Spyder Progress At Last

[PROPEL]

It now appears that my Spyder will finally get painted. On my last trip back east, I paid a surprise visit to the shop that's been harboring it. After an incredibly long hiatus, the contractors will be resuming work on my GT.

This project began before Dallas' amazing car was even conceived, and I have often abandoned it over time due to many frustrations beyond my control. But it looks like one of those might be resolved now after some recent "persuasion".

Attached are some pics the resto shop just sent me...

[Gary]

They could have at least covered the tires.

[baz]

and shut the door


looks very nice sir , post it to me when you are sick of it

[Gary]

or cleaned the dust off the floor.

Oh, oh, we are going to get propel nervous as he is 3,000 miles away from that shop in Harmony, RI.

[PROPEL]

Originally Posted by Gary or cleaned the dust off the floor. Oh, oh, we are going to get propel nervous as he is 3,000 miles away from that shop in Harmony, RI.

Yeah, I'm already nervous enough about it! My friend's Spitfire never returned from that shop--vanished.

Fortunately, those wheels/tires are disposeable (13x7" Campagnolos will be fitted later). The open door and dust on the floor shouldn't matter because that's just primer they're shooting. They have a professional, sealed spray booth for final painting.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post more photos when the silver topcoat gets applied. Fingers crossed.

[opelspyder]

Looks good, but not sure what you mean by concieved before Dallas's. I completed his car two years before he got. I hope you had them make your door gaps adjustable. There is always flex on the body that may cause the rear door gap to touch.
Keith

[PROPEL]

Originally Posted by opelspyder Looks good, but not sure what you mean by concieved before Dallas's. I completed his car two years before he got. I hope you had them make your door gaps adjustable. There is always flex on the body that may cause the rear door gap to touch. Keith

Yup, Keith, it's been that long ago! Don't you remember emailing me way back then? You were still in planning stages.

Not sure what you mean by "adjustable" doorgaps. A torsion box??? The body has been strengthened thoroughly, but I realize there will always be some flex.

[opelspyder]

If you are Walter then I do remember one on the earlier opelgt.com. And it does take shape to be that car by the way you formed the compartment lip towards the rear, I remember it having the sharp angle to it and raising it a little. I can't believe if this is the car, you are just now at paint though. But I understand about bodyshop purgatory though. Go with bigger wheels though, looks a little better IMHO.

Also, I am in early stages possibly of building a hardtop version of the spyder, but have been driven towards the Kadetts for now. Keep up the good work

Keith

[Gary]

Originally Posted by opelspyder ...If you are Walter then I do remember one on the earlier opelgt.com. Keith

Yup. Walter is Propel. I have those pics somewhere.

[rowdygt]

sorry, but i gotta ask....why would a "resto shop" with a paint booth (looks empty, in the picture background) spray primer in an open, dirty environment?...

[opelspyder]

Some shops feel it is only the primer stage and you will be sanding before final paint. What they forget is that primer doesn't stick to dust either. I've seen it done, even sprayed outside, but with the fact you have an open downdraft booth not being used is just laziness.
Keith

[Wickedcool]

because it's a rough coat of primer. they spray it and sand it down right away to find low spots that need more filler. Since most of it will be sanded off so it doesn't matter how it's applied.

[PROPEL]

You can't see it in those pictures, but this is a large facility. There was another vehicle in the paint booth when I visited, and seven more being worked on. My car is stuck in a corner (since they'd prefer to forget about it, I imagine).

I'm not going to make any excuses for these guys. But at this point, I just want to get this Spyder completed and out of this purgatory nightmare, as Keith aptly described.

I am resigned to accept that I will probably not get the quality job I have already paid for. (And don't ask how that happened.)

[baz]

we are only pulling your chain on this
as said it will be the coat used to get it smooth and will almost completely be sanded off

[opelspyder]

Yes, many body shops are like this for some reason, they want the work, but once they got your money, then they just won't work. I know what you mean, just get the paint job done, so I can get out of here and bad mouth you later. It will turn out okay, just keep on them hard, then they will do it and get it out of there
Keith

[namba209]

Originally Posted by PROPEL You can't see it in those pictures, but this is a large facility. There was another vehicle in the paint booth when I visited, and seven more being worked on. My car is stuck in a corner (since they'd prefer to forget about it, I imagine). I'm not going to make any excuses for these guys. But at this point, I just want to get this Spyder completed and out of this purgatory nightmare, as Keith aptly described. I am resigned to accept that I will probably not get the quality job I have already paid for. (And don't ask how that happened.)

I don't know about your shop, but the one that did Willit? worked on it as time allowed. They would do the smaller jobs that came in and they could turn it around as soon as possible. Something about cash flow. But I told them time wasn't a factor, just do it right. About 90 days later it was back in my driveway and I started the assembly process.

