Are local "ol'school"welding shops extict ?

[striptnut]

I remember a time when you could take your Rod to your local Welding/Muffler shop and get stuff done that you couldnt do yourself. As a kid,I didnt have a Welder, or any Fab tools for that matter,so I had to take my Rides to a shop to have stuff like: "c"notch's , frame re-enforcing, a trick exhaust system done. Or any type of modication needed to get your ride back on the road.
I grew up in So. California where a couple of these shops stood out." Dennis Welding " in West Los Angeles on Pico Blvd. Now back in the 70's there werent suspension shops on every block like there are today. And hydraulics was about the only way to give your car that low look. Gary Dennis could "cut-out" ,re-enforce your frame and have you ready to install your set up in a couple of hours. I'd be cruising Van Nuys Blvd. that same night.
Another shop was " No Muff Too Tough " in Culver City on Washington Blvd. Charlie the owner was an old guy that knew every ol' school trick in the book. He had 5 "car lifts" on his lot and if you drove by on any weekday 3 out of the 5 racks would have a Hot Rod or Custom on it !
I miss knowing I had an Ol' School shop in my town I'll bet all you Gearheads out there had shops like these in your town,that arent there anymore. The wisdom that these guys had in those shops more than likely helped some of us out to be the "grease Lovin" Car Guys that we are today. Both of these shops are closed down now. Im livin in New Mexico and when cruising around,Im still "rubber neckin" looking for a Welding Shop with that Ol' School feel to it.
Oh well- Thanks for lettin me ramble !

 

[jmlcolorado]

Im a youngster and never had the privilege of having shops like these around. If i did, you could bet that i would likely make it my hangout just to soak in all the knowledge from the old timers.
I just met a kid yesterday that is trying his hand at building a cafe style bike. He took the bike to a shop and they charged him $150 to weld on a tab to mount his license plate light and tail light!!!!
I about threw up when i heard that!!!
He said they gave him a quote to build a flat seat pan (Literally flat. No curves, no bends, nothing but flt 16 guge cut to fit) and weld on a few tabs to mount on the bike for..........wait for it...........$400!!!!!

Blows me out of the water!!!

I was talking with another builder friend of mine and told him i cant believe that more people dont try things themselves and just give in to the sky high prices of a shop to do the work for them, no matter how simple the task.

I really wish i was around in the 50's and 60' before everyone had to earn a buck on every little thing they do. When your buddy's would lend a hand with something their more knowledgeable about then you, and you did the same for them and not ask for anything in return other then having someone to hang out that shares a common interest.

When im asked to help out with something, i usually give it away s long as whoever is asking for the favor is willing to stick around and learn a thing or two about how and why things are done. Im always arming me friends on my trade (Fire, Water, Asbestos and mold abatement nd structure restoration) even if its not something their going to presue, just to give them a leg up in the case something should happen to them.


*Rant completed

 

[striptnut]

I know what your saying jmlcolorado times are a changing !
In my post #1, I spoke about the shop"Dennis Welding". When Gary Dennis was in his late teens he used to work at his Dads local Gas station were he learned his trade. I remember that station cause any kid could bring in his stingray and get something fixed at no charge. Wether it be a flat tire, a broken kick-stand, or maybe cut-down a sissy-bar to lower your seat. No Charge. If they had a job they were working on at the time, when you would bring in your bike,they would drop there tools and help you out. Heck ! Youd even get a STP sticker to stick on your school folder on the way out. This was back in '67 or '68. Not all shops,but most of em nowadays is about "the buck". And I understand that nowadays it takes more "mula" to keep a shop going than back in the 60's. I guess I just miss those grubby ol shops.

 

[Willowbilly3]

They are still around here, local blacksmith and one man machine shops but most of the real hotrod fab stuff gets done by friends who can do it. I was just at a friends yesterday, he works a full time job and does stuff at his house. He had done a crown vic front stub on a 58 F-100. Now I could do it myself but he has done several and has templates cut so I talked to him about getting mine mocked up and stuck together so I can take it home and finish the welding. I could do it but it would take me 3 days to do what he can do in 3 hours.
I knda like the sheet metal work and have went to guys houses to do stuff like straighten and shrink a model A fender. It's friends helping friends, we don't charge each other money.

 

[dmw56]

I don't know of any welding shops in town. I do know a welder out here in Edgewood that does mobil work. So many of the old mom and pop places have gone away. There are a few in town but they are hard to find. There are more in the smaller towns like Belen, Los Lunas and Moriority.

There is a small radiator shop JB radiator on Edith that I've been to. Had a small leak in a new radiator. He had it fixed in a day and didn't even charge me. Well he said I owed him a six pack of Coke. Great people there.

 

[Toad]

There's only one I know of around here but the guy is old and grouchy and it takes him forever to get to any project.

$150 to weld on a license plate tab is highway robbery!

Toad

 

[Willowbilly3]

There's only one I know of around here but the guy is old and grouchy and it takes him forever to get to any project.

$150 to weld on a license plate tab is highway robbery!

