Wow this is horrible!! And being in this buisness it kills me to see this happen! I wish you were in my area I would be more than happy to help you out of this. Tony if you need any materials (primers paint paper..etc) please let me no man I'll be happy to send it to ya on me. Anything to help you get this thing done!!!!!! Please PM me if you need anything.
Mario

Anthony, sorry to hear about this. I too was wondering why no updates and now I know why. Sure wish you were closer, I would love to help out here.
Hang in there bud

Race Rodz, give him a refund!!!!!!!!!!!

Shoot me a call... :)

Good shops are HARD to find.. I guess that's why I drive 80 miles each way to BOS for all my paint stuff and stories.

check your PM
this all sucks

Tony,
Man, after hearing the entire story, it makes me want to fly up there and add some drama to Scott's site!

And to leave the car in your driveway with parts piled up inside! I still can't believe he did that. Does he not realize that these are not just cars, they're investments! Look at the time and money we dump into these things.

I've got to go cool off. My blood is boiling right now!

Keep us posted.

Chris

Now that's a class act right there!!!
Good man Mario!:thumbsup:

With all the trouble, time, money and wait; I have a feeling this is going to work out for you. Karma always seems to help the good guys when their down and out.
Loads of great people on this site.

Keep the faith brother,

Rich

Tony,
You are one hell of a guy. Keep your head up...:thumbsup:

Hey Guys...

Yes that was my car at Race Rodz too.....

Tony and I both got screwed, but I think Tony got the worst of it. At least my car is still in metal and so far all the stuff I've found can be fixed. Its just gonna be more time and more $$, but its all fixable. Having the car in paint really makes it alot harder....alos who knows whats hiding under it.

Back in Nov last year I was looking for a shop to do some metal work and made a post on here. Got a few replies and started doing some inquiries. Alot of the shops were pretty far away and basically couldnt give me a reasonable estimate without seeing the car or their price was just too high for my budget or their shop was full and they werent taking anymore projects etc.

So Tony contacted me about Race Rodz. He was very happy with Chris at that time and we talked on the phone for quite awhile. At the time he had nothing but good things to say about how is project was going. At the time Jody was also looking at having Chris paint Malitude. Chris was also making a spoiler for Penny. I gave him a call and we talked about the project and he was going to be coming through my area soon, so he could look at the car in person and give me a quote. He stopped by Jody's also....

When he came over he seemed like a nice guy and I asked alot of questions....he seemed like he had alot of metal fab knowledge and seemed like he was really motivated to make a name for himself on the west coast.

We talked alot about getting the car alot of exposure and helping build his reputation. Just like Tony, it seemed like we could both benefit from working together.

After talking with some other shops and Chris some more, I decided to give him a chance. I took the car up in Dec and was hoping to see Tony car all done. When we got there it was still being wet-sanded and was covered in compound etc, so it was pretty hard to evaluate. The sheetmetal looked pretty straight and well aligned etc.

So my car was supposed to be about 2 months.... I figured at least 3-4, so the saga began. At first he made some good progress and I got alot of updates. He hand fabbed the tubs and they looked pretty good, so I felt like I was in the hands of a good metal fab guy. Felt comfortable early on......

Then about 3 months in, the updates slowed and the progress slowed.....many many promises of the "finnish date" came and went. Every time I talked to him, I felt really comfortable that he was commited to everything.

Then in April/May I find out he's going back to school to be a CNC operator. He's struggling to pay the bills and support a new family. That was a really kick in the gut. I felt really uneasy at that point. His reasoning was that he was having a hard time keeping the cash flow going since he was commited to doing quality work. He couldnt get himself to rush stuff and do crap work so things took alot of time and when projects arent leaving in a timely fashion, theres no cash flow. He assured me that he was still doing his best work on my car and we were about 80% done at that point, so I didnt pull the car......

Well I picked up the car about a month ago and you can read my other post....its real rough but fixable. Not happy but not devasted either....its metal and it can be fixed. More $$ and more time, but it can be fixed

So, to sum it up , both Tony and I got sucked into the enthusiasm of a young builder that wanted to build a reputation for himself. He seemed very commited and appeared to have the skills. We took a chance and lost......

I didnt feel the need to get on here and rip Chris apart... theres no point......his shop is now closed up, he's back in school and wont be a pro car builder again........ so trashing his reputation wont spare anyone the grief Tony and I are feeling. Dont get me wrong... I'm pissed, but ranting and raving isnt gonna fix my car.

To all the shops I talked to that post on this board...... you we're right...... there may be lower price shops, but you get what you pay for........

