Most expensive mistake you have made when building a car?

[BAILEIGH INC]

Please share your horror stories, a list of what not to do........all in one place.

[Mkelcy]

Deciding to do it . . .

[Vicinity]

This could be interesting.

I'd like to hear a story about someone buying an LS9 then deciding they want to keep their Mustang an all original Ford.

[jknight16]

I've been able to avoid most pitfalls, but the most expensive one for me thus far was changing direction on how to do 4 wheel disc brakes. I had already bought everything to rebuild the factory front discs and had acquired/installed a 9" rear with rebuilt/reman lincoln disc brakes. Turns out that would have been a horribly matched setup anyway and the new system rocks. However, I have about $500 in front and rear brake parts that I can't seem to get rid of.

[colt zantop]

oh boy....where do I start? maybe getting caught up in stuff that I "want" vs. "need". pefect example....vintage air...had to have it....to this day I have NEVER used my air....that was a huge one for me. realizing what I could have had instead of "polished stuff" etc....oh well, you learn from every build..

[Samckitt]

Like Jeff above, I haven't had very many. The only one was not measuring correctly to have the driveshaft shortened. But thankfully I didn't have it cut short enough the first time. So I was able to have it cut again to the correct length. Still cost me like $125 to re-cut.

[KWIKND]

Biggst most costly mistake.....
Sending my car to "Strange Motion Rod and Custom" in Illinois.
He is the poster child for paint prison.
Dan

[BAILEIGH INC]

Biggst most costly mistake.....
Sending my car to "Strange Motion Rod and Custom" in Illinois.
He is the poster child for paint prison.
Dan

paint prison?

[Matt@BOS]

Aside from the mistake of spending too much time on here and seeing a ton of really nice builds, I'm not sure. It completely ruined me though. When my dad and I decided to start our project we had grown accustomed to seeing some amazing quality cars. In the end, we got what we wanted out of our build. Only thing we did twice was work on the firewall and inner fenders. I can't imagine how costly changing wheels, engines, etc would be.

Matt

[6'9"Witha69]

pefect example....vintage air...had to have it....to this day I have NEVER used my air....that was a huge one for me.I am in the exact same boat. I have used the heater/defroster, but never the A/C. Never even charged the system.

Not building it the way I wanted the first time. I did that with 3 angines and 4 transmissions. Shoulda just saved a little longer and built it right the first time!

[Bow Tie 67]

My first build I made the mistake of insisting everything had to be new.

[DFRESH]

Told my wife how much I had spent to date on the car.

Doug

[Damn True]

Deciding to do it . . .

This

[CarlC]

Mike, the man with words of wisdom.

[Jim Nilsen]

Not putting in a roller cam and lifters with the Accel EFI so I would have the right numbers to program setup parameters and also get the most lift.

This cost me tuning time and probably low and midrange torque.

It will be interesting to see how well a stock car engine with RhoadsX lifters will respond to the gearing? It may be very controllable?
All you have to do is be able to spin the tires and you have enough power.

Having a known running engine combo before installation will be a must next time.

[Hotrodmarket]

how about a thread about worst expierience with a car owner?

[Rod]

pefect example....vintage air...had to have it....to this day I have NEVER used my air....that was a huge one for me.
don't worry some day global warming might get here :smoke:

[Bryce]

told my wife how much i had spent to date on the car.

Doug



hahahahaha

[Vegas69]

Easily my engine redo......

[BonzoHansen]

Mike, the man with words of wisdom.Correct, succinct and to the point, as always!


If I had more time + $$ I'd have a long list of mistakes. Thank god changing plans on paper is free!

[Chicken Coupe]

Deciding to do it . . .


:machine: Yup X 2!

[youthpastor]

Biggst most costly mistake.....
Sending my car to "Strange Motion Rod and Custom" in Illinois.
He is the poster child for paint prison.
Dan


Dan,

Tim is a friend of mine...so I'm having a hard time letting this one slide by. He is one of the hardest working guys in the industry, Period- Is there another side to the story? I hate to see vendors, shops, etc get bashed publicly- Thanks- Chris

[bbcc]

Doing an engine entirely through the aftermarket. Not too expensive, but could have saved a grand or so buying a used race engine and freshening/altering parts.

[CHILI442]

Purchased resto brake stuff from the restoration houses. You can get 40 year old brake stuff from any autoparts store.

Global West tall spindle conversion: Terrible bump-steer, but it was the hot ticket at the time.

Auburn posi: Bought the pro-series unit for my 12 bolt. Shattered a spider gear within three passes at the dragstrip, and this was in a high 14 second car!

[Young Gun]

not checking the vin on the title with the vin on the roller... still on the prowl for a project... hopefully this summer

[Restomod]

WHERE DO I START?!?!?!?!
Building a big stroker engine
Tremec trans
Heidts suspension and on and on.......

[BA.]

My biggest mistake, I think,.. was believing that a 50,000 dollar car was somehow going to be 5 times more fun than a well spent 10,000 dollar car.

Sometimes I think I'd rather have 3 cars at 20, 20, 10,.......or 5 cars at 10k each!

[Lowend]

I decided to be a badass and slide the car around a corner one night driving home... hit some black ice followed by a parked RX7

[critter]

Where to start?

OK, here's an early example. Back in '99 when I finished my TA I decided I was going to install the hood bird decal myself. After I screwed up the second one at $300 a pop my wife made me take it to a shop to put the third one on the hood.

[CHILI442]

Tremec trans

Why?

[Bryce]

I feel sorry for anyone who put in a mustang II. luckily i didnt do that and built my own suspension.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

hiring someone who doesnt care about my project..

[LateNight72]

Buying a rust bucket.

FML....

