Some might know that I've been an auto body tech/painter for a while now. I'll be buying a house and shop hopefully in the next few months. The plan is to finish my instructors degree to be able to hold classes and seminars on the basics of auto body for pseo high school students and unemployed adults at my place. It's a tough field to get into and not everyone is granted the luxury of having a mentor willing to help. I've also decided to start a pay it forward program. Every 3 months I'll be selecting someone in need of safety related bodywork for a free repair. What I'm looking for is the single parent with an impact point that's so rusted it's unsafe to travel with her children. Your 80 year old neighbor living menially on social security with a hood latch that doesn't work properly. Someone's coworker who is down on their luck and had a door handle broken by some punk kids in the neighborhood. Or even a military serviceman or woman that came home to their car graffitied. Situations of this nature. I'm NOT looking for your buddy that has a job and just wants dents fixed or scratches painted. I'll be selecting a candidate once every 3 months for a free repair. If you know of anyone you would like to help out please feel free to shoot me a message, call/text 651 890 7383 or email [email protected] with what work needs to be performed along with a testimonial about why this person is a deserving recipient. This is not and never will be government funded, I hand pick each recipient and do a little research to ensure that the work goes toward a person that truly needs it. Just my way of giving back to the community. Thanks!
Do you do quotes for paid work? I don't think my 666WHP weekend car with rusty quarter panels applies for the pro bono work...
Haha probably not but its worth a shot right? Yes I do paid work. Actually 25% of my labor cost is what is going towards funding the program. Feel free to shoot me a message to set up an estimate!
What he said, minus the kind part. Also, this is the perfect place to look for broke hater's in clapped out rolling tetanus piles.
I would also like a quote for my rear end, I was meaning to ask you at Yusuf's, but didn't want to bother you... I would be happy to pay and let you show someone or have someone help you out with it too.
Daww thanks Sheen, I don't care what they say about you and your grinch heart, that was sweet. Yeah I'm sure there will be plenty of that, big reason why I decided to keep the government out of it so I don't waste my time.
@Ryan FailRad I'll be at Stouts for a little bit tonight, I'd be happy to look at it for you. @MinnesotaFTW the pseo program wouldn't start until Fall of 2016 but I'm more than happy to give you some pointers and things to start on if this is a field you're genuinely interested in persuing.
That is really awesome. Think you'll be coming out next Tuesday or the week after? If so, I'll bring my wife's Outback so I can get you to take a look at the door chip that needs fixing before the cancer spreads.
Yeah, I've always had a dream to start a Performance/Auto Repair shop. I've been memorizing nearly the entire technical side of AutoZine, now I have to move onto how to repair everything . Plus, when you start the classes, that'll be the year I graduate. So it might be something worthwhile.
This is Megan? You already took a look at my WRX and gave me a very reasonable estimate! Unfortunately I'm starting to think that what I was hoping to get done won't be enough. The quarters are in pretty rough shape after some hard launches at the dragstrip. I may need to get another estimate at some point.
This is pretty awesome, especially considering how insane the cost of materials has gotten lately. Props for a cool idea, hope it works out.
@MinnesotaFTW there's a big difference between a performance shop and a body shop. I wouldn't be teaching mechanical other than if it applied to repairing a body area. It's also not impossible to do both but a wise choice to choose one area, either body or mechanical, and focus on one. That said if this is something you feel you're dedicated to persue I'm happy to give you some guidance. Thanks for the support everyone, very much appreciated! If you're interested in getting an estimate for work done please send me a pm. I have quite a few requests and it's much easier to keep them all in one place. Thanks again!
I got what you're saying. From personal experience and experience of many others, you'll want to focus on which area you are more inclined to, either performance OR body/paint. It's very rare that you find a great mechanic that is also killer at doing body and vice versa. Trying to do both will leave you being average at both. Again it's not impossible but something to strongly consider.
