Classic engine rebuilds from a garage

Classic car and bike owners, restorers, and local garages that want an engine rebuilt but don't have the time or bench space.

Quoted labour for each rebuild plus a margin on parts and machining you arrange. Fewer jobs at higher value works better than lots of quick ones.

• Practical engine building experience
• Careful measuring and record keeping
• Patience and clear communication with owners

• Planning and permission: working from home may need consent, so check with your council, landlord or lender, and think about noise and neighbours
• Home insurance usually won't cover business activity or customers' engines, so check with an insurer about public liability and cover for items in your care
• Safe storage and disposal of waste oil, coolant and solvents, and check what registration or disposal rules apply
• Fire risk from fuel, solvents and parts cleaning in a domestic building
• Agree in writing what's covered if a rebuilt engine fails, especially when you didn't do the machining

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around £3,000 to £12,000, depending on your tools, bench space and how much specialist work you send out to a local machine shop for boring, honing and grinding.

It's worth checking before you start. Working from home may need consent, so speak to your council, landlord or lender and think about noise and neighbours. Also check insurance for business activity and customers' engines, and the rules for storing and disposing of waste oil, coolant and solvents.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue typically around £1,500 to £6,500, depending on how many engines you rebuild, the type of engine and your pricing. That is revenue before parts and machining costs. The idea assumes at least around 10 hours a week.