What do you guys think is a fair price to pay

[GOPAPA]

a traveling home Machanic to come to my place and install a new Master Brake Cylinder after taking out the old one and bleed all the lines on my 39 Chevy , the wheel cylinders and brake shoes are like new ,,I will buy all parts and fluid ,,and help with the bleeding of the lines and be the gopher to fetch what ever he needs .. I have blocks to raise the car up 18 inches off the floor in my heated garage . He can use my creeper if he isn't any fatter than me ..Heated garage also

[kwmech]

Well a mobile mechanic in California will fetch about 100.00 and hour plus

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by kwmech

Well a mobile mechanic in California will fetch about 100.00 and hour plus

thx,sounds about right.. I am going to buy a repair kit and fix my own master cylinder ,,just need a machanic to take old one out and use the kit to repair it and install it and bleed the system .

[prairewolf]

my 0.2 cents thought says if it is installed Right, and all works, it is worth more than if mechanic muffs the job and takes the money and runs. good luck with it all.

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by prairewolf

my 0.2 cents thought says if it is installed Right, and all works, it is worth more than if mechanic muffs the job and takes the money and runs. good luck with it all.

The Master Cylinder leaks .. a new one cost $ 195 new ,, Chevy of the 40ies only have new,,no rebuilds ,,, I called 2 auto parts stores and the dont have that year of Master Cylinders ,, what I will do is buy a rebuild kit and rebuild the one I have ,, (hope it rebuildable ) as for the Machanic ,,you have a point and finding one that understands these old car with brake shoes .no power might be hard..

I expect to pay around a $100 @ hour .. worth it if they do a good job .

[Grumpy old man]

Don't pay a shade tree mechanic by the hour , You pay them for the job , When it's done and working then you pay the agreed upon price and not a second before it's done to your satisfaction . A hundred an hour is crazy

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Don't pay a shade tree mechanic by the hour , You pay them for the job , When it's done and working then you pay the agreed upon price and not a second before it's done to your satisfaction . A hundred an hour is crazy

I think you are right .. good advice ..

[LS short box]

So I will be the Debby Downer.
I would never have a "shade tree" mechanic touch something as important as my brakes.
If I couldn't fix it I would trailer the car to a shop you trust for the repairs. They typically have some type of warranty and insurance in case something goes south.
Side note it's not easy to find a good shop charging less than $100 per hour.
Just my .02.

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by LS short box

So I will be the Debby Downer.
I would never have a "shade tree" mechanic touch something as important as my brakes.
If I couldn't fix it I would trailer the car to a shop you trust for the repairs. They typically have some type of warranty and insurance in case something goes south.
Side note it's not easy to find a good shop charging less than $100 per hour.
Just my .02.

Exactly. Tow it to a reputable shop. Unless you are familiar with the mobile guy go to a shop. Call AAA if you've got it and you could probably get it towed for free. That's what I do. The place I send my cars is a AAA towing company too so they just pick them up.

Remember it's AAA not AA. If you call AA you'll get something totally different.

[special-K]

if you know a good mechanic that comes to the vehicle I'd say that's a good choice. Is your car hard to load onto a rollback?
Where did this shade tree mechanic come from? There are valid mobile mechanics. A mechanic operating out of a shop is not a guarantee of quality work. Around here $100 an hour is pretty typical shop time charge, or near it. Brakes are a major safety item that absolutely needs to perform correctly, which is actually very simple to do. I've been doing my own brake work since before I had a drivers license. Labor charges vary by hour and by job. A mobile guy will want to cover his travel time. Like the work on houses I do. I have a minimum charge that equals half a day labor. I can't do three of four 2hr jobs in a day to to set-up and travel time. I'd expect to pay at least half a day's labor

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by special-K

if you know a good mechanic that comes to the vehicle I'd say that's a good choice. Is your car hard to load onto a rollback?
Where did this shade tree mechanic come from? There are valid mobile mechanics. A mechanic operating out of a shop is not a guarantee of quality work. Around here $100 an hour is pretty typical shop time charge, or near it. Brakes are a major safety item that absolutely needs to perform correctly, which is actually very simple to do. I've been doing my own brake work since before I had a drivers license. Labor charges vary by hour and by job. A mobile guy will want to cover his travel time. Like the work on houses I do. I have a minimum charge that equals half a day labor. I can't do three of four 2hr jobs in a day to to set-up and travel time. I'd expect to pay at least half a day's labor

I have used people who are not in the in the auto shops back in Oregon and done just great with their work and charges as for $ or trade.. Not familiar with any around here except for one and he has others things going on right now,,,,,,, I can do quite a bit my self ,,but on my 39 the master cylinder is in a tight place next to the fender well .under the floor board and my eyes are not as good now and so wanted a machanic to do the hard parts and me help ..Yes , I could get it hauled to a shop for $100 .. then ,,they buy the parts and charge twice as much plus shop time is $95 @ hour ,,which I understand them charging for the shop ,.. This is not a big job ,,if I need to rebuild the master cylinder ,, I can do that ,, I just want help as these old bones of mine are not up to the crawling under the car and back out again many times

[LS short box]

Maybe I shouldn't of said shade tree mechanic.
Like anyone that comes to your house to do work for me I insist on seeing a copy of a current paid in full insurance document.

