Becoming a mechanic/car restorer Career change at 31

[brightspark]

someone who trailers there car or bike to a show and doesnt actualy ride it are quite sad realy. just bloody posers u might as well just buy a new machine keep it mothballed for years and go show it

 

[ronan]

A lot of the proper shows/contests now have to be ride/drive in events even if trailered there they have to enter under their own power. I am not a purist although a spotless example is good thing to behold I would much rather see a useable machine.

Thats why i always fancied an bsa m20 in military trim, olive drab slapped on with a four inch brush, no polishing or worrying about it getting dirty or rusty , or heading out in the rain. Ride it on and just do the tappets, plug and points every few weeks , and keep it topped up with oil. Same as old land rovers i suppose.

 

[ibrooks]

A guy I work with does concours judging for some big VW shows and at at least one show that I know of he has spies in the nearby laybys in the hours leading up to the gates opening watching for the motors that get close on a trailer and then just do the last few hundred yards to the show under their own power (arriving through the gates under their own power is I think a condition of entry for at least some of the classes). He also keeps a sneaky record of the odometer readings and if he sees the same car at a later show and it's only done a few miles he isn't as generous with his marks.

He tells me of one beach buggy that was immaculate and he made a point of letting the other judges know that he was manning the gate when it arrived in the pouring rain with three inches of water sloshing around in the bottom of the tub and the guy's camping gear on the passenger seat held in with the harness. It won and from the sounds of it deservedly so.

Back to the OP though. I'd go with doing it part time alongside a job that pays the bills to build up a reputation before trying to make the leap. In fact that's sort of what I am doing - I've amassed a workshop and equipment that would make some of the local back street garages jealous and I'm a member of a good few local clubs so my work is seen both on my cars and on the odd others that I do bits on plus I'm building up contacts for work that I can't or don't want to do. I'm thinking of an early semi-retirement where I can finish "working" before I can really afford to but top the pennies up by doing my hobby for reward. Of course if I'm made redundant or similar before-hand I may change that plan but I'm not expecting my car work to fully support me anytime soon - if ever.

Iain

 

[daleyd]

he has spies in the nearby laybys in the hours leading up to the gates opening watching for the motors

Thats's one step away from dogging!!

 

[ibrooks]

It's cut down on the silliness though. I know of another occasion where they marked a guy down because the flats on the cylinder head bolts were all inline rather than left at whatever the correct torque was. They get complaints over "nicer" cars not scoring as well but they have far more respect for the car that's in nearly as good condition but used so that's what collects more points.

He hates the "Harlequin" models of Golf and Polo. Every panel a different colour - and that's the way they left the factory. He was trying to get a list from VW of which panels were which colours when originally supplied but I don't know if he ever got anywhere with that.

Iain

 

[daleyd]

I know what you mean Iain, I was just pulling your leg about the "spies in laybys" bit

Those harlequin VW's were horrendous, they just look like a bad cut and shut job!

 

[Fixer]

If you start doing something you enjoy for a living, you stop enjoying it… bear that in mind.

 

[brightspark]

I know what you mean Iain, I was just pulling your leg about the "spies in laybys" bit

Those harlequin VW's were horrendous, they just look like a bad cut and shut job!

theres cars round ourway look like that , but there not vw there anymake knackers

 

[daleyd]

If you start doing something you enjoy for a living, you stop enjoying it… bear that in mind.

+1 for that comment. My wife is forever saying that "oh, I do this for a hobby and I enjoy it, I could do it professionally and give up work......" and this is one thing that crops up all the time. Once you are relying on it for your income and doing it full time it ceases being a hobby and becomes a job, with all the pressures that entails.

That's not meant to put anyone off doing what they want/following their dreams etc but it's something you have to consider.

 

[MrFluffy]

I'm sort of in the same boat as Iain, in that I am slowly amassing the machinery to make specialist bits for motorcycles and I like to do everything myself. I've been approached by others to make pieces for them having seen my work on my own projects, and yes it could be a possibility at some point in the future if things go pear shaped in what I do for a living now.
However, I'm also worried that I do the bike stuff because I love doing it, and I also know from prior that making something work crushes the passion out of it. So for now, I'm happy to improve my techniques and equipment and build a portfolio to show people and some designs tested in the heat of battle too and while my main job continues, that is how I will keep going.

I think there are a lot of people who would choose to do the same car resto work if they had the choice, so you are competing in a very sort after dream and some of those people will have stacks of real world experience and skills, so you need to work at having something to show people before you make the real jump I think.

 

[ronan]

Anyone i know who does work for restorations, spray painting, welding, wheel building etc, have a full time job and just do the resto work in the evenings and weekends.

 

[MattF]

that's the key, if you want to run your own small business be good at it and don't try to charge people over the odds, just make a decent living and you will win the trust of the customers

It's finding that fine line where's it's decent money which is the hard bit though. Too little and you end up working silly hours just to keep going, too much and you limit what work you get in, though to be honest the latter isn't always a bad thing. It can help weed some of the chaff out whilst making sure you don't get seriously overworked having to earn a decent wage. Swings and roundabouts, but taking the pee with too high a price definitely won't win any fans over the long term.

 

[KemppiFrog]

Inclined to say 'keep the day job' too. Back when I was restoring old aircraft (70s) It was difficult to get an hourly rate that the local garage charged. Simply because of the no. of hours involved. Plus.. the downside was much worse if things went wrong...

Get a job in the business and learn, work in your own time for extra experience. Then, make a very calculated choice.
KF