The 70 Duster......

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The saga continues. I got a text, out of the clear blue, from the body man at 6pm on 3/29/11 saying .....
"I'll start emailing you some pics tomorrow or the next day to put your mind at ease."

The only thing I can think. It must have been an April Fools Day prank because I have not seen any pics! I also still have no idea if my cars are being stored inside as we agreed upon.
 
Wow....April Fools day and I get a text pic of some work actually being done on one of the cars! :0 I asked that the pics be emailed to me so maybe, just maybe I will have some updated pics to post in the next couple of days, weeks, or maybe months at the rate the shop is going! lol But I am glad that some work has been done!!!
 
hopefully......the next message isn't....I need you to send some money.
 
HemiDenny said:
hopefully......the next message isn't....I need you to send some money.
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I think after our last conversation, about a month ago, he already knows that answer to that question. I think he also knows that it was getting close to the point that I was going to start asking questions in a car community that he is well respected in! I also think he is well aware that I feel I have enough invested, that I would have no issues with filing legal action IF things do not change. I am going to try to keep thinking positive, since the guy is very well respected in the car community and has been for years. Hopefully we have turned a corner and it does not lead to a dead end!!
 
Cars are inside. Stopped by the other day to see if any progress has happend. At that time he had friends over repairing his house due to patio getting ripped off and collapsing the chimmney into the house back when we had the 60mph winds and fire. That was an unforseen setback but now maybe he will work on cars.
 
jdr2483 said:
Cars are inside. Stopped by the other day to see if any progress has happend. At that time he had friends over repairing his house due to patio getting ripped off and collapsing the chimmney into the house back when we had the 60mph winds and fire. That was an unforseen setback but now maybe he will work on cars.
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That happened about a month ago? Actually according to my text records on 3/8/11. He had a hole in his house roof for a month? I have been waiting for pics that he said he was going to send since last August?? He said his computer was down. His child was sick. Then he said he was under the weather. Then the house roof. I got an email yesterday that said, "I'll send pics when the wife gets home with the camera!". That was before noon yesterday. Anyone seen her since? I have (to me) a lot of money in his pocket and all I am getting from him, is one promise after another that seem to never come true. When he suggested working on the Charger for extra money. I paid for that first part of December and the car, I was told. "Would be done by Jan-Feb". Well the last week of Feb., he had not even touched the car. I gave him the option to either start on the car or give me my money back. He finally had dad take the car to his shop the next day. It has sat at/in his shop from Feb 28th, until this last week with no progress. I think I have been more than nice about pushing my cars to the back for about as long as I can. I think in the next 90-120 days we will either see real progress! OR some questions being asked in a public setting among the local car community along with legal action. That is not my first choice, but I have no doubt that if the roles were reversed. My integrity would have been through the wringer by now.

The one thing that I learned from getting the shaft from the first shop. I have every note, text, email and phone conversation notes since this began with the current shop.
 
time is long past up....a wise man once said...

He who hesitates is lost......

another one said.....

don't piss on my leg and tell me it's rainin'

I think in Texas ..the second one is more appropriate....good luck!!
Denny
 
carcrazyguy said:
I got an email yesterday that said, "I'll send pics when the wife gets home with the camera!". That was before noon yesterday. Anyone seen her since?
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Anyone seen any reports about a missing woman? Guess we are still waiting on his wife to return home so I can get some pics? About 70 days until we move. Hope we can get a house squared away quick, so I can get some action going on this saga around that same time. Maybe its the move, but my patients is about wear out with one story/excuse after the other. It may cost me more than I have invested, just to get my money back. But I am not going to be taken to the cleaners again without going down fightin'.
 
Keep fighting. I hate to see anyone treated like this. We spend a lot of money on our cars, and to have other folks cause us to reach deeper into our pockets is unacceptable. Good luck. I will keep watching.
 
Latest text message sent to me on 4/15/2011 12:38PM by the bodyman/painter....

"Alot of photos I have look the same. If you can wait until next Friday. I will send you pics that will make you smile! I am off all week and it's all I will be working on."

I have been advised to start posting these in a public forum, as I get them, for future use. I hope it doesn't come to that, but it is looking more like it everyday.
 
Yikes. Just reading through all of this is making my head fume. :angryfir: I can't imagine what you must be feeling like. Best of luck. I hope it all works out in your favor.
 
Well I am taking a break from packing up the house. 30 days until we move. Still no movement at the bodyshop. I sent a text yesterday to see if anything was happening to my projects. The reply I got was.....

"no, having personal issues and looking for another shop to work out of. I am going to do your cars. I think you are bad luck to painters..lol".
 
Now I'm getting mad.

You have to get tough......No more waffling!

Results or off it goes.

Face up to it and get it done.

If only there were 10-12 of us posters in the area to darken his doorstep!
 
you mean kick his ***......don't be shy ...this ain't PC land
 
The first part of the move is complete and the house search is getting in full swing! One step closer to when I can finally focus on getting these projects moving forward! Hope to have some progress pics on the car(s) soon.
 
Got a chance to go up and stop by the shop a week or so ago. The Duster is still holding down its spot in the back of the shop. The "simple repaint" project has seen a little work. According to the body man back in November of 2010, it was "going to be a simple repaint". So we agreed on a price and I paid that in back in November 2010. It was suppose to be completed in Feb. Well as you see it is not even close to done and we are getting closer to a year over due. I explained to the bodyman that I really would prefer not to make this a legal matter. He agreed that he would get the cars done. The "simple repaint" project he hopes to have done by the end of the year.


