E-7 overhaul

[Vladislav]

Yup, I agree with the said above. Personally I value the most when serviceman and a customer have fully clear understanding and communication. This way once you found a guy or a place which have something done for you and both satisfied with the result and communication it worth to continue cooperating even for a bit higher cost than the market. Or actually you like a customer ready to pay extra 10% but being a 2nd (3rd, 4th) time buyer may be getting 10% discount. So you're paying the market price but being treated by a trusty people.

Many years ago I bought a Mercedes car with ruined engine. And bought another driving one as a donor. I was offered to swap the engine for $100 by a guy. His shop had a ground floor verbatim. So I figured there was no way and ended up renting (another) shop for 3 days and do the swap myself. It cost me $150 for the rent but the car drove many years after that with no issue. So counting pennie is not the most important point concerning services on my mind. 

[Joey Mack]

To add to what Vlad says,  One of the company's I built 5 engines for in 2022, got a lower price on the last 2, because they gave me a good bit of work, so I cut some of the labor cost's..  so those 5 engines averaged out to around $4000.00/ea. aprox: a $500.00 savings per engine.  I still have 2 more to do..  

 

So back to the 'Topic'..   I hope all of these posts, help ''bluebulldog''  make good decisions on who is going to build it and the tools to buy to get it done..  As far as tooling, I would be happy to post what I have, the cost, and where to get them...   or I can P.M. the info.    jojo

[880joe]

Joey your price is plenty fair and I bet the one's that said your price was to high will be back after they pay more somewhere else or get poor quality work for less

[Joey Mack]

Funny you should say that.....   The 2 customers that didnt like my price increase last year, and told me that If I went to $70/hr cash or $80/hr on the books, I can pick up my tools and go...  Well, both of them called on me a month ago.  I did do the work, and I have more coming..  Since I have a full time job with my city now, I just set the price at $60/hr cash...  If I was still running my service truck, they would have had a choice to make...  just sayin'..   Thanks 880joe.   

[mowerman]

Some of these guys just don’t have the operating capital especially at first and hoping nothing big goes wrong and if it does, they’re going to have to figure out the cheapest way to fix it. I am sure you are well aware Joey…..  I always love your line a while back just because they’re paying six bucks a gallon for fuel. They expect you to fix their trucks for free, ha ha that’s pretty much the way it is. I ran my old trucks for seven years sure  didn’t take long to figure out working for a company is a lot easier. you break down you make a call and go on the clock …. Bob

[Joey Mack]

Bob,  I have alway's had the owners concern in mind in all of my repairs..  I know that a money maker, that is sitting aint no money maker..  That can also affect the guy that drives it, if there arent any spare's to keep THAT GUY workin'..  (earning a paycheck)   This is no B.S. !! I truly care about those that need the truck i'm fixing, to make their living...   Jojo

[Joey Mack]

one other thing I was thinking about, because this is on my mind all day..  I hope that whoever digs into this engine, that they take the time to drop each rod and main cap individually to inspect the condition of the crank in the beginning..  a bad crank changes everything..  I would like to hear other opinion's, on my opinion...  jojo

[mowerman]

Well let’s face it that’s the most important part  Bob

[Vladislav]

21 hours ago, Joey Mack said:

one other thing I was thinking about, because this is on my mind all day..  I hope that whoever digs into this engine, that they take the time to drop each rod and main cap individually to inspect the condition of the crank in the beginning..  a bad crank changes everything..  I would like to hear other opinion's, on my opinion...  jojo

When the truck is in a shop, and the pan is off you don't spend really much time opening every cap and investigating each journal instead of doing only the one that failed or only rods. But you sure spend that extra bit. And if the work was done being limited by only direct need and after its complete and truck on the road getting brake down because of the another issue which could be inspected for a few bucks but wasn't it would cost a full repair once more. So such extra care about side related things may be overlooked as a kind of insurance. You pay say 3% of the potential expences and exclude the risk.

Actually a customer doesn't like increase of work cost. So such actions seem difficult to charge straight and I don't estimate them separately. But clients see your care to the repair and value your job. So you may hide those 3% in the overall figure and make the things the way you like. And when all is done smooth both sides are usually satisfied.

Personally I'm also about that. I do gear set swaps in Mercedes axles from time to time. The job worth some coins since you have to tinker with setting the mesh. But when the insides are out I always take the differential apart and revise. I don't need to do that setting the gears but it worth me only 20 minutes of extra time. And when the axle is on a vehicle it's nearly a half day job to get there with another half to put everuthing back.

[Joey Mack]

Since I am typically replacing the bearings, I pull the caps and just put them back snug.. won't be starting the engine anymore.. it takes me about 2 hours to pull all 13 caps, one at a time..  my customers appreciate that I do that before I buy any parts or pull the heads and such...   Jojo