Quick question about the quality of work done on my 68 Camaro...

[JoshC]

Quick question about the quality of work done on my 68 Camaro...

IF you sent your 1st generation Camaro to a professional, well known company (advertises in multiple well known magazines) to have this much metal replaced: http://tinypic.com/fkrv9j.jpg (http://tinypic.com/fkrv9j.jpg) , would you expect to be able to fit your hand between the trunk floor and the rear quarter just below the marker light?

I am told all work was done to factory spec. The gap I am referring to was not there when I sent it to get worked on and I have a hard time believing that a gap like that would be within factory specs....

What are your thoughts and do you have said gap?

Thanks for your reply and I have many issues and pics that I will hopefully get posted Sat.

[JoshC]

I should have mentioned that this is on the drivers side, the passenger side is almost tight.

[BRIAN]

Post some pics for accurate response.

[Andrew McBride]

Are you reffering to the trunk side filler panel and the quarter panel?
Or the trunk floor extension that is next to the quarter when your looking inside the trunk?-If you are reffering to this, the extension should butt up next to the inside of the quarter panel, there should be no room for a hand to get through.
The early mustangs have a big gap between the quarter and the extension, but there is a fiberboard filler that was in place. However, first gen. camaros should fit tight, maybe about a 1/4" gap max.
Its hard to tell what you are reffering to exactly, if you have any pics post them up and we can help you out.

[JoshC]

I do have this pic, http://tinypic.com/fktpo6 before the quarter was installed. I believe that if you look at the small black panel at the inner fender, you will see how short it falls from actually being near the quarter. Much more than the 1/4".

I will upload the completed pics in the morning. Worst case, I will link them as I do not know how to post them.

Thanks again, Josh

[Whistler]

It won't make a difference being that far off, it depends how picky you are. I'd probably say something.

[JoshC]

Here is a pic of the gap with the quarter installed: http://tinypic.com/fkxxlh.jpg

Here is the passenger side, nice and tight, less than 1/4": http://tinypic.com/fkxz6o.jpg


Actually, I hope I am being to picky. I do not like the thought of a less than stellar job for the 8K that I have in it but, if its to spec, I am happy again.


More pics of other areas on the way.


More pics of other areas on the way.

[derekf]

Both pics come up as 'not found'. The previous pic -fktpo6 - was working before but now also gives a 'not found' error.

[JoshC]

Please see next post, links are dead here

[JoshC]

Both pics come up as 'not found'. The previous pic -fktpo6 - was working before but now also gives a 'not found' error.

I hope this a short lived problem as all the pics I just posted are now not working as well ... perhaps the picture hosting place is having an issue... If not, I will find another hosting place.

Thanks, Josh

[JoshC]

Here is an attempt to post the pics from the above posts that no longer seem to be working.

Here are the gap pics:

Here is a pic of the gap with the quarter installed: http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/6831/10009942un.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/6831/10009942un.jpg)

Here is the passenger side, nice and tight, less than 1/4": http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/1452/10009954kn.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/1452/10009954kn.jpg)
(http://tinypic.com/fkxz6o.jpg)


I sent the Camaro to the shop asking for all rusted areas to be replaced. I was called by the shop with an estimate after they had a chance to look at it and then again after they tore it apart and found the hidden rust that we all fear. I never balked and said replace everything that needs it. 8K + invested at this shop.

By nature I am a tight wad but this car has a special place in my heart as it was my first car that I sold while still in high school and found it again 15 years later. No, it is not an SS, Z28 or anything special to anyone other than me.

I also must admit, I expected the gaps / lines to be a little better: http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/9951/picture0307dl.jpg (http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/9951/picture0307dl.jpg)

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/1341/picture0399cm.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/1341/picture0399cm.jpg)

http://img276.imageshack.us/img276/6027/10009712te.jpg (http://img276.imageshack.us/img276/6027/10009712te.jpg)

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8581/10009641no.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8581/10009641no.jpg)

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/9835/10009603qp.jpg (http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/9835/10009603qp.jpg)

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/9431/10009617mv.jpg (http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/9431/10009617mv.jpg)

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/6136/10009560re.jpg (http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/6136/10009560re.jpg)

