kuntry

let me know next time you plan on heading out to HMP.... Id love to see that in person.

We closed on our house last thursday. It appraised for 110k, but we got it for 99k. My wife has been friends with the seller since 3rd grade... so he really helped us out. Somehow on paper he made it look like we were paying the full 110k, but had give him 11k down. We're really happy with the house.... now for all the things to make it feel like home. Best thing is the garage is twice the size of the shed Ive been stuck in for the last couple years... cant wait to get the Z in there and get to work on it.

We bought a house.... and in the last 2 days, Ive pretty much spent the rest of the refund, and my paycheck to buy paint, ceiling fans, and all the other goodies to make it feel like home.

it wasnt political.... it was a joke referencing kanyes statement on live tv concerning the katrina disaster. it was not meant to be a political statement one way or the other concerning political views.

George Bush hates Kanye......... lol

Im not really that into the newer vettes...... but this one is the exception to that rule...lol.

Got mine in mid Sept, and immediately tore it apart. Wanted to have it done for the first of the year, but its been one thing or another thats slowed me down. We just bought a new house in a nice neighborhood and the old lady says I cant have all these projects just sitting around. Looks like the Z is going to get pushed back for a bit longer and my truck will be finished first since its alot closer to completion. Im hoping the truck can be finished before summer and the Z will take its place in the garage to be finished. So much for SEZ this year. ......edited cause its too early to spell correctly

I happen to like door knockers... lol. Now if I could just talk the old lady into it...... lmao

At the Pete dealership, a low week for me is 50-60 hours. Although more than once Ive flagged over 100 hours. There were a few weeks last year when my 2 week paycheck was for close to 250 hours. Shop rate right now is 92/hr, and Im at 17.50.... so yeah its decent money. A few years ago, when I was still working on cars, I was making 22.50 an hour, but barely making my 40. There is no comparison in the money. As far as opening your own shop, the only advise I have for you is to work at some other shops first. For more than one reason. First, you gain hands on experience. Schooling is fine, but there is alot that books cant teach you. I went to 2 years of auto mechanics, and thought I knew it all. Come to find out, even though the book says 2+2=4..... sometimes it equals 5. Also, if you pay attention, youll learn how to run a shop and more important, how NOT to run a shop. Ive worked for enough a$$holes, that I know if I ever did decide to open a shop, how to talk to customers and how to treat me employees. There has been more than once, my old boss had customers steaming mad, yelling and cursing, and Ive calmed them down and by the end, they thanked me and appologized to me (not the boss) about their behavior. Ive always wanted my own shop, and who knows, maybe someday I will. But the experiences Ive learned from others has been invalueable. I know if I hadnt been thru half the hell Ive been thru, I wouldnt have a clue how to do it and would have failed miserably.

One of the biggest mistakes you can buy is go head over heels on the tool truck and get into ton of debt with them. Ive seen several new mechanics do this and when they cant make the payments, they get their tools taken back. Ive done it myself, not realizing that in the beginning, the money wont be that great. Just this past year I finally bought a box off of a truck, and only because I was trying to rebuild my credit. Sears sells some great tool kits with most of what youll need. When I got back into wrenching, I spent about 1800 and had all the basics covered, including a box thats now in my garage at home. They have a kit with like 350 pieces for somewhere around 300 bucks. Get a couple sets of duplicate wrenches (a set of combo standard and metric), a few good air tools (I prefer IR), some impact sockets and a few other odds and ends and your set to start. Of course youll have to hit the tool trucks for the specialty stuff, theres no choice about that. Later on, once the money is rolling in, you can slowly start replacing your tools with the fancy ones, at least you can spread it out over the years and take such a big bite all at once. IMO, craftsman is just as good as the tool trucks. YES I own snap on and matco tools. But I do my best to stay away from them because I feel like they are overpriced. I would rather spend money on parts for my cars than on name brand tools to fix them. Now, one other thing you might want to look at. I started working on cars in high school and went to a dealership after I got out. Ive worked at several auto dealerships and shops and made decent money. I got tired of working on cars all the time and my toys suffered. I made the switch to diesel mechanics at a Pete dealership and havent looked back. I still love to work on my cars, and the money is TWICE what I ever made working on cars. Just something to think about.... cars are my passion, but working on them all day kinda ruins it for me on the weekends.

check with Doug Bakke, over at Awesome Z. He is a Datsun resto and customizing shop on the north side of town. Dont think he's normally open on saturdays, but you might get lucky. His number is 281.219.0015. Hope that helps.

Sunday night we went to Wally world and it was 70 degrees..... 5 hours later it was 40. FAWKIN BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!!!!!!!!!

I work at a Pete dealership with a guy who bought that gun. Hes had NO problems with it so far. Yes the 1/2" hose will be enough to get good power out of it. Not sure what those wheels have to be tourqued at, Petes are tourqed to 450 ft lbs, so that gun should be MORE than strong enough.

looks really good. was that 450 with the paint, or did you supply it yourself?

Never really thought of it that way.... kinda puts stuff in perspective. Congrats to you, your wife and your new addition.