Disclaimer.. the Charger project got started back in Nov 2010 when the bodyman (which I thought had been getting a little work done back then), was short on cash and wanted some more money on the balance of the Duster. Paying him that amount he needed, would have made up about 90-95% of the total bill with only about 20-30% of the work complete. I was not comfortable with that so he asked if I had any other "small job" work he could do for some extra cash, quick. I had this Charger so he looked it over and said he could get it done in about 10-12 weeks (3 months). If I would have known that it was going to turn into a year and he was not going to work on the Duster at all this entire time.....no dice.
 

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That stinks! I hear this way too often and sometimes this even ends up with the guy splitting the scene and just leaving everything. I hope this works out for you and he does a good job.
 
I have "known" the guy for probably 20 years. Even thought that I had finally got the car in the right guys hands. It just is not working out that way though. He is a fireman, and this is his "side business". In talking with other fireman, I have been told that I should contact the department to let them know that I am having issues with all promises and the lack of progress. Being that the guy is well respected in the local car community, I really have not wanted to cause waves. However, that day is getting closer and closer. I have been told my Charger would be painted by the end of the year. We will see..... :(
 
Made a trip back last weekend. The Duster has not been touched. The Charger has been worked on a little bit. From what the body man said. The body is pretty much ready for paint. The fenders are ready for paint and have been bolted back on. The top of the hood is ready for paint. Just need to prep the door jambs, the engine compartment, and the trunk area. So it does not appear that the Charger will be done by Christmas (or the end of the year) as I was told a few weeks ago.
 

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Got word today from the painter... "should be painting the Charger next weekend". We shall see if that happens.
 
carcrazyguy said:
Got a chance to go up and stop by the shop a week or so ago. The Duster is still holding down its spot in the back of the shop. The "simple repaint" project has seen a little work. According to the body man back in November of 2010, it was "going to be a simple repaint". So we agreed on a price and I paid that in back in November 2010. It was suppose to be completed in Feb. Well as you see it is not even close to done and we are getting closer to a year over due. I explained to the bodyman that I really would prefer not to make this a legal matter. He agreed that he would get the cars done. The "simple repaint" project he hopes to have done by the end of the year.


Disclaimer.. the Charger project got started back in Nov 2010 when the bodyman (which I thought had been getting a little work done back then), was short on cash and wanted some more money on the balance of the Duster. Paying him that amount he needed, would have made up about 90-95% of the total bill with only about 20-30% of the work complete. I was not comfortable with that so he asked if I had any other "small job" work he could do for some extra cash, quick. I had this Charger so he looked it over and said he could get it done in about 10-12 weeks (3 months). If I would have known that it was going to turn into a year and he was not going to work on the Duster at all this entire time.....no dice.
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if he needed extra money he should have finished the duster, you would have paid him the balance and he could have started on the charger and gotten a 1st installment payment. now unfortunatley you have 2 unfinished cars. i hope this guy does the right thing by you. i also do restorations on the side, my brother does all the body,paint,panels etc. and i do all the mechanical. if theres one thing that i have never done and will never do is ask for money for a project im doing to pay my own bills! we both have regular jobs and families, he works in a body shop and puts in between 50/60 hrs a week, i work as a truck /heavy eqip.mechanic. So the people we do work for understand that full resto's take time and the car might not be getting worked on everyday. we work out of my 25x35 garage in the back of my house so i'm out there almost everyday, but my brother lives about 20 min. away and he only comes over about 2-3 days a week maybe 4hrs a night. we are actually restoring a 70 duster right now that ive had for 27 months and should be finished by april (that is my goal) i do all the research for the parts, phone calls, dealing with vendors etc. its very time consuming but i enjoy it. i also have alot of parts for a dusters because ive had a bunch of them. anyway like i said i hope this guy does the right thing. put a little more pressure on him, maybe you'll light a fire under his ***. i might post some pics of the resto before and after. i have over 250 pics. good luck.MARK.
 
If the body man/painter was not so well known and respected in the local car scene, I would have never let it get to this point. He has done many cars over the years and I had never heard of anyone having a single problem. It was just my luck that all the issues came up about the same time that I sent a car to him. He also is a full time fireman, so the body shop is not his only income. Hopefully next weekend the Charger will get painted. Then I will just have to deal with him on getting the Duster finished.

On the other front. We moved cross-state over the summer and have been looking for a house pretty much ever since. Now we are set to close on a house (and pretty nice shop) in February!!!! Looks like I will finally have a place to store, and work on, my projects at my place!! No more driving 350-800 miles just to tinker with the Mopars! Pics will follow.
 
Hey carcrazyguy, I recall reading a few years ago, that the 70 duster might be your last project; and now it appears that you are in the middle of another project; and that the 70 duster is on the back burner.Because you have paid the man to work on another car of yours before there is any hope of him working on the 70 duster. Now I am not against having more than one project, I suspect that I have as many projects as most on abodiesonly; but, how does your wife feel about this. I know how mine would feel about me and I want to keep her! Since you have moved across Texas it is time to update your location.If it is NE Texas I am 3 hours from the border. God bless you`ll. Wayne
 
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