How much should I get paid for Swapping an engine/trans?

[ZX2 Sleeper]

Well idk if I said anything to you guys but, now I have a side job of working on ZX2s.

My first job was to swap an engine and transmission assembly from a green zx2. I removed the broken tran and dieing motor. I then had to pull another engine/trans from another ZX2 for the organ doner. I then installed that engine/tranny in this zx2. During the time of working on this car, the guy i work for borrowed then hub/knuckle assmembly from this car. So then i had to remove another hub myself from the next car im working on, along with the power steering fluid tank, radiator and various sensors. So today i got the car started and I was talking to the guy about payment. He knows what he wants to charge me, but he wants me to come up with a price.

SO how much do you think this should cost the guy? I have come up with $500 would be nice and i could deal with $400. So based on doing it yourselves and starting mid june and finishing today(august 3rd). I worked about any week night i was free and every weekend.

How much should I deserve and not hurt my guys pocket too bad!?

[krux]

800-1000 here for me. I guess I am more stricter then most people since I use my degree and people know my work is good around here. Yet I always say 50 bucks a hour for myself and at 10-15hrs that took you. Thats how I get figures. This week let alone on doing a 100 mile PM on a Taurus I will get 6.8 hours out of it causing it to be around 340 dollars in labor. If you have to supply the tools, equipment, cleaners, etc. Then you want to get your money worth out of it.

[Beodude123]

How many total hours did it take you to accomplish the task? I would base it mostly off the time it took.

[Stretch]

I'm gonna feel a little bad about this, but ..... well, no I won't.

It took you 3 WEEKS?????????????????

Suck this one up, man. That's lousy. I would have been coming for blood if you didn't have it done in one (week). I don't know what it is with people nowadays, but i've done an engine and trans in a Mustang, along with installing a n20 kit and tuning it all in a weekend!

And it bloody worked right the first time before the job was considered finished (a few passes made and plugs checked).

Any weeknight I was free???????????

You make yourself free to get the job DONE. Tell Alice or whoever that if she's a good and PATIENT girl she'll get something out of it herself to calm her nerves.

Really, please understand i'm not trying to be a total prick about all this, but ..... 3 WEEKS? OH ..... MY ..... GOD!

:judge: (not the right smiley but the best I could do)


EDIT - p.s. - I forgot to add that I did all that for $$$FUH-REE$$$. It was a sharing the passion thing. It was an "I can do this" thing. It was a pride thing. Not sure that means anything to people anymore.

[mechtech]

Check the time in a mechanic's Chiltons that gives flat rate hours.
This is for experienced techs with tools.
They have overhead of insurance, rent, utilities, supplies, etc..
Now figure your experience and overhead, and if it will be 100% right when you are done.
If it takes a long time because you don't have the right rack or tools, then you can't make the customer pay extra because it took longer. Also, you can't expect him to pay for your learning curve.
So consider these things.

[zxtwou2]

any work i've ever done for any zx2 (all from this site) i've done for free except my powdercoating. but if you look at how much it costs me to do the shipping, mild prep work, and buy/ship the powder...i have only come ahead once, and that was by a few bucks. i usually lose money on the deal.

i've done tons of work with/for people on zx2's, and it's always free. i also did my tranny fix in 3 days, not 3 weeks. and that was lollygagging around and BSing with my dad for those 3 days. took me 4 hours to get it out and apart...2 hours to rebuild the tranny, take lots of broken gear pics, and clean up a bit....and another 4 hours to get the tranny back in the car...worked the first time. 10 hours total of work/BS'ing.

[TTFOWIA]

yeah, 3 weeks it's a pretty freakin long time for a job like this. getting the engine and trans out on a ZX2 takes maybe 6-7 hours if it's the first time for the car (talking about a zx2 that saw winters, rusty)

On my car with the brand new engine and trans, when we took it out for the second time, it took less than 5hours...

[1981gMachine]

$25 an hour

[ZX2 Sleeper]

It took me that long because on a weekday from 7-5 im at school and to work.. I work on weeknights. The space is limited, the tools I supply, and then i also pulled 2 engines during that time. The donor engine/trans was in a junkyard type atmosphere. I did this all on the ground. Both car's I used basic hand tools. During the course of working on the car, I had a pulled muslce so i was out a week. Basically I worked on the car when I had spare time.

