A late SC&C drama, and F--- Patrick Smith formerly of Pat's Custom Cars in Ramona.

[SShep71]

Essentially why I, and many others stopped posting on Pro-touring.com: too many vendors were pushed at us because they sent someone whatever the cost was to put their BS ads up. Then PT "administrators" did nothing to stop people from getting scum bagged by vendors or sellers, Just to name a few DaytonayellaZ, Prodigy customs, that aftermarket wheel dickhead, Fessler, SC&C, Modern Classic Interiors, Flaming River, etc. The website and moderators have no say in who does what, there are warnings. But when the complaints start rolling in and nothing is done about it, that's on you moderators. Larry gave you privileges for a reason. I posted about SC&C a long time ago, early on in the banana show that became what it is now. I figured I would find out what was going on or throw out a warning, by the next day the post was gone.

First, but again;
I know they used to be the "go-to" guys for suspension, but the guys at SC&C took a bunch of cash and gave me partials of parts. Half of the Chassis works shocks I ordered, the housing for a 9" instead of a completed rear, some brake stuff, etc. I tried to to a charge back with my CC company, but since payment was over a year earlier and some parts did show up I never got my full chargeback. Even the guys at Currie told me that SC&C took a nose dive into the **** pool. Also, the suspension book they put out is damn garbage, it's more of an "I did this" than anything else. Buy A Milliken manual and figure things out, so many contradictions to that putz at SC&C.


There are a few other honorable mentions, and a few others may still have some salvation in their future and I will leave them unmentioned.


Now the show-stopper the Biggest Ass Clown Around, the scumbag that put me in a worse place when I was already in a bad place post-deployment. I hope some of you personally know him and I hope this gets back to him. Patrick Smith formerly of Ramona, you are a F'ing disgrace. I hope you and your "Rosa" are living it up with your bankruptcy(s), hiding everything in her name to avoid collection. I know you probably still have some bozo friends on here.

This is my side of what happened, take from it what you will, I have everything to back up everything that is posted here. Pat you C--T, I hope you see this.
His profile: https://www.pro-touring.com/members/12347-67-ls1-vert


Patrick Smith, formerly of Pat's Custom Cars in Ramona,Ca, who presently resides in North Carolina, known on here and a few other places as "67 ls1 vert", his profile link is below. Pat took in my 69 GTO (Voodoo Child) project in before I left for Afghanistan in Aug 2012. We met a few times so he could look over the project and come up with a plan and therefore a cost. I had a rendering done to ensure there were no misunderstandings in what I wanted, I had paint samples and color codes ready for him, early on I gave him about $4,000.00 in supplies (4 army duffels FULL of 3M and Norton sanding and grinding supplies, 3M Roloc discs, 3M Scotch-brite Roloc discs, etc) and numerous other consumables. He initially quoted me $12,000.00 for complete bodywork, door gapping, and paint, he agreed to do it on a monthly basis (his idea). I told him I would have my wife send checks, and occasionally show up with payment over the 12 months I was to be gone. The payments would only arrive after I would get pictures of the progress, then he would get the next payment. I wanted to have as much control as I could, if he couldn't reach me he could contact my wife (she is a car person also) and she could pay him if she saw progress. The first payment was provided after a $1,200.00 sand blasting that showed the car was in better shape than either of us thought. Then I left, the first month goes by and right off the back he wanted $4,500.00 as he insisted that I replace both quarters and the sail panel, I wasn't happy but he said it would be cheaper than the time it would take for him to get the panel to his liking. I know the game, I know the costs and how they don't play well with budgets so I approved. Over the next months I sent him a check every month after he sent me pictures of the progress. After being gone for a while I noticed him selling everything, motor, car, parts etc. I called him from Afghanistan to inquire what was going on, he assured me everything was alright that he "just wanted to go in a different direction". I got ahold of my wife, explained what was going on, and told her to drive down and see what was up and not to go alone. She got ahold of me several days later and I found out that after she was unable to get him on the phone, while she was on the way to San Diego she diverted to his shop with her mother. Then my wife told me that he was super aggressive with her, denying her to see certain things, all out agitated. I reached out to him as soon as I could only to find that he had left the country, I got ahold of dual acquaintances, it came back to me (although it could not be confirmed), he was in Thailand or somewhere doing something to bring back his soon to be bride. After 6 weeks of him being absent, I eventually got him on the phone, he gave me a story and then informed me that I would need to send him an larger payment this month. Apparently he took it upon himself to install C6 style openers, something we talked about but never decided on, then he had to do all kinds of stuff with the frame of the car unexpectedly (claiming it was warped). There was SEVERAL other items, but at one point I put a stop to all work. I sent a buddy down there to see the car, as my wife was uneasy about going back down. He was denied access to see the car. When I got back from Afghanistan I went down there to see that the car was barely in primer. He barely even got to the point of primer, when I asked him how much more he needed to finish the car he wanted another $5,000.00. I denied the idea and told him no more. Total payment at that point was well north of the $12,000.00 before another $5,000.00, I told him I was going to have to think about it. Well PATRICK SMITH, took it upon himself to once again start working on the car. Now he was demanding $8,000.00 to get the car back from him. The most I could come up with was $5,000, he took it and told me to kick rocks.


