new builds

[timbro101]

There is a build school that can put a car together in 3 days. Is there any place that helps builders with their projects or is that something that is frowned upon?

[68GT500MAN]

Send a PM to Mark Dougherty (The Traveling Builder) he comes out to your house and helps to get projects back on track.
Doug

[timbro101]

So Mark comes to your place. But what if there was a place where a builder could go to and that shop would assist in getting the car on the road in a few days instead of taking months or even years to finish?

[skullandbones]

Maybe you could get Motts College to let you buy a Build School project car. I don't know if that is done but I have wondered what happened to those cars when the guys are finished with them. If you were a student builder, that might give you some leverage.

There are builders out there like Mike Everson who will help or do the whole thing. Didn't know about Mark but that is pretty cool. A car doctor making house calls is a good thing!

Good luck, WEK.

[timbro101]

It's my hope to go to the build school. Build my own car. Then help others build their cars at my shop only help them get their cars finished in four days. Only I don't know if others would be interested in that kind of thing.

Timbro101

[wallace18]

I don't think it is possible to build the car by yourself in 4 days. The build school car is taken apart after each class and reassembled. Watch car warriors to see it done in 2 days.

[timbro101]

I've seen that episode. The builders all did a great job. I don't think I could do it alone. I would have a crew with me. Just dreaming though. How cool would it be to build really awesome cars everyday.

[Gumball]

Nothing personal, but I would not be interested in a FFR that was built in a few days. There's just too much massaging that needs to be done (at least in my opinion) to make everything go together properly. Think of it as a really big model... remember the kid who never trimmed the flashing, never sanded the chrome off the parts to be glued together, and always seemed to have a fingerprint smudge of glue on the windows??? Now, if you were to spend days or weeks prepping everything and have all the parts, tools, and labor in place from the drop of the green flag, I guess you could assemble the prep'd parts in a few days. Even so, I would think you'd want to let the bodywork set for a period of time between steps in that process alone.

Anyway, just my .02... take it for what's worth and for what it cost.

[WIS89]

Timbro-

I understand your question, and I think there actually might be a market for such a service. However, might I suggest a slightly different tack? I will provide you with an analog that might prove useful. There is a shop in Annapolis, MD that sells and runs a build "school" for kayaks. Essentially, you can buy the kit from them, pay a premium to spend a week with them at their shop, and with their supervision build your own kayak. You can also buy the kit and build it at home without the school.

Now, if you were to take a similar approach, perhaps a school lasting two weeks, where you and a few others could walk one or more cars through the build process. This would allow you a more modest amount of time, so you don't overlook anything, and still give the owner the pride of having completed their own kit; you might have something. You could even have multiple people for each car--father/son, husband/wife, mother/daughter, etc. I think there are folks who would happily take their annual "vacation" to build their own Roadster, 818, Hot Rod, or Coupe (or perhaps you specialize in only 1 or 2 models--my suggestion)!

The one thing I think would be necessary is that you send these folks home without the bodywork and paint finished. This would allow you to focus on all the important work, and let the personal choices of fit and finish up to each individual. You could even allow folks to select modifications from a menu, and charge a modest premium for each one they add within reason of course!

I think there might be a business opportunity here. I would be willing to be that Mark D. would be happy to share his experiences with you, and heck--perhaps he would be willing to be a good business partner or just a mentor-- I know I am speaking waaaaaay out of school here!! (Sorry Mark!!). I would look into this some more if this really interests you. You may be able to negotiate discounts from different vendors for mods etc. that would allow you a few more points of profit on the builds. There might be a viable business, or perhaps even a side business here. Best of luck as you think things through!!

Regards,

Steve

[timbro101]

That's the kind of info I'm looking for. I was thinking of building the car minus paint in four days. But without actually putting a car together yet I still haven't been able to think the whole process thru.

Thanks for your input.

Timbro101

[Mustang Man]

One thing to keep in mind is the build school cars are straight build cars; meaning no mods or deviations from the manual. Very few build their car like that, instead going for personalization (Everson trim parts, Russ Thompson turn signal kit, Finish Line louvers, etc.). Once you deviate from the manual with mods or non-FFR parts the time increases exponentially, and getting it done in two weeks can be a challenge (don't even try four days!).

When you see these TV builds (yes, even the FFR cars) done in a week there are many sub-parts that are pre-built and/or prepped, plus about seven guys working on the build at once. Seven VERY knowledgable FFR employees/pro builders. Not saying it can't be done, but it is quite the leap of faith to think of an owner (and what are their abilities?), you, and a few others putting the whole thing together that fast. Frankly, I feel the build is one of the most enjoyable parts of the FFR experience and I wouldn't want to rush my car together in a few weeks myself.

Like you said yourself, you haven't put your own FFR together yet and you're just dreaming (out loud). Not trying to pee in your Corn Flakes here, but build your car first and "take it all in" and then see if you still want to try and put together some sort of build program.

HTH...
Mark

[skullandbones]

Like on "Overhauling", even with all the orchestration and preparation, things go wrong. They have missed their deadlines sometimes. So those are great for show and TV. I think as mentioned above that weeks should replace the days to build and for some months will replace days because they want to savor every moment of the build. After you have build yours you can still make that decision to go hyper speed or more of a normal time frame. The idea of helping others finish their dream project is a good one as there are those who will get in over their head and get discouraged. I've felt that way a couple of times but pushed thru it. Good luck, WEK.