Idkkkk few woman have told me i do awesome body work to go with my performance I can pitch a tent in the rv park like a pro all kidding aside great idea you have here
Yeah, it's tough having to choose. I love seeing all of those high HP cars and the work behind it, but I'd also love to fix the bodies of cars
Fortunately for you, you have some time to think about it no need to rush into it. The pseo deal is to give kids the chance to see if this is something you actually want to spend your college money to earn a degree in. Speaking of I'm guessing you're 15 or 16, it's been a while since I was in school but I'd imagine you're in class right now. Pay attention to your studies not a car forum while you're there. Your teachers don't spend their weekends and personal money putting together lesson plans to have you not pay attention. You'll need a 3.0 or higher gpa to do pseo anyway. If you'd like I can have you swing by the shop some time and I can throw some dents in a panel to give you something to take home and practice on for the meantime. Be cool, pay f***ing attention in school!
So next week I'll be doing my first repair for the "pay it forward" program I started. I won't give too many details about the owner. But her story is that she is a high school senior that transferred to the high school where I graduated, this past year. Her family is Hmong and unfortunately racism still runs rampant in that town. Someone keyed a racial slur into the trunk of her car and she has been just taping over the damage to hide it. She graduated a few weeks ago and is training to be a real estate agent and can't have a car looking like that when she takes prospective clients to showings. I have just enough funding set aside to take care of the trunk lid and hopefully enough left over to fix a few other scratches on the quarter panel that look to be left by the same person who keyed the trunk. Thank you to those that have supported the program by bringing me your repair work, 25% of my labor cost gets set aside to be able to do this. I value every customer I have and can't thank those enough who have donated a little extra to fund the program to help out those in need!
Wow that's so great to hear you're getting this kicked off! Your work is admirable and once I get my RS running soon, I'll be coming to you for a quote on my rust I'm subscribing to this thread to hear about the lives you will touch as well as suggest anyone I come across. Keep up the awesome work!
Thanks @RSin I really appreciate that! And yes certainly let me know if you come across someone you'd like to help. I've got a few to choose from for the next time but always want it to go to someone most in need. I just signed a lease on a small shop in Eagan so I should have the new place set up for when you want the rust taken care of. Thanks again.
Good to see this working! Let us know if you need any help getting the shop set up, I'm more than sure there's a few strong guys on this idiot fest forum that would be more than willing to help you out!
Well if you need help in the next few weeks I can come and do some stuff for you running around or picking up stuff whatever may be needed. Cause the wife and kid are heading down to her parents in alabama for three weeks. And I can come on my days off and you can put me to work some where for free labor on my down time.
Wow thanks errrbody! I get to "move in" to the new shop August 1st, any help with that will be greatly appreciated and reciprocated in the form of beer/pizza or @MinnesotaFTW 's case, soda. It'll be a little while before the new place is completely up and running, waiting on permits and such. I'm doing all of this in my free time along with working my full time job and running after my 5 year old. And also pretty much out of pocket to try and avoid high interest loans, so it'll be a snails pace compared to other shops, in the meantime I'm sharing the space with a guy that does mechanical to keep overhead costs down. But hoping to be there full time and rockin in the next 3-5 years!
Figured I'd give this a bump. The last shop I was supposed to be leasing didn't work out due to zoning issues. But I've finally found a location to get this going again! As of April 4th my new shop, located in Savage, will be open. I'm currently booking into late May but always happy to do an estimate and find a date that works. I do have a waiting list for people needing safety related repairs at the moment but if you know of anyone needing work done please feel free to message me! Low income is not necessary, this is a private run charity program I am running and funding myself. The only requirements I'm looking for are people that could genuinely use some help. Informational workshops will be held starting in July, I'll post an update with dates. Volunteers will be needed for some of those events, if you're interested please let me know! I'm not sure why but I'm not able to upload the link to the Facebook page, but you can find it by searching CTK Automotive + Customs. Thanks again for the support guys, as mentioned I'm more than happy to help with any body or paint related questions and hope to see some of you swing by the new place!
Thanks!! That was a fun one. Actually ended up painting that in a barn in the middle of July lol. It'll be back in the shop in the next month or so to button up a couple things and I'll be doing some custom pinstripe and design on the tailgate.
