Mgrad92

As part of my suspension rebuild, I needed to get a bushing installation tool, or have someone else do the job. From my research, I knew I could buy the tool for about $50.00 and do the job myself in about half an hour. But just for kicks I decided to find out what it would cost to have someone do it for me. One quote came in at $230.00! Now, granted, this guy is a corvette specialist and he had a fancy tool that costs $150.00, but that still doesn't justify his price.
So, are Corvette owners seen as suckers? Do that many people just write the check and not worry about it? Whatever the case, it was quite an eye opening experience.
(Another explination is that this guy wanted to do the whole control arm rebuild and didn't want to bother with this one small item. Maybe he was trying to brush me off. If that's the case, he succeeded. He will never see me again.)

Easy Mike

You are what you eat.....or something like that.

longbros

Yes on all the above!

Redwing01

Yes

billcarson

yes and yes but we are a resourceful lot that sometimes like to make our own tools.we consider it part of the fun.(something they never figured on).

dtamustang

i think there are a lot of check writers out there. but i also think there are shops that really don't need the agravation of doing such a small job.

and there is always the ultimate truth.........when you say "corvette" the price goes up

CaseyJones

I've often thought about taking on such work as a sideline and not charging such prices as ones I've been quoted. I had some work quoted today from a regional shop and was outraged by the up-charges on the parts and the hourly rate being charged. People on the forum like Lars and tracdogg who do good work at a reasonable price are scarce. Let the hobby support the hobby. Of course, there are those who are able to make the hobby into a business and I say more power to them. Free enterprise at work. But reasonable prices for reasonable service works pretty good, too.

redwhitekat

They are a business and try to replace as many parts as they can. Just as we're trying to save they are trying to pay their rent each month. Now some are really bad and want to take as much from you as they can. I found that out the hard way with a so called corvette specialist here In toronto. He will never see me again. That said if your a mechanicly inclined person these cars are easy and any shop can do the work
What I do now is try to fix it myself with your help and if I can't ill leave it for a mechanic to do it

Mgrad92

I'm quickly learning that!

SuperBuickGuy

Yeah, and then (in their free time) get online and ridicule people who are doing it themselves - say such things as "they're stupid" or "this requires really specialized knowledge".... when they forget that the fine union worker who originally put it together were not exactly the cream of the manufacturing crop.

To me, it's motivational - for the price they want to do the work; I get to buy the parts twice, then post online how to avoid paying them.... and still save money. Even if I didn't save money, it's so worth it to know that I'm better than them. It takes them some decades to figure this stuff out, and it only takes me twice (I must be so smart that Einstein would call me to run a few numbers by me )

edk136

Amen brother

Raphiki

There are a lot of parts on these cars that are interchangeable with standard Chevy parts. But somehow the ones that say Corvette are always twice as much. The parts interchange list has saved me a lot of money!

Tom454

Meow ?

Ironcross

Try 'B & L, Napa Auto Parts,...Romulus ...right at 5 points...at Huron River drive........they can do it 'all or rent you the tools and with wholesale prices.....Vettes are just another Chevy

GT's 78

I'm trying to understand if your throwing off on union workers in general or if your throwing off on people that work manufacturing jobs. Which one? or is it both.

Dustup7T2

That's how I've seen them too, so that many maintenance jobs on these cars can be done reasonably, with a lot of help from CF friends.

SuperBuickGuy

no, I'm throwing the union workers who built those awesome cars in the 70s under the proverbial bus. They should be ashamed of what they built.

seriously, the guys who did this welding
[IMG][/IMG]

those are the welds that came from the factory. Care to defend them? Seriously. Defend the union manufacturing worker in the 70s who put that those welds on this Corvette.

yeah, they're better now, but don't you dare get on a high horse about the poor, improverished, union worker when there's crap like this out there. It's no wonder they got replaced by robots and Japanese factories.

Ironcross

The undercarriage is painted black and we are to believe the bare spots that has some surface rust, {I presume to make the weld stick} is a factory situation....It would never pass ...those are recent welds not 40+ years old...but believe whatever you want......

they don't look like mine and its 45 years old and the same color all over





.

7T1vette

Those welds did NOT come from any GM factory (or even any repair area). A previous owner 'buggered-up' that crossmember (jacking up on it, I'm sure) then cut one out of a salvaged car and tacked it [badly] back on to that car. Looks like he used coat hanger for welding rod and a car battery/carbon pile resistor as a power supply.

I've seen some shoddy factory welds....but those don't qualify as "welds".

joewill

tell your mechanic that offered to do it for 230, that you will pay him a fair hourly wage of 65$ per hour and that it should take about an hour..