Does $200 Seem Unreasonable to Charge to Weld in Full SubFrame Connectors

[Potomus Pete]

I am a licensed electrical contractor in NJ.
And over the years if there is one thing i have learned is that if a customer is more worried about the money than they are the quality of work, it's best for both of you not to work together.
They are never going to think they got their money's worth and you will always feel like you are ripping them off (even if you are not).
You also cannot waiver on pricing, when you first talk money you can't say things like "let me see" or "i'll check". All solid finite answers. It has to be like buying a gallon of milk at the convenience store. it's $5 (or whatever it costs), that's the price, it's cool if they want it, it's just as fine if they don't. You have to be very sure of yourself or people will eat you alive.

For the record, i think $200 is very reasonable if you know what you are doing.
But at this point, it's already too late for this guy, if he really said you are "crazy", you should absolutely not do this work.
And if you do, come back and let us know how wrong it went.

I don't have to pay people often to do things. But when i do, my #1 concern is if I think they will do a good job (my roof comes to mind), rather than the bottom line.

I have a painting company in Florida, and New Jersey has some people that go crazy over prices. Very often I just never call them back because they seem like they are not going to pay. Those New England states have quite a few that make me not sleep at night.

 

[Rdub6]

I am a licensed electrical contractor in NJ.
And over the years if there is one thing i have learned is that if a customer is more worried about the money than they are the quality of work, it's best for both of you not to work together.
They are never going to think they got their money's worth and you will always feel like you are ripping them off (even if you are not).
You also cannot waiver on pricing, when you first talk money you can't say things like "let me see" or "i'll check". All solid finite answers. It has to be like buying a gallon of milk at the convenience store. it's $5 (or whatever it costs), that's the price, it's cool if they want it, it's just as fine if they don't. You have to be very sure of yourself or people will eat you alive.

For the record, i think $200 is very reasonable if you know what you are doing.
But at this point, it's already too late for this guy, if he really said you are "crazy", you should absolutely not do this work.
And if you do, come back and let us know how wrong it went.

I don't have to pay people often to do things. But when i do, my #1 concern is if I think they will do a good job (my roof comes to mind), rather than the bottom line.

Absolutely, quality is the biggest concern. Most of us here are either professional, or capable DIY, and we know when things are wrong.
If you need to pay, pay once for it to be done right..... it will be cheaper than paying twice to fix the first guys mistakes!

 

[Potomus Pete]

Will the cheap Harbor Freight welder do the job??

 

[Potomus Pete]

The 110 volt one

 

[a91what]

Will the cheap Harbor Freight welder do the job??

I use the titanium series welder [the green 110v one] and it did very well. I installed the entire stifflers kit on my car with it.

 

[Rdub6]

Will the cheap Harbor Freight welder do the job??

I did my floor pans and SFC with the Eastwood 110v welder.
Im convinced I did a good job, and that the welds are strong!

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Ahh the “which welder is right for me“ topic pops back up again.

There is no reason ( on this planet at least) to buy an entry level 110 only P.O.S. when there are dual voltage options from our friends in Wuhan coming out the ass on Amazon.

I started out just like everybody here and bought a Lincoln 110 unit as my first box..I got it from Home Depot, and paid 400 new.
It worked fine for anything up to .125 thick…Anything thicker than that had to be beveled, dressed, and otherwise dicked with to make sure that the welds penetrated.

But now you got Chinee..

Both my mig and tig are full on WTF name is that chinee, and they both work great. The Mig came with a spool gun. I can plug it into either 110, or 220, and that thing cost like……399.00 ???

I guess you can buy the HF box for 199.00 it’ll weld ok using spattery assed flux core wire…Then one day you’ll be like..I wanna weld housing ends on a shortened 8.8..

And your 199 box is now worthless..

 

[Mustang5L5]

I did my floor pans and SFC with the Eastwood 110v welder.
Im convinced I did a good job, and that the welds are strong!

I did my frame rails and a few household projects with my Eastwood 110v. Ran it on low to mid power settings and it did fine. I'll be doing my SFC's with them shortly. if i cranked it to the max it would burn through any metal on a car without an issue.