[dubbleu]

Well lets see. When I started my build years ago I put together C4 corvette brakes and made my own bracket. Got the wrong rotors and lines the first time so I wasted about $500. Rebuilt the whole front suspension and steering to factory spec's and then decided to pro tour the car. I have so many extra new and used parts that Im on the hunt for a second 69 camaro to put them on. lol
You should realy know the direction of your build and your budget beacuse changing your mind down the road can cost you some bucks.

[redfire69]

Buying a rusty shell at the height of the market when not many other cars were available.

[jy211]

don't start with fresh paint on the car....:hammer:

[John Wright]

Deciding to do it . . .
I'd still be driving my car "if" I had'nt decided to fix the leaky rear axle seal and had those..... "while I have this apart, I might as well....(fill in the blank)" ....thoughts.

[Bjkadron]

Saying... "that water pump will hold till I have time to replace it Friday." It didn't... On the bright side I was planning on upgrading the cooling system anyway... Just not all of it quite that soon. :banghead:

[Tony_SS]

My most costly mistake, spending more funds on the paint job than performance.

[sik68]

Buying parts used off craigslist. No matter how trivial the part, somehow I always get sabotaged

[hifi875]

lets see:
5.3ls instead of 6.0 or 6.2
2004r tranny instead of t56
ls brakes instead of baer/wilwood

i could have done the above for not much more if any than what i have in my setup i am happy though, but could be happier

[fordsbyjay]

Putting a T56 in my car. Not a bad transmission but they are huge and if you actually want proper drive line angles you are going to do some cutting. Sometimes I get tired of having to fabricate EVERYTHING. I would kill for a simple bolt on item but then I would have to drive a Camaro. LOL

Not spending more money when I purchased my 56 Ford 2dr sedan. For a few more grand I could have bought a half decent driver instead of a stocker that needs lots of work.

The most expensive though is having United Parcel Smashers ship my T56 and break the bellhousing and yoke. Insurance my butt, they don't cover anything.

[mroth]

Just like Dan, my most costly mistake was taking my 68 Camaro for paint here in Denver by an ex-con. I always had to pay in advance in segments to get him to do anything. After having him have it for 6 months. I heard he was getting evicted from his place. He ended up slopping it together butchering it all up after he took $11,000 from me. After I got it back home(I took it quick for fear that it would end up missing)I ended up having to grind off over 1/2" thick of bondo on the whole car, put new full rear quarters back on, buy new doors, front valance(thank god I was able to save my cherry front original front fenders). I put in 100 of my own hours reworking everything and an additiional $8,000 in metal, body work, and paint. I had some body men looking for extra work on the side and did everything in my garage and paid them by the hour to get it right the second time around. That is byfar the worse of all my bad experiences. If you live in Denver please don't make the same mistake by hiring Jonnie Maes for your paint job(Not John Maes who is here in Denver also that does excellant show quality work).

Mike

[fantasygoat]

I've probably lost $20,000 over the years due to bad decisions. Some of the big ones:

1) Buying rustbuckets and pouring dollars down the drain. I've done it at least three times now where I let the low initial cost lull me into a stupor thinking it would be different "this time."

2) Having no plan. You end up with all kinds of parts you can't use because the plan has changed.

3) Selling too quickly. After dumping $12K into one car the best I could get for it was $6K. I should have just held on to it and waited for the right buyer.

4) Picking off-brand cars. That '70 Plymouth Fury convertible seemed like such a great idea, and when I was done with it, it was gorgeous - but no one but freaks like me like them, so the resale value was crap.

[phenometron]

Buying an already customized car for cruising...paid a little extra, but the work was done...now it gets redone because of the fiscal black hole we call Pro-touring! :)

[BonzoHansen]

I'd still be driving my car "if" I had'nt decided to fix the leaky rear axle seal and had those..... "while I have this apart, I might as well....(fill in the blank)" ....thoughts.

lol. how to do a clutch in 18 months...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/03/4888958-1.jpg

[Kenova]

Living in Canada. Nice place to live, but ANY performance parts are priced through the roof. I swear the performance shops take a taxi south of the border, buy parts at retail, then bring them home and mark them up 100%. Mail order from the US is a little better, but you better hope you don't need to send something back.
Other than that, I would say I've blown some money buy buying stuff long before I need it. By time I actually use it, I could have had something better for the same money.

Ken

[Randy67]

My most expensive mistake is not ever being satisfied with a car how it is, constantly wanting to either change stuff (to improve it of course :hammer:) or sell it and start on another car. I have way too many project ideas in my head and no $$$$$$ to do them. Of course sites like this just make this problem worse, but in a good way.

[formula]

my biggest mistake was ever doing anything at all to my poor bird. It was a nice, solid driver when I got it, reliable as a tank--as soon as I started to change things, it's become less and less reliable.

[WEAVER]

Changing colors to keep a car current

[68Formula]

Joining pro-touring.com and finding out out my factory...


Suspension geometry was all wrong
Brakes horribly inadequate
Chassis not stiff enough
Steering was slow
Wheels would not clear a real set of brakes.....

well, you get the picture. :)

[nowukno]

Letting my Wife drive it!!!

[GMracer]

yep, joining this site and lateral-g
Now I want to constantly make my truck better

[DFRESH]

Buying a 69 camaro site unseen off ebay for 15k--looked great in the pics---plunked down 16k, sold 1 year later for 9k. Every panel on the car had to be replaced.

Trying to build and maintain a heads up drag car--never enough horsepower, chassis, time or money to invest---should have stayed in bracket racing

Buying the newest car--the PT camaro---geez, I thought the race car was bad---2500 for a set of brakes? Two 69 black holes in the garage now---both screaming for funds and my attention. Love them both, hate them both.

This site and Lat G and you goons that plunck down 200g's on these cars like it's nothing--you are a bad influence--LOL

Doug

[mike69cam]

Buying a car on Ebay sight unseen.....meeting a high end builder that educated me on pro-touring.... lateral-g and pro-touring.com....learned too much about what these cars are capable of with today's technology....the car was media blasted..settled on a chassis car, Vette suspension and brakes, LS3, Magna charger, dry sump, T56, spending an s---load, but can't wait to get the car!

