Who says you cant fix a bent frame!

[delatlanta1281]

My friend is a mechanic @ Jim Ellis Audi and this was going on in his shop yesterday (all week in fact). The frame in the middle is bent, the frame on the right is the new one. Basicly two mechanics removed the "body", rolled the bent frame (motor and all) to the lift next to it, and are transferring everything to the new frame. They will then lower the body back on the new frame. This is a 36 hour job, and these two are apperently the best at Jim ellis when it comes to this sort of thing. I was amazed when I saw it.

[SpecM]

looks like an f150

maybe?

[delatlanta1281]

I think it was a big ass chevy. Not sure though. I was standing in my friend's bay, and didn't want to walk over there for fear of getting him in trouble.

[der affe]

wow, i am suprised that the insurance did not total it. usually a bent frame means total unless it is a big expensive truck like a new diesel dually or similar. 36 hours is kind of low for the insurance co to pay for that job though.

[trent]

That isn't that big of deal and 36 hours isn't that much time.

[delatlanta1281]

My friend was saying it was low, but that these two could do it in less time. You don't really "milk" a job like this i guess.
Trent, I guess it isn't that big of a deal, he said they do it alot on bigger trucks. i was completly floored however, I didn't know this sort of thing was done! Can you imagine going up to the parts counter and ordering a bumper and a FRAME! LOL

[der affe]

dodges used to pay 50 hours and up for that depending on how good the writer was. so 36 is low, but insurance companies are tighter than a ducks butt these days so they may have combined labor opps now to screw you out of some of the hours.

it is funny, you order the frame, then usually with in a week the parks guy shows up in you stall with the forklift and a big assed truck frame on or hanging from it. "where do you want it?"

[delatlanta1281]

thats gotta be a daunting morning.
On a lighter note, my hangover is starting to clear up. i can't drink Guinness 250 anymore. It hurts my head badly.

[der affe]

NAH, it is not that big of a deal as long as there is no wiring damage to the harnesses, it is pretty straight forward. just start bolting it together, drop the cab on the frame, align the bed, finish putting it back together and make sure everything works, get it over to alignment, wash and ship it.

[z31maniac]

but insurance companies are tighter than a ducks butt these days so they may have combined labor opps now to screw you out of some of the hours.

Because being able to pull off 12-16 billable hours in an 8 hour work day isn't screwing over the consumer and insurance companies to begin with? ;)









Just gotta give you some shit!

[myinfernalbmw]

Because being able to pull off 12-16 billable hours in an 8 hour work day isn't screwing over the consumer and insurance companies to begin with? ;)

Techs don't go to work to break even, they work to make money. :)

[der affe]

exactly!
it is a give and take deal. sometimes you take it in the ass on cars, some times you get a sweet job. if you do a lot of heavy collision this stuff is easy (read you are paying me for my experience, skill, and knowledge). if you give the same job to an unexperienced tech or crappy shop they will cut corners, lose their ass, or just do a crap job at it.


when you do an estimate on a job, you over bid things because you know that the insurance company is going to take some time away from you. the longer you have been doing it the better you are at guessing how much they will take away from you so you can get the time you want and need to do the job and make $$. the crappy thing about bodywork is that there is no real specific book time for labor opps like regular mechanics (chiltons or mitchell) so it is a crap shoot between you, the writer, and the insurance estimator.


not to say that there are not TONSSSSSS of hacks out there doing bodywork and raping people. (just one of the many reasons i am getting out of the industry) no one is really impressed when they hear you do bodywork for a living because of these people, not that that maters to me, but the lack of respect for someone skilled in their trade does.

so i am going to school to sell LEGAL drugs to people! hello pharm school!

[z31maniac]

Techs don't go to work to break even, they work to make money. :)

We all do chief. But some of us have a government auditor watching every minute of our time card.;)

The way mechanics get paid these days is precisely why I don't want to buy a new car. I like old stuff I can work on!

[equate975]

Isn't it flat rate anyways? What does that count as, body or mechanic work?

I don't think it would be that big of a deal to do, it looks new enough that you wouldn't spend too much time fighting rusted bolts and that kind of time consuming BS. Also the documentation is probably a lo better than an e30 haynes manual lol.

Biggest bitch would be electrical, and wherever ford decided they would hide connectors.

[der affe]

it is flat rate, but body work is it's own deal, like i said there is no real book time, just guidelines that are set forth by the insurance companies.

most of the time on that job should be mechanical. it can be different from company to company though because mechanical time pays either more time or a higher flate rate than body. things like installing the bed is body time, but the installation of the actual car itself is mechanical time. suspension may or may not be mechanical, motor and tranny is mechanical, driveshaft diff rear end is mechanical, cooling system may be body or mechanical, wiring harness may be mechanical or body.


does that make any sense now that i have broken it down?