In total he took:
-$17,000.00 in cash (He gave me some credit for body supplies, but he claims he never used any of the stuff I provided and that he "lost" the majority of the stuff. )
-Several thousand dollars of brand new or NOS parts that were shipped to him.
-A whole bunch of stock parts that were also "missing".


He damaged:
-A 1970 Chevelle dash with SS green gauges and 5500 (I think) redline tach that came back in a box broken in half, it was professionally restored years earlier and never left the wrapping and box. He asked me for it so he could see it to the owner of another project he had going on.
-The frame was bent to high hell, he claims it came in like that, but is was the typical "someone did some Tom Foolery on the lift" damage
-All the original stainless trim was bent to the point of replacement, and sand blasted for some reason, then he lost the rear trim somehow.
-His "guys" ground the Endura bumper to make the hood fit.
-The quarters, which were out of the box new and looked beautiful before install, look like Pat hired some meat puppet off Craigslist and he welded them on with sunglasses, not even politicians are as crooked as the quarters.
-Several other items were either lost or damaged, a good amount of the parts for the hide away headlights were missing.
-The frame that was built up, and painted with a new SC&C suspension package, COVERED in primer overspray. There is some weird paint color on the frame also. It definitely didn't go in there that way, but it sure as hell came out that way.
-There is a long list, but let's keep things short-ish


Well I was dealing with some medical stuff after I got back from Afghanistan, of which I eventually was medically retired. I talked to several attorneys in the area about the situation before and after getting the car back. None wanted anything to do with the situation, I had one attorney write a few letters for me but that's all I could afford. I was in a lot of pain, I was out of money, and I was watching the project that I had soo much money and pride in just wash away like a blood stain. I eventually took that POS to small claims court as that was all I could do. I had him served, first court date, "I have a surgery", the court pushed the date back months, then his ads selling everything that wasn't bolted down showed up on here. I found out that he was dumping everything possible to avoid me getting them or something weird. Second court date: shows up late, claims he had to shut his business down, sell both his houses then the shop only to move to Texas so he could sleep on someone's couch. I don't know if any of it is true, at the court I asked him about his surgery, he didn't know what I was talking about. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, try to do the right thing I guess.


Well the ruling came back, 100% in my favor, after the judge saw all the evidence from my wife and I, plus the ruling from the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair). I was awarded $10,000.00 back plus fees, I sent him several letters asking what the plan was telling him that we can work things out. Let's figure this out and move forward so everyone walks away with their heads up. I even offered him the opportunity to help me finish the car and we would call it good. NOT A SINGLE reply, no letters ever came back, not even the certified ones. I had to leave things go as I was out of options, patience, and money. A few years go by and I got curious, I paid to look him up, I also did my own research. He was living in North Carolina, everything was in/under his wife's name. He had a current bankruptcy ruling against him, there was a previous one, and several lawsuits. The total number of creditors was well in the 70's. My name wasn't on there, so I called his bankruptcy attorney, I explained who I was and what I was seeking. He then told me that he filed in North Carolina which is a state that isn't friendly to people in my situation. I wasn't listed therefore I get nothing. Not a single dime, nothing, the government gave him a pass I guess. So the car that was to be featured as "40 years of Pontiac" sits in my garage waiting for...well I don't know. The $20,000.00 in parts just sit in their original boxes, the engine sits waiting to get assembled, rebuilt performance 6L90 just staring back at whoever looks at it. Bonspeed wheels never out of their boxes, Bridgestone rubber never unwrapped. Vintage air system, new wiring Harness, Speartech digital gauges all just sit in their cozy cardboard sarcophagi. The complete 2009 Pontiac G8 interior that was going to go in the car sits covered, the rare Holden dash cluster in a box with Austraila postal markings. Nothing I can do at this point, but that is what I get for letting the people of this website suggest him and stand behind his "reputation", lesson learned.

[chevelletiger]

That aftermarket d head John Henson. Works at currie now in corona,I had to deal with his ass when I wanted them to do a gear swap on my 12 bolt and he started acting like a ahole I was about to punch him in the face.
He still goes to the quarantine cruise sometime,he's a smug one.
As for Mark I never had any bad deals with him,but he really did push
The chassis works stuff.
I hope you can get back on your projects.
When I do people's cars I don't take payment utill I finish on a one project that we agree on,I sign for the tasked to be done and what I get paid on,and the owner,and then we keep going or stop.
But I take forever on stuff lately because of my full time job.
Don't give up on the project, maybe sell one and just work on one.
If you need a hand hit me up one of these weekends.

[nebdrummer]

I got double adjustable varishock rear coilovers, and double adjustable varishock front shocks, and some spc control arms. Mark was very helpful over the ozone until he took my money, then it was a bunch of excuses that kept changing for months, but eventually everything did show up and worked fine.