Then today I bought a 66 Chevelle project car...gonna build for my kid as an incentive to keep his grades up and stay out of trouble.

I'm deep into it!

[shortrack]

Totalling the all steel 69 Chevelle in my avatar in a freak late Sept snowstorm......275/ 50/ 15s on all corners in the snow.....should have took a cab home....it melted the next day.....

[rrstroker71]

Having no plan. You end up with all kinds of parts you can't use because the plan has changed.
This is the biggest mistake a lot of people make. On my first build years ago I went neck deep and ended up with almost enough parts to build another car as I changed direction and tried to build the car by the seat of my pants. Now I write out a plan and try to stick with it.

[KWIKND]

Dan,

Tim is a friend of mine...so I'm having a hard time letting this one slide by. He is one of the hardest working guys in the industry, Period- Is there another side to the story? I hate to see vendors, shops, etc get bashed publicly- Thanks- Chris
Chris,
Tim is a friendly guy, talented, has an eye for what is cool. But almost everything he quoted and I paid for was done poorly or not at all. I don't think I am the only one that has had problems with Strange Motion.
It took him 4+ years to do my car (was told 8-9 months). He was also 90%+ paid after 6 months. Cars came and went while mine gathered dust. One excuse after another. But the worst part for me is the quality issues.
But don't take my word for it take a look at the pictures.
Two of them show the bottom of my "frame off" restoration. The third picture shows what he used to shim the radiator support. Yes that's right, it's a used 41/2" grinding wheel!! I have a hundred more showing issues all around the car.
I wish someone would have warned me about him before I spent so much with someone.
I don't care who you are friends with but be careful who you give your money to......
Dan

[speedshftr]

dan that just plain sucks.i wouldnt even have the nerve to hand that over toyou.good luck buddy

[rrstroker71]

Wow, I seen a lot of things over the years, but never a grinding wheel used as a shim. Looks like the bottom was never touched. I could not sleep if I did work like that.

[Hotrodmarket]

2 sides to every story.......................................

[bret]

My biggest mistake was continuing to build a car that had been completely ruined by a mediablaster. I should have taken the $11,000 that I was awarded by the court for his mistake and junked the car. Instead I proceeded to put 2500 hours into that 62 Buick Invicta wagon and got $42,000 for it at the Barrett auction.
I must say, It was the nicest Buick wagon in the world, and we got some good exposure from it.
http://ridetechgarage.com/more/1962-buick-invicta-wagon/

In comparison, we built Velocity in 2000 hours by starting with a perfect body...and an accurate rendering.

I'll let you guys apply your local shop rate to do the math on the Buick mistake!

[twosaturns]

pulling the trigger too quick, because "deals like this don't come around too often" and you're left w/ serious buyers remorse.
my worst mechanical mistakes I regret (still, 20 years later!) were made when I was an ambitious kid. like when I HAD to have rams horn manifolds on my '65 malibu (before I realized they don't fit/didn't come on the A bodies), blew up my 283 I 'rebuilt' myself and instead of just getting a plentiful 350 short block, I HAD to have another 283. I HAD to do that cam swap on a sunday night, installing the timing chain in the wrong hole, bending half my valves; which was the bigger regret, doing that, or paying a shop $800 to fix it?
ah, to be young and stupid again...

[dsittler]

"Living in Canada. Nice place to live, but ANY performance parts are priced through the roof. I swear the performance shops take a taxi south of the border, buy parts at retail, then bring them home and mark them up 100%. Mail order from the US is a little better, but you better hope you don't need to send something back."

X 2

If you decide to order parts in the US to save the money, UPS and Purolator are sure to negate the savings by charging ridiculous shipping and brokerage fees.

Derek

[monteboy84]

Buying a hood from Unlimited Products instead of Harwood, because I was a broke high school kid.

I still have the hood on the car, but the cowl area was reinforced with a piece of cardboard from a case of soda cans. I've never seen worse fiberglass work, but I guess what can you expect from a $200 hood....

[JChilders]

Bought my car from pictures only. Of course those pictures magically hid all of the visible rust.

[vintageracer]

The MOST expensive mistake I have made on a project???

Starting the damn project in the first place!

The older you get the BETTER "DONE" cars look to you! The older you get it somehow becomes MUCH easier to find the money to buy it done rather than building it yourself.

It's past the first of the month. Where is my social security check????

[monza]

My biggest mistake was continuing to build a car that had been completely ruined by a mediablaster. I should have taken the $11,000 that I was awarded by the court for his mistake and junked the car. Instead I proceeded to put 2500 hours into that 62 Buick Invicta wagon and got $42,000 for it at the Barrett auction.
I must say, It was the nicest Buick wagon in the world, and we got some good exposure from it.
http://ridetechgarage.com/more/1962-buick-invicta-wagon/

In comparison, we built Velocity in 2000 hours by starting with a perfect body...and an accurate rendering.

I'll let you guys apply your local shop rate to do the math on the Buick mistake!

Sure is a nice looking wagon. So did the media blaster just blast the metal to thin? Whats the story, was it the tin foil build after the blaster?

[bret]

Sure is a nice looking wagon. So did the media blaster just blast the metal to thin? Whats the story, was it the tin foil build after the blaster?

The media blaster used black sand instead of the requested soda. Every panel needed 10-20 hours of work to get reasonably straight. The hood had a 4" warp in it. WE poured 5 gallons of water on it and none of it ran off!
I had to buy another parts car to get a good hood and doors. Luckily, the worker was short so the roof was not hurt as bad.

[DLinson]

Puting in a big stupid stereo system with a big amp and sub. I'd rather listen to the engine.

