i thought of opening a garage so you guys could work on your project cars. everything you need to do this . feed back please:angry:

Great Idea!! It may cost alot of money to get started but it's a great idea. We need places like that around here. Restoration shops are fine and all that but they charge a premium when it comes to mechanical work. Most of them will charge you 4 to 6 hours to replace a water pump when an amateur can do it in 2 hours or less.

I say go for it!! Hopefully you will make a mint, be able to franchise out and then we will see your name on The Fortune 500 list.

I recently moved to Germany due to job. And I bought my 69 with me...On base here we have an auto hobby shop. You rent the lift for like 3.00 Bucks an hour and a stall for 2.00, you can either bring your tools or use theirs (included in lift or stall rental). I'm in there at least monthly now just to jack her up and get underneath. Too bad they dont have places like that everywhere in the States, probably due to insurance. Because the ambulance chasing lawyers would be sueing your butt because someone got a banged up knuckle while renting a stall.

But I would definetly more than the 3 bucks i'm paying now. Just to be able to get under there and change my own oil, grease her up, clean off and what not. Good luck.

Agree with parkbrau. I was manager of the hobby shop at the CB base in Gulfport MS in 1972. Charged 50 ct./hr. Stalls were always full on weekends, half full during the week, 20 stalls total.

Had all the equipment, except alignment machine.

Liability would be the big item today. Hazmat also another biggie today, used oil and solvent tank.

Bought several cars there and flipped them after fixing them correctly.

Overall, people enjoyed the opportunity given, and for the most part cleaned up after use without being asked, and most important, respectful to others.

Someone tried that here, it was not a practical solution for the DIY set. Useage fees killed it and if the guy had ever got his business going his appointment rules would have never worked. I don't recall exact figures but paying a mechanic $100 per hr was looking good to anyone but a nascar pit crew. The overhead was so high the guy couldn't pay his lease even if the place was booked solid every day if he didn't charge what he did. At half his advertised rates it might have worked for the customer but any second guessing on how long it would take and you're in too deep. If the place caught on the issue of policing the bays becomes an issue. If a guy has a 1pm appointment and the last guy in hasn't finished who gets the space? I have to fly but will post more later....

cont... I really thought a place with bays, a lift, air and tool rental was a great idea. For it to work from a business standpoint the shop rent has to be dirt cheap and you best hope you can get insurance. Then assuming you can make the service affordable for the DIY set how do you police the use, a guy rents the bay and lift for 3 hrs and at the end of the day his rearend still isn't in and the car can't just be rolled out into the parking lot. Then you have to contend with primitive petes who will use your air wrenches as hammers and screwdrivers as chissels...

On a military compound this works, even at a collage where there is a automotive program this might work. If you want to open a business to the public it's going to be a tough road getting setup. Spend lots of time attacking all the angles before jumping in. good luck with if if you do undertake it and post back letting us know how it's going...