And, just to be clear, I did ask for, and pay for the alignment of these panels. I did not simply buy they doors / fenders and put them on myself and then gripe because they need work. I paid for the work to be done. But, in all fairness, some of this could have happened during transportation. Turns out that some of the lines did not matter as some things were going to change.... Notice anything wrong with this fender?
http://img277.imageshack.us/img277/7971/picture0257sn.jpg (http://img277.imageshack.us/img277/7971/picture0257sn.jpg)

Notice the amount of Bondo in the rocker, yes, it is a thick as it looks:
http://img277.imageshack.us/img277/2509/picture0107lw.jpg (http://img277.imageshack.us/img277/2509/picture0107lw.jpg)

Perhaps it is to help with the lines / gaps:
http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/2944/picture0153nn.jpg (http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/2944/picture0153nn.jpg)

The Rocker replacement was one of the things I actually asked for to be done. I was told that it was actually in pretty good shape and could be made to like new with a little massaging. Replacement was not necessary...

I had to have a new tail panel so I asked to have it cut for RS back up lights.
http://img335.imageshack.us/img335/8279/10009554ir.jpg (http://img335.imageshack.us/img335/8279/10009554ir.jpg)[/url]

I could very well be wrong here but, doesn't the panel behind this hole need cut as well?


I was a little surprised, after requesting that all rusted areas to be repaired to find these kind of things:

[url="http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/34/picture0189kr.jpg"]http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/34/picture0189kr.jpg (http://tinypic.com/fky43l.jpg)


http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6739/picture0194se.jpg (http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6739/picture0194se.jpg)


http://img311.imageshack.us/img311/5286/picture0205kx.jpg (http://img311.imageshack.us/img311/5286/picture0205kx.jpg)

I have many more pics of smaller things but I believe I am starting to nit pic. It bothers me that the cut out for the 4 speed is crooked, that there was some great welds and some not so great welds, the inner fenders were not installed, they kept my tail panel, and upper cowl, etc., etc. BTW, I did get the last two panels in the mail last night. To bad I bought new ones Monday as my painter was ready to get to work and required all parts when he started (part of our agreement, apparently customers have strung him out in the past) ... as it turns out, it was not really an issue as the first few days have been spent straightening out the items listed.. and he is of course unhappy with me for telling him that the car would be very near ready to paint. He does not like body work and happily will tell you as much. Understandably, I expect his additional work will be a very costly adder to his quote ...

Am I being to picky? I sorta hope I am being to picky. I do not like the thought of a less than stellar job for the 8K + that I have in it the body. If you guys feel that its to spec, I am semi happy again as that's really all I was promised in writing. Orally, I was told the work would be better than that as spec just was not good enough for some things ... But, as we all know, verbal promises wont buy you a cup of coffee.

Another note to anyone out there sending their car to a shop to be fixed... IF you are asked if you would like to "...have the car blasted to remove all the hidden rust and then have the car epoxy coated for X amount of hundreds of dollars?" Ask if they mean media blasted. I assumed that this was the case but as it turns out, it meant sand blasted, and only areas of concern, not the whole car as one might think.

So Guys / Gals, should I be happy? What are your thoughts?

[crazyfireman]

I do not think you are being unfair, that is not a good quality job, for 8k I would expect more, I would understand if you paid less but you paid for a quality job and didnt receive a fair deal. I would once again contact the shop and express your dissatisfaction and give them the oppurtunity to make it right.

[TonyL]

I woulndt be. It looks like they forgot alot of rust. The rocker looks very scary to me.

Has this shop never heard of weld through primer? What good is replacing panels only to leave raw metal in the areas that will rust again? I'd have complained. for 8K the panels should fit right. We did a 68 at our shop, it took several months. but it left better than the factory did it.

[derekf]

I'd be angry, or possibly even livid. Not sure if you got 8k worth of work or not as I don't know shop prices or what costs what - but 8k is a lot of money regardless.

Hopefully others will pipe up with more relevant knowledge.

[bwarren]

I'm NO expert! BUT it looks to me like you got taken to the woodshed. I would be very, VERY unhappy as well. On the other hand, I've seen similar jobs that were twice what you paid. How much would you have paid to get what you want (knowing what you know now)??

I'm curious . . . did you get any references before you had the work down OR personally see the level of detail on similar projects they were working on?? I wouldn't continue the build with the body like that. May sound harsh but my guess is you'll be unhappy no matter what.

