stealthbob
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Posts posted by stealthbob
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I'm glad you all are enjoying it. Hopfully it will be useful with your projects..............Bob
I don't think any of us can comprehend what a thread like this will mean to so many over so many years. I can go back to some forums that I posted on 15 years ago, I can only wonder how long your words and images will help throughout the ages.
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I have thought long and hard about this one but all I can come up with is my normal location for a problem.....
For me it's always between the keyboard and chair....or in car parlance, between the boots and the tool.
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LOL...reminds me of my favorite quote by Churchill:
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm"
That being said, I won't lie...I was pretty beat up over this at the start when it was looking like I had another project car to deal with and not a driver. My first attempt turned into a project quick...now this?
Just glad it is working out and that I will have a chance to drive to the Nationals this year in a 54 Buick...hopefully with my Dad
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FYI, BCA judging allows cars in the Archival or Unrestored class to have one panel repainted, and still be eligible for Archival class. The roof would be considered "one panel". Any more repaint than that, and it would have to go into the regular 400-point judging class. Terrible shame, but it looks to me like the roof is repairable.
Pete Phillips, BCA #7338
Leonard, Tx.
Thanks you Pete for clearing that up for me...my fear was that the "Survivor" status would be lost forever.
I plan on driving it from Perth Ontario to South Bend this year...you can all come by and see Harriet and her new repair.
Just some more background, turns out that "Harriet" was owned by Harriet R Wilson Mother of Virginia Harriet Wilkinson of Wilkinson Buick in Bountiful Utah. Yes there is a Buick dealership in the provenance of this one owner Buick. I have inquired a bit about this from the seller (Grandson of Harriet, son of Virginia) but he doesn't seem too interested in any in depth communication. He did seem happy that I was interested in the history but our dialog has been short. I am trying to find the line of respect for privacy and the insane want of historical info.
There may be some treasures in the car....can you believe I forgot to check the glove box? Also I can't believe I missed noticing this item on the passenger floor in this picture:
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I would carry this battle flag and go for loss of value, utility and marketability including a separate amount in lieu of loss of future value dividends which can and could be attributed to it's established "survivor class" status at time of purchase and one of the points of consideration when purchasing the car in the first place. However with this said, was the hauler an established document concern or some cowboy firm with a truck and large trailer working for next weeks groceries?
All I have to say is after meeting the owner of the company and spending an afternoon together I would use them again in a heartbeat. I have not felt that level of respect from any business I have dealt with, ever.
It was not contrived nor a feign attempt to make me happy....it was if a good friend made a mistake, felt horrible and just wanted to make it right.
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Well I got to finally see her, the damage does not look as bad in person. Its isolated entirely to the center section of the roof, no side damage at all! Also the depression is not as deep as thought, the glass makes it look alot worse.
I have to say, I met a real gentleman yesterday. He is the owner of the company and has quite the history. He was a trucker his whole life, he shared many stories of his exploits over his 78 years. He gave me a tour of the facility and made a point to introduce me to every staff member I have been in contact with. You can just feel the respect they had for him as they interacted, almost like he was a father figure. Turns out, he is into restoration of old trucks (Transport Tractors) and was particularity proud of the one that was "All Original". Later we went over to his body shop guy...same thing this air of respect. I met the two guys who will take care of it, from the looks of their previous work I'm sure they will do a great job.
In all I was there almost 3 hours and was made to feel like the most important guy there...they will take care of the full repair bill and deliver it. I will still pay for the delivery. I maybe left some on the table there, I was so concerned about the damage getting fixed as it will be an extensive bill. Maybe I should have pushed at least for their margin on the haul but in the end I'm ok with it. No need for blood here, it was a mistake, I received a most honest apology and they are fixing it.
The neat part was I got to see her for the first time...wow! The dash is perfect, and the interior has great potential after a clean up. I will likely remove the seat covers, they are a little crispy. In all I am very pleased with the condition and can't wait to get her home!
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I can't help but think that maybe my posting here has had an effect? He is a car guy and they are a huge car hauler that deals with high end stuff.
It seems odd that a owner like this man would know to call me, also ask about calling me Robert or Bob?
My sig says Bob....all they had was Robert?
Regardless they (the owner) has come in with great respect, which is why I am so very glad I kept my head through this.
I posted that these things happen, the measure of a company is how they deal with the issue.
I hope I can proudly post the name one day of a great company that stood up to a mistake and made it right.
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The Buick Gods are looking down upon me!
Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and Buick prayers because it worked.
I was called by the owner of the company...he is 78 years old and obviously a car guy.
He was appalled by what happened and wanted to personally express his apologies for what happened. He mentioned that he recognized the intrinsic value of such a car and was truly saddened that it was treated in such manner.
He continued to offer me the chance to come down a see it, all expenses will be covered including gas and hotel. He also wants to introduce me to his car restoration guy to see if I want it fixed down there. He has a history of Antique car restorations and should be able to do the work.
He continued and gave me his personal cell number and said to call him first for anything as he personally wants to take care of this and make things right.
I am going Friday, and likely won't use his offer of all the expenses but ya can't ask anymore than that.
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Agreed...to me though it shows they are backtracking away from their responsibilities.
They may come through...which is why I have chose not to mention who they are.
In the end this stuff does happen, its how a company makes it right is what matters.
This is not done, rather it is quite preliminary...its also a very small claim considering they haul some heavy hitters.
Not sure if some of you guys know where I am coming from, why I am so banged up over this....I explained it at 54B which I will copy here:
Since I was little I always thought that Dad's Roadmaster was the car of cars, he went on about how it was the best car he ever drove. Teenage years hit and its just not practical but the thoughts were there, man how cool it would be to have one of those to drive.
Fast forward to my first post here, days after I just lost my 3rd dog in 2 years....I wanted the dream of DRIVING a 1954 Buick Roadmaster just like my Dad, hell now I wanted to get one so we as Father and Son could share the memories and create new ones. I found one and it ran and it was cheap! I had maybe 20 minutes total drive time, all of it white knuckled as I was feeling it out. I can still remember the shame I felt on the side of the road waiting for the tow ride back...I knew it was dead, I knew I did not have the money to fix it.
Next comes a cascade of poor decisions made purely on the high of finally getting a car like this and reading all the restoration posts. I think what happened was inevitable....I made it a 10 year project while deluding myself it was always one season away from the road.
The years have ticked by...4 of them, not one night I didn't fall asleep with the thoughts of what I might be like to drive around in a 1954 Buick....what have I done?
I can't afford a nice driver, anything I buy gets $2500 added to it for shipping. I only wanted something I could drive...no projects, I have one of those. I almost gave up, any car that was reasonable was not drivable. Then Harriet came by, the pictures were fuzzy and showed more rust than shine but once I heard the story I knew better...this was a very special car. This is one that I can afford AND drive. I bought it and started thinking of what is to come. Picking up my kids at school, the local 50's drive in....trips with Dad just driving around creating memories.
I was alive again, so very happy.....
You see this has nothing to do with bright sides or parts cars or future possibilities. This was for the now, the memories that are to made now from dreams past.
Now I may have another project I can not afford to put on the road....forgive me for loosing my Buick faith a little, forgive me of not seeing the bright side.
All I want to see right now is the road through the front window of a 1954 Buick.
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The advice I have received is to allow the process to continue, to have delivery made but not to my possession.
Basically the the damages need to be quantified by an estimate. So I am having it shipped to a good Antique Auto restoration shop in my area where they will provide a written estimate. I have tried to push them into accepting responsibility up to the value of the car and they returned with they need a written estimate to move any further.
One thing of note, I also said that they have admitted already careless negligence and the response I got was "Oh no, it was a mechanical failure" I was told from the first guy that the driver forgot to tie down the frame...now its a mechanical failure?
I reminded them of their reputation of being a high end car hauler and why I chose them, it would be a shame for them to have someone like me out there dissatisfied with the images that I have.
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Only one vid per post...at least I feel better now.
Forever Beautiful....
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Just going through some of my vids I made for lasts years meet. It always brings a smile to my face.....
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NADA is a respected guide for these things:
I would say it is between the low and average estimates at a minimum.
I also have recommended getting it appraised locally, CDN values for this car will be much higher. Seriously, if undamaged I could have gotten 8k easily up here.
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It's easy for me to say, "it isn't the end of the world". Again, it's easy for me to say, but being positive and calm might be the best approach, IMO. Normally things work out, and I am hoping such is present in this case.
I think if were me, I would allow a third party to be the go-between, it may take a lot of the stress off your shoulders.
Please don't take me wrong, I'm no expert, or am I telling you what to do.
I wish you well,
Dale in Indy
Well put...and thanks
In the end I am requesting respect here and if I fly off the handle I loose that position.
