When I wrote the last update, I had two leads and a lot of hope. Here's where things landed.
The private mechanic called back first. The one my neighbor Abbe had recommended. And honestly, it did not go well. He was dismissive from the jump. Tried to talk me out of the project before I could get a full sentence in. Brought up a $10,000 paint job when I was asking about a head gasket. Told me he doesn't take credit cards. I told him it's a project car, explained the backstory, and he basically talked over me. His quote for the head gasket job was $2,000 to $2,500. The price was actually within my budget. The attitude was not.
So the search continued.
I was on Yelp looking for more options when the platform auto-sent my request to a shop called Diamond Auto Center down in North Hollywood. I wasn't even specifically targeting them. They just got the message and wrote back.
And they actually read it.
Their response came back with the compression numbers I had given them referenced directly -- 61 PSI on cylinder one versus 140 on the others -- and confirmed what I had suspected: head gasket, and the head likely needs to be checked for warpage. They quoted the job broken down line by line.
That is under my budget. That is with a machine shop they already work with right there in North Hollywood. And they told me upfront: if the machine shop finds a crack or bad valves, they'll call me before doing anything extra. No surprises.
I'm talking to them tomorrow about timing, towing logistics, and next steps. I'm cautiously optimistic -- there's still a lot that could go sideways once they're actually into it. But for the first time in a while, someone said yes, read what I sent them, and gave me a real answer.
More soon.