[jeff denton]

I have friends in the body shop business, and I understand how it works around here. A real, highly visible, image-oriented, big-business body shop needs the "late model insurance company-funded" jobs" to maintain success. The profit is in parts markup, they want to replace as much as possible. They really don't need any "take your time and make it cheap" projects laying around. They put a vehicle back to original condition, they aren't into any fancy customizing or flamed paint jobs and such. This business strategy has made Ralph a reasonably wealthy man over the last twenty years. Even with huge overhead, like multimillion dollar shop on prime business strip, twenty or so employees, three nice wreckers, and advertising on all local media forms.
So another friend has a "backyard body shop" which is not exactly legal but pretty common, if you know what I mean. He can do one rig at a time, and can't have junk in the yard, thus what is in the shop is the priority and there can be no slack time waiting for anything. He's pretty insistant that his customers realize his work is not cut rate, cheap, or with vague deadlines! He has to be paid up front for several reasons, one, to see if the customer has money where his mouth is, and two, to avoid either letting a rig go away unpaid or having to store it while awaiting the money. As his work is usually near flawless (see his own fleet, all painted black!) people are only too happy to do business with him and do it his way. I know it is very rare for his shop to be empty. And his artistic use of wild color has him well known in the area! But Duke has yet to realize any sort of financial success. He gets by.
The point is, there's different kinds of body shops, different kinds of business policies and all kinds of reputations. I recommend you investigate your body shop carefully, be honest with them about what you want and when, and let them know you're willing to pay for good work. Negotiate a deal that both parties are cool with, otherwise somebody in the deal gets unhappy and things go bad. Sometimes we forget that simple storage of a project has a cost, also, especially in a professional shop that could be making good money out of that seventy five precious square feet.
Lastly, may I go on the list of those folks who can't wait to see it done? I want to do one someday, too. Or just buy Dallas' car...

[supertweet]

Originally Posted by PROPEL Fortunately, those wheels/tires are disposeable (13x7" Campagnolos will be fitted later)...

May I ask where you sourced the Campagnolos, and if you have any photos? God, love those old things, Miuras, Panteras, Boras...

I'm going w/ a larger set of wheels for driving, but if I could find a Campagnolo set, I'd let them determine my bolt pattern and use them for tootling around/cruising. Great, custom everyday wheels here we come...

You have any Borrani's as well??

[roadings]

it's sad when you almost have to set up an escrow account(third party holding funds) just to keep a shop "semi" on a schedule.

[greenopelgt]

Walter it was such a good reading to find your announcement that your Spyder project in now under way. The very best to you and yours. We hope to see you soon.

Your Friend,
Tom

[jordan]

Some 13" tires I would like to find would be some vredesteins, but they will be very tough to come by.

[baz]

jordan i know we are wwwwaaaaayyyyy off topic but have you come across there mud and snow tyres , truly great tyres in yes mud and snow , well for a road tyre good grip , low noise and good wear rate
i used to use them here as a winter tyre when we used to get snow and bad weather , but dont need them now with all this global warming

[jlthunder]

The body shop I used was a one man operation. Payment was simple. He worked on it, when the bill came to about $1000.00, he called me and I came over with cash and he then continued work. If someone came in that wanted his done quick, he put mine aside and worked on the other customer. Sadly, after 20 years, he closed up his shop and now works for a hot rod shop. He is no longer his own boss. Other people argued over payment and that cost him his business.

It took him approx 1.5 years to do my car, we worked together to keep costs down(I took all of the chrome and glass out(except the front and back window) out to save on labor costs and I ordered the parts he needed from OGTS to save on markup.
To summarize, find a body shop you are comfortable with any everybody wins.

[opelnut10]

I'm sure we have all had bad experiences trying to get body work and paint done on our cars. First thing to consider is space in the shop and type on equipment being used. Secondly how much work does the shop do, I have seen some very decent body work done in a back yard shop but when it comes to paint preperation and enviorment is the key to a good paint job. If you can find someone that has pride in their work and the patients to do it right, for gods sake pay them a decent wage for their labors and everyone will be happy. Big shops have a lot of overhead and fast insurance work does pay the bills and the quicker you can turn them around the more insurance work you are going to get, so our type of work has to be a labor of love and pride in the finished product.

[PROPEL]

Originally Posted by opelnut10 If you can find someone that has pride in their work and the patients to do it right, for gods sake pay them a decent wage for their labors and everyone will be happy. Big shops have a lot of overhead and fast insurance work does pay the bills and the quicker you can turn them around the more insurance work you are going to get, so our type of work has to be a labor of love and pride in the finished product.

This shop specializes in metal/rust repair and bodywork for classic cars (think Mustangs, Camaros, Alfas, Triumphs, Datsuns, etc.) They do very little insurance work and do not wish to compete with the insurance-based bodyshop directly across from them. I had another Opel done by them almost twenty years ago with no problems, back when they were a smaller establishment. At one point, they had problems with too many cars in their yard, and the state got after them. While my Spyder was in their possession, they relocated to a larger facility (this is when my friend's car vanished).

Their work is not cheap, and I definitely paid them a decent wage for their expertise. Because I was not around to supervise or kick their butts into gear, they allowed my car to languish. Instead, they would send me false reports about how much work had been done. I trusted them because I had already established a relationship with them, and I knew the owner was having family medical problems. In essense, they were able to get full payment for the job plus extra without any of the promised work having been performed. They admitted having cash flow problems, and my upfront cash was used to float them while they worked on (over?) other customers.

At one point, I just wanted to sell this car, as-is, and get out from under it. But the shop even made it difficult for potential buyers to come look at it in my absence.

If I did not have all my paperwork in order, a signed affidavit guaranteeing completion of the job within a set time period, and a possible lawsuit... I don't think this car would ever be completed.