I communicated with one guy who bought a protouring Camaro (sight unseen - pics only) and it was a disaster!!! He had the body REDONE, that job was also "poor quality," and he had it redone AGAIN! It was interesting to see the original "sales" pics before he bought the car and the pics he took it was being unloaded from the car carrier. I was sick thinking that could have been me. He paid BIG money!

If you're curious, in my opinion it's the BODY!! (MEANING: Overall body condition is the #1 consideration when purchasing. EVERYTHING else is easier & cheaper to fix / change!).

Just ONE man's opinion. :)

[TonyL]

Mind you that my post is coming from someone who's worked in the body shop industry. The more I look at your pictures, the angryer i get for you. You paid to have rust removed. With the amount of disasembly done, there just isn't an excuse for any leftovers. It was all easily patchable when it was blown apart.

We would have photoed and documented every spot of rust, and fixed and treated the new panels with weld through primer and body wax. looks like none was used on your car. Those areas WILL rust again. water found it's way in there before and will again. The rockers are no doubt filled with rust, that will just eat away at the new panels.

we would have also added material along the edges of the panels that didnt fit, and made them right. Shops do this all the time. (like under the front edge of your front fender) Any reputable shop wouldn't have let that job out to be scrutinized by an enthusiast. Its one thing trying to get a slightly mismatched paintjob to suzy homemaker on her SUV, but to screw over a guy trying to restore a classic?? The bodyshop's name is forever bonded to that car, for better or worse. So usually they try to make sure its for better.

I'd be pissed.. show em this thread.

[96Z28SS]

See this is the type of post that scares the hell out of me.
I need to get my trunk and 1/4's replaced and this is the type of stuff I'm not looking foward too.

[rockdogz]

My car had the same kind of gap - 1" or so - on the trunk extension to fender. That's probably why when I opened it up there was gobs of dirt/leaves/etc in there that start to rust it out from the inside. I figured it was normal for those cars.

[JoshC]

bwarren: No, I did not ask around. I did see one of their cars in person (as well as a magazine) and went I guess I was in awe of their big name... It seems to have been a mistake.

TonyL: I surely wish I had not read your posts... I have never heard of weld through primer and body wax. Then again, I am not in the body biz... I have a whole new set of worries now... I am glad to see that I am not crazy and others seem to believe that the work has been less than great...

96Z28SS: I sent this car 3+ states away to get this... If I had to do it over again, I would not be dazzled by the bling of a big time name. I would find a local car show, ask around, research, another few car shows, meet the proprietor of a few shops and do my homework. I tried to take the easy way and pic a big name... Some people think my problems with the car are no biggie... perhaps they are not but they sure feel like it right now.

rockdogz: heck, it could be common for that gap. I might have got lucky the first time around... I don't feel I was so lucky this time though. At least with the other issues.

I have had a few guys suggest that I should have sent it back to the original shop for repair. I simply do not think that's a good idea. Had it been one or two small items, that would probably have been an option or at least easier to overlook. It was not one thing, it was several. I asked for RS cut outs for a 68, not cut out for a 69... I asked for 68 front fenders, not one 67 and one 68... I asked for all of the rust to be fixed, still some there... I asked for the body lines to match, no go there either..., I asked for ... well, hopefully you can see where I am coming from. There are multiple issues here so there is little chance that the guys at the shop did not know about them. IF they did all this work and thought it was fine (they did tell me it was done remember) that's even a bigger reason not to deal with them again.

[Mike_M]

I don't usually say much on these forums, more of a lurker, but wow, that's terrible. I thought the job on my car was bad, but that is much, much worse. You've made me feel better about my body shop experience, that's for sure. I know how frustrating getting a car back that's no where near what it's suppose to be can be, mine's been sitting in my garage for a year now because every time I look at it I get more frustrated and angry, I just found a new body guy this week, actually. I know how you feel about not taking it back to that shop - if that's their idea if a good job, it's best to get it away from them before they do any more damage, or worthess work that will just have to be done again anyhow... it's a shame you've already paid for this "work"... I cannot believe ANY shop would allow that quality of work to leave their building. You should definitely be getting your money back for this one, although I'm sure that's easier said than done. Looking at your pictures I'm finding myself getting livid on your behalf. I'd be interested in knowing the name of the shop that did the work, although usually I don't believe in dragging a businesses name through the mud on a public forum, I think in this case it might be warranted. I wish you luck on getting it all fixed, and I hope in the end it all turns out to be worth it!