My Lawyer (Brother in law) says that it would be best that they did not know I was getting legal advice, It might escalate and back them in a corner and hold a position not favorable to me.
I only want what is fair...for them to pay for he repairs in full. I will pay for the shipping once that is done.
To all you guys who are here supporting me....it does help. Thanks!
It will be fixed and it will be a back story to show tell one day...maybe with a couple of you guys in South Bend, you will see the beautiful Harriet all fixed up.
What does this do to the level of it being judged as an Un-restored Survivor?
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Couple of things...
My Lawyer basically said its convoluted when it comes to value but that if it did go to court a Judge would likely try to make me "Whole" That is force them to pay up to what I would get if I tried to sell it, not what I paid for it. That it truly comes down to what the market says its worth and not what one single transaction says its worth.
Oh, he also said do not let them ship this to me until we have settled. What I may do is have it shipped to a really good Antique Resto shop near me, have them do an estimate and also an appraisal. The thing is they are non committal in the emails about going anything past compensation for the shipping.
I just sent an email demanding their official position.
We will see....
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Well its the next day, I barely slept.
Also this has yet to be delivered to me, its in a warehouse 4 hours away.
Now here is the rub....I got a very good deal on this car, well below market value. They are offering free shipping which was $2100 and more than what I paid for the car but surely it would be around 5k to repair.
What is the value of the car in a negligence case? What I paid or appraised market value?
If I paid 10k for a car and it was worth 5k I'm sure they would use the market worth limit of a payout of 5K. To me it should work both ways.
I have called a lawyer (I have 3 in the family) to guide me. Also for the record I am not divulging the transporter yet, if they come correct and offer full repair settlement I will be ok. If they don't I will be sure to have their logo and name slapped right next to the pictures on every post I make on the net.
I keep looking at the condition of the paint...this was a real gem. Anybody out there ever get involved in such a fix? Should/could this be banged out or should there be a roof transplant?
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I have some very disturbing pictures to show.....
I bought a beautiful 72R off ebay, all original 40k miles, one owner, warm storage for over 30 years...still has original seat-covers. It was the guys grandmothers car....original title with her name on it "Harriet"
Harriet (now the name of said 72R) was severely damaged during shipping, they forgot to tie her down properly and she bounced up into the upper deck.
I am devastated, this was a truly beautiful survivor that was kept in beautiful condition for 59 years only to receive this abuse.
I am now going to have to try and repair her but she will never be the same, what a loss.
As far as settlement I am considering options and will consult my lawyer in the morning.
I warn you the images will make you sick....
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I will lose sleep over these images....I now have to explain the coming night terrors to my children.
Thanks Guys
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Love the term "Sub Goals" = Eating an Elephant one bite at a time.
That is a major hit in the process that many of us first time dreamer wannbe restorers gets stuck on....that mountain that develops in front of us that seems suddenly impossible to climb.
......like others have said, this will be an archive for guys like me.
Thank you for taking the time to document it here.
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Although if you posted pictures fast enough, you could give everybody a complex that you were able to finish the whole thing in three months.
Love it!
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Might be a good idea to ALWAYS disconnect your battery while unattended until you have this figured out.
A sudden dead battery tells me you may have turned someting into a small heater for a while.
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Just to show an example of what the "Might as wells" did to me....
I Blogged about my adventure starting here:
How it all started... - Blogs - 1954 Buick Highway...
"This is the part of the story of where it started, the actions that brought me and Shelby to our current state. This is the part of the Blog that delves into the slow and gradual motion of taking parts off a car....an advance forced along like the pull from some strong gravity field, an inclination fervently powered by the compelling notion of the "Might as wells""
We buy these cars to drive and enjoy but when you see all the fun that guys are having restoring them one can get caught up in the romantic notion of a #1 restoration. At least I did. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to have such a wonderful project to work on with my Dad, friends and even my little ones. Just make sure you have one to drive while doing it.
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Just make sure you only do what it needs to get it back to the road safely first....rust and all just drive it and enjoy it if you can.
Please don't let the "Might as wells" leave you with a long term project without having enjoyed the fun of driving it first.
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Made my update.....
Car Transport Cost???
in Garages, Trailers, and Towing
Posted
I may have missed it in this thread but insurance for damages is a very important thing to know prior to transporting.
What is the value of the car? Bill of Sale or Market Value in your area?
I had a recent run in with bad damage, I got lucky...the carrier is taking care of the full repair costs which will exceed the value of the car. I could have been screwed for thousands.