I'm so frustrated! I took my 69 coupe project to a local body shop last December 1. I have no qualms about the guy there--I think he knows what hes doing and my Vette will be awesome when its done. The problem is.... How the heck do I get him to get started on it? I thought the car might see the street this summer after 3 years of work, but so far all it's seen is a lot of body shop dust and empty promises about getting started on it. I realize these places are closely beholdin' to insurance company work, but it's not as if I'm asking him to do it for free for crying out loud.

I'm considering taking it somewhere else but don't want to get in the back of the line again after 4 months of waiting.

Anybody have any thoughts?

Man, I had my vette painted in four weeks! You are seriouly are getting jerked around by that guy. Take it to someone else! Make sure they can tell you that they will work on it soon. Either that or tell the body man your going to take it away if he doesn't get going on it by the next week. Hit him where it counts! His wallet! Thats rediculous that he has had it for over a year and didn't even lay a finger on it!

I would not put up with it.  Take the car to some who wants to do the job.  They make more money on customer pay than they do with insurance jobs anyway.   It does not matter how good he is if he won't do the work.  And once he feels pressured, the quality will likely go down.

When I had mine painted, it took about 4 months or so. I would call or go over and see what is happening. Ask what kind of progress they are making on your car. Is it a small shop with only a few employees? Maybe that is why it is taking so long for them to get it all done. I was promised mine at a certain time, but they did not make it. I was counting on it for our clubs once a year show. Never made it. I will be ready this year and will be cruising it all summer. 

Mine was in the body shop for about 4 months as well. I knew going in the car would be used for fill in work. Seems my body shop makes a lot more money on insurance jobs that can be turned around quickly. Right from the start there was progress being made though, and the progress would continue a little every week. I would show up there close to quitting time with a case of beer every so often and developed a great relationship with the owner and the guys doing the work. By now you should be seeing some substantial progress on yours, take it somplace else.

I took mine to a shop that mainly works on customs and restoration. The work took about 3 months to complete. Which they said it would be about.

They stripped the car down to gel coat, removed door handles/locks/weatherstripping/glass/hood/front&rear bumpers/lights/etc, then fixed some previous "botched" repairs, replaced all the body mounts. Blocked out the body, fitted the new front & rear bumpers, painted the jams, installed new weatherstripping, added ghost flames. Lot's of work. $6000 worth.

And I would do like Big Fish did. I'd go down to the shop every so often with a case of their favorite beer, and tip a few with them and discuss what their next step of the project was. This kept things on a friendly level. Yeah, there were a couple times things didn't get complete during the week that was talked about, but sometimes they do run into other problems in the shop.

But if your car has been sitting for 3 month already untouched, I would seriously start to look for someone else to do the work. Good luck!

 

Bjhan:

Not much I can say....I had one of my cars in the paint shop for 16 MONTHS.... not weeks...

But I did go in with the understanding that it would take at least a year   since it was not a normal paint job...and it did win enough Best Paint etc rewards after I got it on the road ... But in the end I had it repainted a second time after 3-4 years so I could enjoy driving it...

Any shop that  does collision repair is going to put Insurance work ahead of your job...pure economics... plus a duty to the owners of those cars
to get them back on the road asap... and personally I see nothing wrong with that IF THEY ARE UPFRONT with you...

I also do not see anything wrong with pulling your car out and taking it to another place..  Your choice...   The shop I now use belongs to a fellow club member who has his own love affair with Corvettes  but it really does not speed up the process one day... if anything it slows it down  .. the new kid in the shop is never put to work on a Vette

Bob Griffiths 

Sounds very familiar. Lies, stalling, trying to double the written estimate, court and lawyer fees, and getting back my car unfinished after 18 mo. with so much overspray on it, it felt like sandpaper. Lost about 8 grand on that nose-in-the-bag dude, plus having to take it somewhere else to be completely redone. My advise...find another place....................

[QUOTE=Bob Griffiths]Bjhan:

Not much I can say....I had one of my cars in the paint shop for 16 MONTHS.... not weeks...

But I did go in with the understanding that it would take at least a year   since it was not a normal paint job...and it did win enough Best Paint etc rewards after I got it on the road ... But in the end I had it repainted a second time after 3-4 years so I could enjoy driving it...

Any shop that  does collision repair is going to put Insurance work ahead of your job...pure economics... plus a duty to the owners of those cars
to get them back on the road asap... and personally I see nothing wrong with that IF THEY ARE UPFRONT with you...

I also do not see anything wrong with pulling your car out and taking it to another place..  Your choice...   The shop I now use belongs to a fellow club member who has his own love affair with Corvettes  but it really does not speed up the process one day... if anything it slows it down  .. the new kid in the shop is never put to work on a Vette

Bob Griffiths 

[/QUOTE]

HI Bob,

Who do you use locally. I am planning to take mine to Tommy at Corvette Haven up off of Pulaski Highway in Baltimore. I have seen his work and it is first rate.

I am hoping he will be ready by May. I would like to actually drive mine this year. I made the mistake of taking mine apart to soon after the purchase.

Thanks,

 

 

Bill

Bill...  
I have been using Mikes auto body up in Thurmont... He IS NOT CHEAP   Nor is he cheap...  But he does stand behind his work..

BUT he knows Corvettes...did my 72 for me at his home
long before he opened his own shop...

His shop is right on 15 N..just before you get to Thurmont...on the right..

He has done Many Bloomington cars...and owns a few sharks himself..
and is still active in the Frederick County Corvette Club...

Not far from Damascus...drive up AND INSPECT his shop...talk to Jay
who handles all restorations & Corvettes...

Bob Griffiths
BTW...Jimmy Cones should start the year  the 1st Sat in April...

Bob G.

Tony (Tonys' Vettes) in G-Burg now farms out his work to someone in G-Berg you may want to call him for another recomendation...