[214Chevy]

Guys, I can't tell you how many shops I've been to just to look around. I go in to see what is going on and the owner has no idea of course that I'm into classics. He then begins to talk about all this jibberish about what they do. Of course he says, "Oh yeah, we can do anything you want." All the while I'm looking around the shops and don't see any major tools/machines/equipment which means he's lying thru his two front teeth. I love it when I ask to see a finished/painted project and he shows me the bondo'd up, wavy paint job car. I admit I was once green in the hobby and got taken for $3000. So, I can understand how it happens. I went to a shop that was supposedly respectable and had been in business for years. But, the guy was running his shop out of his front pocket. I kept giving him money as he said he would start on my car "next" and next never came. The ironic part is, the shop where my car is now, I went there first and initially thought he was too high because I didn't know what this hobby cost and how much work entailed restoring a car 40 years old. I drove it for about two years and was never really satisfied with the work done on the car. I suddenly realized that I had to do the car the right way and give the car its proper respect and due justice or nothing at all. Now it's at the current shop redoing everything the other a$$hole did wrong. But, just as Greg Weld said...for every one shop doing it right there are 20 others doing it wrong. The sad part about it all is they know they are doing it wrong, but will continue to charge you the "right way of doing things" prices. One last quick story and I really feel sorry for this guy because he has a 72 Chevelle just like me. He brought it in to the shop where my Chevelle is wanting just some very minor work. After a few days, the shop owner starts working on the car, he finds so much rust it is ridiculous. He calls the car owner back and tells him what he found and the car owner is in disbelief and thought the shop owner was lying. The shop owner stops the work and leaves the car the way it is for about a week until the car owner can get back by the shop to see all the rust that was supposedly taken out and removed. Needless to say the car owner was pissed to the highest degree. The car owner says he just had it painted and "supposedly" the other shop had removed all of the rust. To make a long story short, the car is being done right this time at the current shop, but only after replacing about $5000 worth of metal and body work. But, here's the sad part, he paid the deadbeat shop $6500 for the crap paint job and fake rust removal.