new shop
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Discription: General Mobile Electronics Questions and Answers
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=60167
Printed Date: May 17, 2024 at 10:24 PM
Topic: new shop
Posted By: 530motoring
Subject: new shop
Date Posted: July 27, 2005 at 2:40 AM
well Im opening a new shop and Im also kinda new to the biz, but now Im going to start to set up the install bay, I just wanted to know if anyone had any ideas on how to set it up, or if anyone has pics of there own shop I would like to see them. thanks!!
Replies:
Posted By: SoundAudio
Date Posted: July 27, 2005 at 12:54 PM
The shop i worked in had 4 bays. 3 regular sized doors, (pull car down, honk number of bay, others open door, works real well) We had one larg door and bay for working on larger trucks. One bay was entirely closed off to help keep dust pout of that bay for special needs. Work benches against wall at front of bay. We keep all our installation parts (terminals, screws, relays, ect.) are kept in old library card catalog drawers beneath work benches. Shortly after I left they built a loft above the three small bays and it is a huge pain in the ass. I think they recently changed that closed off bay into a shop specifically for wood work and other cutting to help eleiminate dust from the bays. The main thing is just having enough room to move about and easily do any work on a vehicle so you don't have to work outside.
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Good Luck!
-Thad
Posted By: maglin
Date Posted: July 27, 2005 at 11:41 PM
organization is key. the library catalog idear is a good one.
personally one of my peevs is power supply access - nothing more god awful than tripping over orange cords stretched all over hell and back again. we recently installed hanging power strips in the bay without the car hoist, and my god, is it a blessing. also we have the air hanging from the cieling, so thats awesome too.
Posted By: Velocity Motors
Date Posted: July 28, 2005 at 8:45 AM
Make sure you have enough lighting in the bay. Nothing worse that having a bay with poor light ( strains the eyes and makes everyone grumpy ). Place 4 foot flourecent lights on the sides of the work bays to emit light into the vehicles and place them at the front and the rear of the work bays as well. Putting them directly above a vehicle is useless if your always working in the front or the rear or the sides of a car. Power and air from the ceiling is a must as well as have a community computer for all your installer's to work from to grab wiring information, tech support & general online support instead of having a computer in the front office area. Have all your tools near you on a rolling cart instead of far away. Nothing worse than having to walk around a car 50 times because you keep forgetting something from the work bench. ------------- Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA
Posted By: thepencil
Date Posted: July 28, 2005 at 11:42 AM
Lots and lots of lighting! It will help you get the job done quicker. Keep the bay as clean as possible. Clean bay in the eyes of the customer usually mean you will do the same in their car. Get a MARKER and put your name on all of your tool. It's helps to get expense down for the month. ------------- Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. 
Posted By: maglin
Date Posted: July 31, 2005 at 12:15 AM
scrap markers - bust out the dremel tool. shops have permanent marker removal chems. lol.
*knows the hard way on that one*
~~Vinn
Posted By: thepencil
Date Posted: August 02, 2005 at 4:00 PM
Posted By: Mad Scientists
Date Posted: August 03, 2005 at 5:39 PM
maglin wrote:
scrap markers - bust out the dremel tool. shops have permanent marker removal chems. lol.
*knows the hard way on that one*
~~Vinn
Don't mess up your tools.. just don't loan them out. Impress upon the people that ask to borrow that this is how you make your living.. this is your life. I once watched someone take a bunch of Snap On tools to the grinder.. just to identify them as his. If someone's gonna take them, the grind mark isn't going to stop them. Jim
Posted By: Teamrf
Date Posted: August 03, 2005 at 7:03 PM
I agree....keep your tools locked up. That is a good way to piss an installer off, especially one that takes pride in buying the best tools (snap on, matco, cornwell,ect) Nobody likes having tools lost, or stolen...LOCK 'EM UP!
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~The Rookie~
Rookie of the year that is...
Don't let the smoke out of your equiptment..it doesn't go back in.
Posted By: stang351w
Date Posted: August 03, 2005 at 7:26 PM
to be organised what i did, a friend of mine does powder coating so i podwercoated metric sockets one color and standard sockets another along with screw driver bits....looks funny at first site but once you know what each color means...it's just like someone passing you the excat one you need...plus it wont wash off like marker  and like they said, lighting is everything...my old shop had a LED trouble light with 30 leds...put out good light but it was all direct light...i went back to the old trouble lights and lighting on the sides of the bay...even though i spent an hour agruing with the boss why not to put them over head (over the car)...oddly enough...that was my last day there..lol..don't know if it was that or the JL audio rep (who was also the kicker rep around here which we delt with) looking for me because i have since opened my own shop also, one of the biggest things i suggest, dont limit yourself, don't do just this or just that...the more you do the more customers you will have. and research your products, it's nice to know the history and quality, i'm selling blaupunkt, infinity, memphis, and JBL. which is better then most in this town... ------------- Tri County KustomZ
certified installer
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