[weasel29gm]

Could you get someone from a local dealership or garage to come do it. I've had to a few times, worked out good. Sounds like a decent " side job" which there are guys that do those. Labor you get what you pay for so a mechanic from a reputable garage would be worth the price.

[special-K]

Larry, I understand why you want someone to do this for you. I'm also running into problems with doing certain repairs in certain locations of the vehicle. Some things I do end up with me hurting, even before I'm done. Having a lift would help with some things, but not up and under the dash and I'm sure some other things.

My '72 is sitting because of a starter bolt broken off recessed in the block. I knew it was a tough spot for me to work on, but I gave it a shot. It was enough for me to realize how hard it will be to drill on center into a hole I can't see because the drill blocks my view. I also have a lot of work on my house I'm putting in front of this. I either want my younger mechanic wizard friend to come do this one or I'm yanking the engine and rolling it upside down on a stand. I'm pretty sure that's my plan, and then do some new bottom end sealing. I built the engine in '91. It's been getting leaky down there. Years ago I would have already fixed it.

[Warrens69GMC]

So, he is going to wait around for you to rebuild it?

If you haven't rebuilt one yet, you would be better off with a new one and just have it switched out. I can't believe you would rebuild the master and not loosen the 3 or 4 nuts required to take it off / reinstall it.

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by Warrens69GMC

So, he is going to wait around for you to rebuild it?

If you haven't rebuilt one yet, you would be better off with a new one and just have it switched out. I can't believe you would rebuild the master and not loosen the 3 or 4 nuts required to take it off / reinstall it.

I had this coming I guess,, what I meant was the guy would take the brake cylinder out and the guy I hire would either repair it with a kit thats if its not pitted bad if so then I would buy a new one ,, YES, ,it would have to be a come back more than once to complete the job I suppose ,,I did rebuild all the wheel brake cylinders ..Maybe I am getting to old and broken down to own a old car or truck beings I have problems now with getting under them and back out again so many times in a row.. And ,,maybe I will get Pi$$ed from your tougne lashing and just do it mysef and have the wife pump the brakes ,,,,,,,,,,,and then come back and thank ya for getting after me

[special-K]

In my opinion the best way to handle this is have a new master cyl on hand, and a rebuilt kit if you want, so no matter what turns out, he can complete the job in one trip. I'd think he would prefer that and I'm sure it will save you money. If he rebuilds your master cyl you can return the new one. Personally, I don't mess with rebuilding brake cylinders, always replace.

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by special-K

In my opinion the best way to handle this is have a new master cyl on hand, and a rebuilt kit if you want, so no matter what turns out, he can complete the job in one trip. I'd think he would prefer that and I'm sure it will save you money. If he rebuilds your master cyl you can return the new one. Personally, I don't mess with rebuilding brake cylinders, always replace.

Yeah ,, you are probably right , and I know its a brake part which does save your life maybe .. but I have done rebuilds before and did ok .. and it cost around $160 for a new one compaired to $16 to rebuild ..seems that none take a core to reduce the price either.. I had a 52 chevy way back then and the master went out and my friend was driving and we went down over the bank and hit a stump.. I rebuit that one when I was around 18 and did it worked like new ..

[LS short box]

I'm no spring chicken anymore. I am really considering a Quick Jack to get my hot rods in the air.
I have a LS6 swapped 98 Wrangler and it's a really nice because it sit's high enough I can creeper right underneath without putting it on jack stands.

[Warrens69GMC]

Originally Posted by GOPAPA

.... And ,,maybe I will get Pi$$ed from your tongue lashing and just do it myself and have the wife pump the brakes ,,,,,,,,,,,and then come back and thank ya for getting after me

No lashing, just legitimate questions.

[1976gmc20]

There's a guy around here, the son of one of our neighbors, who used to work as a mechanic for a big construction company and he now has his own mobile business.

He has a ~92 Chevy one ton service truck with everything on it: crane, welder, air compressor, and of course the utility bed is full of tools. I had him change the pittman arm and idler arm on my 1989 K1500. I did other stuff myself like replace an upper ball joint and the two CV axles but didn't want to tackle this one because you have to take the steering box loose and tip it to get the pittman arm off. He made short work of it all with air tools and a young body.