Toad

Hey, are you talking about me?
$150 to weld on a license plate tab is called a deterrent.[ddd

 

[Sam_Fear]

Get out in farmland and there are still shops that will weld/fab anything - or give it a shot. There is only one shop I know that will fab/weld for sure in my city (100,000 pop.) but there are a lot of guys that will do it out of their garage. And not for $400 craziness!

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Get out in farmland and there are still shops that will weld/fab anything

Very true. Here in the bread basket, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a welder. Every farmer has a buzz box and private shops are common. The "old school" shop is becoming a rarity, however. Most commercial shops are also machine shops, they cater to contract work and can't be bothered with little stuff.

There is one place that comes to mind. It's been here over 50 yrs. and their motto is "no job too big or too small". That's a real welding shop. Poking yer head in there is like peering into the Black Hole of Calcutta, concrete blocks, one small window and a coating of smoke and flux on everything. I haven't been in the place for at least twenty years, but If I recall, they still had a forge.

 

[oldskool]

I remember one in east texas where i grew up at, kinda a welding/mechanic shop. Dirt floors and seemed the lights was always dim. But some mighty fast dirt trackers come to life from that dirt floor.

 

[GJunktionMike]

He said they gave him a quote to build a flat seat pan (Literally flat. No curves, no bends, nothing but flt 16 guge cut to fit) and weld on a few tabs to mount on the bike for..........wait for it...........$400!!!!!

:

Holy crap I'm way under charging. I just did another seat like what I did for the wagon, 16GA hand hammered (+/-6 hours) $200.00.

 

[Tim...Ok]

I think part of why you don't see that kind of shop that much anymore is good equipment is available and somewhat affordable to the home shop now..wasn't that long ago a lift in a home garage was a fantasy..not that uncommon anymore..same for good welders,plasma cutters etc..
I took the old front suspension off of a 54 ford f100,boxed the front rails and Installed a complete Mustang II front end for free for a buddy..I think he brought me a 12 pack of beer but I didn't ask for it..Wouldn't have been cheap to et it done in a pro shop I'm sure..

 

[striptnut]

I think part of why you don't see that kind of shop that much anymore is good equipment is available and somewhat affordable to the home shop now..wasn't that long ago a lift in a home garage was a fantasy..not that uncommon anymore..same for good welders,plasma cutters etc..


Your right Tim...OK ! Thats gotta be a big part of why shops like these are shuttin down. Alot of these "old school" shop owners that I remember where already in there 50's in 60's years of age.More than likely if they didnt have anyone to hand the shop down to, that was that. The end of another shop.
If theres one thing I learned from visiting these shops as a kid and later a young gearhead, is to be a "back scratcher". In my time Ive gathered up a decent Quiver of tools, and I am one of those guys that helps out with friends projects when asked . I was a "Glazer" by trade,so I was always asked to cut and install glass in any of my friends rides. When asked what they owed me ? It was always the same price-$1.00 . I didnt feel it was right to profit off of my friends in anything. The favor would always come back around one way or another.

 

[donsrods]

My Son was just telling something that surprised me. He is building his Fox Mustang and he says a lot of the guys on Mustang forums prep their cars when they do stuff like subframes and roll bars, and then take them to a muffler shop and have the welding done. It didn't make sense to me, but he said if you think about it these guys weld all day long and in every position, so they can be pretty good at it. I don't know, something about having a muffler shop do your roll bar seems shakey to me.

Don

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

I don't know, something about having a muffler shop do your roll bar seems shakey to me. Don

Sounds scary to me, too.

A muffler shop is fine... if your "roll bar" is made of muffler tubing. I'm sure there are muffler shops who weld chassis and cages, but I would also question the quality of that work. (I'm thinking NHRA spec and certification, here. Our cert tech will reject anything questionable, and he should. It's your life and the guy beside you, too.) Personally, I'd want somebody who does chassis and rollcages everyday, not just some dude who can glue a hole shut in a tailpipe.

Example: A good friend of mine lost control of his back-halved Chevelle when he shifted to high gear. He was lucky to "save it" and wound up in the top end weeds with minimal damage and no injuries. Upon inspection, his ladder bar crossmember had let go. Reason? A cold-lapped weld that LOOKED well done...until it came apart! He bought the car as a rolling chassis, so nobody knows who did the welding. It had a handful of seasons under its belt and passed inspection multiple times.

My point? Plenty of guys can make a weld look good. What lies underneath can be a completely different story. Going to a muffler shop for chassis work just sounds wrong, like going to a carpenter for a pair of shorts.

 

[cornfield customs]

my shop is kind of an old school style welding shop. i mainly do hot rod stuff, but will weld about anything. besides doing it i am affordable. in last few weeks i have repaired some mower decks for some friends, done some tabs on a bsa salt flat bike, and welded some tubes up for some project i have no idea really what it was. so we are still put here, just have to look

 

[striptnut]

my shop is kind of an old school style welding shop. i mainly do hot rod stuff, but will weld about anything. besides doing it i am affordable. in last few weeks i have repaired some mower decks for some friends, done some tabs on a bsa salt flat bike, and welded some tubes up for some project i have no idea really what it was. so we are still put here, just have to look

Cool stuff you got going C.C. !