Seen people my age the past couple of years living it UP off oil/gas.

 

That would probably be easiest as there would be zero cutting on anything. There is just something about running methanol and being able to see the outlets though................know what I'm saying lol

Honestly, I thing it's what I want to do. The very back corner is where I think it would look the best, but I'd then have to address the hood hinges and move the brake master cylinder into the cab.

On some cars yes......but not sure it looks the best on a truck for some reason.

The past couple of years really haven't been that good. So if you know people who have only been in that long.........they missed the days of $14.5/mmbtu of natural gas and $150/barrel oil...........whew it was crazy. I've never seen such a blatant disregard of the true value of a dollar in all my life. Every time I called the client with an issue, they were like "**** it, here's more money......."

Then there are guys that I know that have been in longer than me, were out of work for a month and were broke. I've been fortunate to survive 6 months without having earned a single dollar and not really having to change our lifestyle much with the exception being smarter about money spent on dinning out and little **** like that. I can't last forever though......at some point it either has to pick up or I'm just gonna move onto something different. It would literally impossible for me to take a pay cut at this point lol.

 

Yeah here in Texas especially you can see the impact the oil and gas industry has on our hobby alone. Been in this line of work going on about 7-8 years and lucky for me I been on the side that takes the least amount of impact. I have a lot of friends who have gone almost a year or more without work. Hopefully it picks up. Think we just hit $49 a barrel so once we get over the $50 mark oil field companies will start making money again. Not much but something.

 

The last client I had which was a contract from the middle/late summer of 2015 to the end of November 2015 told us the whole time not to worry. They could make money at $40 and would continue to do so......even if the price fell slightly below $40 for a little while, they said it would be no problem......we can weather the storm and want you guys to continue.................obviously my contact wasn't calling ALL the shots lol.

...and that was a project up in Marshall, Texas near the Louisiana boarder. So it had nothing to do with the Permian. The Permian is booming right now. I know several people up there working and I actually turned down a contract two weeks ago to go up there. These companies have cut back so hard on paying for travel expenses it makes it near impossible to work there unless you live there. As the price comes back up slowly, you'll see positive economic impact, but it will be in those locals where there are active fields. In Texas for example, we are already seeing positive impact near Midland.....I can see parts of South Texas turning the corner and Dallas/Ft. Worth area might follow after that. I've made the majority of my money working East Texas......but it rarely ever produced the kind of barn burner wells you saw in the Barnett and Eagle Ford.

My family owns small mineral interest all over the State so I obviously handle all leasing efforts for the family. This helps me keep keep a barometer on all areas of the State where the action is. The Permian is all I'm dealing with right now. All of our Northeast Texas holdings are stagnate. We had some action on some mineral property that we own along I-10 between Flatonia and Schulemburg on the North side of the HWY. We leased it about 5 years ago and they banged sonar all over the area and poke a few holes to the South of us that I believe were decently successful but I can't say 100%. I need to go look but I believe that lease is about to expire and my phone isn't ringing off the hook about releasing it.......I don't see that materializing into anything in the near future.

 

Nice little shakeup with lease owners in permian basin recently. Luckily spouse in operations so even with layoffs and buyouts still a need for Sr level skillsets for handling regulatory and govt permits. I will say we have liquidated more than 1/2 of oil investments into something more secure and long term along with laying off any debt that has interest associated with it, that way if the axe does come it wont be as hard of a blow.

 

I run a trucking company up in Alaska that pretty much all we haul for is SLB/MiSwaco. We have gone from servicing 21 rigs to 3. I haven't had to move a load in over 3 weeks. I have gone from 22 trucks to 8. Now I am considering taking it down to 4 trucks. Rather keep 4 guys fed instead of starve 8. Hard times up here for oil/gas!

I always try to stay positive! This is just the slump to the next boom! Right?! HAHA

 

I've been tooling around seriously considering just starting a shop. Having worked in a race oriented machine shop for 10 years, I have a pretty good perspective as an employee, and owning my own business for the last 10 years has also given me a perspective from that point of view as well. My only hang up is that I know fabrication/engine shops for performance vehicles/motorcycles is no cake walk. Matter of fact, I'd expect it to be down right exhausting for the first few years.

I made a joke above about "at this point it would be impossible for me to take a pay cut", but the reality is it would be a very difficult long hours process to be successful enough to match the money I've made over the last 10 years in oil/gas. While the switch would not be totally about the money, it would be a lifestyle change for sure. I just need to decide what it is worth to do something I am actually passionate about. I've never owned my own business doing something I love, but have to imagine that you could consider an amount of decreased income actually being made up in the fact that you enjoy doing it.

The funny thing is how much side work I've had to turn down over the last several years for the sole reason that I just don't have the space. The truth is, right now I could have 3-5 customer cars in for work the day the doors opened.

Probably the shittiest part of the whole deal is that if I was going to do it, I should have done it slowly over the past couple years while I had a decently sized regular income, and just having the doors open a few days a week while I did my day job thing. Instead, I've sat on my *** the last 6 months burning through money waiting for something to come along. Thats the part that scares me the most........I've basically waited until I can't afford to take on additional debt/rent to make this a serious consideration.

Hind sight is always 20/20.

 

Over the past few days I have read your build from page 1. I just wanted you to know that you do amazing work. I have been struggling with a pill addiction and decided to give it up. Over the past few days I have been going through the worst of the withdrawals and reading your thread helped to keep me focused and motivated to get through it. I have a 02 ecsb that I'm ready to get going on. I just wanted to thank you for helping me get through this. It helped change my life.

 

welcome to the forum and congrats on kicking the habit. Pills can quickly get out of hand! I've seen it happen to a few friends. nothing but negatives associated with pill heads. complete personality changes, lost relationships, abandoned families, and EXPENSIVE.

start a thread on your truck. Trade one addiction for another LMAO

 

Congratulations for making the decision to get clean. Just remember to take it 1 day at a time. I've been in recovery for 3 1/2 years now and each day is a little better and a little brighter. Don't be discouraged if at times you have to focus on making thru the next hour or even the next minute without using again. Life is so much sweeter now that I don't spend every waking moment worried about where my next fix is coming from. Now I can spend that time wondering where my parts are or when I'm going to have time to install them or what my next upgrade is going to be!

Sorry for hijacking Blown06. Yours is 1 of the threads I've enjoyed following over the years not to mention all the back and forth with a certain hard headed loud mouth. Lol!