Custom stuff. Even though I made most of it myself, it snowballs and before you know it everything has to be custom. Custom suspension leads to custom frame, which lead to custom engine mounts, custome steering system, custom drive shaft, custom floor, etc.

[madmax]

I had to buy another parts car to get a good hood and doors. Luckily, the worker was short so the roof was not hurt as bad.
:lmao:

[96Z28SS]

Biggest mistake was coming to pro-touring.com and lateral-g.net.
It has cost me way too much money.

[door-ajar]

the biggest mistake i made was BUYING THE DAMN CAR ....HaHa

[wmhjr]

Most Expensive Decisions that weren't mistakes?

1) Calling Marcus. "What would you recommend to just update my suspension a little?" 48 hours of phone calls and $2600 later..... But it's worth it.

2) Calling Dave Hillard (engine). "What would it take to put together a nice Pontiac motor? I'm thinking 400hp, I mean 450hp, I mean 500hp, I mean.........." But it's worth it.

3) Calling Frank. Period. A Moser rear end, Wilwood brakes, Ididit Column later and my check book is happily screaming. But it's worth it.

Most expensive mistake? Initially bought the very rough roller with the intent of making a nice driver, just mildly updated - so I bought a brake setup to do a front disk OEM conversion and keep the rear drum brakes - then I also bought Ford 11" drums for the Moser rear end. It's really the only thing I ended up completely disregarding. I sold the stuff and it cost me a couple hundred overall.

[MarkM66]

I almost installed an engine without the oil pump driveshaft.

Not necessarily a potential costly mistake, but it would of been damn time consuming. :machine:

[rocketman]

Told my wife how much I had spent to date on the car.

Doug

Mine finally quit asking I never volunteer the answer either

[rrstroker71]

The media blaster used black sand instead of the requested soda. Every panel needed 10-20 hours of work to get reasonably straight. The hood had a 4" warp in it. WE poured 5 gallons of water on it and none of it ran off!
I had to buy another parts car to get a good hood and doors. Luckily, the worker was short so the roof was not hurt as bad.

We do our own Plastic media blasting for this reason. Soda is time consuming to neutraliuze and the black oxide/ sand if done incorrectly is a warping machine. Been building cars for about 30 years. Lessons learned are worth more than any car I have built!

[wmhjr]

You know, I forgot about that one.

Media Blasting. Big mistake on my part. Not that it isn't an excellent service. Just that you'd better know what you're getting into before you do it.

Media blasting unfortunately doesn't cut it IMHO if there's a bunch of rust on the car. I paid way too much money to have the entire care media blasted, only to have to then sandblast later.

[ill steez]

doing everything twice. i've probably changed my mind on every single part of my car maybe a year after i make a "final" decision on what i want...
for example, i upgraded to a set of (very decent) wilwood dynalites with 4 piston calipers, then before the car even hit the road (and it still hasn't), i decided to go with a set of 6 piston wilwoods and 13 inch calipers.
same deal with the rear suspension stuff. first bought myself some perfectly decent hotchkis lowering springs, sway bar, and bilstein shocks, then about a year later decided to go with a quadra-link setup.
wasted a ton of money that way.

[69muscle]

picking the wrong body shop to do the roadrunner, he was more like a car salesman selling his work and expensive.

[406 Q-ship]

Being young, inexperienced, and thinking that I don't need no stinkin' instructions. Tried to put a 4 point roll bar in a friends (we did this) 78 Camaro, one of the kits from the major guys. We thought we knew better on how to install, that poor Camaro. Lucky for the friend car was stolen about 3 months later sans roll bar that we cut to much car to install.

[chr2002ca]

Trusting an Ebay seller that said the car was completely rust and bondo free and buying the car without seeing it in person. I wanted to mail that f_cker some flowers and a pipe bomb after it arrived. Paid about $5K too much for the car after seeing it in person. Oh well. Live and learn. I don't regret buying it though, even if it continues to keep my wallet empty.

[nowukno]

Building a car to impress other people

[Restomod]

Why?

Only lasted about 150 miles before 5th gear started making noise......well past the 90 day warranty I might add. :machine:

[rrstroker71]

You know, I forgot about that one.

Media Blasting. Big mistake on my part. Not that it isn't an excellent service. Just that you'd better know what you're getting into before you do it.

Media blasting unfortunately doesn't cut it IMHO if there's a bunch of rust on the car. I paid way too much money to have the entire care media blasted, only to have to then sandblast later.

The media guy should have been up front with you and done the areas that needed to be done and left the rest. We only blast the external sheeetmetal that does not need to be replaced and work with the customer to use black oxide/sand on the rusted areas, then metal prep and derust by hand the panels. if it is to bad we have it dipped and e-coated. Gotta work the the customer and give the best bang for the buck.. Sounds like you got a bonehead

[68400BIRD]

My biggest mistake. Leaving the car at the body shop for to long. I was waiting for the snow to melt and to get it appraised. This was a off and on 15 year restoration.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/06/DSC06752-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/06/DSC06754-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/03/DSC06751-1.jpg
Not much left of it. If it wasn't steal it melted.

[CruizinKev]

OMG nooooooo!

[rrstroker71]

wow, that sucks. I suppose he had no insurance.

[expat_dude]

Good Grief!!

[wmhjr]

The media guy should have been up front with you and done the areas that needed to be done and left the rest. We only blast the external sheeetmetal that does not need to be replaced and work with the customer to use black oxide/sand on the rusted areas, then metal prep and derust by hand the panels. if it is to bad we have it dipped and e-coated. Gotta work the the customer and give the best bang for the buck.. Sounds like you got a bonehead

It wasn't his fault. He warned me. I iddn't listen. He doesn't use sand at all. I have no ill feelings towards him and still recommend him to others - I'm just sure to mention the advice. I was all excited to get moving and it didn't seem as though there was as much deep rust when I started.