Idk if you guys read it but, i was also pulling other parts from other cars from them being missing on the car i was working on.

Oh and this was my first time doing the whole engine/trans swap.

My past expierence is minor maintenance, atx-mtx swap, suspension work and more.

Next time I am going to be alot quicker at this because i learned a lot as well.

[krux]

Like I said above. If you had to piece the car together from different cars. Figure that stuff in also for price. It sounded like one of those jobs were you had to piece the whole project together. Also I look at who paid those tools you had to work on? If you broke a tool would she pay for it? What about chemicals, electricity, etc? I am happy at school we were taught by our teacher to never help another person(unless family or really close). Based on you will screw yourself over in life. Biggest thing is I set a dollar per hour and then I go by book time. If your faster than book time..great you deserve it for your hard work. If not..ohh well you lost some money in away no big deal. Just try to make it fair to them and you.

[Beodude123]

Who did you do it for? A friend? Some random person that asked you to fix their ZX2? That makes a difference too.

[zxtwou2]

any work i do on a zx2 is free...not only because i enjoy giving back where i can to my fellow zxtuners...but because i can chalk it up as experience and wrench time...which makes repairs on my own car go by much quicker. since i've installed a few new struts/springs on a few zx2's, i can do it with my eyes shut now!

[ZX2 Sleeper]

Like I said above. If you had to piece the car together from different cars. Figure that stuff in also for price. It sounded like one of those jobs were you had to piece the whole project together. Also I look at who paid those tools you had to work on? If you broke a tool would she pay for it? What about chemicals, electricity, etc? I am happy at school we were taught by our teacher to never help another person(unless family or really close). Based on you will screw yourself over in life. Biggest thing is I set a dollar per hour and then I go by book time. If your faster than book time..great you deserve it for your hard work. If not..ohh well you lost some money in away no big deal. Just try to make it fair to them and you.

yes, i had to piece all the parts together. The tools I inherited from my uncle who past away earlier this year. I did brake a few rachets. The electricity was poor. It has the old style outlets in the garage. the one with out a 3rd prong for a ground. So that was sketchy. Visiability was poor as well.

Im doing this for my dad's friend. My dad's friend sells these car's to people who are less fortunate and can't afford a nice car. So this guy buys a escorts, le sabres, taurus's and such. They're all wrecked so he get's them very cheap. So my dad does the auto body to them. Then my dad's friend sells these cars to people who can't afford something new, but get to have a nice clean car who's value is low, but looks straight from the factory. Later down the road, they come back to my dad's friend and they have the typical blown tranny or dying motor(mostly from abuse). So he gives them or helps them out with a new car. So then it's my part to make these ZX2's run again.(they're all ATX's)

Im not trying to hurt the guy's wallet, he knows what he wants to pay me but he wants to see if my price is cheaper or whatever(business sucks!) I have MANY ZX2's and escorts lined up, so the cash will be coming for a while.

ZXtwou- I help AZN_ZX2 when he needs help with his ride, so i help him out atleast( less then i have wanted to though). I also help my cousin with her zx2 as well. I don't ask for money for anything but parts, but i end up giving them free parts anyway.

[ZX2 Sleeper]

Holy shit my fingers hurt.

Oh and on average on a week day i work 3-5 days on these cars for about 2-3 hours( it varies on how tired and fed up i am). The weekends i work for about 5-6 hours on either saturday or sunday or both. It all varies. The guy is highly flexible too.

[AZN_ZX2]

Nick's a busy guy. He's helped me and offered to help me free of charge numerous times. He isn't someone to dick people over with prices.

[zxtwou2]

well...there's a new element to the situation..this is for a business and will be set up as a fairly regular thing. if it was a one time thing, i'd do it free...but if you'll be doing these things more than once for someone like this, i can see where you'd want to charge, but not overcharge, since the guy is doing it as a kind of charity. that is a tough spot, i'd say set up a flat charge per hour worked (maybe like 20-25/hour) or you can say you'll swap trannies or motors for 300, replace smaller stuff like coils, plugs, ball joints, etc for 50.

[ZX2guy19]

Tell him 5k that way it's high and he will give you what he has in mind. If you said $500 and he is thinking $800 then you just got owned $300. Stay high, he'll pay what is fair.

