Do you have an automotive side hustle? | Column

I have been in the Motor Oil and related products distribution business for over 40 years.  About ten years ago I decided to spring for a used Dodge Viper.  I had contacted the local Viper Club and was invited to one of their events.  At the event one of the members came up to me and said, "You know, you really should be tracking that thing."  That's how the slide down the slippery slope accelerated (yes, pun intended).  Then came the fourth biggest lie, "All you need is a helmet."  I found out I couldn't buy one in St. Louis and had to order one online.  

We have a large warehouse in St. Louis that has a separate area that is heated and air conditioned.  I decided to re-purpose part of it to do car storage under the name Elite Auto Storage and then concluded that people with cars to store would likely be enthusiasts so I decided to make the move to create St. Louis Race Gear so those local enthusiasts could skip the hassle of trying to order safety apparel including HNR's online and could come try on the helmets, suits, gloves, shoes, etc., etc. they needed.  Then just in time for the global pandemic I had the opportunity to buy U.S. Race Gear in Cincinnati because the owner, a really great guy, was closing it down.  We now stock Alpinestars apparel, Bell helmets, HANS devices, Racequip and Simpson helmets & apparel and, of course, Simpson's Hybrid Sport and Hybrid-S plus an array of other lines.  I have also become a bit of an evangelist in my efforts to get more drivers in all sorts of different amateur racing categories to wear head and neck restraints, including HPDE instructors.

Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) said:

I have done powder coating for years. I have put it on hold due to Covid since I'm under mandatory requirement to work an extra 48 hours per week at my main job. I'm not complaining. Overtime at my main job far exceeds any side hustle financially. It's also pushing my retirement closer due to the added retirement contributions.

But, last week I did disassemble my main blast cabinet and begin refreshing some seals and new hoses and such. It looks like things are starting to quieten down a little on the work front so I'm hoping to be back at it by summer. I sure enjoy the craft. It's very cathartic to me.

I need some calipers powder coated if/when you get back to it

I make YouTube videos on automotive related games, it started as a hobby but has become a part time job in addition to my full time one. I also sell stickers related to my YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/c/automotivefluxofficial

Yep. I am doing controls reverse engineering for a specific shop in Canada. We're targeting platforms that are utterly excellent dynamically, but have core powertrain issues and no reasonable (cost wise) way to fix the issues. Currently, I've reverse engineered the 997 C2S, C4S, GT3, Turbo & 987 Cayman/Boxster/S/Non-S and the mechnical side of the kit is nearly complete. He plans to sell the kit with a plug and play ECU to swap in a certain Honda engine, and yes EVERYTHING works like OEM and I mean everything. I have the CAN reversed engineered at a laughably higher level than all the backyard LS swaps that either piggyback the OE ECU or use an Ardiuno to emulate CAN messages. Anyways, it's been a fun side-gig and I think I'm gonna tackle the E46 platform next!

For side hustle i detail about 2 vehicles a month from April to September. It usually covers my hobbies(racing) and my consumables to detail my own fleet.

Im still flipping junk yard parts.

In reply to goingnowherefast :

RX8

I do some work on the side creating 3d CAD models and drawings of classic car parts for a local restoration parts supplier. They have tons of old parts, but it's difficult and risky for them to ship those parts around the world to get quotes for new tooling to make duplicates. Having the CAD models and drawings saves them a ton of time and money shipping parts, and creates a digital repository of parts in case anything ever happens to the originals that are 50-60+ years old now.

It can be a real challenge to take 50-year-old seat foam and try to figure out the original dimensions! But it is fun working with all the old parts, and being a part of the process helping people restore their cars.

I'm glad I found this thread. 

While I was with my ex-wife for 12 years, I felt like I was in a vice. She killed every dream or aspiration I had of any kind of side hustle or venture that would help with getting one foot out the door from the world of cyber security. 

Since I've been single, I've been trying to reinvent myself. I've been traveling the world and doing things I've always wanted to do. At the end of the day I still have this itch to start my own business and do things my way. 

For a few years I was building furniture and selling it on craigslist and FBMP. Nothing intricate, mainly right angles and things that look great in a farmhouse modern setting. Never got around to procuring the right tools or learning the techniques to make some truly spectacular stuff. (killed by ex-wife for spending too much time in garage between cars and that)

Got into programming arduinos and raspberry pis for people to do one off things. Time vs. profit payoff wasn't worth it. 

I've been successful in flipping cars but that's a risky market and profit margins aren't always there. 

An easy button now would be doing arrive and drive sales for Champcar and Lemons. We've been talking about building a second car and renting out our Accord for beginners or kids looking for W2W experience. 

When I was in elementary school I started my first side hustle selling candy on the bus. Most of my life I have always had more then one job. I still buy and sell parts, cars, karts, video games ect.. Sometimes it's a homerun and other times I lose money, but it can be fun. However 3 years ago I had a second job with the government seasonal that paid really well and wish I could find a job as such because I made a lot more money doing that than any of the other side hustles and part time jobs put together lolz.

