Originally Posted by jagamajajaran

Well, after several months of my 2014 Stingray being in the shop for some special modifications that were to be revealed when the entire project was completed, the experience took an unexpected turn today when somewhere between 8 and 10 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours resulting in about 3 feet of flood water inside the shop where my Stingray is sitting on jack stands. Even on jack stands, the water was over the seat bottoms.

Some may wonder why the shop has had her for so long in the first place. It's not the shop's fault. Lets just say that if certain aftermarket vendors would have kept their word regarding parts availability and timetables for delivery, my car would have likely been finished weeks ago and not still in the shop today. I think that is what frustrates me most, actually.

Of course, the car is insured...and it's only a car and this is definitely not the end of the world...but it's also a very special car to me that I have put a lot of personal time and energy into. Sometimes in life, when it rains, it pours.

I'll let you all know how things go with the insurance company...and I'm grateful I'm insured with American Modern through the National Corvette Museum.

Monday, June 13 Update...

An adjuster from the insurance company contacted me today. Based on the water level shown in the photos that he received, they normally adjust the claim as a total loss. The next step is for a field adjuster to verify the water level and water intrusion. It is gut-wrenching to think about losing three years of work customizing my Stingray.


Wednesday, June 15 Update...

The grieving process has officially begun.

My 2014 Stingray is a total loss and the insurance company has set a salvage value at $30,000. Since the policy provides an agreed value, the only way to keep all of the modified parts is to buy the entire car back. I've also spent $5,000 at the shop already for the wide body conversion and still owe them for labor. All of this is money down the drain. In addition to this, I have a set of special ordered ADV1 wheels painted in carbon flash and velocity yellow sitting in my office ready to go on the wide body once it was completed. Three years of hard work to get the car to this point is all gone and to consider any kind of rebuild and restoration seems to be financially out of the question.

This Stingray was the first car I ever bought and customized to show car level from new. Countless personal hours spent removing and replacing components like the front grill, fender air scoops, interior painted dash components, the WeaponX diffuser, the skirts and splitter, the custom steering wheel, Steve Ray's custom airbrushed hood liner and hood (including a special trip to Kentucky for him to do the hood work), the Corsa Extreme Exhaust and X Pipe, and all of the time that it took to personally hand-dye all of the interior stitching yellow...it's all for absolutely nothing now.

It's hitting me that I've given far more emotionally to this Corvette than I had even realized. Buying her in October of 2013, the plant taking her back to be repainted over a two month period at the end of 2013, and then going through the process of dreaming the dream of what I wanted to do to make her even more of a special and unique Corvette, equates to quite the emotional investment.

I have until Friday to make a decision about whether I would want to buy her back for $30,000, but my initial thoughts are that it would cost far more to properly repair and restore than what I can afford.

It's not the end of the world, and there are still countless blessings in my life that I am thankful for, but this is still a difficult moment. Thanks, friends, for the encouraging words over the last few days. You are all greatly appreciated!

Originally Posted by girardta

starting a GoFundMe page? Perhaps a lot of other car enthusiasts would chip in to restore this masterpiece to its original glory. How about asking the Corvette Museum for some financing on the promise the car will go to the museum for display when you're ready to go on to the next gen? You might even consider standing on the street corners with a cardboard sign that says, "Donations accepted to repair C7."

Originally Posted by springer-

As for the shops money, have you contacted their insurance yet and tried to go that route? They have some culpability as they have to take reasonable care while in possession of your car. Consider talking to a lawyer before you sign ANYTHING from the insurance company.

Originally Posted by WKMCD

I totalled my last highly modded vette. By the time I got done sending all the receipts (427, PFADT suspension, leather interior, etc, etc, etc, etc) and arguing back and forth, I settled with the insurance company for almost twice what they originally offered.

You don't have to take their first offer. Good Luck.

Originally Posted by John Micheal Henry

Wishing you all the best Jeremy.. Now to help you with the new GS.. What color??

Originally Posted by jagamajajaran

I've ordered yellow!

Originally Posted by jagamajajaran

Monday, Jun 20 Update...

I've decided to let her go and order a Grand Sport. Someone is going to get an interesting project. Besides the need to replace the seats, seat electronic components, carpet, etc., all of the electronic dash components appear to be operating somewhere in the twilight zone. And even crazier than that, the M7 has morphed into a clutchless manual transmission. All you need to do is shift from gear to gear...no clutch required.

Thanks, again, for all of the encouragement over the last week.

Originally Posted by Thepiazza

Sorry to hear about your loss. On the other hand congratulations on the purchase of your new GS! I see you made the perfect color choice for yourself. Were you able to swipe some sort of sentimental piece off your car before you said your final goodbye?