Machanic in LA/Hollywood area needed asap!!!

[ELI INK]

Ok so basically I just bought a 1978 280z and I took it to a shop where they charged me 110.00 just to put new spark plugs in!!!

I need my car fixed up decent to get to and from work now and then and I have money to fix it but I can't afford to get ripped off by some jerk who thinks I wouldn't realize it. So if any of you guys live in the LA/Hollywood area please let me know if I could pay you for your assistance. So you can help a young guy who just want to get by do just that.

Thanks in advance.

-Eli

[Bruce Palmer]

Eli,

I read the other thread and want to throw out the fact that doing biz anywhere carries with it a ton of overhead. By the time you carve out all the overhead costs that go with just being there to talk to you, there isn't much left for old Guido Mechanic or his mechanic to buy groceries. That assumes the shop is billing out a day's worth of flat rate hours every day.

If you are challenged by changing spark plugs, I fear you are about to give the term "cash flow" a whole new meaning, before you get everything done to get a 3/4 worn out 280 where it needs to be mechanically.

Fixing one thing at a time WILL have you standing beside the road on more than one occasion because the next frail part gave up the ghost before you got to it. This is why some guys find it to make a lot more sense to buy a done car. It really makes more sense if you're paying some one to do all the miriad of things that go into having a done car. At $100 flat rate you'll bury more bucks in that car than it'll ever be worth and wont have it half done.

Not bashing any, just seen too many walk down this road only to take a major hit..... after making the investment....

[ELI INK]

Thanks a lot for your response.

I do know how to do things like changing oil filters, change spark plugs, etc etc But I already had it there and he made me think I was paying for the plugs and NOT the labor as much. Turns out the plugs are easy to find and cheap. Long story short I got suckered and now Just want to know what i should do from here on out. I'm taking the car back, having my friend who works on cars give me a hand and do this with his help.

What would you suggest I do other than regret my purchase?

[Bruce Palmer]

Not knowing what "back and forth to work now and then" means, doing a car correctly wont allow much on the road time until it's done, so you can do peacemeal and pray or buy a done car and drive it.

[Ttiger]

Talk to Motorsport, they're in Orange/Anaheim. www.zcarparts.com I'm sure they have a list of good mechanics in the LA area.

[240ZGL]

http://sunrisez.net/

[five&dime]

What you really need to do is find a local enthusiast who doesn't mind giving you a hand and showing you the ropes. Someone on this forum will probably reply before too long. Just make sure your willing to help them out with extra cash, beer, food or all of the above You may also be able to post on craigslist requesting a fellow Z enthusiast's help for the aforementioned. The best investment you can make is a good book on the car and a good set of tools. Any job is fairly easy with the right tools and the right place to work. The best is if you have access to a garage where you can have the car down for a few days in case you find a problem that gets worse before it gets better

I think an extra daily driver is crucial for owning a Datsun. Not that they are problematic. You just often find yourself trying to make them perfect.

[hls30.com]

...

I think an extra daily driver is crucial for owning a Datsun. Not that they are problematic. You just often find yourself trying to make them perfect.

Also known as :While I'm At It (WIAI)...or Might As Well While I'm Here (MAWWIH) syndrome...

Horribly infectious stuff, Sneaks up on you and before you know it, bleeding your brakes becomes Painting the front and rear brakes, repacking the wheelbearings, replacing the suspension bushings, and getting new wheels and tires...a 20 minute, $4 job becomes four weekends, a couple of afternoons, and $1300! But now the car runs like you tuned it up and topped it off with Av gas!:stupid:

Will

[260zCaliCar]

How far do you want to travel to get to the mechanic? There is one in Canoga Park: http://www.precisionz.com/ that did some work on my car recently. They are skilled but not cheap (well, maybe not $110 to change spark plugs). This shop actually replaced my original 260z carbs with webers in the early 80's, that's how long they have been around.

Also there is a GREAT shop by me in Westlake Village that is really fair. He has an older mechanic working there that worked on Z's at a Datsun dealership for years and loves them:

Rick's Japanese Car Care (805) 373-9895 49 Taylor Ct, Thousand Oaks, CA

Rick actually offered to let me bring my car in on Saturdays and put it on his rack to do my own work for free (he likes my enthusiasm).

Anyway that's my two cents on the two shops that I use.

My suggestion is that you really get to know your car (five&dime is absolutely correct). It's to old for you to depend on licensed mechanics to keep it running... You're going to spend a fortune, and in the end, you won't be a happy Z owner. I can't even begin to imagine what I would have spent on my car if I paid for all the work that's been done on it.