I really appreciate the feedback and I wish I could figure out how to respond to individuals - that will have to be another day. I have been driving it since I bought it until I surrendered it to the shop in November 2022. Mechanically it has been great and has never let me down.
Right now it has storage/theft insurance. I would guess that the worth will not include what I have spent if it "disappears".
I will ask again for the cost to get my car back after I meet with a lawyer tomorrow to make sure I choose the best wording for the question.
I have all of the emails and texts, even typed out all of the text messages in order to make the conversation easier if it went to litigation (still hope it won't).
I do have photos but don't know how to post them here - and there are about forty. If anyone is curious, the are in a series of emails that I can forward.
I should have reached out here first to find a shop. Sad face ...
im thinking your car is at a resto shop,not a back yard guy if so you must be around 100 an hour if at above board shop lets say by the sounds of things you could be at 3to4 hundred hour resto plus parts? labor adds up quick post a picture of car when together if you can so we can see how ruff it was maybe
It's a back yard and the rate was supposed to be $90/hr. You would have to perform some amazing tricks to generate $140,000 worth of work at that rate.
It's not hard to get into the thousand hours for a body off type job. so the 100grand is not unheard of, but the finish product should be very nice.
Sorry to hear you are gong thru this, This why there are lots of unfinished projects out there for sale. Costs get carried away real fast.
There is no easy answer for you unless you can do the work yourself, which doesn't sound like the case, maybe get the car painted
in Expoxy primer and put back together. There are lots of places that take advantage of this sort of thing as well, which you are aware of
and stuck in the middle of. Pictures of car and progress would be great.
I think you really need to think about this long and hard. Talk the lawyer first. And also think about the car. I was in the exact same spot as you. First, this was a resto shop that ripped me off royally as well as others. The car was in pieces that he knew he could have control of the situation. He knew that he could charge what he wanted cause the ball was in his court. And yes the car is completely dismantled as well. Then to add! If they wanted to, add storage fees if you stopped paying. So the lawyers I talked too, all wanted $$, and guess what, they wanted me to leave the car at his shop during the process!. And the lawyers responses are possibly that you wont get any money out of the situation/guy as he wont have assets listed. So potentially I lose all that money plus the car and everything else, lawyers fees, etc. I sure as hell wasnt going to leave my car at his place while he racks up storage fees as well as money in lawyers pockets!!!and as others have said, it can easily go over the 100k mark. Easily over 150k too. I got a box truck and a tow truck driver and got everything out of there!! Where me and my friend had to lift both the transmission and engine to the box truck (thank goodness it had a lift gate) as the was the last item and had broke the dolly. and I sure as hell wasnt going to leave that there either!
There is a lot to think about and questions to ask your lawyer.
-- Edited by MikeR667 on Thursday 21st of December 2023 02:35:40 PM
I just finished meeting with my lawyer and she says step one is to ask for my car back. I won't offer them how much they will charge me to assemble it so it can be moved, but will wait to see what they say.
Next - if they refuse to return my property to me or don't reply, this issue is one of theft. It's my car and they have no right to keep it. I have paid every bill they presented and asked them (I have this in writing) not to continue until we had a clearer estimate of price, which is when I got the additional $97,000 estimate.
If they DO give it back and I have it assessed by someone else and they feel there hasn't been $43,000 worth of work done, I can pursue the repair shop in small claims court and ask for some of my money back. If they DON'T give it back I have to pursue it in Supreme Court because the value is over $35,000, which is more complicated but I can do that with help.
It is a civil matter because there is no formal contract, so what applies is Civil Tort Law, which requires that I have records of everything, which I do. Because I am hard of hearing, all communication has been via text or email, except for brief conversations in person that I have referred to and summarized later, which is lucky for me.
I need to figure out the value of my car. That's a tough one, but I wonder if anyone can offer thoughts about what a completely off frame restored hardtop, 2-door 1969 Beaumont Deluxe would fetch on the market. Then I will sort out the possible income it would generate rented out using Vinty and others. My plan from the start was that it would eventually be put to work to justify the expense.
First is my carefully worded request to have my property returned to me in a form that can be transported.
Posting photos here isn't recommended but if someone wants to see them, I can forward them to private email. It's possible the shop might be identifiable from the pictures.
I agree with Cliff...patience. Most shops(owners ) like this push you (more money). We all run into the unexpected..but within reason. Sounds like this shop is more like a bully. Keeps pushing and pushing. To me...once you push back (litigation) they will pull back. Keep us posted and all the best!
Just for reality checking here ... the estimate indicates they will need 50 hours each to attach the new trunk bed and wheel houses, for a total of 150 hours. Does this seem like a reasonable amount of time, given that the car is already completely disassembled?
After getting advice, I have asked them to return my car. I have also asked what it will cost to roughly reassemble it, so it can be towed, leaving the mechanical parts out, so they can be stored separately. The entire exterior body is still assembled and the new quarter panels are still in boxes. I could rent a flat deck and drive to wherever I like to have it completed but hope to find someone who will let me work with them, since I am going to take a welding program.
Does it make sense to completely reassemble the car?
the inner shell has all been replaced except the trunk floor and wheel wells
I would get it to the point its a rolling chassis and fill the car with all the loose parts and get all of it out of there asap. Putting it back together if the parts are not totally ready for final install and alignment is likely a big waste of money. Take lots of pictures of everything you pick up and make a list so you can prove what you got. Somehow try and make sure youve got everything.
__________________
63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
I would also be asking for a breakdown of parts labour on each section of the car that they did (eg: teardown, floor pan removal and replacement etc etc) If they have billed you, they must have kept track (records) of hours for billing purposes.
I'm still at a loss how the original quote was $25K, that wouldn't even get a rust free car done.
You indicate he's looking for another 50 hours for the trunk bed and each wheel house, for a total of 150 hours. 150 hrs x $90 / hr = $13,500, plus parts.
Unfortunately it looks like you got led down the garden path with the original quote of $25K.
Disassembly is fairly straight forward, they bag and tag everything and take photo's, but that isn't just an afternoon if done right. I just can't see where your $43K has gone (floor pan repair can add up but not to that amount), and where the additional $97K is destined for, other than his bank account.
