How Long ????

[TERMN8OR]

How long should it take for a professional shop to do a complete restoration ? The car would be in very poor condition when it arrives at the shop.
Just wondering if I'm getting impatient.

[ProdigyCustoms]

34 days! See MotiV8tr! LOL!

Give 6 months to 9 months

[TERMN8OR]

So I guess now that we going on 5 years I should start looking for another shop to complete the car.

[ProdigyCustoms]

Another Prodigy Rescue? Only thing in my shop that old is the dust!

[TERMN8OR]

Car is out in NJ... Where are you located ?

[critter]

Wow! Five years? Yeah, that's over the top.

[ProdigyCustoms]

Florida. I have a rescue from New Jersey in the shop right now. Thats what trailers are for. We do les then 5% local work, intentionally
.

[BA.]

You wouldn't go wrong with Prodigy at all, not to mention a few others on this board.

5 years is just waaay too long, even for starting from a basket case!
(says the guy who's car is still in the paint shop 12 months now)

[Twentyover]

Depends- how was he paid- you pay up front? (big mistake). Buy the parts he needed yourself and make progress payments on completion of an acceptable inspection?

Five years is too long

[TERMN8OR]

I was making payments as the car progressed. I also bought the parts as needed. As of now, I have prepaid around 3 K for some work that was only 1/2 way completed. Big reason why I'm not sure what to do with this guy. I like him to finish what he started and I don't want to pull the car out without getting my money back. But then again, I am really losing my cool with him.

[ProdigyCustoms]

I am telling you this as a fellow member not someone chasing the job. Many of my rescues can tell you. Sometimes the fastest lost is the smallest loss. In other words, the longer it stays in there, the worse it will get. Ask Will with Back and Black. He first contacted me when he smelled trouble and the car was in primer, he saw it through, and re did it all anyway! it would have cost him less with us if we would have got the car before it was finished.

[Young Gun]

you arent gonna go wrong with Frank and the crew at Prodigy, they take amazing care of their customers and do top notch work, there are plenty of members on this site that would chime in and say the same, if you are looking for a shop to do work, seriously consider Prodigy

[TERMN8OR]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I would love to bring the car up to Prodigy, but I wanted to keep it somewhat closer to home in order to have some oversight in the finishing.
I just got off the phone with Jake from Jake's rod shop and had a good conversation with him. He's possibly going to be in my area next week and will be able to check out the car.
Maybe I can finally get this thing finished up.

[z4me69]

3000 for work not done .the real question will that 3000 worth of work be quality work or just good enough to get more money from you. just look through this board alone prodigy's work speaks for it's self verry stand up shop.

[comp-spec]

Prodigy and Jakes Rod shop are both good choices can't go wrong with ether one
Good luck with your car :bananna2:

[ProdigyCustoms]

Regardless of where you take it, you just need to cut bait where your at. The shop it is in will probably beg you to leave it and make new promises, But they are probably going to be empty promises. Just pull it and go on.

Good luck

[critter]

What they've all said. You'll only be throwing good after bad at this point. Is this a restoration/custom shop or just "Joe's Body Shop"? If it's the latter it's the same old story. He has insurance work that he's flipping for the quick buck. He stuck your car in the corner and keeps thinking he'll get to it some day. He never will.

(And people wonder why I keep teaching myself how to do all this stuff. At least I know who to blame when it doesn't get done or is done incorrectly!) ;)

[TERMN8OR]

When the project first started, the owner of the shop was taking the car as a "side job" He came highly recommended by a speed shop that I was using to build the motor and take care of some of the frame work on the car. He had done several cars for the owner, and they looked great.
About a year later, he had gone full time and opened up a large facility in South Jersey. He has since taken in a ton of cars that he is trying to work on.
I think he has too many cars in the shop, and doesn't know how to handle all the work.

[stealth71]

5 years and only 3 grand. I would call that cheap storage. Sounds like it's time to move on and get it finished.

[Jim Nilsen]

5 years and only 3 grand. I would call that cheap storage. Sounds like it's time to move on and get it finished.


$60 per month x 60 months = $3,600 so it really is cheap storage when you think of it and the guy who has it will be able to make more on the space once you get it out of there. Sounds like you both could have lived with a win win situation coming your way.

[Taylor1969]

I don't know about a shop... I did this in my free time in under 3 years... all the work (except for final paint) was done at home...