[BRIAN]

Ok also being in the industry I have to ask some questions.

Does the $8k include purchasing the parts, installing, prepping, painting, polish, and final assy?

Weld primer is only applied between 2 mating surfaces where moisture can get trapped after the repair is done. It has to be removed on any surfaces that are going to be painted of have bondo applied so it would be hard to detect if the panels are already installed and prepped.


It sounds like this is your first resto and may not understand that is not a high dollar amount and might be reflected in the work performed. Also welcome to the world of aftermarket parts. Something the collision Industry has been fighting for years due to the above fitment reasons.


On the other hand I do agree some of the repairs aren't the greatest but would like to be better informed as to what was paid before I comment. Not taking any sides just like to hear the entire story.

[JoshC]

Hi Brian. I am not sure what is left out of my story but here goes the short version, it can be filled in with the other posts that I have made.

I bought back a Camaro that I owned as a youth. I searched around the forums and the net in general for info and planned the rebirth of my Camaro. I wanted to get the best goods possible. I wanted my Camaro to handle well. I have a corvette and I like the way it handles so I bought a Complete Subframe from Wayne Due.
I do not like the traction bars so I looking to buy a Hotchkis rear spring kit.
I bought a rebuilt 12 bolt with 3:73 gears and an Eaton Positrac unit as I did not think the 3:08 10 bolt was going to make it.
I wanted my Camaro to stop as fast as it goes so I bought a Wilwood rear brake kit to match the front from Precision brakes. I would like to get a hydroboost soon... Seems I missed a group buy a while back. Tragic.
Since I was going with 3:73 I was concerned about the top end as I like to drive distance so I bought a Keisler TKO 600 5 speed.
I did not want it to overheat on these long drives so I bought a Ron Davis Radiator to keep my 454 cool. The 454 is actually recycled from a failed (had to sell) 70 Chevelle project.
I like the minilite style wheels so I ordered a set of 18" ones, tires to be determined at a later date.
I thought the wiring looked beat up so I ordered a complete set up from American Autowire.
Everything had to be of a the best quality as I hoped to make the Camaro as good as I wished it was while in High School.

Almost everything else had been bought so it was finally time to tear the old car apart and get the body fixed that had been so poorly treated the past 30+ years. I went on a search for a body shop that would be able to perform the task. It was actually harder than I would have thought. Not to many shops are interested in messing with old cars. They want the fast insurance jobs and who could really blame them.... Lucky for me, I do know a great painter that was "mostly retired" as he likes to say. He told me that if I got the body work done, he would shoot the paint. One night I was reading one of the many Car mags and I found an add that looked promising. Goodmark Industries had opened an installation center that would install their panels in a quick, professional manner that would be to factory speck or better. And better yet, they list their prices on the web site. Well, that was some of the best news I had seen on the subject. Like I said, it was looking grim finding a body shop around here that wanted the work. A few shops said they could do it but after looking at some of their other work ... well, I passed. I thought Goodmark had to be the best thing going. Think about it, a major manufacture, very well known brand was offering to install panels. I called them up and told them what I thought needed done. The nice guy on the other end of the phone scheduled me in to get the car looked at. It was stated and well understood that cars usually need more work that shows on the surface. I stressed that I wanted this car repaired to like new or better. After the car was delivered, a price was given (which is not an issue) and the work was to take place. Well, the deeper they got the more work needed done. No problem, I agreed to the new work and price. A couple weeks turned into several but not gripe from me at all. I was getting the car of my dreams built! The build was on.

Well, one day the call came and the car was ready. I had to add front end parts to the order (short notice on my part due to a suggestion by my painter) but not a problem as they had a frame to use for the mock up. A few days later the car was ready to come home. I I made arrangement for pickup and I paid the bill off with my CC. I sent the driver down with the Goodmark hood, lower valance and header panel that I had purchased earlier from another vendor (Goodmark's warehouse was out of stock at the time, the shop welcomed these parts.) The driver drove Friday night, 12 hours to get there. He was to drop off the parts, sleep and leave when the shop finished the final fit. The car was released and made it home this past Sunday.

