The Stovebolt Site Forums The Side Lot Old Dominion Stovebolt Society (MD, VA, West VA, DC, DE and PA) What do you mean "my paint shop is going out of business!!!!"

So I've been visiting my 41 in the paint shop about every other week since May 10th watching it slowly progress towards the goal of a show quality paint job. In the last 3 weeks I haven't seen much progress, in fact the doors have been locked 2-3 days a week! I confronted the shop about my truck and said "how can you pay the rent when you guys aren't here even 5 days a week or for the matter full day shifts? AND when the hell is my truck going to be done!" They claim it will be done in 6 weeks and the shop is noticeably EMPTY. When I pushed them on it the owner admitted "When your truck is done I'm closing up". GREAT, hope this paint is show quality because there won't be a shop to warranty the work! Now I'm really stressed and trust me I WILL BE HAUNTING THIS SHOP EVERY OTHER DAY UNTIL MY TRUCK IS DONE. I better see significant progress each week or there will be a Civil Warrant in his future. I'll update again when the truck is done or the court date is set.

Hang in there, Jim!

Jim,

I have a friend that had his Model T in a body shop after being in an accident (not his fault). The body shop got in trouble and sold off boxes of his Model T parts to pay the bills just before they went bankrupt and locked their doors for the final time. It took him months to get the remaining car body and chassis out of the building. Unfortunately he didn't know the shop was in trouble until it was to late. Thankfully this was an insurance case and the insurance company had to make good on finishing the car at another shop and replace all of the missing parts.

My advise is to gather any stuff the shop doesn't need or that's done and take it home.

Mike B

Jim,
I am with Mike B, get your truck out. If your truck is the last thing he is going to finish before he shuts down; what kind of workmanship is he going to put out. I was in a similar situation less then a year ago. The shop wasn't going out of business the business wasn't good for me. I pulled my truck out and looked for a better shop in which I found. They corrected what needed to be fixed.

Square up with the guy, get what's yours out, and do not prolong the pain.

Bread
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Yikes... that truly sucks.

How well do you know the shop owner? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. You might want to seek the advice of legal counsel on this now rather than later.

Yep. I agree with y'all. It's getting scary fast. Yesterday they started talking about my running boards and how they would have a tough time getting them show quality because there are some high/low points in them. They were contracted to do a show quality paint job and now seem to be setting me up for disappointment. I'm going next week to speak with the owner and most likely pull the plug on this deal... They've had the truck since May 10th and now in the 11th hour are making excuses. PS- If they sell my parts or lock up my truck tune in to your local news channel there will be mayhem! I can get the truck out of the job I have an Oxy/Acetylene torch!

Jim, just one reminder.....Remember, you love your FREEDOM.
That was what a friend kept telling me when going through a divorce! Glad I took their advice

Keep us posted on how things go. We're in your corner.

Pull the plug...pay for services they did and move on, you'll sleep better.

Mike B

Anyone in the 757 know of a painter capable of show-quality results? I'm going Monday morning to "have a talk" with this guy and figure out what to do next.

Yes....In Tea, South Dakota....Cliff Avenue Upholstery......You will pay dearly for it too, but you won't be disappointed in the quality of the work. Guaranteed.

UPDATE - I met with the paint shop and had a serious conversation with the owner. I told him "working on it" was not a plan. We set milestones for completion and the first one is for fenders and running boards to be complete and painted by this Friday at 2pm. He was working on them yesterday afternoon when I stopped back by the shop to check. Hopefully with agreed upon milestones and dates of completion I can keep him going in the right direction. I have also lined up a backup plan if he doesn't work out. I have another custom painter lined up. FYI...stay tuned.

UPDATE - Stuff got painted!!!! It's a miracle! Rear fenders are done, smalls are done, and window frames done. Front fenders, running boards, bed cross sills, and misc. parts to be done next Friday and ready for pickup. Main truck is also receiving 1st of three coats of epoxy primer/sealer and 2nd round of sanding.

Now that's some good news indeed!

Keep the faith, maybe, just maybe, you've got a fella there that does what he says, and says what he does.

John

At this point - I figured my best outcome would be to try to get him to honor the contract and pressure him to get it done. I doubt I could take what's left of my budget and take the truck elsewhere to get a show quality job done. I'm just going to stay on him (like 2-3 times per week) to keep up the pressure. I'm also taking home the parts that are done so that little by little I'm getting my stuff out of there.

I just got a show quality paint job done and this guy is in hanover county,va. Close to Beaver Dam area. Look at my black paint job and see for yourself! All parts were painted individually and I reassembled it. Let me know if you need his number? He has been painting for over 30 years. Not cheap but good!! My number is (804) 357-4359.

Thanks - I will keep him in mind. The guy I'm dealing with is talented, he painted my father in-laws 57 Bel Air 2 door hardtop all black and it looks like a sheet of glass. Impressive. Black shows every imperfection and I think it's the hardest color to paint show quality.

Anyone wishing to extend an "I TOLD YOU SO...." can post below...
I went to the paint shop today and an employee of the paint shop got short with me which led to an argument, which led to his firing, which led to a phone call with the owner, which led to the owner admitting he is in fact going under and may not get the truck finished before closing up shop. His divorce and (her attorney) are running him under. I'm so frustrated. I wasted an entire summer waiting on this guy and now the truck will still have to go elsewhere to be painted. We are meeting this friday to review what has been done and to most likely grab my truck and all my parts. I'm in talks with another painter and waiting to see if he will take on the project and finish it. Perhaps I will have the truck finished before Spring???!!!

Jim,
There isn't any reason for "I told you so." I am the local area so if you need a hand with anything, let me know.

Bread
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Sorry to hear it's not going to work out.

If I were you I'd get my stuff out of the shop before the bank puts a lock on the door...have a trailer and lots of help to load your stuff on Friday and be done. Hopefully all of your stuff is in one pile and not scattered around the shop, you don't want to leave anything behind.

Mike B

Hey Hardshell. Is his name Daryl Conwell? Larry