HOW DID _____ SHOP GET ITS START?

Edited: 5/26/2010 10:11:21 PM by truckman92

I'm curious how some of the shops we all here about got thier start.
Example: BBT FAB, BIO KUSTOMS, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, KEEFS, TWISTED MINIS, DEVIOUS CUSTOMS, EKTENSIVE, GRANT KUSTOMS, SADISTIC IRON WORKS, CHASSIS BY AARON IHA..... any and all others.
 
Those are just a few off the top of my head, any background info to any and all shops that are willing to share it or if you have just heard the back story for how they got started. SHARE IT.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who will find this interesting.... thanks

I'm just a Lil guy that does work on the side to fund my truck...I had a shop for 1.5 years and decided to move back to my garage to save up so I can build my own shop in my backyard. Back in 02 when I bought my truck I immediately wanted to bag it. I called Ekstensive to get a qoute...$9000 to lay on 22s without a Z...just a shaved down frt crossmember. That's when I realized I'f I wanted my truck bagged I'd have to do it myself. So after playing 4 years of college football meanwhile tinkering with my truck in the summer...I had a buddy who worked at Lowe's who jacked a Lincoln 135 110v welder for me in exchange for a system install in his car. Then I started cutting my truck up...learning as I went along. Just about everything I've done to my dodge was the first time doin it. Thanks to alotta pics off ssm and pointerS from guys I was able to do what I did. Now I've been apart of 4 features and think my truck being doored on 26s has kinda raised the bar in the bodied on big wheels game. Luckily I've been blessed with some good club members that give me the oportunity to work on their trucks. I learn more and more each truck I work on. Hopefully one day I can do this full time and Drag By Customs will be mentions with the big boys. So I got started cause I couldn't afford to pay anyone else to do it. Lol

most people are into the scene as a hobby and it grows from there.. they start building things for friends or whoever and then decide to get a building and simply grow.

Edited: 5/26/2010 10:12:08 PM by truckman92

thanks for the repsonses... thats kinda the same boat Im in with not wanting to pay someone else to do it. back when I was in high school a shop wanted to charge me around $300 to shave the taillights on my truck and make the fillers, dont even thing they were including primer. another shop wanted around $3000.oo to bag my truck and it probably would have all been AIM (airbagit.com) stuff anyway. I've been learning and planning on opening my own shop since I started driving.  Ive been trying to just work the day job to fuel/fund my obssession of my truck and all other ideas for anything automotive. Ive done work on the side for friends and stuff but its been so spread out that if I had a shop I feel like it there wouldnt be any work to keep it busy to be a full time job, and the job I'm at now Ive been workin 50-60+ hours every week with a 5 month old baby at home I HAVE NO SPARE TIME to try and do side work or even fix stuff on my truck. Im still going to tear my truck apart and bag it... but Ive been saying that for like 10 years. Im still wanting to hear about all those shops that seem to be staying in demand. and I'm curious about BBT Fab because they're younger than me(24) and seem to be in high demand with quality work being turned out.

I opened my shop back in nov 09 and thankfully i picked up some repeat customers. But it has been hard. Times are still tough and gas prices are goin up which doesnt help anybody but the gas executives. Not sure what you plan on doing at your shop but if you are gonna do repairs and alignments its gonna take alot of money to get the right equipment. Good luck on whatever way you go.

---------------------------------------------Originally posted by truckman92thanks for the repsonses... thats kinda the same boat Im in with not wanting to pay someone else to do it. back when I was in high school a shop wanted to charge me around $300 to shave the taillights on my truck and make the fillers, dont even thing they were including primer. another shop wanted around $3000.oo to bag my truck and it probably would have all been AIM (airbagit.com) stuff anyway. I've been learning and planning on opening my own shop since I started driving.  Ive been trying to just work the day job to fuel/fund my obssession of my truck and all other ideas for anything automotive. Ive done work on the side for friends and stuff but its been so spread out that if I had a shop I feel like it there wouldnt be any work to keep it busy to be a full time job, and the job I'm at now Ive been workin 50-60+ hours every week with a 5 month old baby at home I HAVE NO SPARE TIME to try and do side work or even fix stuff on my truck. Im still going to tear my truck apart and bag it... but Ive been saying that for like 10 years. Im still wanting to hear about all those shops that seem to be staying in demand. and I'm curious about BBK Fab because they're younger than me(24) and seem to be in high demand with quality work being turned out.---------------------------------------------BBT Fab is in high demand because they put out very high quaility work .... They have made a huge impact recently in many communities iut there not only in the trucks they build . But hell dude you think those guys are young ... What about the guys from The Choppin Block , They are even younger .

Edited: 5/26/2010 10:13:03 PM by truckman92

yeah Ive looked at a lot of BBTs work and it all looks very high quality, and they do hot rods also. Which I saw that Little Shop was doin some work on a Chevelle the last time I saw them in Minitruckin a few months ago.  I eat/sleep/breathe anything thats automotive old or new, big or small: bikes, cars (ricers, hot rods, late model), trucks (minitrucks, fullsize, sport trucks or muscle trucks) painting, machining with mill and lathe, fab work, air-ride, motors, body work, hot rods, sheetmetal, stereo systems, pinstriping, interior pieces and apolstry. Ive done a lot of different kinds of work... most of the ones mentioned in some form or another. check out my MYSPACE at myspace.com/20inches   I would love to make the leap to a fulltime job of doing my own thing but I still have some major purchases ahead of me before I can make that leap, and responsibilties that I dont want to neglect.

i started out working in a street rod shop with my dad as a child then went on to work for other shops including body shops that did only insurance work. i finally realized that working for someone only made them money so i built my own shop behind my house. since i am a cop full time, PLEASE DONT HOLD IT AGAINST ME, i meet a lot of people coming through town on their way to  shows.  i am staying busy about 40 to 50 hours a week in the shop and the majority of my work is from out of state. if u do good work people will come to u. just remember it doesnt matter if something isnt going to be seen, make it look like it was right in the center of the bridge everytime no matter how small the piece u r working on is. it is all about attention to detail and ALWAYS remember good customer service. most people on here dont know me but several do. i dont get to get online much but if i can help let me know. good luck PARTONS ROD AND CUSTOMSNEWPORT, TN 37821423-237-1659

thats what I been planning on doin the last few years, plan on having my own building behind my next house when we build to keep cost down so I dont have to pay a lease/rent for a commercial space and I can do what I want with it. Thought the "DONT HOLD IT AGAINST ME" was funny. the Layin Down The Law 2007 car show I was a vendor at was to benefit the Fraternal Order of Police, more specifically an Officer undergoing medical treatment. I thought it was IRONIC... FOP & Kriminal Kustoms ,   also one of my long time friends is a Cop and I dont hold it against him.

thats cool. a lot of poeple hate all cops just because a few bastards fuck it up but honestly there are a few bad people in just about every profession. i am a hardcore minitrucker and the only thing u will catch me in (even during SWAT meetings) is dickies, flat bill hat, some type of minitrucking shirt, and some chuck taylors lol. i go to shows everywhere and set up vender spots and noone knows im a cop unless i tell them. hell more than likely i will be as drunk, playing beer pong in a parking lot, like everyone else. its funny Johnny O actually went around slammin and jammin show a couple years ago saying "shhhhh he's a cop" funny shit when everyone is plastard.  all bs aside man, need ANYTHING let me know. it is tough to get started. payroll is a bitch as well as taxes but its worth it in the end.