet. I've always been the type to think there is such a thing as too much information.

If you always do the right thing there's never a reason to worry about your reputation.
I've been working for myself in the Home Remodeling Business for over 25yrs on and off. Over 30yrs experience (damn I feel F&*kin old)
Things always go wrong in any business or job, Its Murphy's Law. As long you do right thing to make it right that's what people remember.
Learn to cut your losses when you have to, and learn the people to stay away from or charge more$$.
People still call me from 20 yrs ago.
Learn to do something unique that nobody or not many do.
Learn custom airbrushing. Flames and skulls are always cool
The guy that does the pinstriping at the body shop my Dads friends owns make six figures and carries a little tool box from shop to shop.
Honestly Id like to get into the custom car business myself in someway.
My older son's into cars and after he's out of school and goes to college hopefully we can do something together.. 8)

 

[Bweavy]

Do what you love & you never really work a day in your life 😉

 

[kustomkyle]

Do what you love & you never really work a day in your life 😉

Yeah I was told that by my teacher in high school that same thing, and a student from previous graduating class (last I heard he worked in a restoration shop). There's something out there but a lot of conflicting things going on as far as thoughts go.

I appreciate all of the comments and suggestions, they have, at least got me through the last day with a positive outlook.

 

[Randy_W]

I'll be 61 in 8 days, I started out in a body shop out of high school and quickly realized I had a talent for it. I believe you're either a body man or you aren't, I tried several trade school grads and most either didn't have the ability or learned so many bad habits from teachers with no ability, that they were more problem than help. I saw a few that used school to hone natural talent, but you cannot 'learn' to be a body man unless you have natural ability. I worked in shops then started my own, after 7-8 years I went into partnership with my mom in the upholstery/auto trim business and kept my body shop. By the mid 80's I saw the writing on the wall with EPA regs, insurance companies and cost of doing business. I sold the body shop and have been solely in the upholstery/window treatment business since. I still work on my stuff sometimes if I'm in the mood, but the paint tech and so forth have long ago left me behind. I was very good, but I have friends that got old in the business and it's not pretty. It's a young man's game.

 

[clean8485]

Its been about 40 years for me, since I started pumping gas and fixing tires in my teens. I've always loved cars, and enjoyed fixing them. I've been a licensed car & truck mechanic for about 35 years now. I know that not everyone will agree with me, but I've found that you either find a job that you like, that doesn't pay as well as you'd like, or have good benefits, or you find a job that pays well, and has good benefits, but you don't enjoy it so much. As you get older, I think you'll find that the job with the pay & benefits becomes more important. I've worked in garages, specialty shops and dealerships. Now I work for a transit company, fixing transit buses. It may not be as glamorous as fixing some cars, but the pay and benefits are good. If I'm looking for fun and enjoyment, I have my hobby cars. In retrospect, I probably should have gotten the transit job earlier in my career, but hindsight is an easy thing. I've enjoyed my time in this trade, had some regrets, but overall its been pretty good to me. As other people have pointed out though, its pretty much a young person's game.

 

[baddies]

Nothing worth doing is ever easy..
There's always ups and downs in life.
What makes you think your not good enough for resto work?
Sounds like you have the passion and are meticulous enough to do restoration work.
Why not go for it? 8)
You might be the type that's needs to work for yourself.
No Guts No Glory.

I took the plunge 13 years ago to start my new career. A friends father has started a small machine shop. Took a chance now i make good money decent benefit with a trade (CNC Tool & Cutter Grinder) that is in demand.

 

[DRIVEN]

I'm really on the fence about which way to advise anyone who asks about getting in or staying in the automotive industry. I started as a shop grunt 20 years ago, went through a 2-year program, then worked for a couple independent shops. It seems to me that it really comes down to who you work for. Good bosses/shops are rare. I'm currently working at a small independent but the owner is really cool. The pay is average (or maybe even on the low end of the scale) but there is flexibility and freedom that I wouldn't have anywhere else. The downside is that I need to be proficient in all areas and able to work on just about anything. On any given day I could be doing AC repair on an RV, a clutch on a twin turbo Stealth, fluid services on a rock crawler, and a timing belt on a Camry (yes, that was my actual list one day). I like the constant change of scenery but I do sometimes envy the dealership guys because they can get really fast at certain jobs just because of the repetition.

My brother is a bodyman. Every year he works harder for less money and he is one of the truly talented guys. The insurance companies call all the shots and it's only getting worse. Unless you can get a good gig (that you actually enjoy) at a restoration shop, I'd get out of the autobody industry. The days of making 80-100K a year are long gone.

It's really complete bullshit when you think about it. You always hear about how good techs are in high demand. Really? Then pay us! Every year we need to know more and spend more on tools. Yet my actual pay rate hasn't increased that much. This is a technical job and Gomer Pyle can't keep up anymore.

I really can't give you any advice one way or the other because I don't know all the aspects of your personal situation. For myself, I honestly like the problem solving aspect of it. I like looking back at the end of the week and knowing that I EARNED every last dollar.

 

[Fox80]

My brother is a bodyman. Every year he works harder for less money and he is one of the truly talented guys. The insurance companies call all the shots and it's only getting worse. Unless you can get a good gig (that you actually enjoy) at a restoration shop, I'd get out of the autobody industry. The days of making 80-100K a year are long gone

That part I can second myself, with dropping rate times and more cars getting totaled because of the rise in parts prices I actually made slightly less the last two years I was a production painter. I have seen guys spend $14,000 grand in labor to have me paint a restoration in the performance/ restoration shop I also worked at, but yet and insurance company won't pay more than $47.50 pr hr to paint the same guys Lexus. The 80-100k days are long gone from a production painter standpoint, at least in my area. To get back into that range I had no choice but to change fields entirely

 

[kustomkyle]

Really my biggest thing is fear. I know a little bit of everything but haven't been entirely vested in any one thing. I do like some aspects of my job, but knowing what to do next is the hardest thing. We lost one body guy, he was the top production man but there were a lot of things he got upset about, which I totally understood. That's my biggest fear. Investing a lot of time and especially money into something and then be pushed out. I can't say I'm a "true" bodyman.

I'd love to have a good paying job to the point that I can live on my own comfortably with confidence and be able to make my family proud. I'd like to go places and see things, you know, live. Doesn't seem like you have any room for that in body shops, if you go on vacation someone usually quits or you get replaced. Scary stuff.

 

[hurst1979olds]

I went to Vocational high school for manufacturing. I loved working on lathes, mills, cnc, etc. But I wanted to incorporate my hobby with my potential career path. So I went to college wanting to be an Automotive Machine. I wanted to bore blocks, mill heads, hone cylinder, etc. Which I learned how to do and enjoyed it in college. But once I started looking for a job and interviewing at Jasper Engines in Indiana, or a Block Machinist at Wheeler Power Products in Jacksonville, Fl(now out of business), and a couple other local places I decided I didnt want to do that aspect of it. Too much like a production Line worker and I hate repetition like that which I had a job like that for 3 years in college.

I decided to get into a different end of it. I now build the engines. I am still ASE Master certified in engine machining so I have something I can always fall back on. I get a sense of pride after I finish one and I hit that key for the first time. Most engines we build are different combos for the customer and I love it.... It sounds like something more a Restoration Shop is more up your alley. Good luck to you with whatever you decide.