[ZX2 Sleeper]

Zx2twou..-It's mainly Engine/tran swapping. But your getting on the right track

ZX2guy19

I was thinking that, but if the cars worth $2000... It won't be worth that much and I can't rob him. I'd be very happy with $500. anyway. He's not going to pay me $800.

[TTFOWIA]

then ask 500 and thats it.

[ZX2 Sleeper]

$500 it is. I figured out the math and i did an average of 81 hrs of work. The reason for being so slow was due to pulling 2 engines/transmissions and the lack of not having a lift and various air tools.

[ZX2 Sleeper]

Tonight i'll bring up the cost of the work... and we'll see if he accepts the offer. Then the cash should be in hand in a few days! :)

[ilarson007]

any work i do on a zx2 is free...not only because i enjoy giving back where i can to my fellow zxtuners...but because i can chalk it up as experience and wrench time...which makes repairs on my own car go by much quicker. since i've installed a few new struts/springs on a few zx2's, i can do it with my eyes shut now!

So... what part of Illinois are you in? lol.

[ilarson007]

For future reference, you should probably have this drawn up in a contract (if you are doing a bunch of these repairs). Just a helpful thing.

[ZX2 Sleeper]

I'm going to discuss tonight a set price for each job. $500 for being a engine/trans swap. He only want's me doing these big jobs though.

[5spdzx2]

why wasnt a price discussed before hand?

[ZX2 Sleeper]

I didn't know what it would take and what was involved in the job. First time= No clue of what it takes to get the job done and completed good.

[krux]

Yea I use a alldata bro and it tells me the hours. In fact in about 20 mins ill be working on a taurus that will take 6.8 hours for a pm. With my labor it should be around 300-350 for only those amount of hours. If you can beat the book your better off. I am use to this since I was trained to be a mechanic.

[ZX2 Sleeper]

Yea I use a alldata bro and it tells me the hours. In fact in about 20 mins ill be working on a taurus that will take 6.8 hours for a pm. With my labor it should be around 300-350 for only those amount of hours. If you can beat the book your better off. I am use to this since I was trained to be a mechanic.

whats a PM? I hate taurus's last weekend I changed an oil pan gasket and it was pain in the ass!!

[ChillinZX]

I'd do it for $400. If it was just the trans I would do $300. If your talking about Preventive Maintance pkg's I used to do those at Ford, 30K miled PM's would pay 9 hrs with a brake job. It would take me about 4 hours to do and I've done 2 30K's a day a few times.

[5spdzx2]

professional mechanic i guess?

[ChillinZX]

I used to, then Ford laid me off (actually they closed the place).

[ZX2 Sleeper]

That's not cool. But I did get paid tonight, and i got $500!!! thanks everyone for the help. the guy says he was gunna pay me 500 anyway.

[ZX2guy19]

Nice man, hell of a nice pay for a side job. Now go get a nice hearty shot of nitrous :]

[autox_zx2]

Nice man, hell of a nice pay for a side job. Now go get a nice hearty shot of jager

fixed. tastes better than N20. lol

[autox_zx2]

any work i've ever done for any zx2 (all from this site) i've done for free

I can attest to this! :) Dont worry dude, i will hit you back up this winter when i help you rebuild your motor! Cant wait!
Anyways, I think free labor is just the cool thing to do in general though. If i had a garage, tools, and some more time i would help more people out than i already do. For right now I just help dumbass friends change oil, detail cars (yes, there r people too dumb to make a car look pretty), install hitches, and rig up crazy intakes on slow cars, lol.
Congrats on gettin 500 to man!!! :monkeydance:

[J_Mob]

[QUOTE=krux;93986] that will take 6.8 hours for a pm. QUOTE]

6.8 hours for a PM.....seriously. I did our exploder (100K) in about three...not counting the time for the liquid gasket to dry. Damn....

[J_Mob]

Yeah dude-charge what you think is fair. Homie hookup shouldn't be at retail-if it was I would have paid a helluva lot for my ink..:)

(edit-actually I probably couldn't have afforded it.....:()

[ZX2 Sleeper]

Lol. I would get nitrous but... im going turbo!!! So im gunna do the smart thing and pay off my credit card bills and then start fresh and buy with a new credit card.

[J_Mob]

Hey at least when you pay off your credit, they start to give you higher limits after a while.