Tusc

Hey, all.

I need an EXCELLENT body shop recommendation in CT for my Corvette. The rear fascia needs paint and blend, the exhaust needs replacing, and I REALLY want someone Corvette knowledgeable to go through the car as it is 19 years old and who knows what could go wrong.

I was fully stopped at a light in New Haven going from Foxon to Middletown and was rear ended in a hit-and-run. I got his plate, he got arrested and has no insurance, I got whacked by the seat and the driver's window and have been dealing with a concussion since October 18th. I'm finally focused remembering enough in a sequence to be able to address it. I do have USAA and 500k coverage for uninsured drivers. I do also have the same attorney covering me who handles all the injury cases for HPD and HFD.

Car damage: Visually, it truly does not appear to be much

Rear fascia was scratched laterally - paint and blend should do it, but I don't have a practiced eye for that.

It would seem that most of the force went into the exhaust - not the bumper. The cat-backs are bent, who knows how much else is bent, and the welds at the cats popped. You can hear the whole exhaust on both sides is loose and rattling heavily. The cat-back kit will be replaced. Not sure if any of the rest needs replacing, or just a $50 weld job. No one knows until it gets looked at.

I had just installed a TModcustoms shifter box and can say with firm faith that the shifter was *PERFECT* and effortless in all gears. Since the bump, 5th gear requires gargantuan FORCE to almost break it past metal to get into gear. That may be as easy as opening the console and adjusting the bolts for the box or the linkage. But in the back of my head, I want to make sure the geometry is correct at the rear of the car. I have not measured tire spacing in wheel wells yet to gauge this. Based on relatively light impact taken... I suspect it is fine and I hope that it was just the force of my arm slamming the shifter that caused this. If it is not fine, this could be a huge hidden cost.

Driver window. The weather stripping is 19 years old but intact, and the car only ever leaked lightly on the passenger side. That is, you had to aim a hose at it with force to prompt a leak and light rain would never infiltrate. The driver window now leaks heavily in rain and is loose on the track since my head whacked it good. Here again, I figure realignment of the window and fix what's loose.... but I know that can be a delicate thing on Corvette and the repair could leave the car leaking worse - this is why I am seeking an excellent shop and/or one specializing in Corvette.

The adjuster looked at it from 5 feet and never got under it or had it on a lift. I just don't want to get skimped out on for repairs and right now the adjuster... who USAA had to yell at to come look at the car or follow up with me... submitted info to the company which only got me a return which would cover replacing the cat-back. So I need a shop which is able to document everything needed and push with USAA. I am late to the party with all this because I got knocked bad enough in the head that I can't walk from my desk to the copy machine and back without forgetting what I got up for. I'm only now getting better focus again, so it is time to dive on it. I probably have a ton of e-mails and paperwork waiting for me, but I haven't yet been able to address them all - you get flooded with inputs when these things happen. Doctor appointments, insurance, court going after the guy who hit me, lawyer.... and some of them were sending 10 to 20 things a day. No way can someone with a TBI handle that. And I think I got stiffed because of it. But if I can get my car SAFE and properly FIXED, I'm good. And I don't want to feel like the paint work was not good enough. I want my show car to remain my show car. The only reason it was on the road at all was because I was repairing my daily. I don't feel the amount of attention or coverage given is sufficient to make the car whole again. Especially not with the rates I have been paying for 24 years to the company.

MrNiceGuy!

On the forum a suggested source for you might be http://www.jacksonchevrolet.com/Z06
Paul Koerner is the corvette specialist you would request. His credentials are very impressive. If you follow the link from above you can research Paul Koerner. Good luck!

Tusc

Thanks. Yes, I know Paul and follow him on his Facebook page. I've not gotten answers to questions I have posed him in the past, but I live in that world very strange to him of modded corvettes vs factory GM engineering, lol. He keeps his customers happy, so I bet he DOES know which paint shops do the same. I'll hit him up - had not thought of that.

Do you remember the name of the forum member, posts a lot of tech files on here, from CT like me but down around Guilford. I can't for the life of me remember his name.... big poster, always struck me as a solid reference. Did I mention I hate concussions?

Edit: I sent him a message. On FB he is "TheCorvetteMechanic."

MrNiceGuy!

Not sure about the forum member you're trying to remember. Maybe a search on the members list would help. Take care!

NoRuls

Corvette Center on Day Street in Newington is as good as it gets for body work.

Tusc

Ray Zisza's shop? I didn't know they did repairs. I thought it was full resto or parts installs.

I bet he charges an arm and all three legs. So long as insurance is paying for it to be done RIGHT...

68sixspeed

BillY2KFRC

Yup, they do. They repaired accident damage on my old C5 through insurance and it came out flawless. While they are not cheap, I didn't find the prices to be out of line with any other high end shop. Best of luck!

HRDTOPC54FUN

I would at least talk with Ray about your situation. Their body shop labor rates are reasonable, excellent quality work including paint and they stand behind their work.

Been working on my cars for over 15 years, always good results.

vrybad

Don't know if you have chosen a body shop yet but South End Autobody in Rocky Hill did some work for me a few years back and did an excellent job.
I would recommend talking to Tommy there for a quote.

fake

Try F40 on rt 17 in Portland Ct. Had some work done on a car and would go no were else.Flaw less paint work.