[redranch]

My 1965 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible was bought off the 3rd owner. It needed some work but was a great little car (little not being the right word as it was huge!).

Had a friend in Connecticut do some metal work, then it was put into storage for a year. In March 98 a guy in Oklahoma said he would paint it for me...that's where it all went wrong

He stripped the car, sandblasted the panels and told me the restoration work was under way, but he would need replacement panels as mine were too far go. So I sourced a junk yard in California and bought a ton of parts. At that time I live in the UK and went over to the US a few times a year...but for about 1.5 years when he was supposed to be doing the work I was working too hard to take a vacation.
So by the time I dropped in to see the work...to my horror he'd pushed the car out into the open where it's sat for the years...each year I call to see how it's progressing and get the same old story..."my painter quit and we are getting someone new in soon".
I even bought another 65 convertible to use as a part car (Gold), it had a whack on the rear quarter but was a pretty solid car.

So now I don't know what to do with the car, why should I pay for a new interior, an engine rebuild and fix lot's more rust than the car had when it wasn't that bad to start with and now it's trashed! if I haul it out of there...are they worth restoring, should I cut my losses and buy something that doesn't need as much work?

Or I might have to bite the bullet and find someone else to do the work for me, and spread the work over a few years.

So for now they are still sitting in that field in Oklahoma, not going anywhere. Maybe I'll have to find some cheap dry storage for them and then find someone to do the work properly this time. But I'll keep the cars in the US for now, and I don't care when they get restored as long as someone does a better job. Both cars are auto cars, the Gold one has factory air too.

Hereis a link to some photos of the car, before and after:
http://www.autopendium.com/photos?it...m_type=Vehicle

...and here is the spares car:
http://www.autopendium.com/vehicles/...iac-Bonneville

Anybody want to give me the details of someone that want to make 2 cars into one good convertible or maybe I'll eventually restore 2 cars! The gold one didn't have an engine so i could make it into a 421 car...just a thought.

As the Gold car is a more complete car I could restore it then sell it to pay for the Maroon car...what do you think? Who would like to restore these cars?

Cheers

Peter

[BigCat4spd]

My friend, that is terrible. I can't believe anyone would leave a sandblasted car outside. The car can be restored but, at this point, you'd be money ahead to buy yourself a nice driver and move on. Sell the cars for parts.

Have you checked with an attorney to see if you have any recourse?

[redranch]

Not only did he leave the car outside, but he left the hood off the car with the engine exposed to the elements! It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been the spares car that was missing an engine...it just had to be the car with the engine.

I felt a little helpless not being able to give him a kick up the arse to finish the car, but it's now been too long to do anything about it.

The last time i spoke to him I said I might sell the cars, he had the check to say it would be a good idea as he might not get around to finishing the car!!

I just wish he'd been honest with me from the start...I simply picked the wrong guy for the job...it happens. To be fair he was recommended to me by someone who t the time trusted.
I should have driven the car as it was as it was a great driver...but no, I wanted it to be painted and looking perfect..a big mistake, and I've learnt a lesson there.

I'll have to go over to Oklahoma at Easter and take fresh photos of the car and stick them both on ebay as a parts car (and include the other parts I have too). I have a title for the Maroon one but not the Gold one...

Then I'll have to look around for another 64 or 65 Bonneville that's roadworthy and ready for that summer roadtrip I wanted to do with these cars.

Cheers

Peter

[Heybuck]

My advice to you Redranch is you should immediately recover BOTH vehicles and remove them from this clown who is holding them. Just get them out of there.

Personally, I think you should NOT give him any warning whatsoever that you are intending to do so. He might impound the cars to "recover his substantial costs" in performing his "expert" work to date. But if you arrive, unannounced with suitable equipment to take them away, you possibly will be able to just get them back into your possetion.

If you give him waring, you can be sure that parts will disappear. Or the car might be pushed back into the workshop and some semblance of work done to mitigate his case that he is working on the cars. These pricks are sneaky and you have to be one step ahead of them.

