Here is Anton's car http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1969-Camaro-Rally-Sport-Convertible-Project-Rare-Opts_W0QQitemZ320052563217QQihZ011QQcategoryZ6161Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here is his story http://www.ahrconsulting.com/camaro/

Before :
http://www.ahrconsulting.com/camaro/c14.jpg

After :
http://www.ahrconsulting.com/camaro/photos/2006%20Parts%20Inventory/2006-08-12-439.JPG

I actually saw this car in resto back in 97 or 98, bought the original shell from the resto shop (NOT Bill's shop!), then sold it to Bill (69-Z11pacer) for spare parts for his rusted in half RS that started his resto biz :D

Bill, what ever happened to the RS and the parts of Anton's original shell I sold you? Inquiring minds want to know!

just please tell me somebody is going to save it!

.

What was the name of the shop in CNJ that did this? I'm curious if I have heard of them.

I've been following this story for a while.
What an incredible shame. I can't believe how you have been put on the defensive for attempting to get YOUR property back from a shop.

Are you SURE you want to give up now ?

We'll all help you in any way we can if you want to try to finish the car.

I get the ball rolling and suggest we start a fund to buy you some parts.
I'll offer to contribute $50.00 to start.
Anybody else interested ?

What a horror story!

Here is Anton's car http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1969-Camaro-Rally-Sport-Convertible-Project-Rare-Opts_W0QQitemZ320052563217QQihZ011QQcategoryZ6161Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here is his story http://www.ahrconsulting.com/camaro/

Before :
http://www.ahrconsulting.com/camaro/c14.jpg

After :
http://www.ahrconsulting.com/camaro/photos/2006%20Parts%20Inventory/2006-08-12-439.JPG

I actually saw this car in resto back in 97 or 98, bought the original shell from the resto shop (NOT Bill's shop!), then sold it to Bill (69-Z11pacer) for spare parts for his rusted in half RS that started his resto biz :D


Bill, what ever happened to the RS and Anton's body? Inquiring minds want to know!


I am not responsible for what happened to that car, am not affiliated with the mentioned shop, or even know what shop it is!! Just so everyone knows!!!

I got the cut-up (in 30 pieces or so) original shell from KevinW, and used the parts to restore my "rusted in half" RS convertible that I bought from EBay.

To answer your question, YES! The RS convertible I bought on EBay in really, really, really poor shape made it back to the road in late 2004. I wish I had pictures, but I had them on a thumb-drive that I lost :(

KevinW's efforts for saving the pieces proved to be beneficial in saving another 1st gen convertible. :)

so who is the guy that wrote the story and what happened to the shop that tore it apart?

Anton lives in NJ. I dont know Anton, but the shops website had a good article on what they were doing with Antons car. It was one of the reasons I went there to see about my SS being restored. The shop was/is a well known shop in NJ/PA that other Camaros had been restored at and there are still some TC members Camaros there. The shop is still in business as far as I know. If you have read Brian's basics of basics articles, the one on resto shops, "The artist" is a good way to describe the situation. The owner of the shop is VERY good at restoring Camaros! But I think he takes on more projects than he has time for.

I live in central jersey and i have no clew to what shop that was ??? Glad to see you at least got your car back. That guy had some brass balls huh ??? Sad story.

It wasnt that guy on rt 33 was it ????

Good luck....

bob

Bob, it was not my cars in the story, it was Anton's. The shop was more north.

You guys make me want to cry... I so appreciate the support...

I'm trying to let the past be the past.

I love the car so much it's breaking my heart to sell it. I now have a 3 year old I'd love to leave it to "down the road", but I just don't know that I can go through trying to find another shop, and then "2" more years of uncertainty, not to mention the cash...

:( Anton

Anton, Hopefully someone here can find a home for your Camaro and bring it back! good luck with your auction!

how can we find out what shop this IS/WAS... i'm in central NJ too and will be looking for a shop aswell.
I guess there's more to this story then the web story told....

The owner of the shop is VERY good at restoring Camaros! But I think he takes on more projects than he has time for.

If you are saying that the guy that caused all this mess is good at restoring cars, I guess maybe he is. But, I can think of no earthly reason to keep a guys car so long that the guy needs a lawyer to get back what is his in the first place. No reason at all. Good work is trumped by bad business everytime. JMO.

I could easily badmouth him and try to ruin his career, but it's not my style... I'd rather take the high road... What's done is done...


Thanks again,
Anton

Why is it that the name of the shop or the individual that did this NOT mentioned in this string. I would think that after everything that happened his name and business would be noted and mentioned all over this board. Is there another side to this ???

There usually are two sides.

The biggest mistake someone can make is to put too stock in what is estimated to be the cost. If an individual price shops too much they may find take they have just put their car in the hands of a shop that estimates very low.

Going to a shop that gives you a "craved in stone" price may not be any better choice as they will be under such pressure to stay on budget that they may take short cuts that while acceptable in a collision shop, would be seemly on a classic. After all the Toyota that gets a door skin in a collision shop might be junked in ten years, where the classic being worked on in a resto shop may be around another 50 years.

The classic car owner must rely on referrals and do a bit of investigating to get what they want. In this case the owner writes that the rep of the shop was good and is still in business. Something else might have been going on.

I have a car in my shop now that has been there for 7 months. The owner was overly generous in his estimates of how much money he would have each month to dedicate to the project. I did not ask if he had the money before starting and don't believe such a question would have been appropriate. He ran out of funds a couple of months ago and said to put a hold on the project. Now he calls and says he has a little cash and I can start work again. After two weeks he is disappointed that I have made no progress. Should I have stopped on other people’s cars to work on his? Or should he have to wait until his turn comes? Does his car always go ahead of others because it came in first? What would be a fair way to schedule the work after he calls and says to move ahead? I end up doing what I think is most reasonable to me. I make him wait. Someone else might disagree.

This individual by no means is angry. He is a fine Gentleman and has been a very good customer. I regret that I can not drop everything and work on his car, but I have responsibilities to people who have the cash now and want the job done as quickly as possible. I only mention it as an example of how the particulars of a situation can sometimes slant the story in one direction or the other. I can see where someone in his family might say a negative thing about me and my “unwillingness” to finish his car when they don’t really know the facts. I’m sure the customer in this case would never say such things, but others might.

Lesson here? If you take your classic in, be VERY clear about everything. Get it all in writing, not just the shop’s responsibilities but the owner’s as well. Don’t pay ahead of the project and take the time to see the progress first hand. Restoring a Classic car is hard work, for the owner as well as the shop.

Live well and prosper!


Larry

The owner of the shop is VERY good at restoring Camaros! But I think he takes on more projects than he has time for.

Larry,

Although I agree with your assessment in part as it relates to managing expectations, I think Kevin hit the nail on the head (above)... Rich from PRC (Cornerstone) is exceptional at restoring Camaros and Corvettes, when he actually does the work... Money was not the issue, I have documented proof of my repeat requests regarding the lack of progress and whether he needed more money. The answer was always a resounding "no" along with tons of "I know, it's just been so busy" 's along with many "next week we're going to start on (insert task of the week here)" 's. Of course, there WAS never any progress... The "task of the week" speech was repeated to me time and time again until I finally realized that he was just spinning my wheels (so to speak). If you read the story thoroughly, you'll see my numerous attempts to resolve the issue amicably over the 9 year period... The rest is history...

Anton

http://www.guinns-engineering.com/Cornerstone%20Auto%20Restoration.htm

is that the place?

No offense was meant and apologize for any taken.

I merely wanted to make the point that sometimes the complicated issue of auto restoration can lead to misunderstandings.


Larry

None taken...

Anton