I would be embarrassed to be a shop owner and take 5 years.


https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/06/IMG_0570-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/1RS054-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/06/DSC00011-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/IMG_2958-1.jpg

[TERMN8OR]

That would have been a great deal if I was looking to have the car collect dust in storage.

[Steve1968LS2]

I was going to post "How long is a piece of string?"

Which is my way of saying it can take as long as you want it to.

However 5 years is a LONG time... then again at least they didn't rape your wallet too bad.

If you were west coast I would have a shop to reccomend.. out East I would say Frank's shop is a good bet. He rescues cars all of the time.

[TERMN8OR]

Didn't really rape me on the price. I have no issue with the work that I have paid for and has been completed about 20K. Last year I prepaid for around 3K worth of work that is probably now less the 1/2 completed. It's just the insane amount of time that it takes to do it.
The crazy thing is, the car could probably be finished in 2 weeks. It just needs finally assembly and a few loose ends tied up.

[hotrdblder]

don't let pete at competition specialties fool you, he would be a great choice also, and is 2 hrs closer then I am.
goodluck

[jy211]

Time to pick it up from the shop and move it to someone else who can make progress.

[ProdigyCustoms]

Well, actually no, maybe not. Joe called today and I had a good conversation with him about his car. His car is REALLY close to finished. The situation is a bit different then I assumed. The car is nearly done, all painted and interior in it already. And Joe is happy with the quality of the work, just not the speed at which it is being finished. I suggested he have a Pow Wow with his guy, explain that he is ready to send the car to Florida, and feel free to tell him it is us. The guy will probably Goggle us and know he is for real. I suggested Joe explain he would much rather have him finish the car and be able to credit him with the entire build, instead of telling everyone about his nightmare and that he had to send the car to Prodigy to save it.

The car sounds like it is only a couple hundred hours from being finished; it would seem inconceivable the guy would not want to finish what sounds to be a beautiful car. The difference between having a beautiful car out there with a happy customer, and having a car pulled from your shop with a pissed of customer ids huge. I suggested Joe explain this.

Joe, we would love to finish your car should you need us, but it is in you best financial interest to have this guy finish it. I wish you all the luck getting this guy to do the right thing for both of you. But if not, Jake, Pete, Prodigy, someone here will save you.

[JJSmitches]

:pics2:

[TERMN8OR]

I want to thank both Frank and Jake for taking their time and providing some great advice. They were both very helpful.
I am going to go with what Frank has suggested and have a sit down with the shop and see what happens.

Here are some pictures of where it stands today

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0001-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0003-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0004-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0005-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0006-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0005-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0006-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0008-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0012-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0014-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0016-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0081-1.jpg

[TERMN8OR]

more:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0092-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0095-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0096-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0097-1.jpg


https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0082-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0084-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0085-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0087-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/11/DSCF0089-1.jpg

[Motown 454]

It does look nice.

[LMDGUY]

WOW..that looks pretty nice..but 5 years i would be pissed also.

[comp-spec]

Well, actually no, maybe not. Joe called today and I had a good conversation with him about his car. His car is REALLY close to finished. The situation is a bit different then I assumed. The car is nearly done, all painted and interior in it already. And Joe is happy with the quality of the work, just not the speed at which it is being finished. I suggested he have a Pow Wow with his guy, explain that he is ready to send the car to Florida, and feel free to tell him it is us. The guy will probably Goggle us and know he is for real. I suggested Joe explain he would much rather have him finish the car and be able to credit him with the entire build, instead of telling everyone about his nightmare and that he had to send the car to Prodigy to save it.

The car sounds like it is only a couple hundred hours from being finished; it would seem inconceivable the guy would not want to finish what sounds to be a beautiful car. The difference between having a beautiful car out there with a happy customer, and having a car pulled from your shop with a pissed of customer ids huge. I suggested Joe explain this.

Joe, we would love to finish your car should you need us, but it is in you best financial interest to have this guy finish it. I wish you all the luck getting this guy to do the right thing for both of you. But if not, Jake, Pete, Prodigy, someone here will save you.

Frank,this is best advice anyone could have given him

[vp23271]

Whatever decision you come to, the car is a beauty! Keep us posted on your decision and also progress.

[HRBS]

By the explaination and the pics posted, I know exactly where your car was. This is NOT the first time I've heard stories about that shop.
I'm only sorry to hear of this now. I am located only 45 mins north of where your car was/is and would have gladly finished your car.