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Well, might as well make it official.  I'm selling the shop and or parting it out.  Most likely parting it out.  After much thought has been put into it I've decided to go the route of writer/teacher for my next leg of automotive.  After 33 years of running a shop I guess you could say... I've seen it done it and own lots of T shirts. 

Equipment wise I've got most everything up for sale.  Including a few specialty tools that aren't even around anymore.  Such as a gauge tester for anything from 95 on back... Very handy.  I'll try to put together a list... but if there is something you'd like to know if I have one... send me a message.  I'll get back to you. 

Week 7 from busy shop owner/mechanic/writer to an open heart surgery survivor.  

Just started rehab.  Oh what fun that is.  Picture this, I'm in a room with a bunch of 90 year old guys with pace makers and wearing a bib with your first name on it which holds your heart monitor while barely pedaling their exercise machines and googly eyeing the pretty nurses.  Yea, those heart monitors are recording their real heart rates.  LOL.  Me, I'm trying to get my strength back so I'm concentrating on keeping the rpms up and let the nurses watch the screen and tell me when I'm over doing it based on the heart monitoring I'm also wearing. (Yea, mine says Gonzo on it) 

I've got one more day of teaching, which I've got to admit I think I'm really cut out to be a teacher.  Did a quiz on naming A/C components (which is part of the class schedule) along with several A/C gauges mocked up that they have to give the most likely diag. on what the gauges show. (Hi and Lo gauge readings) Then. they have to draw a complete A/C system using a fixed orfice tube and all the components, and direction of flow, showing the liquid and gas.  

    Out of 15 students. 12 got a 100. two with 75, and one kid got a 60 (he has only showed up three or four times. and the ones that got the 75 come in late everyday)  I think that's a pretty good return on a teachers effort if ya asked me. 

Anyway, I can't go back to the shop until the middle of Sept. according to the doctors. So. I've turned in anything that I have to pay a monthly or weekly fee, such as uniforms, and any other rental type stuff including any cleaning services etc...   no sense in paying for something I'm not using. 

Come mid Sept.  I've got to decide... go back to work, run the shop, maybe hire in, maybe not.  Or do I sell out, sell off. and retire.  Assuming my other side line work, manual writing, webinars, column, and sub. teaching is a better way to finish out the last of my working years.  Heck, I might even be able to travel a bit and visit all you guys that read all the crappy stuff I write. LOL  The real sad part is its most likely that I probably won't make a whole lot on the sale of the shop or equipment due to the economy, but I've got some really great equipment that has been well cared for considering only one person has operated and cared for most of it. (namely me)

Any thoughts and words of wisdom or suggestions would be encouraging.  It's a tough decision to make after 33 years in business.   

 But, it's truly something to even be here... when you considered I actually died on two different occasions as they tried to fix my heart problem ... I've got a lot to be thankful for. 

Week 7 from busy shop owner/mechanic/writer to an open heart surgery survivor.  

Just started rehab.  Oh what fun that is.  Picture this, I'm in a room with a bunch of 90 year old guys with pace makers and wearing a bib with your first name on it which holds your heart monitor while barely pedaling their exercise machines and googly eyeing the pretty nurses.  Yea, those heart monitors are recording their real heart rates.  LOL.  Me, I'm trying to get my strength back so I'm concentrating on keeping the rpms up and let the nurses watch the screen and tell me when I'm over doing it based on the heart monitoring I'm also wearing. (Yea, mine says Gonzo on it) 

I've got one more day of teaching, which I've got to admit I think I'm really cut out to be a teacher.  Did a quiz on naming A/C components (which is part of the class schedule) along with several A/C gauges mocked up that they have to give the most likely diag. on what the gauges show. (Hi and Lo gauge readings) Then. they have to draw a complete A/C system using a fixed orfice tube and all the components, and direction of flow, showing the liquid and gas.  

    Out of 15 students. 12 got a 100. two with 75, and one kid got a 60 (he has only showed up three or four times. and the ones that got the 75 come in late everyday)  I think that's a pretty good return on a teachers effort if ya asked me. 

Anyway, I can't go back to the shop until the middle of Sept. according to the doctors. So. I've turned in anything that I have to pay a monthly or weekly fee, such as uniforms, and any other rental type stuff including any cleaning services etc...   no sense in paying for something I'm not using. 

Come mid Sept.  I've got to decide... go back to work, run the shop, maybe hire in, maybe not.  Or do I sell out, sell off. and retire.  Assuming my other side line work, manual writing, webinars, column, and sub. teaching is a better way to finish out the last of my working years.  Heck, I might even be able to travel a bit and visit all you guys that read all the crappy stuff I write. LOL  The real sad part is its most likely that I probably won't make a whole lot on the sale of the shop or equipment due to the economy, but I've got some really great equipment that has been well cared for considering only one person has operated and cared for most of it. (namely me)

Any thoughts and words of wisdom or suggestions would be encouraging.  It's a tough decision to make after 33 years in business.   

 But, it's truly something to even be here... when you considered I actually died on two different occasions as they tried to fix my heart problem ... I've got a lot to be thankful for. 

Spent the last two weeks revamping the website www.gonzostoolbox.com. Should make it easier to find stories and tech articles. Let me know what ya think of the changes. Also, check out the Trivia page videos.

I've seen slow, and I've slower. But, in all my 30 plus years I haven't seen it this slow. It's all over town too. weird.....everybody said it's slow.

Saw this on a coffee cup, "I'm a mekanic, a mecanik, a makanik,... Ok, I fix cars"

Saw this on a coffee cup, "I'm a mekanic, a mecanik, a makanik,... Ok, I fix cars"