Hiring help for the BE

In 1972, I bought a BE that had been 'restored' by a butcher (kind of guy that puts bolts in with a hammer)for the girlfriend, then one that ran (sort-of). The original one has been stored and used for parts since back then, but the body tub & nose piece spent a couple of years at a local high school quite a few years ago for rust repair, body, and paint. And has been stored ever since.
I'm retired now and have time and money but no energy. For the last number of years I've thought of hiring a motorcycle mechanic for the winter (seasonal unemployment), but it's only this winter that this has come to fruition.
My 'criteria' were to ideally find someone who: had no weird habits or addictions (including smoking); was intelligent enough to carry on a conversation; was careful; had integrity (i.e. could be trusted); and could read a manual as well as I could.
I've lucked out: young lad (26) that I've talked to for quite a few years at a bike shop I've had work done at; plus another good guy who is 52 and has a broad background (a machinist; parts out old BMWs, spent a couple of years building log houses). Leonard (the young guy) isn't fully comfortable with four wheels but both he and Rory had worked together in the same motorcycle shop and their experiences reinforce each other.
I'm pushing 70 and don't have the energy to reassemble the BE; but I'm now the gopher and the guy familiar with weird English habits and the three of us are moving the project forward.
And they each have a house key (we were gone all last week) and record the hours at the end of each day and we pay weekly. We're willing to do receipts and statements but left it up to them.
So, there are options, and there's good folks out there who can help you. We've got our BJ7 3000 in at a shop for the last year and half for body and paint (hopefully done this summer), and the '2nd' BE in at the same shop where they figured out how I'd messed up a Rivergate 5 speed install, but Rory and Leonard are happy with twenty bucks (Cdn) an hour and they're moving the project forward - I just can't justify (or afford) paying restoration shop rates, but would like to have all my projects before the great-grandchildren show up (touch wood!)
And for those who were following my thread about how many hours are required to reassembly a Spridget: one week thus far, so about 80 hours, and you can't really see any progress. But finding crap and cleaning bodyfill/paint out of threaded fittings and cleaning etc. etc. takes a lot of time.

I've written a bit of an essay here, but wanted to share that there are options out there.

Doug

PS: and the girlfriend gets a rose tomorrow morning for Valentine's Day: met her July 1971; married Oct. 1973, and she's been putting up with me ever since. And she'll finally have The Blue Lady running in a month or two. Touch wood!

Sounds like a good plan - and, in my experience these little puppies show no change for a while and then in a day you have a car again - sounds like a good price and good workers! keep us posted with pictures though

Very inspiring, Doug. Sound's like you are a lucky guy!

Kurt.