What is the status of your Project?
Any pictures yet?

 

Enquiring minds want to know! :lol: We're all waiting for the update :smash: .

 

Not good, I'm basically getting the shaft up to this point. I'm really frustrated because I've been listening to lies and excuses for 2 months now, and if he had done the job in the timeframe he promised, I'd be driving my car RIGHT NOW!

I went down there yesterday and Tom the owner was not in. Appearantly, he told his guys he was doing my car himself, so if he's not in, the car doesn't get worked on.

The car has been down there for 3 months now, and not a whole lot has been done. Basically, all they've done is removed the hood, put the car up on jacks, and remove the tranny crossmember. They told me they spent about half a day getting the engine aligned properly so that the tranny output is inline with the diff input in order to fabricate the new tubular crossmember. I went down there last week and they made it look like they were really working on it and starting to build the headers, but they appearantly weren't.

Upon seeing this, I told them I was going to come pick the car up either that afternoon or this morning. I told them I was tired of the BS, being lied to, misled and taken advantage of. The guys working there were very apologetic and understanding. They offered to replace the tranny crossmember and get the car moved to the bay door, so I could load it up when I came back.

Well, about 15 minutes after I left, while I was driving back up towards Chicago, Tom calls me on my cellphone telling me how he's going through a rough time and his health is starting to suffer. He says he doesn't want me to be mad at him, and that he's truly sorry the cars not done, that he cares about doing a good job on it, etc. I told him I'm sorry to hear that he's having problems, but that I just want my car done and I'm tired of being lied to and misled.

Anyway, the end result is that he asked me to give him until Friday, day after tomorrow, and come back down there. I told him fine, but that if I came down on Friday and didn't see significant progress on it, I would take the car with me, as well as being refinded my deposit. I agreed to that becuase I haven't talked to the other shops to see if they can still fit me in, so I don't think it will cost me anymore time. I feel like a fool, cause I've already told him twice I was gonna pick up the car and he talked me into giving him another chance. I really don't understand it, cause it's a worthwhile project and I'm always reading about his shop in the NMCA/NSCA and NMRA magazines and websites. His shop is filled with awesome cars, but some of them have been in there for months without being touched.

On my way home yesterday, I stopped by Metal Supermarket and picked up some scrap 16gauge 304 stainless steel tube. I spent some time last night practicing TIG welding it and cutting it. I'm seriously thinking of doing it myself if I end up taking it back this Friday.

I've never been in a situation like this where a shop takes so long to do the job. You would think they would want to get the cars in and out to make room for others so they can make more money. As you can imagine, I'm very frustrated and in some ways my level of interest and enthusiasm has been diminished by the whole thing.

 

Sorry to hear that Monty, I haven't heard nothing but good things about them 'till now. Hope it turns out OK and you'll get your car done the way it was planned.
Keep us posted!!! :)

 

It'll get done, one way or the other.

In some ways, I'm starting to prefer the idea of doing it myself. Everytime I go down there I check out some of the other cars in their for turbo systems and/or custom headers. Between what I've observed there, and what I've read from the SPD and Burns Stainless websites and catalogs, I think I could do a pretty good job at it it too. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I spent several hours last night cutting and welding 304 S/S tubing. Although I'm using 321 S/S, the weld process and characteristics ar ethe same. TIG welding stainless seems to be the easiest material and process for me. (Aluminum is another story ;) )

My goal is to run it at the Corvettefoprum Cruise-in Drag's, so I'm gonna do whatever it takes. I'll know for sure what that is this Friday.

 

I would be pissed off too, one thing is to do good job and another is doing it in the timely manner.
With your attention to details, and all the tools that you need, I am sure you would do excellent job on it your self. :cheers:

Good luck with your decision.
Ziggy

 

Monty,
Sorry to hear that bud.
I know how you feel. I was at the same status as you when I had my 383 built.
The engine builder was excellent but the secondary balance shop was in no hurry so his hands were tied. I almost had my deposit back in hand.... I called around about this same time to have another shop build one up . NOt a chance to have a shortblock built in 2-3 weeks.
I held out and it all worked out well :)

Like you said you have a very reptidible shop. Hope it works out .

Dennis

 

I think you're like me Monty, always willing to give someone another chance. My dad is definitely not that way.

But I'd say it's time to play hardball, if it hasn't progressed SIGNIFICANTLY Friday, load it up, and find another way.

Can't wait to see it! I'm gonna make it down to Chicago to take you up on your offer!

 

My hate for leaving the Vette for mechanical work is second only to my distaste for leaving my car at a body shop! A project that can be done at home is a happy project ;)

I hope it works out for you Monty. My gut tells me that they will get enough done by Friday to keep your business, but that the pain won't stop here...
hope I'm wrong.

