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Granby’s Alternate Sources mechanic shop focuses on preventative maintenance

Alternate Sources owner and operator Tom Forman breaks away from his work to pose for a quick picture in front of his shop. Alternate Sources is located in Granby, directly behind the NAPA Auto Parts store.
Lance Maggart / Sky-Hi News |

When you run a business in a small community, like those that fill Grand County, you are known by your reputation.

That notion is something Alternate Sources owner and operator Tom Forman is counting on. Forman, who has performed mechanic work in Grand County since the mid-1980s, recently reestablished his mechanic shop business Alternate Sources in Granby, just behind the NAPA Auto Parts store. The shop opened for business at the beginning of March.

THE SHOP



Alternate Sources is an automotive mechanic shop with an eye towards preventative maintenance work. “If you stay ahead of the curve your car repairs are fairly cheap,” Forman said. “By the time a lot of people bring their vehicles into the shop they don’t need repaired, they need restored. If you maintain properly though you can keep costs well under control.”

Alternate Sources performs suspension and tune up work, general engine repair, retro fits, vehicle upgrades, brake work, clutch work and can also handle all your standard servicing needs. “If you need a hitch installed on your car I can do that,” Forman said. “If you’re into muscle cars and want to go from a two barrel carburetor to a four barrel I can do the manifold change overs. I can handle whatever is required.”



Alternate Sources also has a full contingent of diagnostic equipment. Alternate Sources is ASE certified and is also a certified NAPA Autocare Center. Forman said that means all labor performed by the shop is guaranteed nationwide for up to two years. Additionally, the NAPA parts Alternate Sources uses often have extensive warranties stretching out for several years.

Forman is currently the only person working in the Alternate Sources shop, which has two work bays. He has plans to expand the shop to four bays by mid-summer and hopes to bring on two additional employees by the end of the year.

FORMAN

Forman is originally from Portland, Oregon and got into the mechanic field by way of family connection. His father specialized in automotive body and fender work and helped generate an interest in mechanic work in Forman as a child.

Forman joined the Marine Corps in the early 1970s, serving on a minesweeper in the Tonkin Gulf during the Pairs Peace Accords and, as he put it, “I was lightly involved in Frequent Winds,” which was the final evacuation operation to airlift American civilians and Vietnamese out of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War.

It was during his time in uniform that Forman decided he wanted to spend his working life as a mechanic. “When I went into the Marine Corps I found out I was paying somebody else to make mistakes on my car,” he said laughing. “I decided I would figure out what was going on, and pay myself to make mistakes.”

Forman has worked as a mechanic in Grand County for decades. He says he has, “turned a wrench” at most of the mechanic shops in Middle Park at one time or another over the years. Before reestablishing Alternate Sources behind NAPA in Granby Forman ran his business from a subleased shop within Hilly’s Hooker Service’s towing shop in Fraser. Forman was also previously the owner of Auto Recycling Services in Grand County.

DETAILS

Alternate Sources is located at 240 West Agate Avenue, just behind the NAPA Auto Parts store. To reach the business entrance take the small driveway between NAPA and the Kum & Go store. The driveway is adjacent the south end of the NAPA parking lot. Customers will need to drive all the way around the NAPA outbuildings to reach Alternate Sources.

The shop is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Forman says he can also make himself available on evenings and weekends on an “on-call” basis. The Shop’s website is http://www.alternatesourcesllc.com. You can reach the business and schedule an appointment to get work done by calling 970-509-9600.


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