In the files section of the Group Page there is an article on how to pick your restorer by J. Saban. It not only lists the things you should look for it speaks to the relationship you should have with the shop and time lines to be set.
It was put up there because there are people in this hobby that will take advantage of owners and their cars. You must treat this like any other purchase and leave the emotional feelings you may have for your car back in your garage. They look at it as a job and you must look at it like that too. If the are giving you a half-assed assessment and want to skip over details then I would skip them too. When you go into a body shop to do an assessment of the job to be done, every single spot to be repaired should be marked on the car with grease pen and listed on the order form.
If you want the chassis removed and restored to like new condition, then it should say that. And if you want all the chrome removed before paint and replaced after, it should say that also. Then come to a complete price and terms for payment. Take pictures, plenty of them before you remove anything and if there is a difficult procedure to remove something, document it and show it to the shop. They may have a better way to do it.
To often collector car owners become attached to their car and want to believe the shop will have the same enthusiasm and respect for your car you do. Well I hate to be the one to beak the news, but they don't, it's just a job and if you have ever looked at some of the cars a shop will do, they are not all the same. In fact, some shops will have two people work on your car, each taking a side, and that is really a mess.
The best rule of thumb is to stop by often and make sure they are following your instructions. Not more work, but exactly what you agreed upon.
Bill
> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
> My72Z600@...
> To:
> anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com
> ;
> 2cylinderhondas@yahoogroups.com
> Sent:
> Saturday, January 18, 2003 5:06
> AM
> Subject:
> [anzhonda600owners] restoration
> warning
> if you send your car to get fix or restore make
> sure the place have a good reputation and bend establish after an accident i > send my 72 Z Coupe to be fix. i didn't know that they only in business for 3 > month they needed 1/2 upfront and the rest of the money wen the car is ready > (not bad). 3 month later the car still at the shop and know i have to find > someone else to finish the car and put it back together and paint it. the > people the owned the shop took the money from 15 costumers and close shop, > about $35,000 dollars. now we found out that is not the first time they do > this.
> Jose
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