My painter was less than thrilled at the quality of the car on Tues. when I brought it to him (he was busy Monday, hence the day lap) and I started taking pictures where he pointed. Most of the pics were of obvious stuff that was less than perfect. Other things are more of a nit pic flavor.

Well, I have a few options at this point... I can send it back to Goodmark and try and get them to fix the problems or get someone local. Well, I have $1000 already spent in shipping and as you might have guessed, I am not thrilled with the prospect of sending the car back to the very people that failed to see the problems the first time.

Lucky for me, the painter agreed to do the work. He already had 2 weeks set aside for my paint job so he agreed to see where he was at the end of the two weeks...

To really hit on your question about what was being paid, check out their website as they have prices listed for most of the standard work that they perform. Volume and I guess cheaper parts (than average body shop as they buy from themselfs) is why they thought they could do the work for so little...

I am not as disapointed (angry) as I was earlier... Sure, I still believe the work is not as good as it should have been and they lack quality but in the big picture, it could always be worse...

I will not recomend them to anyone though, my conscience would not allow it.

Take care, Josh

Thanks guys for letting me vent.

[JoshC]

I got a couple emails with support but mentioning some terds might be to hard to polish. My car had issues before went down, no question, but I don't think it was to far gone... Here are pics taken no more than 48 hours before it left my house to be worked on.

All will work out in the end, I suppose this is one of those things that make us appreciate it when things go right...

Thanks, Josh

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/2407/10004845cx.jpg

http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/4959/10004421am.jpg

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/724/dcp025828mc.jpg

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/5330/10006058pt.jpg

http://img325.imageshack.us/img325/1925/dcp025516pt.jpg

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/319/dcp025526xy.jpg

http://img498.imageshack.us/img498/2593/dcp025559pj.jpg

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/548/dcp025568bj.jpg

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/9558/dcp025679nv.jpg

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/4601/10001706rh.jpg

[BRIAN]

I did not see the Goodmark reference before.


I would be on the phone with Goodmark themselves and email them the pictures. Tell them you are going to drag that car to every car show with their name on it as doing the work. See how quick they resolve your problem.


DO NOT take it back to the same shop that is a mistake. It is also a bigger mistake to have two different shops do the prep and paint. They will only blame each other in the end if something is wrong. Even worse decision to use someone you know because if something goes wrong you will not be friends for long.


Get an estimate to correct and present it to Goodmark for reinbursement.



Where are you located? Sorry but you write a ton and I kind of skimmed through it. If you are in the Notheast I may be interested in helping. If not there are guys on here that also do very nice if not better work.

[JoshC]

Brian,

Very good points.

Unfortunately, I am in Central Indiana, right between Indianapolis and Ft. Wayne. I would REALLY like to know of a good body shop in my area willing to help... One that understands old cars.

I am making a list of all issues and will be calling them Monday. I believe I found another major issue, in the same ballpark of them cutting out my rear RS light holes with a 69 Camaro templet, not a 68...

Here it is:

Can anyone verify whether or not this hole is correct? It is supposed to be a factory (location) hole in a 1968 Camaro 4 speed. I thought all was well until I found a thread linking:

Hwystarjoe's templet:

http://www.geocities.com/hwystarjoe/4SpeedTunnell.jpg

And here is what I have, smaller pics than last time :

http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/...cture0052tv.jpg

http://img449.imageshack.us/img449/...cture0061xt.jpg

http://img415.imageshack.us/img415/...cture0071gs.jpg

Any help would is always appreciated.

Thanks, Josh

[SPEEDZONE]

as the owner/operator of a body shop, I gotta say that is very poor work. You have every right to be dissatisfied, and shouldnt feel guilty about making them do it right. That is a hack job if I ever saw one.

[BRIAN]

I hope you stick it to Goodmark as they are just starting to push that program and I would hate to see somebody else get screwed. Explain you have posted pics on this site as it gets a lot of attention.



Honestly I usually only do the body and paint stuff on a full build. The reason is I simply do not trust anybody else either. Look into Prodigy Customs everybody seams blown away with his work and ethics. The tow there would be worth the piece of mind.


I have to say the lesson here is there are tons aof cars in mags and even posted here that guys go crazy over. There is NO way of telling what a car looks like unless you have seen it in person. I have seen a lot of big name mag cars and couldn't believe how bad they look in person.

