Wow... I was expecting, "I told you so" or something similar. Thanks Mike.
I know that wiring is a pain in the A$$. But I've talked to various people on this forum who build these cars on a regular basis and I've been told that 40 hours is about as much as they bill for wiring a car. Usually much less. When I told Shane Vacek and Allan Uzwiak that I was being charged for roughly 130+ hours for PARTIALLY wiring my car, they both busted out laughing. Not at me, but at the "Balls" that anyone could have to try that. I still had to wire the headlights, blinkers, Fog Lights, Mirrors, and Gauges. This guys charged an additional 25 hours in labor @ $95.00/hour, simply to wire my gauges, and mirrors.
Ron, before I sent the car over to Courty's shop, I asked him to come to my house and have a look at the car, and give me his estimate. While he was there, I explained exactly what my expectations were. I told him what I had been through recently and that I was don't want it to happen to me again. He said that he was not someone to take advantage of others, and that he would take car of my car as if it were his own, and he would make sure that when i got it back, it would be wired the way that it should have been the first time I paid to have it done. As well, he has built his own Factory Five Roadster, and said that he would be glad to help out a fellow builder, because he remembered what his car meant to him when he bought it and built it. I thought, Great! Finally, someone I could trust.
Oh well. Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me. So I guess it the goal of the majority of these shops to make a fool out of their customers and try to squeeze them for everything they possibly can.
That's a pretty lame way to go through life if you ask me...
I remember when I bought this car from Reginald Herd, in Lowell, MA; it was a pretty happy day for me. For the most part, I've enjoyed it, and I really count myself lucky to have met some of the people here that I've had a lot of respect for. And I was happy to find out after meeting them that the respect that I held for them was deserved. You guys know who you are. But there have been a few as well that I trusted and learned an indelible lesson as to why I won't again. I guess that's just part of life though. But is doesn't make it any easier to stomach.
I'm trying to make this car, what I wanted it to be when I made the decision to buy it. I've had a specific picture in my head, and so far, I've been able to stay on track towards that vision. But lately each time I think I'm making advances, I found out I'm really backing up.
I want so bad to enjoy building this car, and then be able to enjoy it when it's done. But it's getting tougher to do.
Someone asked me recently how I liked building my car? He asked me whether or not the experience was what I thought it would be? What was the best thing that I've learned in the process that I would pass along to others?
I told him that I love to go out into my garage and spend time getting through items on my punch list, and knowing that I did it.
I told him that since I had never built anything this complex before, I really didn't know what to expect. So I just approach it in small bites, and then appreciate any progress that I have made.
And Last I told him that in the course of a project like this, you'll find yourself at a point where you don't have any choice but to trust someone else for something. And that for me this has been more about learning who I can trust and who I can't.
I'm sorry. I guess I'm just venting.
I do love the car. And it will get finished. I decided a while back that this build would not end up as a statistic of those who start but never finish. So I'll do what needs to be done to get it back in shape, and show ready. I'm still aiming to have it in Warham at the open house, Huntington Beach at the Cruise In, and if Possible, I'd really like to have my car at SEMA this year. Those are my bucket list items for the car. Oh yeah, My wife and I are still planning a trip to cruise down the Pacific Coast Hwy in it. So I'm far from giving up on it.
I just despise having to pay for the same thing two or three times because of other's incompetence or complete lack of caring.
Mike