Old school, nice guy alternator/starter rebuilder

[Joe Bob]

You can tell when you walk in what kinda shop it is. Christian Trautz, 8541-A, Central Avenue, Stanton CA 90680. 714 828-7681. DC Automotive

[Dantilla]

Right by Pt. Defiance park in Tacoma Washington is "STARTERR-RR-RR REBUILD".

Old school wood floor worn down by decades of customers, shelves filled with starters and alternators, all with old school cardboard tags. No computers in sight. Hand-written invoices, will drop what they're doing to test a starter or alternator for you when you walk in the door.

I've had a few things rebuilt by them, never a problem. Highly recommended for anybody around the area.

[ckelly78z]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

You can tell when you walk in what kinda shop it is. Christian Trautz, 8541-A, Central Avenue, Stanton CA 90680. 714 828-7681. DC Automotive

It's funny you mention that, there is a guy in my home town that I have been taking starter/generators/alternators to rebuild since I have been in High School. He does a very good job, with better replacemnet brushings, and for the same amount of money as the autoparts stores. In all the time I have used him, I never needed to return a newly rebuilt, non-working unit like I have at the autoparts stores.

His company's name is Traucht auto electric, and it is just him and his wife...both about 70 years old.

It's one of those places that has stuff scattered everywhere, but he knows exactly where everything is.

[Mo_Gearhead]

Your posting just revived the memory of a similar encounter for me.

When I was restoring my car I needed to replace the damaged vinyl on the kick panels, door pockets and B pillars. Someone sent me to a place in Springfield, MO. It was on the north side of town, a large old building with its entry off of an alley.

Stepping out of the bright sun and into this place was like stepping into a movie set. It was messy, dark, the air seemed to hang heavy with the smell of dust and fabric and leather. The old guy behind the desk was unkempt but pleasant. I showed him my scrap of fabric. He asked the source. I told him - early Porsche.

He lead me around tables piled with stacks of cloth and such and back into another large room. All four walls here were lined with old, tall, wood racks filled with roll after roll of fabric. In the center of the room was a large cutting table. He switched on a huge light above it, walked over and then returned with two rolls of fabric. Placing each on the well lit table he unrolled a foot or so of each and put my sample on the first...”Too much blue.” - then the second - "Too grey.”

He walked back over to the racks, scratched his stubble of beard, retrieved a new bolt and brought it to the table. He unrolled the end and placed the sample over it. He looked up at me across the table and grinned....."How much do you need?” It was as if he had walked over to that old wood shelf, reached back to 1969 and stolen a bolt of material from the Porsche factory floor!

How does one ever replace such people, with those years of knowledge? Sadly, we can't.

[Joe Bob]

Now it's model make and year....

[fastfredracing]

All but gone around here. Used to be one in every little town. We have one left, and he is a grumpy sob, and expensive as all getup. I needed a brush holder for my plow pump motor, and he had one, but charged me more than I could buy the whole damn motor for .
Sad times, I used to use these guys all the time . I would drop off in the morning, and usually pick up at the end of the day, or next morning. This was back in a time where the parts stores, did not always have everything at their fingertips, and the generator shop could usually meet, or beat the parts store price with a better product . I hate the modern world .
I just got 3 , ..... 3 in a row bad Bosch re man alternators, all for the same vehicle . After the 3rd, I was sure I was loosing my mind, and spent hours troubleshooting it for the 3rd time. It all pointed back at the alternator, and sure enough, the 4th one was the charm . Wonder how long it will last ? ( my own car )

[Joe Bob]

Well my guys will do repairs by mail...

[sand_man]

I can't remember the name, but we had an old skool starter/alternator rebuild shop, similar to what has been described, in Sarasota FL, where I grew up. They used to do all my old air-cooled VW generators and starters. You walked up to a wooden bench that spanned the width of a single car garage roll-up door, cardboard signs, if they had one already rebuilt on the shelf, you'd exchange, otherwise you'd pick up your junk in a coupla days, shiny and new looking.

[Evans, Marv]

I use a place in the south bay of the S.D. area. They always do a great job. No computers, similar to what Dantilla described. Just took the starter from one of my tractors in last week to be checked. I helps to speak Spanish though.

[GH85Carrera]

There was a guy like that just a mile from my office. He was a one man shop with his wife helping out with the books. Great place until the guy just got too old and he went and retired and closed up.

I did find another place several miles from me. It is a third generation family business that has a a few old grays working there. I took in an alternator and he quoted a price, took it a few feet away and rebuilt it while I waited. New diodes and one bearing. Perfect. I bet they did not say ten works. No useless banter or chatter.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by Mo_Gearhead

Your posting just revived the memory of a similar encounter for me.

He switched on a huge light above it, walked over and then returned with two rolls of fabric. Placing each on the well lit table he unrolled a foot or so of each and put my sample on the first...”Too much blue.” - then the second - "Too grey.”

He walked back over to the racks, scratched his stubble of beard, retrieved a new bolt and brought it to the table. He unrolled the end and placed the sample over it. He looked up at me across the table and grinned....."How much do you need?” It was as if he had walked over to that old wood shelf, reached back to 1969 and stolen a bolt of material from the Porsche factory floor!

How does one ever replace such people, with those years of knowledge? Sadly, we can't.

I'd give a lot to have color vision, memory, experience and talent like that.

[Baz]

Ropp's Electric...been using them since the 70's. Family run. Where everyone knows your name....

Took these pics when they rebuilt the starter for my '64......

[Alfasrule]

East Coast! These guy are awesome. Rebuilt my ALFA Montreal Starter, as well as a few alternators and they are very reasonable. Like we are talking 1/2 price!! They Love Unique Stuff.

Auto Electrical Service
Address: 207 Boyer Cir, Williston, VT 05495
Phone802) 951-9990

[petrolhead611]

We have an alternator/starter rebuilder in Leeds. Needed the lightest suitable alternator for my kitcar. He let me take all the likely candidates along to te Post Office to weigh them, then he swapped out the pulley from my defective alternator onto the lightest rebuilt one(a Hitachi).And the price was very reasonable.

[1990C4S]

This reminds me of the time I replaced my Volvo starter in the driveway only to discover the replacement was 'defective'. After I removed it from the car I was ready to return it and tear a strip off the rebuilder.

Then I looked more closely and discovered I had connected the solenoid wire to the wrong pin. It worked fine when I put it in the second time....