Places like IronWorks, Fesler, Bruning etc are worth every penny....its just that some of us dont have that many pennies and need to try and work on a smaller budget.

So my plans.....fix what I can myself, and then I've been talking to TJ at Bruning to see about bringing my car to them to finnsih and improve the metal work...as for paint.....Best in Show is my choice right now, but thats a good year away....

My car will be top notch if it kills me.....

maaaaan, that is really really crappy.

i was actually just thinking about your car the past week, and wanted to message you and see how it was going since i hadn't seen any updates in a long while. i guess i can see why now :<

to be honest with you, the unfortunate truth is that there are a lot of really shady people that are not deserving of your trust in this industry. it seems like there are a lot of guys who are more than willing to test your good will for their own benefit. thats not to saythat there arent fantastically awesome and helpful people here too, like steve, the guys at prodigy, and the creators and supporters of this site!

race rodz basically used you guys as a way to see what his life as a fabricator could be like, and if it was something that he even wanted to do. i guess when the stress got too high from him he just ditched everything that he promised and went on to "bigger and better" things. i hope his boyfriend is proud of him.

sorry to hear about your ordeal, im sure most of use have dealt with incompetent and unethical shops, it took me a few tries but im lucky enough now to be at a place where the work is done for the price quoted or less and the work is done to my satisfaction.It took alot of years and wasted money to get to this point though.hopefully someone local to you steps up and gives you good deal.

That sucks Tony. Let us know if we can help in any way.

- KO

Well you won't be dissapointed in Best Of Show... great guys. Let me know when it does go there and I can shoot some cool stuff on it there.

This "cheaper isn't always" deal comes up a lot. BOS will quote a job and then the guy comes back and says "XYZ shop will do it for half!"... Later on they find out the the experince at XYZ shop was a cluster you-know-what and that customer had to pay to have it fixed.

Stuff costs what stuff costs and if you get a dirt cheap bid then they HAVE TO cut corners someplace.

Cheap isn't good and good isn't cheap. :shrug:

That sucks Anthony. I know that wasn't the story when we talked at SEMA. Too bad your not closer. Let me know if you need anything.

Mike

Damn Tony I'm realy sorry you had to deal with all of that, I thought I had problems with a 10 month paint jail, my issues were nothing compared to this, best of luck on your recovery from this ordeal.

What a mess. Post up this guy's full name so that future Google searches will find it and this thread. What a coward, dropping your car off like that.

Hey Steve, I got a great story idea...........

All we need is your trucking connection and Prodigy Customs and................

WOW Mario! That is quite an offer and I just may take you up on it...I'll let ya know!!

It's funny how far Oregon is from everyone! I do appreciate all the "if you were closer" posts...all you guys are the best!!

Right now I'm talking with Bruning Auto Design and thanks to Steve Rupp, Best of Show.

You are in very good hands then

Yeah, wish you were closer, I know you would do me right! :cheers:

I agree with what Tony says. Also he is still lurking around here:
RaceRodz
Last Activity: 08-19-2008 03:52 AM

you know hes reading this thread...


hey coward.. heres a message from all of us.. to all of you.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/10...acc4af0f71.jpg

with love..

OMG that's funny! :rofl:

My hats off to you brother! Well played and I second it!

That's funny, I just sprayed my drink all over the screen.

That sucks to hear, Good luck with your car hopefully it will be on the road soon.

Damn Anthony, you got screwed. I hope he straightens himself out, but that's just f****d up what he did to you. Jackass for sure.

Well, how's this. If I had the skills, I'd help you out. But I don't, so I won't. But I do hope you get everything settled soon. You really deserve better.

Christopher Deshane owner of Race Rodz

Unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Tony, you have worked harder on your dream than anyone that I know. In my heart I know that a just God won't let this happen without some sort of compensation. I don't think I would want to be this guy on judgement day!:willy: :omg:

I'll be over soon to see you! It's been too long. I'll call tom--------------actually right now!

Man Tony, this sucks - needless to say I was shocked when you pm'd me about this and I still can't believe it! I AM nearby so if you need free labor to help remedy the situation, you know where to find me!

I guess you can be commended for coming back on here and posting something. I'd call it a 3/4 apology myself.

And I don't see where anyone on here has accused you of planning to defraud these guys of their hard earned money. I haven't read that. You are right about the fact that it just didn't work out and you were not up to the task of delivering said product. If you had any spare money, you should give it to Anthony.