[68400BIRD]

wow, that sucks. I suppose he had no insurance.


No insurance, and he's also a friend. I'm starting over on a different car now but I don't have the funds that I use to have. (kids) lol

[rrstroker71]

No insurance, and he's also a friend. I'm starting over on a different car now but I don't have the funds that I use to have. (kids) lol

Tough spot to be in.

[rrstroker71]

It wasn't his fault. He warned me. I iddn't listen. He doesn't use sand at all. I have no ill feelings towards him and still recommend him to others - I'm just sure to mention the advice. I was all excited to get moving and it didn't seem as though there was as much deep rust when I started.

Live and learn

[KWIKND]

how about a thread about worst expierience with a car owner?

Am I the poster child for worst car owner? I thought you would chose this guy.

http://www.websupp.org/data/CDIL/4:04-cv-04017-34-CDIL.pdf

Dan

[E.rodz]

oh where to start?
started on a project that was to far gone.rust repair is so time consuming and so costly even if you do it yourself.way cheaper and less time consuming to buy on with a clean body to start with.
bought a custom set of budnik wheels for about 3 grand and by the time I finished the bodywork the wheels and other tech. was already outdated.
and the bigest mistake was to let my wife know how much I spent on the tires and wheels.then she wanted to go through the rest of the folder of reciepts. don't let you signifigant other do this, nothing good becomes of it. lol.

[Mkelcy]

Am I the poster child for worst car owner? I thought you would chose this guy.

http://www.websupp.org/data/CDIL/4:04-cv-04017-34-CDIL.pdf

Dan

A bit more of the story: http://www.websupp.org/data/CDIL/205270-CDIL.pdf The defendant (car owner) won a judgment against the plaintiff (shop owner) in the amount of what he'd paid them, the shop owner got nothing on his defamation complaint.

[Satatic]

I painted my camaro a few months after I bought it without test fitting a single panel or doing much more than priming and blocking. Guess how many smashes and rust holes and cut out holes and drums of bondo and brazed lap welds it had. And oh how me hosing it off let me know about all that over the course of a few days.

[BAILEIGH INC]

I hope everyone here understands that I did not start this thread so people could bash other shops. It was just supposed to be a place for common mistakes that have been made for guys to refer to when statarting a project.

Thank you

[sskustomz]

can of worms shane

[rrstroker71]

can of worms shane


X2, a lot of people have bad experances with shops, builders, engine guys, paint guys etc. This thread will bring them out.

[BAILEIGH INC]

X2, a lot of people have bad experances with shops, builders, engine guys, paint guys etc. This thread will bring them out.

I've noticed.....

believe me.......it was not the intention. I have this thread going on several other forums and they are all great references. Lot's of good stories and things to stear clear of.

This one got out of hand for some reason.

[FirstGenZq8]

buying 4 sets of wheels and still not on my "final" set.

buying/installing stuff only to find that the "new hot item" is coming soon and i'll need to buy that. and it happens again. and again. bleh.

[USAZR1]

I chose Air Ride over a ZZ-383 crate motor. Bad choice.

[trapin]

When I was 17 years old I was putting a camshaft in my Camaro for the first time in my life and thought I had the #1 cylinder at top-dead-center...instead it was at bottem-dead-center. I went to fire up the engine and the car started backfiring violently in the garage scaring the hell out of my Mom. All the valves smashed into the pistons and pulled the studs out of the cylinder heads. Total disaster. I had to have the old "camel back" heads rebuilt with all new valves, springs, valve job and the studs had to be "pinned".

Worst day of my life during my formative years.

[vintageracer]

When I was 17 years old I was putting a camshaft in my Camaro for the first time in my life and thought I had the #1 cylinder at top-dead-center...instead it was at bottem-dead-center. I went to fire up the engine and the car started backfiring violently in the garage scaring the hell out of my Mom. All the valves smashed into the pistons and pulled the studs out of the cylinder heads. Total disaster. I had to have the old "camel back" heads rebuilt with all new valves, springs, valve job and the studs had to be "pinned".

Worst day of my life during my formative years.

Now that REALLY sucks.

That will sap all the enthusiam for cars right out of a young guy!

[Hotrodmarket]

I have worked for a handful of shady clients....I have worked for gang members, thieves, convicted drug dealers, and on and on...also worked for great people, hard workers that pay thier bills, preachers and doctors...

Years ago we took in anything for the work and staying busy, had some employees and had to put food on their tables, we took in projects that the clients had no business even thinking about spending money on a car. I have clents that we did not see eye to eye and I have had clients that we got along so well, that become life long buddies and come to family get togethers.

Yes I have had some trouble customers, and I dont know any of my buddies that run shops that have not had at least some trouble with customers, some huge and some small...

We now meet the clients first and decide if we get any bad vibes before we consider working for them...it is a two way street.

I had a client that wanted to save money on a project...even though we were doing, sheetmetal, rattle can undercoat, pull engine scotch brite old chassis paint, refresh chassis paint, build exhuast with coating, new 18" and 20" rims, new tires, smooth half the firewall, install Vintage Air, all new front sheetmetal cause he hit a telephone pole head on, but didn't want to spend the money on getting the frame pulled, said "just shim it", finish his quarter panel install, and put another new one on. And paint and shave all handles and emblems and have an ultra leather interior done, install a nice stereo ....alll that for little more than 30k...he has a schedule in the shop, that he was to take home and wire it and get to his spot in schedule in a month...car takes over a year for him to wire, then it comes back to finish and finish the wet sand and buff...well the clear we were using back then got too hard after that long and the car had to be all sanding, masked and recleared to finish...on my dime because he had the car over a year to wire (yes we do use different clear now) He expected me to drop everything and finish his car...along the way, it needed a starter also, it took about 6 months...yes 6 months for him to pay for just a starter....he came to the shop a few times, and was even measuring stuff on gaps... and said " I might want to try fo the Ridler"....right with 30k???? Same client would call excited and report after going to shows, cool, thing, like it when they are excited about stuff, but when he seen the Ring Borthers Reactor Camaro, he told me he was not impressed and can't under stand why it was getting all the hype...said his would be way better...yes still with a little more than 30k...same guy wantd nice brakes for the project but couldn't afford the brakes...so he sent me a copy of his proposal that he was sending out to try to get free or discounted parts...he stole all images off my copyrighted web site and put them in his proposal to try to get parts.....same guy came to pick car up and said he liked it and was happy...take it home...I never hear anything from him, till he calls accusing me of not giving him parts back he thought he brought he...never said anything about being unhappy with the car...yet loves to talk crap online....I think he got a nice car for the money...yes its not a pefect Ridler contender, but nice for a little more than 30k.....all this sound familiar KWIKND????