Driven5 said:

In reply to goingnowherefast :

RX8

The CAN is really easy for that one, I can bring it up to him. We'd definitely need to make our own subframe. 

Happened to have a conversation about this very topic with someone last night. Does getting paid to do something actually remove the fun as it adds expectations? 

His example:

He's a coder. There's a difference between helping a buddy with a coding project vs. doing freelance coding for someone. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I've been saying it as long as I've been on this forum, never do what you love to do as a living because it will eventually become just a job, and you'll no longer have the thing you love.

And usually get told I'm crazy every time I mention it. But it's real and it's called the over justification effect.

Peabody said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I've been saying it as long as I've been on this forum, never do what you love to do as a living because it will eventually become just a job, and you'll no longer have the thing you love.

And usually get told I'm crazy every time I mention it. But it's thing and it's called the over justification effect.

I'm about to put this theory to the test.  

Holy E36 M3, my life has taken incredible turns in the past few years.  Among other things, you guys know I work in auto insurance claims and I love it.  I love the challenges, overcoming obstacles, building success, etc...  At the same time, after 25+ years I'm ready to "retire" from it and move on to the next phase of my life.  I have been offered enough instructor/driving coach jobs that I can make it a full time job and then some.  My wife and I just formed an LLC in anticipation of trying some other auto related things, such as providing driver school training for teens.  Meeting with a financial advisor next week to see if this is a reality.  Going to require a big leap of faith....

Good luck!
Some people can do it. I couldn't

If you are doing driver training  , maybe add a couple higher cost options , 

"Security driving"  where you teach defensive driving , but more like your passenger is getting kidnapped etc , 

And if there is a way , Stunt car driving ,  mostly ultra car control , sliding into a parking spot etc , they did something like that on Top gear / 5th gear , 

I would love to pay for a couple hours chalkboard  training and then time in an ex-police car doing controlled slides etc....

In reply to californiamilleghia :

That would be cool, but not something I can do on public roads, LOL.  Besides, I don't have experience sliding into a parking spot, etc...  My target market would be the typical teenager getting their license and needing the driving instruction for insurance or because their parents don't want to teach them.  I would certainly offer my services for HPDE, but mostly for beginners to intermediates.  I believe I'm a good driver, but not someone who's going to be able to coax that last 1/10th of a second out of someone.  I'm not that good.  But I can teach people all the basics of road racing, first and foremost being safety, while putting a smile on their face.

my current side hustle:

https://www.chrisv-design.com/mini-lights/

I may be extending it due to demand...

Yep. Parting out SVT Foci (dodges bricks). Been doing so for over 10 years now. It's allowed me to have some fun, not spend my traditional income, kept my wife happy (here you go love, $200 - go shopping), and kept me off the couch. 

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

My wife and I just formed an LLC in anticipation of trying some other auto related things, such as providing driver school training for teens.  Meeting with a financial advisor next week to see if this is a reality.  Going to require a big leap of faith....

You will need lots of insurance.  Meet with your insurance expert early in this process.

I wrote my first book about designing and building a mid-engine car, "Kimini", putting everything I learned in one place for those considering doing the same or similar (like putting a FWD engine in the rear of an existing car). That book isn't targeted at any particular design, giving it a wider audience.

The second book was more of a cookbook for creating a mid-engine  Lotus 7-ish car, called "Midlana", and provides plans on how to build your own, plus many possible variations builders can incorporate. So far, one car is on the road in the UK (interestingly, about 15 miles from Jeremy Clarkson's farm), and 3-4 others are moving toward completion as well.

From the start, the books were to help pay back some of the expenses incurred during the construction of both cars, and they pretty much have. They were also to spread what I'd learned to the next generation before I forget it all... Since selling Midlana, sales have dropped off, as expected, but the occasional sale still makes me happy for enabling a dream for a potential builder.

I mentioned flipping junk yard parts - it's just a side hustle. Go when I want to go, get what I THINK will be cool and would sell. Knowing car stuff, as well as an ebay app on phone, sometimes, helps in procuring things here and there.

But it's tee shirt money. Coffee money. I got a job, this is just something that I ENJOY doing and it helps out with keeping certain things from hitting my bank account.

Would I want to do this full time? NO. I dont want to be in the garage all day packaging things, photographing etc. Ive parted one car, it wasnt THAT much fun.

This, at least, keeps me auto-involved a bit.

hybridmomentspass said:

...helps out with keeping certain things from hitting my bank account...

Haha, yeah I suspect a lot of people supplement their hobby with a "secret corporate slush fund."

kb58 said:

hybridmomentspass said:

...helps out with keeping certain things from hitting my bank account...

Haha, yeah I suspect a lot of people supplement their hobby with a "secret corporate slush fund."

DWNSHFT said:

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

My wife and I just formed an LLC in anticipation of trying some other auto related things, such as providing driver school training for teens.  Meeting with a financial advisor next week to see if this is a reality.  Going to require a big leap of faith....

You will need lots of insurance.  Meet with your insurance expert early in this process.

Thankfully I am an insurance expert.  25+ years in the business.