Beasley, Texas (40 miles SW of Downtown Houston)
Here’s My Situation. I’m an aging drag racer and car collector needing at least seasonal help 1 or 2 days a week, to help me catch up work I’m behind on. I have a back injury that will not allow me to bend over a hood of a car for more than a few minutes. To give you an idea of work needing to be done at this very moment:
Race Cars:
- Reinstall transmission and convertor in the Thug
- Swap out the Shaft mount Jessel rockers with T&D rockers and measure for pushrods needing to be ordered on wagon
- Run the valves
Street Cars:
- Replace Power brake booster in 64 Imperial
- Replace Motor, Transmission, bumpers on 79 Dodge Magnum that was just repainted
- Replace power window motor
- Fuel Gauge in 64 Imperial
- Replace a power steering pump
Small Machinery:
- Help with the reassembly of a 1964 Mailster
- I have a dozen Cushman Scooters and golf carts that I’m in the process of getting running to flip or restoring. I need help with the engines, which are pretty simple Motors.
What’s happening is that I have a lot going on in my life, and have no where near the time to get close to getting it all done myself. I have a couple of dozen cars, and want to trim that to a large handful. I Drag Race a pair of early 60s 9-second Mopars on a National Circuit, and need someone better at keeping them race ready – than I am. I personally like to tinker on the Cushmans, which I purchase in lots of 5 to 12 – but there’s so much work that I’d like to have someone take charge of the engines when the race and Street Cars are caught up. I have a 70-year-old full-time Shop Rat who keeps the shop and vehicles clean, does the sandblasting and sanding, and general maintenance. He’s very good at assisting in engine and transmission R&R (which my back won’t allow me to do) but someone more experience needs to take the lead. I have a racer friend who comes in 1-2 days a week to handle the most technical of the Race car stuff — but recently he’s been busy with a new business and hasn’t been around for the last eight weeks. I expect him back soon — but we’re so far behind that he won’t be enough when he returns, and I’m not sure if he’ll be able to work some time in the future if his other business takes more of his time.
Skills absolutely required are:
- Must be very experienced with maintaining 9-second naturally aspirated drag cars. Especially drivetrain. Motors are Mopar 572ci wet blocks, with Indy Heads, rat roaster intakes, Edelbrock carbs. This stuff is expensive – so I don’t need fakers – I need experienced. Race cars are #1 priority.
- Most of my street cars are in good condition, but they’re old and things break. There will be a lot of replacing components like water pumps, brake boosters, power steering pumps, and fixing gauges. So I need someone who has spent a lot of time repairing 60s cars. Street Cars are the second priority. I started out with 31 cars, trucks and motorcycles. In the last few months I’ve sold my Grand National, two Little Red Expresses, a 67 Marlin, a F150, a 99 Viper and a 09 SRT8. I have about a dozen more I need to make ready to sell – and about six or seven I need to keep running right.
- If you know the above, figuring out small engines will not be a issue. This will be the third priority – for when we’re waiting for parts or everything else is caught up.
My shop is well equipped with hand, power and diagnostic tools, which I allow those who take proper care of use.
I have a MIG welder and a Plasma cutter. Expertise in their use is a plus.
A great fit might be a healthy retired person who was a drag racer or had a race shop working on race cars for others. I would like 8-16 hours a week, and can be very flexible with that person’s schedule as long as it averages 32-64 hours a month.
The benefits to this person might be not having to have a stop or tools – and being able to leave the work when done for the day.
This might be a ideal situation for a Snow Bird wanting to head south for the winter – but remain mostly retired with only working part time at what he likes and is good at. While I could use something more permanent – I’ll roll the dice for a long season and see if you might want to spend another season.
I do need someone who will give me a fair days work for a fair days wage – and not spend long periods on the clock handling his other personal business or shooting the shit with buds. I need quality work done and tested – not rushed and its reliability questionable. I need someone who will work without supervision.
If you know that you have those qualifications that I need you to have, and you think the type of work and flexibility I offer is a fit for you – then please email me at davetheoldhippie at Gmail.com listing all of your particulars and qualifications.
