My '70 mustang is at the shop today for a mechanical evaluation. Just to get it road and inspection worthy I know it will need a 100% brake job and some exhaust work. Hopefully not much else.
Anyway, I am considering bringing her to a technical and/or automotive school for the major repairs and re-builds, body work etc. does anyone have any experience going this route and any recommendations for such schools in New England?
Thanks in advance......
steve
------------------------------------
 Run away, run FAR away.. To many examples of cars and motors toasted from someone learning on it. One of my Scouts did exactly this. Took his Dodge Stealth in for a tune up, oil change, ...... Along the line someone left something off and the motor ingested it. When the school was approached about it, they pointed to the fine print that said the owner assumes all risk and understands that unqualified people are working on their vehicle...... Mahalo!! Jim Ohrt | Jim Ohrt jpohrt | Jul 10, 2009 2:57 am |
| I think it may depend on the school. I attended a tech school for auto repair in the early 1980s. The body shop was located next to us so I had a chance to see what went on in that department. While mistakes are sometimes made due to the nature of learning, I found the teachers had a sharp eye, and the students tried their best to do a good job since they wanted to impress the teachers as well as the other students. I suppose it's a roll of the dice but I saw many engines rebuilt which came out as good as new and some excellent work come from the body shop. That's not to say it was all top quality work, but if you're really strapped for money and need to get a job done which would normally run into the thousands of dollars, I'd say roll the dice. If it comes out well it's the absolute most bang for the buck. There's no guarantees in life but based on my experience I'd say the odds are in your favor, provided it's a quality school and not a "get 'em in, teach 'em, and get 'em out" facility. It should take longer to have the work done, and if your car is promised to you in what seems too short a period of time, I'd say pass it by. See if you can get a hold of people who have had work done there in the past. | Flick01@... flick12003 | Jul 10, 2009 3:09 am |
| Thanks to Jim and Flick for the info. Flick, can you tell me what the arrangement was with the owners of the cars at the school you attended? Are you paying for labor, parts only? Are you kept in the loop as work progresses? Thanks in advance......steve | fairtidez | 10:31 am |
| I attended the school in 1980 and I don't know what arrangements have changed if any. Back then, a kid could decide what engine he wanted to rebuild and that was the first rebuild on my 1965 289. I heard now they assign you an engine. I recall during brake class myself and another student did a four wheel brake job on a 1970 or 71 Maverick. To the best of my knowledge the customer paid only for the parts. I don't know if they were charged list price or given a discount. As for the body work, I would imagine it was the same procedure. Some other students in school (there was a separate building for other courses) had their cars done in the body shop and I remember seeing them come by and talking with the teacher and the students. It's not likely they would leave you in the dark and not allow you to stay abreast of the progress, especially if they encounter a problem like finding hidden rust or parts availability which could cause a delay. If you have access to the school grounds see if you can talk to a teacher or student and they should be able to give you the specifics set up by the school. | Flick01@... flick12003 | 10:44 am |
No comments:
Post a Comment