Yes I have done a ton of 30-60k builds that have got a lot of ink and press, but they were flat black on the underside...I have also done a few 200-300k builds that are tip top...top to bottom...

A link was listed to a trouble customer I delt with...that car I ended up selling for the client, and never had to pay, thats same car I finished for the new owner, it has appeared in Japan magazines, muffler ads, and gauge ads, also featured in Rod and Custom and coming out on the next cover of World of Rods...it also had 20k in chrome...5k in gauges alone...4k in carbs...to name a few...and over 3500 hours....it has awards at Pomona, Sacramento, Tulsa, (best custom), won its class at Detroit, and then again at Sacramento, won Americas Top Custom at KKOA last summer and so on....I am currently building a car for Pebble Beach...yes that Pebble Beach show... and just got a car in all the way from Hawaii.....

I build cars full time for a living...been doing so for over 18 years full tme...I don't have time to spend on forum boards and chat sites...I am a one man shop...used to have employees but they can't seem to be trusted to either not take stuff, or be able to get stuff done without baby sitting....this is my life...my passion and my desire...when someone tries to step on it I stand up....

Also I think most problems can be solved by sitting down and talking it out...I do know, no problems can be resolved by not even contacting the person (customer or client) without contacting them....spouting off on the web without even contacting them is not the way to go....sometime there is missunderstanding on both sides of the project and what is wanted and expected from the build for the money...or maybe it would be cool to have both sides settle it in a cage match....

I have also had tons of problems with parts or tool suppliers, either not getting me stuff on time, or the right stuff I ordered or even knowing what the hell they are selling at a show...I have had paid money for parts yet never to get the parts or got the wrong ons and they would not let me return...paid for parts and the place went out of business...out money again...if I had a nickel for every time I had a problem with a parts supplier...I could prob retire...but I don't get on some site to spout off...many are sponsors on this site...then again I have had awesome service from suppliers also on this site...

I am going back to work.....maybe you all should also.....dreams are reached by people working towards their goal..not talking about them.....

Tim Strange
309-927-3346
www.strangemotion.com

[buickfunnycar.com]

buying 4 sets of wheels and still not on my "final" set...

You say that like it's a bad thing,lol...:yum:

[732ndgen]

Deciding to do it and dot having a solid build plan.

[youthpastor]

Deciding to do it and dot having a solid build plan.


yep...or not knowing how much it costs- Chris

[rrstroker71]

I have worked for a handful of shady clients....I have worked for gang members, thieves, convicted drug dealers, and on and on...also worked for great people, hard workers that pay thier bills, preachers and doctors...

Years ago we took in anything for the work and staying busy, had some employees and had to put food on their tables, we took in projects that the clients had no business even thinking about spending money on a car. I have clents that we did not see eye to eye and I have had clients that we got along so well, that become life long buddies and come to family get togethers.

Yes I have had some trouble customers, and I dont know any of my buddies that run shops that have not had at least some trouble with customers, some huge and some small...

We now meet the clients first and decide if we get any bad vibes before we consider working for them...it is a two way street.

I had a client that wanted to save money on a project...even though we were doing, sheetmetal, rattle can undercoat, pull engine scotch brite old chassis paint, refresh chassis paint, build exhuast with coating, new 18" and 20" rims, new tires, smooth half the firewall, install Vintage Air, all new front sheetmetal cause he hit a telephone pole head on, but didn't want to spend the money on getting the frame pulled, said "just shim it", finish his quarter panel install, and put another new one on. And paint and shave all handles and emblems and have an ultra leather interior done, install a nice stereo ....alll that for little more than 30k...he has a schedule in the shop, that he was to take home and wire it and get to his spot in schedule in a month...car takes over a year for him to wire, then it comes back to finish and finish the wet sand and buff...well the clear we were using back then got too hard after that long and the car had to be all sanding, masked and recleared to finish...on my dime because he had the car over a year to wire (yes we do use different clear now) He expected me to drop everything and finish his car...along the way, it needed a starter also, it took about 6 months...yes 6 months for him to pay for just a starter....he came to the shop a few times, and was even measuring stuff on gaps... and said " I might want to try fo the Ridler"....right with 30k???? Same client would call excited and report after going to shows, cool, thing, like it when they are excited about stuff, but when he seen the Ring Borthers Reactor Camaro, he told me he was not impressed and can't under stand why it was getting all the hype...said his would be way better...yes still with a little more than 30k...same guy wantd nice brakes for the project but couldn't afford the brakes...so he sent me a copy of his proposal that he was sending out to try to get free or discounted parts...he stole all images off my copyrighted web site and put them in his proposal to try to get parts.....same guy came to pick car up and said he liked it and was happy...take it home...I never hear anything from him, till he calls accusing me of not giving him parts back he thought he brought he...never said anything about being unhappy with the car...yet loves to talk crap online....I think he got a nice car for the money...yes its not a pefect Ridler contender, but nice for a little more than 30k.....all this sound familiar KWIKND????

