what do u think ?

[mexicostids]

been thinking , am rebuilding a mk2 rs at the moment for a mate , he also has a mk1 rs1600 that will need doing at a later date been doing the work at his place as he has a treble garage ! i would like to start doing it as a living (not just weekends & holidays ) if i can find somewhere with reasonable rent ! do u guys think there is enough call for it in the cornwall/devon area ?

[mattrs2000]

I would think there is always room for someone who specialises in old fords in this area, there are quite a few about. The main thing is the quality of work must be good (consistently) and your pricing should be reasonable. It would be good if you posted up pics of the work you are doing on the mk2 rs at the moment to show what you can do.
Good luck, Matt.

[mexicostids]

will do mate there are some of my car under (my mex project ) on the resto thread . i know what ur saying about quality & price !

[Mexicomark]

A few things to consider would be.
Premises & what they cost. Rent, rates, advertising, phone, theres plenty more.
On larger restoration projects you need to look at a regular income, it's no good working for 3 months on a car with no way of paying yourself until the jobs done.
So bigger projects need stage payments throughout.

Always have more than one car to work on. So you will need room to store a car too.
This way if you have an hold up on one car, waiting for parts or materials you can always carry on with the other job.

Always keep a good stock of consumables in stock, welding wire, grinding & cutting discs, spare bottle of gas for the welder etc.
There's nothing worse than running out of stuff half way through the day & having to waste an hour or so restocking.

Just a few of my thoughts that may help.
Also general servicing, brakes, mot repairs etc... on more modern stuff always helps bring in a few quid.

[mexicostids]

cheers mark , as you say its not cheap to start up a lot to think about !!

[RUDDY]

I recently asked the same question, not for myself however but for a mate who already has a thriving bodyshop and he was considering a sideline buisness of Escorts.

I think Mark has given some good advice, premises and overheads can be expensive, plus insurance to cover cars in your care etc I assume, the other thing to consider is its fun as a hobby but could become a chore everyday. I enjoy working on them (sometimes) but its good to know I still just do it for enjoyment and can walk away or stay in bed, mmmm electric blanket and a cup of tea .

My mates laid back and is happy for me to work on his car as and when, now theres a bloke dropped a white mex off and he's a right awkward customer............ , so I chopped his wings off for a laugh

[spellersarc]

he will...

only rivet them back on,

[mexicostids]

i know what u mean ruddy , just a few ideas going round in my head really . a mate of mine has a small farm ( he is scaling down the farm side ,just a few bullocks & sheep, as he does steel fabfication & shed building as a side line but this is taking off now. he is on about putting up a new workshop & adding a bay on for me to rent off him ) will be reasonably cheap rent but he isnt the quickest worker !! so am waiting for him at the mo

[yellowxpack]

There aren't alot of companies down south that can work on old fords, so at this very simple level you should start off on a decent playing field.
Not sure how big the scene is down in D/C, but I guess if there isn't a huge amount of demand, why not do it as an mot place for all marques to get your feet on the ground and then as the ford business picks up, you can take on less non-ford work. All very dragons den this.....but good luck!
Laurie

[Andyc]

there aint many folk out there who know how the old stuff works theres only a few members on this site who people would trust with their cars so on that theres space but it takes money and as Paul said its ok doing it as a past time but as a job you have to do it the lad whos doing mine says its the old ford stuff thats keeping him going at the mo but its up to you at the end of the day good luck with it matey