Hi Ian, I have thought about doing what you suggested for a few months now but the longer I have left it the more difficult it is to take it away from him. He has had made more promises than you can imagine but I know he is an idiot but I think he is quite competent at resto work and cares about the quality of his work.ian65 wrote:I really feel for you being in this situation Kevin.... you're caught between a rock and a hard place really.
If you leave the car with him, it'll probably be another 6 months before it's done, assuming he can motive himself..... I've restored loads of cars over the years and doing the bodywork and getting a car into paint is only part of the process.... it takes an age to refit all the trim, parts etc onto a freshly painted car and in many ways seems just as time consuming as the bodywork.
I'd probably take the car back off him as is but then you've got the hassle of squaring him up for the work that he has managed to do ( and putting some sort of value on it) and then finding another quality classic car restorer or bodyshop who can finish the car to the standard you want and be prepared to take on a half restored car.
I have already fronted him £1600 but will not give him another penny until complete. I know what you are saying about refitting all the trim, especially when the trim and fittings are over 30 years old, and it could easily be another 6 months before it is completed. But the driving months of year have almost passed so I am inclined to leave it with him as I probably won't drive it beyond November even if it were ready.
It has been a very painful lesson but I really struggled to find anyone who wanted to take on the work in the first place. Not many restorers have worked on FB's as they are so rare. I just wish i was more hands on and had the facilities at my disposal.