Yes I have done a ton of 30-60k builds that have got a lot of ink and press, but they were flat black on the underside...I have also done a few 200-300k builds that are tip top...top to bottom...

A link was listed to a trouble customer I delt with...that car I ended up selling for the client, and never had to pay, thats same car I finished for the new owner, it has appeared in Japan magazines, muffler ads, and gauge ads, also featured in Rod and Custom and coming out on the next cover of World of Rods...it also had 20k in chrome...5k in gauges alone...4k in carbs...to name a few...and over 3500 hours....it has awards at Pomona, Sacramento, Tulsa, (best custom), won its class at Detroit, and then again at Sacramento, won Americas Top Custom at KKOA last summer and so on....I am currently building a car for Pebble Beach...yes that Pebble Beach show... and just got a car in all the way from Hawaii.....

I build cars full time for a living...been doing so for over 18 years full tme...I don't have time to spend on forum boards and chat sites...I am a one man shop...used to have employees but they can't seem to be trusted to either not take stuff, or be able to get stuff done without baby sitting....this is my life...my passion and my desire...when someone tries to step on it I stand up....

Also I think most problems can be solved by sitting down and talking it out...I do know, no problems can be resolved by not even contacting the person (customer or client) without contacting them....spouting off on the web without even contacting them is not the way to go....sometime there is missunderstanding on both sides of the project and what is wanted and expected from the build for the money...or maybe it would be cool to have both sides settle it in a cage match....

I have also had tons of problems with parts or tool suppliers, either not getting me stuff on time, or the right stuff I ordered or even knowing what the hell they are selling at a show...I have had paid money for parts yet never to get the parts or got the wrong ons and they would not let me return...paid for parts and the place went out of business...out money again...if I had a nickel for every time I had a problem with a parts supplier...I could prob retire...but I don't get on some site to spout off...many are sponsors on this site...then again I have had awesome service from suppliers also on this site...

I am going back to work.....maybe you all should also.....dreams are reached by people working towards their goal..not talking about them.....

Tim Strange
309-927-3346
www.strangemotion.com (http://www.strangemotion.com)


I know how you feel, been in your shoes before, we interview clients first and can pick the ones we want to work with. But like you in the early years we had to eat. Most of the bashers tend to be like your 30k guy. Well put Mr Strange!

[Rybar]

.....dreams are reached by people working towards their goal..not talking about them.....

That's the quote of the day in my books.

I'd say the most expensive mistake is when new parts come out and you change direction in your build to keep up with the times. For my own personal car it will be the mini-tub. It's something I continually want to do and will be done even though it will cost me quite a bit to do on a finished car.

Anybody want my wheels, 12-bolt rear and rear suspension?? Local pickup?? :hammer:

[Conekiller13]

Foe Me I would say it's been having idea's grander than My budget or time allows. As a result the car has now been apart for 8 years with no re-assemble date in sight. It has become a $30+k shelf.

[KWIKND]

I had a client that wanted to save money on a project...even though we were doing, sheetmetal, rattle can undercoat, pull engine scotch brite old chassis paint, refresh chassis paint, build exhuast with coating, new 18" and 20" rims, new tires, smooth half the firewall, install Vintage Air, all new front sheetmetal cause he hit a telephone pole head on, but didn't want to spend the money on getting the frame pulled, said "just shim it", finish his quarter panel install, and put another new one on. And paint and shave all handles and emblems and have an ultra leather interior done, install a nice stereo
....alll that for little more than 30k...


Tim came to the house and quoted work per the quote attached. I accepted the quote exactly as it was presented. I never told him I wanted to "save money". What I did tell him as I looked him in the eyes was " I want the body to be straight".
When is the last time you heard someone say "could you smooth half of my firewall"?. Check the quote.

"Rattle can undercoat" check the quote.
"Refresh chassis paint" It had already been alk. dipped at Redi Strip and POR15 before he got it.
"Build exhaust with coating" Every seam he welded has pin holes then was ceramic coated.
"18" and 20" Rims" $ 4400.00 rims or $ 600.00 tires not included in quote.
"Vintage Air" not included in quote. Hot Rod Air brand provided as an extra $ 2500.00. Does not work to this day.
The exhaust was supposed to come out the rocker in front of the back wheel like the "Rivette" car he did (check the quote). He instead decided to notch the lower flange, weakening the frame where the strength is needed most then slop some bondo on it and call it good. Said it was too much work to do it like was quoted.
MA audio components not provided, check the quote.
"Remote entry" not provided, just buttons in the fenderwell, check the quote.
"Remove body, put on rotisserie to do bottom" as you have seen in a previous posting not touched...and go ahead and use what ever you want to shim the radiator support...

"Clean up inner fenders, smooth". He wouldn't smooth them due to surface rust, had to buy new pieces.



he has a schedule in the shop, that he was to take home and wire it and get to his spot in schedule in a month...car takes over a year for him to wire

The car was returned 4th of July and it was ready for him beginning of October. I have the emails if anyone is interested.

then it comes back to finish and finish the wet sand and buff...well the clear we were using back then got too hard after that long and the car had to be all sanding, masked and recleared to finish...on my dime because he had the car over a year to wire (yes we do use different clear now)

Tim buffed through the clear on the right rear quarter along with many other blemishes, some were fixed on the respray some not, check the punch list.

He expected me to drop everything and finish his car...along the way, it needed a starter also, it took about 6 months...yes 6 months for him to pay for just a starter....he came to the shop a few times, and was even measuring stuff on gaps... and said " I might want to try fo the Ridler"....right with 30k???? Same client would call excited and report after going to shows, cool, thing, like it when they are excited about stuff, but when he seen the Ring Borthers Reactor Camaro, he told me he was not impressed and can't under stand why it was getting all the hype...said his would be way better...yes still with a little more than 30k...

