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  #1  
Old 02-06-2018, 09:45 AM
cooverwatch cooverwatch is offline
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Default Metal Shaping Salery Expectations???

Hi all,
Been lurking here for about a year and wanted to post a question to the group.

I "retired" last year and built a new shop to restore "Play" with old cars. I have gotten to a point where I need shop help with all the side projects that seem to find there way to me.

I have a friend who is an experienced metal guy that does 1/4 replacements, body work and some fabrication. he has bounced around two other shops and is looking to make 1200 a week at a single location. it appears that all he has in the way of equipment is a welder and body hammers and uses the others shops to work out of.

My question - Is 5k a month the going rate for a seasoned metal guy working out of a shop that is equipped by someone else?? I know price will very by region... but it seem real high to me.

I am a retired IT manager and that is what we were paying our senior programming architects.

PS. I will be creating a shop build thread shortly to show what is going through my little shop. I am a beginner in the metal shaping world and thank you all for your help and guidance.
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  #2  
Old 02-06-2018, 10:50 AM
toreadorxlt toreadorxlt is offline
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well thats $30/hr. I know very very skilled people working in equipped high end shops making AMBR contenders that are only making $22ish.

Assuming that would be a 1/3 or so of shop rate to pay somebody, so you need to ask yourself if the work they are doing needs to be gone over. Are they efficient where you are getting true billable hours? Have you done the math on your shop rate? How much are you taking from that?
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  #3  
Old 02-06-2018, 11:09 AM
cooverwatch cooverwatch is offline
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thanks for your response.
I normally charge a flat rate of $75 an hour.

right now they it is a trial deal as I only have work for two cars replacing some 1/4 and floors while I work on another floor and firewall.

if the work is good I have two other cars that could be put into the work stream. then it is all about the flip... (as seen on TV)

most of the work that is currently in the shop is "shop" autos that will be sold once done.

I was not sure what the normal percentage is for this type of work and was not really looking to start up a full blown shop. I have done three cars and word is getting out of the quality and price.

So much for retirement
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Old 02-06-2018, 12:31 PM
lots2learn lots2learn is offline
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I know body shops rates here are about $100 an hour. You did not say if you where paying benefits on top of that? Was talking to a local Refrigeration mechanic recently and their journeymen make over $50 per hour plus about $30 in benefits. and many auto repair shops here have a labor rate of over $100.

If all you paying is a straight $30 per hour does not seem expensive to me. But what if you don't have enough work to keep them employed 40 hours?
I do side work sometimes, Welding & Fab and charge $50 per hour.

Did not know IT software people where so low paid. I have relatives and friends that are software Engineers in Seattle area and they all make over 200K in total compensation. Base salaries are 130 to 180K.
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Old 02-06-2018, 01:39 PM
weldtoride weldtoride is offline
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Default Location, location, location

Just my 2 cents:

In the mid '80s I worked as a certified Porsch/Audi dealer technician (mechanical, not body) at a Chicago area dealership. My wife and I wanted to move to the mountains and I found a job at a dealership in Grand Junction, CO that paid less, but close enough. Since my wife wasn't able to find work, and given the extreme mountain area housing costs, we decided to stay here. Our next relocation attempt was to the beautiful La Crosse, WI area, where I was awakened to the extreme range of prevailing wages in that part of WI at the time. The top wrenches in La Crosse then were earning less than some of the apprentices were at my Chicago area dealership; our top wrenches were clipping along at 3 times that. This was a commissioned pay schedule based on labor only, not parts. Apprentices were hourly only. Incidentally, our dealer was in line pay-wise with the domestic dealers in the area, customers may have paid a premium, but we were reimbursed at the prevailing rate.

I lived in what might be described as an exurban area, and to get the wages I did, I commuted an hour each way closer to the big city. Wages in my hometown are proportionately less.
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Old 02-06-2018, 02:39 PM
cooverwatch cooverwatch is offline
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thanks for the info guys

lots2learn - when you do side work do you use your own equipment out of your shop? Also, that was not total compensation. Adding in bonus and other stuff it is around 200k a year.

I am just trying to figure out what the going rate/ratio is for contract work, which this is at this time.
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Old 02-06-2018, 04:42 PM
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Jack 1957 Jack 1957 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cooverwatch View Post
Hi all,
Been lurking here for about a year and wanted to post a question to the group.

I "retired" last year and built a new shop to restore "Play" with old cars. I have gotten to a point where I need shop help with all the side projects that seem to find there way to me.

I have a friend who is an experienced metal guy that does 1/4 replacements, body work and some fabrication. he has bounced around two other shops and is looking to make 1200 a week at a single location. it appears that all he has in the way of equipment is a welder and body hammers and uses the others shops to work out of.

My question - Is 5k a month the going rate for a seasoned metal guy working out of a shop that is equipped by someone else?? I know price will very by region... but it seem real high to me.

I am a retired IT manager and that is what we were paying our senior programming architects.

PS. I will be creating a shop build thread shortly to show what is going through my little shop. I am a beginner in the metal shaping world and thank you all for your help and guidance.
$6k/month + pension around here and as we all retire, there's not many to replace us so the price will continue to go up.
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Old 02-06-2018, 05:06 PM
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Richard K Richard K is offline
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A lot of anecdotal salary info....my brother in law makes XX.XX

A website to put a few things in perspective is Bureau of Labor Statistics.
https://www.bls.gov/bls
Gives a lot of info by state and metro areas or city. Wages, benefits and cost of living data.

You will need to do a bit of interpolation/ quesswork to dertermine which category applies.

Not the final word but another source.
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Old 02-06-2018, 05:12 PM
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Richard K Richard K is offline
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Greg,

Perhaps a few pertinent questions Greg:

How much did you make in the career work you did?

Would you expect to add a profit and overhead percentage onto employee's wages? You should add 30 to 50% as business owner.

The business owner should be the highest earner in the shop?
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Old 02-06-2018, 05:15 PM
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Richard K Richard K is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cooverwatch View Post
Hi all,
Been lurking ........
I have a friend who is an experienced metal guy that does 1/4 replacements, body work and some fabrication. he has bounced around two other shops and is looking to make 1200 a week at a single location. it appears that all he has in the way of equipment is a welder and body hammers and uses the others shops to work out of. ...........................

If the friend is worth that kind of money he must be damm good. Why isn't already making big money somewhere?
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