For the record I say do your homework on a guy before you lay out money but I have a similar story on a smaller scale. I was restoring my 72 Stage 1 four speed in 1992. I had new sheet metal hung, anything original was acid dipped and epoxy dipped. All in all I brought a flawless shell with no glass, interior or trim. The doors, hood and trunk, bumpers etc., were off and the car was blocked down ready for paint. I searched shops in the Ft. Lauderdale area and found two I liked. I chose the guy who was painting a 512 Ferrari, 39 Ford Phaeton and 1969 L-88 Vette. They were all spectacular body work and paint jobs. Real quality work. I even agreed to his $4000.00 price with no haggling, he was good. He calls me 10 days later saying he is done, bring the money and a flatbed to get it out of his shop, he needs the room. I show up and it looks like Maaco painted it, severe orange peel, runs, color mismatch of my Burnished Bronze on the hood (two batches as he did not order enough paint originally). To top it off he dropped the original acid dipped, acid epoxied hood on its pointed nose split and crushed it, then hammered it out migged it back together with no support and painted over the weld with no prep. He installed the hood hoping I would not notice but when I closed the hood it split along his weld about 4 inches. Upon closer inspection I saw where he welded and painted it on the underside. He insisted I brought it to him like that and he had to repair it. I had no proof I did not. We are getting really heated now, he demands his money and that I get the car out of there or he will leave it on the street and the hell with me. I already paid him half up front so he has nothing to loose. Now his brother and another guy are in this and it is three against one (I'm 6'2", weigh 240 and have been power lifting for 12 years at this point); I don't back down like they thought I would and grab him but really don't do anything else. The brother claims he is going to the office for his gun and the third guy wants no part of this. The guy agrees to fix it, give him a few days. I agree but make him sign something to that effect about my dissatisfaction. I stop by the shop twice a day and he makes the car look pretty good. Not the $4000.00 good we agreed to but acceptable. He accepts $3000.00 and I take the car.
Fast forward six months and I have the car at a local show where some guy walks up and tells he painted my Buick. I say, I don't remember him working for the shop and he says he doesn't. They farmed it out to him for paint costs and $600.00. I'm going nuts (head spinning and pea green soups spewing out of my mouth) but none of this is his fault really so get his name and number. I go back to the shop but they are closed up and gone. After some investigation I find out they took off with the 69 L-88 Vette and that owner never got it back. Never did find them again.
Moral of the story... Do a lot of homework before you drop off your baby anywhere.....
Mikey
. The Judge would probably let you off. The destroyed a 100k car. hacks