-Joe

 

Monty I didn't realize that your planning on going to the cruise-in. That's awesome! It sounds like your going thru what Merlin has experienced with his car. It always sucks when your waiting for someone else to do something on your car. To them it's a job, but to us it's so much more. I hope they can get on track. You might want them to commit to a deadline date on when it'll be done, not just that they spent a day working on it.

 

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I've tried to be patient with the shop, but as you guys mentioned it's time to cut my losses and move on if that's what it takes. Flareside, I hope you're wrong, but the same thing has crossed my mind as well. I would be surprised if he hasn't gotten some work done on it by tomorrow, but I'm fearful that once he gets a little work done to appeas me for the time being, I'll end up waiting awhile for him to finish it. Once part of me hopes that he doesn't do anything so I can just take the car and move on (plus save $9k in labor costs), because if he does do some work on it, then goes back to not working on it for weeks at a time, it's going to make it more difficult to resolve.

I know everyone who takes their cars into a shop to get some work done have unrealistic expectations of how long it should take - basically we all want it done yesterday. But in this case, I think I've demonstrated enough patience by allowing the car to sit for almost 3 months in his shop without any significant work being done to it.

I think that if I end up doing it myself, it would be quite an accomplishment and a source of pride if it turns out well. I've gotten some emails from a few people asking me if I would be intersted in making duplicates of my headers. If I end up doing them myself, and the quality is good enough, I might do that.

 

Well, I just got back from TRZ. Amazingly, they are finally working on the car.

I've got kinda mixed emotions about it because appearantly, the materials that I paid for back in December finally showed up today via 2nd Day Air. When I got there, the UPS man was just leaving. The owner had also just gotten back from the welding supply store with a couple pounds of 347 S/S filler rod. Needless to say, I was glad they are finally working on it, but the fact that the materials were just getting there did not escape me. I was glad to see he went out of his way to use the correct filler rod though. He could have used 308, but it wouldn't have been right. So even though it's taking forever to get it done, and he's told me over and over he was working on it when he really wasn't, it seems that he's at least doing it right and not cutting corners or shorting me on the premium materials I requested and paid for. I looked at the tubing that came in and it is indeed 321 stainless, not the cheaper 304. I was concerned about being charged for 321 and actually getting 304.

Flareside, I mentioned to him that I was concerned that he would start the project to appease me for the time being, but then take forever to finish it. I said I am inclined to cut my losses now and take the car while everything is pretty cut and dry, rather than getting in the midst of the project and having to pick up the car and get it finished elsewhere or do it myself.

I'm going back down there Saturday. He told me he'd be working on it all weekend, so I told him I'd definitely be there at Noon on Saturday. He said to come by and he'd probably have the headers almost done - probably just tacked, not fully welded I would guess. He said if I'm not happy then, that I could take the car and he wouldn't charge me for the labor. He also said he'd cut his price as well as throw in the 2 BOV's in for free, which is about $700-800. Hopefully, this is all a good sign that he serious about getting it done finally.

Again, I appreciate the support. I'm sure everyone needs to vent their frustrations at times, and needless to say, my wife is totally uninterested in my hot rod activities, so she's not interested in hearing my on going saga.

Hopefully, this is the light at the end of the tunnel.

Although I didn't get any pics of my car, I did take some pics of a NMRA racecar he's been working on for the past few months. That suckers got a big 108mm turbo - makes my little 60mm turbo's look puny...




[Modified by Monty, 3:26 PM 3/28/2002]

 

Monty: Sorry to hear of all your troubles. I am so looking forward to comming out and watching you race. Ya want for me ta go down der and make dis guy an off-a he can't refuse?? :jester :jester

 

Well, it's good to see that he's making an effort. It's easier to put up with BS when they take off a few hundred for each delay, that's for sure!

Just remember that the end result will be worth it. To get a work of art, you have to work with an artist, and we all know how artists work! If they were good managers, their header would look like crap :lol:

Most people can only dream of doing what you're doing.

Don't forget the camera on Saturday ;)

-Joe

 

Sounds like things are starting to look up for you Monty, now get back in your garage and practice that welding aluminum some more ;) .

 

Make sure they do NOT do a rush job just to make up for lost time...I've been in this situation before and it sux.

If at any point from now forward you become unhappy with them, pull the car out.

I hope it works out for you...it would be pretty kool if u did it yourself though.

What kind of BOV's cost that much?

Good luck!

 

Well, we finally started on it today, and I'm going back tomoorrow. See my other post for pics. HKS...