Funny man!

The temptation would be to get crazy while everything is apart already; supercharger maybe. But the practical side of me says: "Bill, you are thinking of starting your own business in the next few months. If so, you will need the cash. And if the business succeeds you can afford to do whatever you want in less than a year."

You see, I have this little cherub sitting on my one shoulder and a tiny demon on the other, both whispering ideas in my ears. At this moment the demon is louder.

If I were to listen just to the cherub I'd let the S2K rot in my drive for the next 6 months while I run around in my Miata.

 

FYI when deciding what to do I was able to find OEM shortblocks for MUCH less than the $2900 quoted above!

I considered stroker kits, AP2 swaps and other ideas. But I went with ... (you have to wait).

My car won't be ready for Saturday's FAST autoX, but it will be ready next week. And better than when I bought it!

Hint: I'm not into form over function. If it doesn't make the car go faster, esp. at autoX, I won't buy it!

Double hint: I was on a strict budget because I'm trying to get a new business off the ground.

 

ohhhh... I hope you did the smart thing.

AP2 motor FTW.

 

just to give you an idea ... i sold my 2002 motor and transmission on ebay for $2700 and it had 108k miles on it.

 

its new and warranty by Honda

 

no more Supras . The Supra was the in thing for Jim a few years back .

 

And overpriced by almost $600 according to my mechanic (for a new, factory shortblock).

I guess the question is: should a mechanic make his money just on his labor, or should he mark up parts and make a profit on a pass-thru as well?

You can guess my take on it.

 

both - they shouold be about to make a profit on a part - if they have to source it, arange for delivery, and pay for it up front, then the risk & time involved should be able to profit - and if your mechanic can get it for $600 cheaper please post where? i bet many people would be interested - i would -

 

He didn't pay for it up front; I wrote him a big check for parts. Labor I pay after the fact. Maybe unusual, but I have a special working relationship with him.

I don't know what his source is, however it is legitimate.

At his shop rate $600 is more than 6 hours of his time. He spent 5 minutes on the phone; I know, I was sitting there with him.

If all I wanted was to buy a short block and do my own build and install (something I have the tools and experience to do, but not the time) of course I'd expect him to markup the price and make a profit. However he is doing the work and builds the profit margin into his shop rate; that is just how he runs his business.

So I guess "the cat is out of the bag", at least partially. No, I didn't go with an AP2 or a stroker kit; I went with a factory AP1 short block. Money was the factor for that decision; when the engine was pulled we found other work that needed to be done.

The end tanks of my rad were failing. The clutch needed to be replaced. Every hose was original (6 years old) and needed replacing. Etc.

So it is getting a Mishimoto radiator and matching silicon rad hoses. All other hoses are being replaced. New spark plugs. All new gaskets, of course. Exedy clutch. And a Fidanza flywheel (my only real indulgence).

As much as I wanted to do an AP2 engine or stroker kit, going with increased displacement would require adding fuel management (e.g. Neo AFC) and time (equals money) for tuning. Not this year when I'm trying to put together my own company! Having to replace what I am is bad enough.

 

most shops will mark up some of their parts prices ... but not all. If the shop does enough volume and has worked hard to have a good relationship with local dealers then they get better discounts on parts.

typically most shop owners will research the competition and do a 'bundle' price on the job with parts and labor. So considering not every tech in a shop makes the same amount per hour the difference is usually made up in the part price margin.

Good luck with your build. Going new OE is a really good option IMO.