That "$12 flat" price sounds less lucky and more like a guy who undervalues his own labor.

I mean, I once got told my two person shop was "cute" by a supplier so I know that door slamming feeling. But honestly, turning down a 12 person crew seems wild to me because that is steady work and a real check every month. Maybe he's just chasing the big fish and can't be bothered with smaller accounts, which is his choice I guess. Idk, feels like a dumb way to run things when you could build up a smaller shop that grows into that $2M range later. Seems short sighted but maybe that's just how downtown folks operate now.

Tbh padding the book time when a job runs long is how you end up with customers calling around and finding out you're the most expensive shop in town. The rear main on a 6.7 is a known job with a known time, and if it takes you longer because of rust or a stripped bolt, that's on the truck, not on the next guy who needs brakes. I get that Friday night sucked and losing your cookout is real, but charging the next customer extra to make up for it is how you lose the fleet account that keeps your bays full. Admit it to yourself, the job took what it took, and you can either build that into your shop rate or eat it on that ticket. The shops that stick around are the ones that quote it straight and let their speed be the profit, not the padding.