Once you have them back under your control, you can access how best to go about recovering your losses - or at least a part of your losses!!!!

Let us know how you go? And good luck.

[redranch]

I did think about that, but it means either finding cheap storage for them or a friend who has a backyard big enough for two huge cars.

I've been looking on Craigs list and there are places to be had, but as I live in Switzerland at the moment, it's not the easiest thing to sort out from over here. I'll have to take a holiday for a few weeks and go over there find storage and as you say turn up with a transporter to haul the cars away.

Luckily I travel with work so at the end of March I'll be in Panama and have booked a three week holiday, which gives me enough time to nip up to the US find storage (I don't care if it's in the middle of nowhere as long as it's under cover and out of that field).
Then I can see what I have an have another friend (who is a good and trustworthy body man/restorer) look at the car for me. At least then if the cars had to go I could do it there and then when I'm over there.
The only trouble is that he's based in LA and storage isn't cheap there...

Anyway, I'll update this epic story when I have more news on the fate of the cars...unless someone wanted the cars for parts or is brave enough to restore one or both cars?

[BigCat4spd]

I'd be concerned about that engine if he left it in the car while sandblasting. Hell, I'd be concerned about anything that moves after sandblasting. Generally, you completely disassemble a car for that. Sand gets EVERYWHERE, no matter what you do.

Don't ask me how I know that.

[64catdroptop]

OMG... are you kidding me!!!

Ian is right... get a hold of those cars. Do you have some place to store them? I may be able to store them for you at the store and lock if we have room - I'll check when I get back from Australia.

I would honestly love to do the work for you, but I'm trying to "get out of the business" www.clearcreekrestorations.com

This is a perfect example of why I was trying to do restoration work in the first place.

Best of luck to you and let us know how we can help.

Ron

[Engine-Ear]

Wow, what a rotten deal.

Very sorry about your losses, Peter.

You may be able to acquaint yourself with someone near where the cars car by posting something in the "PY Members helping members" forum here.

[Txbobcat]

This is a very sad story. I think finding storage in Okla would be no problem. Finding a wrecker in Okla would be no problem , Best if you can find someone in the city to help you out to get them moved first then assesed. I am 250 miles away but go thru there each month. I could assess them for you if necessary. But someone in Okla would be better for you as far as moving them and storing them but if that doesnt pan out I could probably handle that as well. Right now it ounds like you need to pick one and fix it using the other for parts. An engine overhaul like Mike said would surely be necessary. PM me if I can help.

[redranch]

Hi Txbobcat, thanks for the message, the more I think about this the more I think I'll come over and drag the cars out and organise for them to be shipped to storage. As I mentioned earlier I have 3 weeks vacation around Easter so it's not a problem for me to fly in sort it out, but I might have to sort out storage before then...Craigslist is a good option for me.
Mike was right about the engine, it would need a rebuild...I was so frustrated when I saw the car as the engine was a sweet little thing without any problems, but being exposed to the elements is just sloppy on his part. My problem is, I'm too trusting...when someone says they are going to do something I think they will do it...I certainly wouldn't do this to anyone.

I sometimes use a haulage guy in Texas to move any cars around the country, thanks for you offer of going to assess the cars. I might take you up on it, but I don't want to give him too much warning or who knows I might not see all the spare parts for the car he has stored! I might tell a little white lie and say someone might be coming to look at the car to see if it's a project he wants to tackle....
The cars are in Norman, Oklahoma so it's pretty close to the Texan border.

I'll send you a PM nearer the time

Thanks again

Peter

[Txbobcat]

That will be fine with me.

[61-63]

It is too bad you are so far away but it would be great to see you take legal action against that jerk and put him out of business. I know another instance of something like this happening, different shop, and the bonehead had no action at all taken against him which means he is still in business to do it to someone else.

[redranch]

your right, but it would take so much of my time and I'd rather cut my losses and pull the cars out of there and then think about what to do with him.

