V
Vegas_rich
Guest
I bought my '81 a little over a year ago. It was an all original 4-speed in need of a lot of work but driveable. After a few months of playing around with it I decided to get some serious work done to it. I brought it to a shop that did some work on my '87 Vette a few years ago but now it had a new owner - but the new owner was the mechanic who worked on my car - so no problem, right? I told him I wasn't in a hurry to get my car back, I just wanted the work done right. I was getting the engine rebuilt.
Because of my work schedule I was finding it very hard to get back to the shop to check on my car but phone calls were assuring me that everything was fine. I paid half up front then paid a little more after a month. Then the nightmare started. I couldn't find the owner/mechanic anymore. Everytime I went to the shop it was closed. He still answered his phone and said everything was going fine but somehow we just happened to miss each other when I stopped at his shop.
Then one day I showed up and there was a tow truck hooking up to cars! I asked what was going on. The driver said the place went out of business and he was removing the cars. He was nice to me and said he'd tow my car last; if I could get it out of there before he hooked up to it, with proof that it was mine, he would let me take it. I pushed it down the street just to get it out of there.
My engine was gone though - apparently stolen! Cops wouldn't help me out. They said since my estimate didn't have a "work completion date" that that gave the owner all the time in the world to have my engine. His exact words were, "He could be working on it at his house right now."
Good news, insurance covered it and I ended up with a brand new GM High performance engine. Bad news... my original '81 is now just another Corvette - although now it has roughly 425 hp and scares all the dogs, cats and small children in the neighborhood - and upsets my neighbor on regular basis since it sets off his car alarm everytime I drive by.
Just wanted to share - original or not, it's a fun ride!
Because of my work schedule I was finding it very hard to get back to the shop to check on my car but phone calls were assuring me that everything was fine. I paid half up front then paid a little more after a month. Then the nightmare started. I couldn't find the owner/mechanic anymore. Everytime I went to the shop it was closed. He still answered his phone and said everything was going fine but somehow we just happened to miss each other when I stopped at his shop.
Then one day I showed up and there was a tow truck hooking up to cars! I asked what was going on. The driver said the place went out of business and he was removing the cars. He was nice to me and said he'd tow my car last; if I could get it out of there before he hooked up to it, with proof that it was mine, he would let me take it. I pushed it down the street just to get it out of there.
My engine was gone though - apparently stolen! Cops wouldn't help me out. They said since my estimate didn't have a "work completion date" that that gave the owner all the time in the world to have my engine. His exact words were, "He could be working on it at his house right now."
Good news, insurance covered it and I ended up with a brand new GM High performance engine. Bad news... my original '81 is now just another Corvette - although now it has roughly 425 hp and scares all the dogs, cats and small children in the neighborhood - and upsets my neighbor on regular basis since it sets off his car alarm everytime I drive by.
Just wanted to share - original or not, it's a fun ride!
hnoes
