Estimate for Hiwatt DR-504 repair

[Chevy]

Hi Guys,

Hoping a seasoned tech out there could give me an estimate of what it would take a pro to do the following work on a '78 or so Hiwatt DR-504 amp. I've done the work already, just wondering what would be a fair estimate of hours for someone who really knew what they were doing...

1) re-cap entire power supply
2) install pot to allow variable bias adjustment (made bracket to attach to chassis)
3) replace standby switch, 2 input jacks, and 2 PI capacitors
4) troubleshoot and repair crackling in preamp stage (bad plate R)
5) troubleshoot and repair oscillation in PI/ouput stage (change from 12ax7 to correct 12at7)
6) restore preamp to original stock wiring (someone had previously put the bright/normal channels in series configuration).

If you could give the time for each point, that would be totally awesome. If not, a total would be fine.

Thanks much fo the help!
Chevy

[Chevy]

Anyone out there... can you give me an estimate of what just these 2 items might take time-wise on the Hiwatt for an experienced tech?

1) re-cap entire power supply
2) install pot circuit to allow variable bias adjustment (had to make bracket to attach to chassis)

Thanks much!

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

I'd guess at about 3 to 4 hours on the bench with testing, especially since someone has already been in there and modded the amp.
Undoing the cascaded preamp thing is not that tough but probably and hour or more there too.
You might find and extra half hour to hour more since there is some trouble shooting to do.
Don't forget the cost of a handful of parts... some of which, the main filter caps, are a little pricey.
Since everyone's labor rates are different (prevailing rates by city or location), it would be hard to say what the labor total would be.
Parts, you can source on the NET to get an idea of the cash outlay there.

[Chevy]

OK, Bruce, thanks, much appreciated! That at least puts me in the ballpark for this amp. It feels like perhaps I take way too long to do stuff, but at the same time wonder how other techs do it... Especially a store tech, who has to somehow bill out all his time at the bench. I find I spend a fair bit of time getting the right schematic, testing, retesting after repairs, sometimes just putting an amp back together can be a real pain due to tolex issues, etc. The way it turned out for this amp and this customer, I ordered parts 3 times due to things added to the work order. And then a store tech's rate is like perhaps $75. an hour... so it can add up real fast. Don't quite follow how a store can charge for all the actual time it takes, and yet they somehow need to, to stay solvent.