It's funny but in all the years I've been buying and selling cars (just a hobby of mine rather than a job), I've had this guy with the Bonnevilles who lied about the so called work he's done, and the only other time it has happened is when I sold a 69 Firebird 400 Convertible project.
A different shop in another part of the country, but I gave him the car to sell as I wanted it to stay in the US and didn't have the time to bring it to Europe. After 12 months of nothing, the day I called to say that I'll have to ship it to Europe to sell it there as nothing was happening with him...he informs me he sold the car, which was great and that he would send me the money.
I said to hang onto the money as the exchange rate wasn't great at that time and that I would be over in a couple of months to pick it up (another big mistake), needless to say he spent the money and I never got a penny...that was 3 years ago!
I've been patient to say the least (his wife got cancer and was very ill)...but 3 years is still 3 years.

p

[Engine-Ear]

Originally Posted by 61-63

It is too bad you are so far away but it would be great to see you take legal action ...

...or physical action, THEN legal action.

[bigpop]

Redranch, did you get anything in writing,as to the work to be performed? Or is this all verbal.Either way,verbal is considered a contract.the problem is that how thorough and detailed was either the written or verbal contract,and what is the statute of limitations on legal action in Oklahoma,regarding law suits? Or maybe ,the limitations in the country you were living in at the time-England?
If it were me,I would persue legal recourse.And don't forget,he probably had screwed other customers.This guy may be toxic for us hiobby guys,and to expose him would be a plus for us guys! What a POS this guy is,huh? Larry B.

[redranch]

Hi Larry B, It was all verbal...I agreed to give him some money in advance (which he took) which was just to strip the car down and paint it, but he said there was more rust there than was originally thought and I needed to buy more panel (which I sourced and sent to him). The interior was very usable and the engine ran fine, now the interior is trashed after leaving it out in the open...such a shame.

I was always calling him to see if there was any progress, it was always the same...'we are working on it now', or 'my body man quit last week and a new guy should be starting soon and we'll get right back on your car'

I even resorted to sending him a disposable camera plus the money for a stamp to send back to the UK (where I was living at the time)...he took 3 photos from about a mile away!! So when that didn't work I ended up going there to sort it out...that's when I found it in the field at the back of his shop!
But he swore blind he would still restore it for me and apologised for not getting the job done sooner...once again I thought I'd give him another chance, besides where was I going to put two cars in bits.

I'm also partly to blame for letting it get this far, to be honest there have been time when I've forgotten I own those two cars and maybe I should have pulled them out of there sooner, or been on his case each week...but when it's such a long distance and when I actually believe when someone says they are working on a car...they are working on it, rather than telling a big fat lie.

Anyway what's done is done, it's a new year and it's time to sort those cars out one way or the other....thanks again to everyone for all the comments

[Txbobcat]

No matter where you take this or both cars you need someone here on PY to act as your agent visiting the shop inspecting hidden areas making sure the work is getting properly done. Payments should be made in parts. You get this done and I payX Dollars then you get that done you get X$ in Writing signed by both parties. Also can include time delay penalties reasonable of course.

[Engine-Ear]

...and then don't forget the rider: "I have a couple of associates who will be by periodically, UN-announced, to verify that what you say is being done is actually getting done. Trust me, it is in the best interest of all concerned that, when these gentlemen visit, what you SAY is done is backed up by what is actually DONE."

[Doug]

Cut your losses and forget about those cars. Let him have them to settle up the charges he is going to stick you with. Don't let him have titles to the cars. At best, he can only part them out and sell them for scrap.

If you are serious about wanting a nice 65 Bonneville convertible, there is a gold one, fully loaded, in good shape, etc. currently being advertised in Smoke Signals for $17.5K.
I don't know the car or the seller but you can get someone to look that car over you and you can work out a deal with the seller and get it shipped to you. Don't kid yourself that the two you own are worth anything more than continued headaches.

[redranch]

Thanks Doug, but before I think about buying another car I should really see these cars in the flesh and see how bad they really are...then think about restore maybe one, sell them both or part them out...then think about buying something else.

p