Hit 500 engine rebuilds and it kinda hit me different than I expected

I keep a log of every job I do in this little notebook my grandpa gave me. Last Friday I was flipping through it and saw I passed 500 full engine rebuilds. Not counting minor stuff like head gaskets or injector swaps. 500 complete tear downs and builds. That number surprised me because I never thought of myself as someone who did that much work. Started out just helping my uncle in his garage back in 2008. Now I'm 37 and apparently I've been busy. It matters because each one taught me something new about clearances or torque sequences or what not to do. Anyone else ever look back at their numbers and get caught off guard by how much you've actually done?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.parker1mo ago

Counting the numbers is missing the point entirely. 500 rebuilds means nothing if half of them are coming back with problems in a few years. A guy who does fifty perfect builds where each one lasts a hundred thousand miles is worth more than someone rushing through five hundred just to stack a notebook. You gotta ask yourself what the quality looks like on those jobs. Are you keeping track of how many of those engines needed rework or had comebacks? Because I guarantee a shop that focuses on numbers instead of results is the same shop that rushes customers and blames parts when something fails. Maybe that notebook should have a separate column for warranty claims.

charles6401mo ago

Wait isn't that exactly what @sage_moore37 was getting at though with the risk taking thing? Because you're absolutely right that a notebook full of numbers means nothing if half those jobs needed a redo later. Ive seen shops brag about volume but then you talk to the customers and theyre all pissed about blown head gaskets six months later. Quality control on every single build is what actually builds trust and keeps people coming back. The warranty claims column idea is genius actually because that would separate the honest builders from the ones just chasing a high score.

sage_moore371mo ago

Fifty perfect builds" sounds great but thats assuming you never take risks or try new things.