I have been around here on ProTouring for probably 6+ years and have never criticized anyone's car not to mention Ring Bros. stuff. All this is coming from a guy who, I believe, sued Goodguys for an article that Christopher Titus did in the Gazette calling Strange Motion out for poor quality. If you notice, you won't see any of his cars at Goodguys events anymore, I don't think he is welcome.

same guy wantd nice brakes for the project but couldn't afford the brakes...so he sent me a copy of his proposal that he was sending out to try to get free or discounted parts...he stole all images off my copyrighted web site and put them in his proposal to try to get parts.....

Does everyone remember Laramie from Precision Brakes? I don't know where he ended up. He was running a promo for a set of brakes. He asked for a proposal, I asked for and got some copies of some of Tim's old build proposals and pasted some of the build pictures that Tim emailed to me to show progress..... not stolen off the web.

same guy came to pick car up and said he liked it and was happy...take it home...I never hear anything from him, till he calls accusing me of not giving him parts back he thought he brought he...never said anything about being unhappy with the car...

Check the punch list attached....never said anything about being unhappy?

yet loves to talk crap online....I think he got a nice car for the money...yes its not a pefect Ridler contender, but nice for a little more than 30k.....all this sound familiar KWIKND????

$ 36,205 Original Quote
$ 4,400 Wheels
$ 2,500 Air
$ 1,250 Tax and Frt.

Over $ 44,355 paid to you....not including all the trim and stuff not quoted that I bought. And I still have a TEN FOOTER.

:1st:

Yes I have done a ton of 30-60k builds that have got a lot of ink and press, but they were flat black on the underside...I have also done a few 200-300k builds that are tip top...top to bottom...

A link was listed to a trouble customer I delt with...that car I ended up selling for the client, and never had to pay, thats same car I finished for the new owner, it has appeared in Japan magazines, muffler ads, and gauge ads, also featured in Rod and Custom and coming out on the next cover of World of Rods...it also had 20k in chrome...5k in gauges alone...4k in carbs...to name a few...and over 3500 hours....it has awards at Pomona, Sacramento, Tulsa, (best custom), won its class at Detroit, and then again at Sacramento, won Americas Top Custom at KKOA last summer and so on....I am currently building a car for Pebble Beach...yes that Pebble Beach show... and just got a car in all the way from Hawaii.....

I build cars full time for a living...been doing so for over 18 years full tme...I don't have time to spend on forum boards and chat sites...I am a one man shop...used to have employees but they can't seem to be trusted to either not take stuff, or be able to get stuff done without baby sitting....this is my life...my passion and my desire...when someone tries to step on it I stand up....

Also I think most problems can be solved by sitting down and talking it out...I do know, no problems can be resolved by not even contacting the person (customer or client) without contacting them....spouting off on the web without even contacting them is not the way to go....sometime there is missunderstanding on both sides of the project and what is wanted and expected from the build for the money...or maybe it would be cool to have both sides settle it in a cage match....

I have also had tons of problems with parts or tool suppliers, either not getting me stuff on time, or the right stuff I ordered or even knowing what the hell they are selling at a show...I have had paid money for parts yet never to get the parts or got the wrong ons and they would not let me return...paid for parts and the place went out of business...out money again...if I had a nickel for every time I had a problem with a parts supplier...I could prob retire...but I don't get on some site to spout off...many are sponsors on this site...then again I have had awesome service from suppliers also on this site...

I am going back to work.....maybe you all should also.....dreams are reached by people working towards their goal..not talking about them.....

This is exactly what I paid you to do and it didn't happen for four+ years.

Tim Strange
309-927-3346
www.strangemotion.com (http://www.strangemotion.com)

All I mean to do is put the information out there. I wish there was some way for me to know what many others already knew. He was getting articles all over the place but people in the know, knew the truth about what Strange Motion was putting out of their shop. I take responsibility for not checking more. You have been warned.

Dan

[KWIKND]

In the spirit of the thread....

In high school I had an 69 El Camino SS, I was getting a little oil smoke and oil pressure was a little low, so I decided to rebuild the 402 that was in it. Everything was going smoothly until mounting of the pressure plate on the stand. One bolt went missing. I had stacked had the pile of bolts on the intake. One missing bolt..so I grabbed another grade 8 and kept going. Dropped it in and started it, oil pressure went right up to 70 psi "great"! 30 seconds later it dropped down to 10 psi.
well that missing bolt dropped into the distributor hole and spread cam and distributor gear shavings through everywhere. Kids...

Dan

[BonzoHansen]

Did you know a bolt dropped down that same hole can be shot out the side of the oil pan by the crankshaft? Thank god I was only involved as a bystander, but I did learn to put a rag in that hole.

[Hotrodmarket]

I guess you can do what ya want...and live your life the way you want...funny how you never contacted me with any probs to be taken care of when you took it home, even the day you cam to look for parts, you never said anything?!

I have gotten a ton of emails through my website from people that seen this...some saying that the website should have it removed, but I know the moderateors on here love the drama and crap...a ton of emailed me since my post, saying it was very well put, and people have emailed me about problems they have had with low dollar car owners also.

So I guess this leaves us at...ready for the cage match??...LOL

[Project Cortez]

The most expensive mistake: like some of the guys here has been having your wife really find out how much things cost. She's been great though and is happy with the results.

On a side note of shops, I have to say Bill at Route 66 Motorsports has been great. Bill really loves what he does and you can see that in the cars he puts out. I'm glad I went with his shop after hearing some of the horror stories out there. IMO

[parsonsj]

I know the moderateors on here love the drama and crapWe do?

[trapin]

We don't. :squint:

[Van B]

but I know the moderateors on here love the drama and crap...

How would a guy with 6 posts and "no time to spend on forum boards and chat sites" be able to intelligently make the above statement?

Let it die.

[parsonsj]

This one is done. Sorry: us drama-loving mods have had enough.

jp