TOP 5 SIDE HUSTLES FOR CAR ENTHUSIASTS
If you’re passionate about cars and want to make some extra cash, check out side hustles like powder coating, welding, or even parting out cars. Let’s go!!!
HERE’S OUR TOP FIVE SIDE HUSTLES
Selling Car Parts Online
Custom Powder Coated Car Parts
Automotive Welding Projects
Car Tool Review and Affiliate Sales
Automotive Social Influencer
ONLINE CAR PARTS SELLING SIDE HUSTLE
Some automotive projects work out and others fail. When we found out that our 1984 Datsun 280ZX had massive chassis damage, we were going to have to let it go.
But what we found instead was a gold mine. Our Datsun 280ZX had tons of electronic components worth lots of cash. The ECU alone goes for $350 bucks and one of the 4 cable harnesses typically sells for another $250. So we stripped out every part and started selling items locally and on eBay. We turned a profit of more than $3000. The only downside to selling on eBay is the 14% percent they take on any automotive parts sales.
You can find the full breakdown of all the Datsun 280ZX car parts here.
POWDER COATING SIDE HUSTLE
You’ve probably seen those cool videos of folks powder coating rims, but there are so many more things you can powder coat.
Powder coating is a form of colorizing car parts that can produce much more durable results. The powder is loaded into a powder coating gun system, which uses around 10 PSI of air. The powder coating system then creates an electromagnetic current that attracts the powder to the metal part.
The part must be heated up to the proper temp, usually up to 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes in a dedicated oven to cure the powder. You can start powder coating smaller parts like accessory brackets, covers, or other engine parts for around $350 with the following tools:
Use code THEBUILD10 and SAVE 10% on ANY order at www.eastwood.com
You can usually charge 3 times the price for a freshly powder-coated car part. We have tons more information on how to get started with powder coating here along with some of the biggest mistakes to avoid with powder coating here.
WELDING SIDE HUSTLE
If you're beginning to explore automotive DIY repairs or restoration, having a welder is essential. However, you could turn that welder into cash after you’ve finished up your personal projects. Automotive enthusiasts are always looking for someone who can weld. We started welding differentials and custom racing seat brackets for folks at the local drift track.
You can charge anywhere from $50 or more for each job, or you can start welding and creating your own projects to sell. We've used scrap car parts to make welding art for small gifts, and we've also modified some of our own tools. For a detailed breakdown of the profits you can earn from welding, check out our welding project guide here.
The startup cost isn’t too bad if you decide to stick with MIG welding:
Use code THEBUILD10 and SAVE 10% on ANY order at www.eastwood.com
CAR TOOL REVIEW AFFILIATE SIDE HUSTLE
If you’re not into powder coating, welding, or part sales, consider writing in-depth reviews of tools you already own. Many people are looking to buy, and you might have the item in your garage. By using Amazon's affiliate program, you can earn about 2% on automotive referrals. Not only do you earn commissions on the products you link, but also on any other purchases through your link for up to 24 hours.
Here’s how much we made in just three months by sharing our Amazon affiliate URLs:
Amazon Affiliates sign-up is pretty easy, but you want to make sure you have a sizable social media following. We had around 5K followers on each of our social platforms when we applied. Once accepted into Amazon Affiliates Program, just start creating content and include your Amazon Affiliate URL.
AUTOMOTIVE SOCIAL INFLUENCER SIDE HUSTLE
Next up is creating automotive social media content. We’ve been posting on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for over 3 years and just started to monetize our content. YouTube pays between $1-8 per 1,000 views for long-form content. In contrast, YouTube Shorts pays around $0.07 to $0.14 per 1,000 views. Here’s a snapshot of our YouTube monetization, including both short and long-form content:
Facebook pays around the same as YouTube shorts for Facebook reels. TikTok pays anywhere from .25-.95 cents per 1k views, but the TikTok shorts must be over a minute long. Each platform also has minimum requirements before being able to monetize and we haven’t unlocked monetization on Instagram.
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