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Thread: #139 lessons learned after destroyed in fire

  1. #1
    Junior Member
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    #139 lessons learned after destroyed in fire

    As some of have read I lost my Hotrod to a fire in a vendors shop while they were installing a new Holley system and replacing the motor. The entire process has taken approximately 18 months from the time I carried the car to the shop until I finally got it back from the insurance. Now I have the car back home, I decided to share my experience with some lessons learned from the experience.
    Add to the list to help future builders.
    1.) BUY INSURANCE ON YOUR CAR NO MATTER THE STAGE OF BUILDING: Fortunately, I purchased insurance on my ’33 from Midwest Classics for an agreed upon valve. They responded quickly and honored the policy.

    2.) ASK FOR PROOF OF INSURANCE FROM THE SHOP THAT MAY BE WORKING IN YOUR CAR: This was my biggest mistake. I assumed a reputable shop has insurance to cover anything that my happen to my car while in their possession. The shop I used did not have any insurance. This did not help matters any. Refer to Lessons learned Number 1.

    3.) IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOUR CAR, ASK TO BUY THE SALVAGE: I had to really push this issue. I did buy the salvage back from the insurance company for $25.00. I would have never known if I did not ask. The Insurance Company does what the hassle of dealing with your car.

    4.) NEVER EXPECT A SHOP TO MEET THE COMPLETION DATE THEY GIVE YOU: The work was only going to take 3 to 4 weeks to complete. It was in the shop for 8 months. Custom shops are not very good at doing things fast. There are some excellent shops out there, however, good work takes a lot of time. Expect the work to take much longer than they say. Most of the time it is worth the wait to get the best job.

    5.) PAY ATTENTION TO THE CONDITION OF THE SHOP: If the shop is very cluttered and jammed with other people’s cars, then yours will be just another on there. Unless you know the people personally, pick a shop that looks professional and well kept. This says a lot about how the shop is ran. Refer to Lessons Learned Number 4.

    6.) DO ALL THE WORK YOU CAN YOURSELF: I could have done what the shop was doing for me, however, I thought the shop could save me some time. I was wrong. The car came home in a “body bag”. The fun of building a car is the building anyway. Just give it a try, you may surprise yourself.

    7.) TAKE TONS OF PICTURES OF EVERYTHING INCLUDING WIRING: After an autopsy by four (4) electrical engineers and a lawyer, the cause of the fire could not be conclusively determined. I was able to produce some pictures of some of the wiring showing how I had the car wired. The shop had changed some of the wiring as shown by the pictures. This saved me from possible lawsuits.

    8.) TAKE NOTHING FORGRANTED: If something could go wrong at any time it just might. Never think that “It will not happen to you.” Refer to Lessons Learned Number 1.

    9.) WORK THE SYMPATHY ROUTE TO CONVINCE YOUR WIFE TO LET YOU START OVER: It is worth a shot. (Has not worked for me yet.)
    Last edited by ferg4766; 09-28-2017 at 08:43 AM.

  2. #2
    Senior Member TDSapp's Avatar
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    Jul 2015
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    Frisco, TX
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    Ferg,


    Good points on all of them. It sounds like the shop was trying to blame you and your car on the fire. I am glad that it all worked out for you (besides the loss of the car that is...)
    Tim Sapp
    11110001101
    Build Blog: http://hotrod.sapp-family.com/blog/

    33 Hot Rod
    Delivered 5/31/2017

  3. #3
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    Ferg,
    Sorry to hear you lost your Hot Rod to fire. Certainly out of your control. Thanks for sharing the experience to save others the same heartbreak. Hopefully your wife will give the do over green light soon

  4. #4
    Banned
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    Very few companies will insure a car while it's being built and homeowners insurance is likely to fall short, if you're building a car in your own garage or shop. I got insurance for the full cost of parts ($60,000) from Hagerty, during my build. I now have agreed upon value insurance of $80,000 from Hagerty, but it would not come close to the cost to have the car rebuilt by pros.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Gromit's Avatar
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    Dec 2015
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    X2 on # 3 buy it back. and X2 on document it all. my '86 IROC was stolen and totaled, not in a wreck but totaled do to the stuff stripped from the car, the repair cost was quoted at just over %50 of book on the car and the by back was $500 It was an interesting time with the insurance adjuster, he started saying. Well I have to depreciate the tires since we don't know how many miles on them. I pulled out the paperwork and showed when they had been replaced. (less than 2,00 miles) then it was the aftermarket stereo. pulled all the receipts for that. at the end he was saying.. I assume you have a recipt for ... (what ever it was that I had done) when it was all said and done I only asked this question once... So I can buy the car back use your quote to fix it and walk away with a profit. I was told that once the estimated repair cost on a theft recover goes over 50% the replacement value they total it. this was so I couldn't go back with more Oh this is broken or that needs to be fixed cost increases.
    Bottom line. I bought it back, bought the parts, many upgraded to better, did most all the work myself and while it was down used the profit to by a nice winter / daily driver. Still have the car and would consider doing it again in a heart beat. It would have to be pretty bad that I would not want it back.

    Sorry for your loss look at it this way, Things can be replaced, no one was hurt, and now you can go back and make it better.
    Chris AKA Gromit

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