beyonda68
03-22-2011, 10:55 PM
lets start from the beginning. I purchased the car in 1983, with the money I had saved from a paper route. Got my permit to drive in 1987, and was happy as can be. The following year was full of great parties and the prettiest girls you can imagine. It was not just the car, I was a great athlete. Well maybe not a great one, but at least good enough to be in a varsity team. I had an accent and not bad looking at all. Here comes 1988, park the car on the street, right in front on Greenwich High School, in Ct. Get out around two in the afternoon only to find myself walking by the parking space where I had left the car. My sister was with me. Not sure what had happen. I thought of a practical joke but I had the keys in my hand. Called my home to see if someone had picked up the car. Not sure why. LO AND BEHOLD I GET THE GREENWICH POLICE INVOLVE . My car was officially stolen. why would anybody want to steel a 68 camaro. The range of cars to choose from were much nicer than mine. It turn out to be, that they just targeted my car. I found it 2 weeks later in a town called Bridgeport. No engine, No radio and no rims or tires. Brought the car home, Where my step father proceeded to take the shell in to a rolling car once again. Ended up with a 283 ci, all the while thinking it was a 327. Drove it for the next few years and left for school. Then Korea and Japan. Having saved some money I decide to paint the car the way my step father had intended it to be. Took it to a highly recommended spot where they proceeded to take the car apart, (excited) and began to dictate the path of the car. :smoke:. They recommend the engine to be re-done to go along the new paint job. Mind you I have the knowledge of car building as a new born. I am happy to pour my savings in to my new great build. Which I have entrusted upon the word of these great people I just met. Spent so much money on this the engine ,that right now I do not want to admit it. My girl and I would argue about it constantly. The guy that took the car apart to paint it, took off on me , with out painting the car. He got evicted for not paying the rent. I almost could not get my car out of there. Fast forward to the present. I upgraded the the front end, rear with a IRS. Arranged some assisted brakes from an astro mini van. Updated to an LS1 with a 4l80e. decided to rewire the whole car with an Auto Wire Kit. Wait did I just say I did. Rather I bought it hoping to find someone to do it for me. Well after a long time I thought I found some one to do it. Wait i'm leaving out a lot. Like getting in to a car accident, where and I broke my neck, clavicle, and left leg. Ending up with a fused 6th & 7th vertebra. Traction for a long time and no martial arts to speak off. So here I am now. My car in a shop in my town. Hoping to get it wired. A week goes by. The gentleman calls me. " I need some money for parts". I give him an extra 500. Mind you, I bought the LS! from him. He has the auto wire kit. He says I need an extra 4000 to order parts so he can play with. He did not agree with my aluminum tank. Or my radiator, which is a dual pass aluminum one. He said my brake lines should be SS. Which I agree if I had the money when I first ran them I would have done them that way. So I asked him why $4000. HE said for the tank, radiator, harness for the LS etc. Cool , here is a card and go and order them. No way it has to be cash. We go back and forth for a few days. I finally, on behalf of my now wife ask him how much it would be for him to wire my car. ( I'm thinking 15 to 20 hrs.) Mind you I'm a martial artist and a artist on my own right. Therefor I could never have someone put a price on my work. But when he said that it would take .."about 40 hrs if not more" to do the car I almost had a heart attack. 40 hrs @ $100 an HR. DId not sound fair to me. Let me tell you, there is nothing in the car. Whatever would have been in your way is out. It is a shell waiting for the wires. I disagreed and asked for the car to come back home. Forget about the wiring. I in my head was contemplating doing it my self. I know I have gotten hit on my head a lot, but **** I am not trembling yet. So my long post comes to this. After all of that he feels I owe him 2975 big ones. For what, I'm not sure. He ordered a new 2000 stall for the 4l80e and a new flex plate. Plus bolts etc. They were never put in place. Lets say those parts are about 700 dollars. That leaves 2,275 for dropping the 283ci and putting the LS! in place. 6 bolts in total. Does that sound right to you. Trust me I just venting. I feel like an a$$ but at the same time feel like I am being taken advantage off. I'm 5'11,180lbs and I work as a bouncer on the weekends. A matter like this I would never know how to resolve. Throw a punch at me or come at me and it would be a different story. I feel that he should send the parts back for they are not used. After that try to reason with him about the going rate of dropping an engine and placing one in its place. There is no magic number, but if that sounds right to you guys, I'm changing careers.