Thread: Enough is Enough ...........

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The best piece of advice you have received is "..don't give them advance notice", and hope that no one at the shop is a member or guest here!! I like REGs approach - call from a block away, ask for an update, and then pull up to finish the conversation in person while loading. Keep everything friendly and professional, just cannot continue to wait for them to have time to work on your ride, it's been almost 4 years, and going to make a change.
Best of luck.

One hundred percent agree with several of the folks above. Bring your trailer, settle up any outstanding bill, then load up and go - forever. You have waited about 2.5 years longer then my patience could have handled and from what I can see, done it well - but none of us are getting younger and it would be nice to see it running.

My biggest worry would be that they really didn't like me, explaining why you can't get them to do anything maybe, and that they would be vindictive. I don't know you and please don't take this the wrong way but is there something perhaps you have done to bring this on? I assume you have the finances etc. to keep them busy, ie. lack of cash from you isn't holding them up? If you're on the up and up (again I mean no slight to you) I can't for the life of me understand how these clowns stay in business. I really hope you get this straightened out. That's a really cool ride there. Of course it would be much cooler if it were finished.

Originally Posted by idunnitnow!

My biggest worry would be that they really didn't like me, explaining why you can't get them to do anything maybe, and that they would be vindictive. I don't know you and please don't take this the wrong way but is there something perhaps you have done to bring this on? I assume you have the finances etc. to keep them busy, ie. lack of cash from you isn't holding them up? If you're on the up and up (again I mean no slight to you) I can't for the life of me understand how these clowns stay in business. I really hope you get this straightened out. That's a really cool ride there. Of course it would be much cooler if it were finished.

I have never had a single cross word with these guys ........... and I have never been late on a payment .......... I receive their invoice and I drive them a check the next day ............ don't want to risk it getting lost in the mail ........... the money is available to complete the job, and I have never asked them to wait for a moment for any reason

I believe there's a couple of issues here ......... this is a small, three man body shop run by some young guys ........... they take in insurance claims to keep the doors open and don't manage their workload very well ......... plus they're forever fixing some buddy's car or truck while the "project" cars sit idle

But, the biggest problem I believe is this ............. these guys are remarkable in body work and paint work when they can get replacement parts ......... their work is stunning ........... but there aren't any replacement parts for a '48 Thames ............everything has to be fabricated ............. and they don't seem to know how to do this .......... they farm out all the fabrication to other guys they know in the area ............ the bodywork is pretty much all done (their specialty} and now the difficult design, fabrication, and assembly work is left ............ and I think they're in way over their heads ............ so I'm moving the car to a small rod and custom shop ............ they do their own design, fabrication, painting, etc. ........... they do everything except interior work and I already have a custom interior shop lined up for that ............ and they are getting tired of waiting for it to arrive at their facility

Old Coyote -
A friend recently asked me to look at his 57? Fairlane. It had been in a shop for restoration for three years. He paid the guy 900.00 a month. After three years, the engine is untouched, the paint only done on three sides, the interior re-upholstered , but trim not done, no battery to start and run. Some suspension work done, but some not. He has no idea what the guy did? For three years. He never questioned or regularly checked in on it. He now wants to sell it for 2-3K. He has over 30k into it! I just cringed. He doesn't want to spend a penny more.
I hate these stories. I'm sorry you've met with a similar experience. I have to agree with everyone, show up tomorrow with a trailer, and load up. Keep it profession and polite, but don't accept excuses. Glad to hear you have another shop lined up. Here, some friends have a custom shop in Santa Rosa. It takes them a year to take a rusting carcus, and roll out a beautiful show car. The cost is phenomenal, but they fabricate anything and everything, and have a plan on every car. You might have to wait three years for your project to start, but they get it done in under a year. Hope the new guys have you riding down the hi-way soon!