[CFster]

The internet can be a powerfull tool - if the vendor knows what's good for him.

I ran into a problem with an aftermarket transmission vendor and posted about it in detail on another forum. Basically it wouldn't fit. THEY CALLED ME, and offered to make it right by doing the install themselves (which involved me shipping the car 900 miles). That's alright, I'm in the business so getting the car moved wasn't a big deal. They also threw in a hydraulic clutch setup for free. It was mutually beneficial as I got a free install and they got to develop some custom pieces to offer in future kits.

In any event, after all was said and done they asked me to post about my positive experience with them.

I'd show your body shop this thread.

[JoshStratton]

Josh,

I have used a shop here in town that I would recommend, if you want to make the drive to Columbus, Ohio. They used to have a web site, but I think it was shut down. They fully document everything, give you an estimate up front that you pay for before the work is done....and dont come asking for more money. They dont let the quality slip. They actually DO what they say they will and they have been in business for years. Very good shop....one thing though. They dont like to use purchased patch panels. They prefer to custom make their own, so it may cost a little more than your typical shop.

If your interested:

Auto Metal Masters
70 Cross St
Pickerington, OH 43147-1261
(614) 837-3601

[ProdigyCustoms]

I see our name mentioned above, and we always appreciate the kind words and referrals. If we can be of any assistance, let us know.

On another note. Have you tried to install door rubbers on the door shells and see if they will close? If not, I suggest you do that immediately, before doing one more thing.

[JoshC]

Well, here is the update: Full purchase refund for the replacement drivers front fender and drivers door. To replace the ones I bought locally to replace theirs. They are sending me a new tail pan with properly cut holes in it to have installed locally, they are picking up the bill. They are also paying to have the shifter hole relocated. $125 back on the total front end fitting and alignment charge... Everything else is pretty much my problem... They did apologize for missing the rust holes... They did not seem to feel they needed more money to do it right the first time as they believe (other than the easy to prove stuff above) that the quality was fine. To their credit, the Shop was very polite, friendly (as always) and did not get nasty at all.

As a wise member of this board told me: " I don't think its an equitable settlement considering how the car came back and what you paid but they aren't going to give the store away either. You could get hung up focused on battling them instead of working on the project." I am moving ahead and will try not and look back to many times. Hopefully, in a month or two it will be ready for paint.

Thanks again guys for your thoughts and support. If this is the worst thing that ever happens to me concerning this Camaro, I will consider myself very lucky indeed.

Josh

[JoshC]

Thanks for the leads on people to help me get my car worked out... I should have asked earlier...

Frank.... If I had only known.... I would have loved to send my car to you.

[JoshStratton]

Wow! I am very impressed. I dont think I have ever heard of a shop giving any type of refunds. Congrats!! I think...

[Stoker420]

I have the gaps in the trunk area and it was like that from the factory but the rest of the issues I don't know what to say.

[rohrt]

Way to go on getting some of the stuff fixed. I did all the metal work on my car myself and I thought it came out better then the pics you showed. I know what you mean about having a hard time finding someone to do the work so I guess thats why i did mine myself.
I don't think anyone mentioned that you will have wider gaps due to the thinner metal used in reproduction metal.

[JoshC]

3K more in body work and about 200 hrs by my brother and I was required to fix what was messed up, the body is now the way it should have been the first time... I have not talked to the original shop since I received the replacement (correct this time, to be installed by a local shop) tail panel. They have not collected their parts, the incorrect ones. No refunds yet. But, in all fairness, I have not talked to them since they agreed to. If they had sent back my window trim as promised, I probably never would again...

BUT, here it is! Painted by my brother and I in my barn. It is actually VERY satisfying doing the work yourself.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif (http://img20.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000158small3ok.jpg)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif (http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1000178small1rx.jpg)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif (http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img091911bl.jpg)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif (http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img046916ui.jpg)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[6'9"Witha69]

That's your BARN!? Damn that's some nice open space!

[2Slow4U]

Damn! I'm jealous. That looks good. I wish I had the time and space to do it like that.

[ProdigyCustoms]

Ya know, we are all still just kids. What was the first thing we did when we opened a model, put the wheels and tires together and hold them under the car.

Oh, BTW, looks hott! You should be proud, it appears it was quite the journey.