doing custom car work from home, where/how to start?

[LTD351T]

thinking of setting up to work from home doing a range of car work and custom fabrication, mainly looking at getting into tig welding, turbo manifolds and complete setups, engine building, eventually looking at setting up machines to deck heads and do valvejobs as well, etc etc

just after some advice as to how to start this off? I really have minimal contacts in the industry.

Canberra is pretty small, so I figured going around to all the car workshops and handing out business cards? but not sure if your allowed to do that sorta stuff without being a licensed mechanic?

any ideas how to approach this?

[RACINGdork]

postage is pretty cheap

[T_Terror]

i think from your position word of mouth is going to be your main sales force.

Im think CVE is a similar sort of setup and they have a few runs on the board.

Id say, get heavily involved with some sort of racing/drags, make plenty of car buddies and let your name spread around.
If you make a name for turbo clevelands im sure youll get plenty of interest as other than Jake whos in Canberra i cant think of anyone well known doing oldschool turbo stuff.

[LTD351T]

yeah oldschool turbo stuff is exactly what i wan to get into, and yes your right, nobody down here does it, Jake does a lot of dyno tuning now, but fabricates from home as well.

[LTD351T]

well the end result is that there will be single turbo kits available for 302/351 clevo's in about 2 weeks, and custom kits available on request for strokers or power levels over 700fwhp.

kits come with:
-turbocharger, choice of Garrett, pro boost, borg warner, Billet Mr turbo BB turbo's, etc etc
-external wastegate, choice of pro boost or tial, turbosmart, etc
-manifolds and crossover
-downpipe
-oil drain
-oil feed

[ebxr8240]

Start with some good welders tig and mig, pulldown cutting saw, angle grinders. Two or three vices and maybe pipe bending tool although it would be press bent.. Slight bends don't / hardly crimp..
Make up some templates, dead engine and heads etc..
In most cases turbo, exhaust flanges can be bought cheap enough, same with steam pipe bends .. Oh a good assembly table is worth every cent..

[LTD351T]

mate already there, have mig, tig, small mill on lend, 3 phase linisher with 530x150 flat bed, good single phase lathe all the DRO's and stuff, 3 phase compressor, die grinders, angle grinders, two big bench grinders, two engineers vice's, half cut for mock up with clevo and 302W engines/mounts etc, cheap cold cut and good cut off (hot)saw also, looking at getting pipe notcher soon. Bench isn't made yet but will be 6000x750mm.

have stock of flange plates for 12 kits, bends and pipe for 15 odd kits, DP materials for 3 kits, and 3 turbo's, two gates, etc etc

juts need to finish insulating and lining the shed, get the 3 phase in, and get mates rally car finsihed so I can start making some kits, I'm almost broke now, the money invested in turbo's and gates is killing me, it'll be loan time soon as the 3 phase install will cost a bit.

pipe bending might be usefull for the crossover as its a very slight bend, i'll look into that when funds permit, just got a 20ton press so might be able to use pipe dies in that.

cheers

[ebxr8240]

YEP from there things get expensive !!

[LTD351T]

yep, got another turbo with two rear housings in the post now as well.

might have to have another ebay clearance sale soo, have some expensive stuff that I will not use for a while.

items going on ebay soon will be RRS rack and pinion kit, 35spl detroit locker, yella terra shaft mounts for clevo, 3V 225 heads, two 3V manifolds, GT42R, etc, most are brand new.

[rag top]

Try listing stuff and services on www.allclassifieds.com.au
It's canberra region based.