I had a body shop manager that used to work for me running the body shop at our VW dealership. He left to open his own shop and I let him take my 40 Chevy PU to finish. We had chopped it and did alot of the work on it together so I thought it would make sense to have him finish it. Long story short is that after 16 months of getting very little done I went to his shop one day only to find the place empty and locked up. I walked around back and low and behold there was my 40 in the fenced in area but out in the elements in bare metal. I went to the hardware store and bought a bolt cutter and got a couple of my employees and a truck and got it back. I had to start over. But at least I got it back. That was the last hot rod I've built untill now. I sold the 40 in 1995, 12 years after the incident. I have this 29 Roadster that I've built over the last 18 months that is in need of paint and I have decided to give it a go myself this spring. I plan to post a thread on shop talk to get some advice from the more knowledgable people here. I cannot bring myself to let it out of my sight or should I say control. I don't have a Riddler contender so I think that with a little advice I'll be OK. Get your car back and hope that someone will take on an already started project, alot of guys will not. Good luck, it looks like a really nice project.

Hey guys ......... don't misunderstand me here ............. I'm very disappointed that the car is no further along after nearly four years ........ but I'm not condemning the shop .......... they're a good bunch of kids and they do marvelous work ............ and I tried to be as patient as I could ......... I understand that "shit happens" and schedules have to be adjusted ......... but at some point in time you just can't continue down the same path ............. as I said, they do great work with what they know how to do ........... but this project turned out to be so different ........... I honestly believe they simply bit off way more than they could chew

The new shop, while small also, has the experience and capabilities to do in-house fabrication .......... it is a true rod & custom shop, not a body shop like the other

Originally Posted by Old Coyote

Hey guys ......... don't misunderstand me here ............. I'm very disappointed that the car is no further along after nearly four years ........ but I'm not condemning the shop .......... they're a good bunch of kids and they do marvelous work ............ and I tried to be as patient as I could ......... I understand that "shit happens" and schedules have to be adjusted ......... but at some point in time you just can't continue down the same path ............. as I said, they do great work with what they know how to do ........... but this project turned out to be so different ........... I honestly believe they simply bit off way more than they could chew

The new shop, while small also, has the experience and capabilities to do in-house fabrication .......... it is a true rod & custom shop, not a body shop like the other

no misunderstanding, your's was an obvious case of not being able to do the job correctly, and not wanting to admit it...

My only point was that no shop is perfect, at least none I've ever been involved with or even visited.... I just didn't want to see your misfortune turn into a condemnation of all the hardworking individuals with small shops who do their absolute best when building a car or doing body work on an old Hot Rod.

IMO, Coyote you should get the "Ouststanding Patience of the Decade Award" with all the grief you've been through on your car. I merely wanted to show the other side a bit. Can't tell you how many of the reverse I've been in with the "I've got all the money to do it" crowd, then after 6 months to a year of building the car for a customer, investing thousands of my own dollars and hundreds of hours and have the customer never even come by again cuz he's out of money and instantly the shop becomes the bad guy cuz they overcharge, too slow, or the usual bunch of bs that the wanna-be's come up with.... Right now, in storage that I pay for every month, I have 6 different half done projects that I've accumulated over the years that I will never be able to get my money out of---and of course, all these owners tell anyone who will listen that I'm the bad guy.... I could take a couple years off just with what I have right now in accounts recievable---the majority of which are 5 or more years old... I finally learned to quit feeling sorry for people and spending my money on their car....

I know all the grief you've been through on yours, Coyote!!!! I'd give anything to have a half dozen customers as understanding as you are, I'd close my doors to the general public!!!! I'm fortunate enough now to have enough repeat customers that I don't have to take on any new ones unless I'm 100% certain they KNOW what the cost is going to be, realize the price goes up everytime they change their mind, and realize that a quality product takes time!!!!!! -----and for being that way, I'm probably one of the biggest ***holes around, just ask anybody!!!!!!

Dave -
I take my Harley to a one man shop/friend who is an excellent mechanic. He is constantly struggling with individuals who need it now, but can't pay later. I always tell him what's going on with my bike, get a rough cost estimate, and then wait until I have the cash, before I even bring it in and schedule work. To me his skill and integrity is something I value and respect. Every time I drop by, he's got about ten bikes in the shop. Some completely done, some waiting payment, and a few waiting on parts. We get along great because I pay cash, and am straight forward with what I need done. I never impose time limits, because after doing construction for a few years, I realize $h!# happens that no one can foresee. I just wish people had Coyotes patience and my friend' or your's dependability. We'd all be happier!
It is funny just looking at my own measley build and realizing setting a time frame for completion is a difficult thing!
I feel for you both!