But the leaving the car in his driveway part with scratched up parts laying in it is just unacceptable and you damn well know it. You should have faced the music then and there and parted ways. Hell, he tipped you and filled your tank with gas the 1st time you didn't deliver. Anthony is a well respected member of this place and has been for a long time. You? Not so much.

What a bummer for Anthony..... and Ned. And everyone.

I'm done. I'm sure others will be piling on shortly.

__________

Chris I am so angry with you it actually surprises me. Mainly because I liked you and thought you where a stand up guy. The kind of guy that takes care of those that take care of him. I want you to know that I'd be just as pissed if I didn't know Anthony or Ned.

All of us can understand hard times and the stress that life some times unfairly brings, but this isn't about any of that. The one thing no one here will accept is the way you handled the situation. Anthony was more than patient and understanding. He repeatedly gave you a second chance. Even towards the end he defended you, he believed in you, guarded and trusted you. How do you repay him...by spitting in his face. You can take your sob story and shove it! You know, that had you been honest with Anthony when the car came back or at any time after that, he would have understood. Instead you dump his car in his driveway? WTF! Super low, especially for a guy that claims to have a passion for hot rods. Your lucky Anthony is such a nice guy. He's refrained from telling everyone all the details and wouldn't have even posted if I hadn't pushed him. You have no idea how hurt and upset he and his FAMILY are. You made his wife cry! UNFORGIVABLE! You have no idea what they've gone through to accomplish this project...none.

It's time for you to take a serious look at where you at in life and realize it's time to stop screwing around and grow up. You are the cause of your current situation and have no one else to blame. Your a father...time to start acting like an adult you dick.

Curtis well said ! I do'nt think there is anymore that could be said on this.This guy had a great chance to make a name for himself and BLEW IT!!! If I had the chance this guy had I would of worked 24/7 to make this happen. $7300.00 is a small price to pay to get the attention these two cars would have gotten him. Its called PAYING YOUR DUES!!!!! And im sure if he called Tony and said it was going to be a couple grand or so more I do'nt think it would have been a problem,if Tony was seeing some consistent progress on the car. It always amazies me how people have to justify to them self they did nothing wrong. So saying you never intended to wrong these people or screw them all I have to say is ITS YOUR LIE YOU CAN TELL HOWEVER YOU WANT!!! :mad: So to Tony my offer stands whatever you need im ready.
Mario

Broken dreams--all around, for sure. Shattered is a better word. Paint and body is neither cheap nor easy and the same holds true for starting a business. Running a business is hard, starting a business is damn near impossible.

There IS a way to find a little positive result from this. Create a sticky with sage advice on selecting and managing an outsourced project such as body and paint. Choose one established shop with a proven track record to lead the discussion and then allow other shops to post follow up advice, tips, suggestions. Many of us have been burned by outsourced labor--be it paint, engine, or fab work. Let's help those who follow in our footsteps to avoid the same pitfalls. Those suggestions should also help budding entrepreneurs to get it right the first time as well.

My favorite suggestion?

Twilight Zone Syndrome: Visit the shop 1 year ahead of project drop off date to inspect shop. Then visit again at six months prior to have another look. If the same projects are present and progress has not been made, RUN AWAY!

Opening and successfully running a small business is a huge feat and not for the faint of heart. You must understand that the business is more about the client and the product than yourself, that's where people always fail.

I think lurking around throughout the day and finally posting a defensive half assed excuse at 12:00 PM shows the lack of respect and unwillingness to confront the situation.

A person with any morals would have stopped the bleeding long before he did.


Rich

Jennifer asked that I would post this on her behalf:

Nothing has changed in my mind. My deepest condolences to Tony for having to deal with something as horrible as this. You are way too good of a guy to deserve something like this. You go out of your way to help other people and while you have been screwed over, something good will happen. People like you have good things coming to you Tony! We are here for you and feel for you.

turn it around
 

wow
after reading all of this thread its a terrible story that can happen to any of us.some here have already been through it before.
all of us spend our extra money on our cars/dreams and all of us share the hobby via this great forum.
feeling the emotion of this and knowing the money you cant get back
i would hate to be left in this position....ive seen several offers to help with
getting car .
nothing will get done by beating the dead horse with are own feelings getting posted . it does suck beyond words .thats my 2 cents
LETS GET TOGETHER AND TURN THIS INTO A POSITIVE thread.we can make this happen if the focus is turned torward getting this car refinished.
im willing to chip in (couple hundred dollars) torward some transport cost to help turn this situation around.thats the best i can do personally.
i dont know this man but being apart of this forum kinda makes it like a family.we all usually help family...
hope others feel the same way.

radrambler