Of course, i finally got around to installing a couple 220V outlets in my garage and am now kicking myself for not getting a 220V box. Of course, after i finish my SFC's i'm not sure i'll need the welder anymore.

 

[revhead347]

Ask Kate….She finds it out of the ordinary when she doesn’t hear screaming coming from the garage.

My neighbor looks at me weird when I start cussing and throwing . He is a millenial, they don't understand that this is how it's done. Any problem can be solved with the application of the appropriate amount of foul language.

Kurt

 

[revhead347]

I started out just like everybody here and bought a Lincoln 110 unit as my first box..I got it from Home Depot, and paid 400 new.
It worked fine for anything up to .125 thick…Anything thicker than that had to be beveled, dressed, and otherwise dicked with to make sure that the welds penetrated.

I bought the exact same welder from Home Depot. I converted it to a MIG though.

Kurt

 

[alutwon]

had mine done about 3 years ago and was charged 325 including paint. like others have said biggest concern was quality of work but thankfully they were top notch and I couldn't be happier. so I would say 200 is MORE than fair.

 

[Potomus Pete]

With a convertible I would think the topside strut , to strut brace could be just as important. My car seems to bend more up top.

 

[Bree]

Are you supplying the parts, or is he? When I had mine done back in late 90-something, I think it was like $50 or so. But, I already had the parts all he had to do was lift the car and weld them in place.
Now, to disclaimer this further, inflation has gone up a bunch since I had mine done, that's first, Second, I'm in a fairly economical depressed community. And that makes a difference as well. You know, like, what's cost of living in your aria.

 

[chrlsful]

opinions, opinions. I will NOT discuss price here (city? country? dealer? self? yrs experience, overhead, profit, married [ur self], fab'n mechanic or just mechanic, etc, etc). What I WILL say is:

Charge what the market bears. Factor in all the above AND compare it to local charges. Discuss w/buddies in the trade, @ the Chamber or BID, etc. Treat each customer as an individual (I have some I give a break - disabled spouse, developmentally disabled child, etc. Others very wealthy I "sock it to" & we're still @ more than 'just business" relations). I give free will but some abuse it so get straight charges from there on... Some grumble, grumble so much it kinda makes me sick BUT they still return even if $/job is not lowered. That tells me alot. Some say "I saw U do that. Here's 50$ on ur 200$ estimate." (they don't realize I have knowledge/skill in the job so don't wanna pay for that. They will for an attorney or electrician but I'm 'justa grease monkey'. Had it in the building trades too. Didn't realize the whole job relies on finish, technique, knowledge, science). I actually take care ofa lotta ppl. They have rusty ol rigs (some guys would not touch) and low incomes.
We just hada long conversation covering all aspects of this the other nite after close w/a few beers. P/u some prts at dealer, sign said "$148 hr." kid in the bay dont get that...15 - 30$/hr. Rest goes to a huge set of support staff. I don't fly blind (no insurance, mechanics lic plates, fire insur on & on) but every dollar crosses MY palm. I turned out justa bout right after that conversation. The discussion helped me sleep better @ nite. May B have this w/ur own ppl (& or book keeper/tax person)...

 

[Bill95]

Contact the local Ford dealer, and ask what they charge to weld in the factory subframe connectors for an SN95 Mustang. The part numbers are XR3Z-76101W08 and XR3Z-76101W09. They are part of a TSB (I believe 5132, might be 5134). If you are doing similarly designed connectors, you have your answer. If yours are more complex, go from there.. A lot of the manufacturers give labor estimates for welding in their product.

 

[Mustang5L5]

BTW, I'm setting up to weld my SFC's on my car as we speak.

I know my experience will differ from a shop using drive-on lift with all the right tools sitting there handy, but there's no way I would do this for $200, at least not the way that I'm doing it with attention to detail and such.

 

[chrlsful]

40$ to turn on the machine, 120/hr to custom up something...
Alu is more (tig) as the cleanliness needed is outrageous.
(if U done this wrk U know bout the dangerous fumes comin off. Some parts of fab R fun, some not)