Trunk Pan install? with some kind of metal bonding.. HELP?

[8WHEELER]

I hired a local one man working out of his one car garage, it was actualy the guy I bought the car
from. As I was buying it he talked me into having him do the resto, well live and learn. This started in 2001.
I talked about this car a long time ago, but needed some advise as to what to do with the trunk pan.
The Trunk Pan was installed with some kind of metal bonding, I fought him tooth and nail over this,
but he would not put it back in the proper way     very soar subject.

Anyway, he claimed at that time ''2002'' that this liquid metal bonding agent he was going to use,
was as good as any weld, and stronger, sorry he never did tell me its name, just charged my for it....

I need some serious advise, it has not had an engine in it yet, he painted it twice, and it is a 1/4 sanded down again.
Do I try and heat this up ''melting the metal bonding'' and take it out? live with it? or? I don't see to
many options, its not going to hold.

Here are a few pics of the area's, and you can see the bonding is not holding, and did this within one year.

Thanks Dan

[hemihead]

I don't see where it is not holding  How do you know it won't hold ?

[suntech]

Not trying to put salt in your wounds, but i know what i would have done!!!
I would get that car as far away from that guy, as soon as possible, and help him to make a job application to HPLAG.
That has nothing to do with a resto!!! Starting to rust already!!!!
Dont mean to be rude here, but glue or no glue.............. he has either no knowledge to do it right, or just shortcutting!!
Get it out of there

[evil1]

I bonded a lower quarter patch panel on and it held together for the 8 years I owned the car without a problem. But you need some panel over lap, it looks like he just butted the panels together and smeared it on   

[eddytheb]

Panel bond has its place we use it in my body shop all the time but that is not the place. If you want to seperate the panels with out bending them all to hell use a small torch, do it outside dont breath it in and make sure real sure you have all the flamable stuff out of the car like the gas tank. It may melt but most get real brittle depends on witch one he used. If you take your time you should be able to remove the panels and then just sand them clean but please dont breath the fumes.

[8WHEELER]

I don't see where it is not holding  How do you know it won't hold ?

Do you see the bottom picture? that area stayed glued for a couple months, then it came apart
like that and would flex, soon after it started rusting, that's how I know   

Dan

[charger2fast4u]

sorry but that is ugly looking for a so called resto job. and a guy that won't cooperate with what you want done to your car he has no reason to be around my car is how i look at it. take the car somewhere else get it done right and know you will be happy with it then.

[8WHEELER]

Not trying to put salt in your wounds, but i know what i would have done!!!
I would get that car as far away from that guy, as soon as possible, and help him to make a job application to HPLAG.
That has nothing to do with a resto!!! Starting to rust already!!!!
Dont mean to be rude here, but glue or no glue.............. he has either no knowledge to do it right, or just shortcutting!!
Get it out of there

No offence, same old story, he said it would be done in 3mo, he had the car 5yrs, I tried the last two years to bring it
home, because he would also leaving it outside in the rain here in WA for 4mo at a time. It got to the point he would
not answer the phone or his shop door, My wheel chair kept me from busting down his door. Anyway, a friend of mine
stopped by his place banged on his door for 5min, he finally came to the door. My friend started asking him is this a 68
charger? ''trying to get on his good side'' after 20min he gave him a form letter telling him he had till next sunday, to
get all of my new part and NOS parts ready to be picked up, we will be getting the car. That Sunday, 15 of my friends
came over, we drove down there, just about every single part I had bought for the car, or had restored,  was in it in a
pile, and the trunk was full as well, the letter stated he must be there so I can make sure all parts were available, well
of coarse he and his 20 something year old suns were not there, and everything including all the stainless was just piled
in the car. I have had it in my garage for the last 3yrs.

I gave him 15k for just labor, the year before I took the car home    I have over 45k into it as it sits
with no engine or trans in it yet, because it needs another repaint as well. He painted the car both times in the end
of December here in WA. his garage had tons of stuff above the car on the trusses, he had one 4ft electric heater
in 20 degree weather, and not one bit of insulation.....

OK............Done UMMM UMMMM UMMMM  CALMING DOWN

I can tell you, He had POR 15 sprayed on all of the surfaces, including the top of the frame rails, I even have pics to
prove that. So does metal bond, bond fresh sheet metal, to other metals with POR 15 on them? I don't see how?

[suntech]

Holy crap!!!!!
That was a really terrible story!! Sad that there are people that does like that, and when you have paid them up front, and end up like that, it is nothing short of fraud!!!!
You said this guy was local, right??? And that he is working just in his own garage, right? Lets just assume that he has not payed any tax of your money!!
What i would have done at this point, is to get MEAN,  and use your wheelchair for all you can!!! Assuming not everybody in your neighborhood is in a wheelchair, people will recognize you, and feel sorry for you. USE THAT!!!
Contact a journalist, and tell the story about the backyard mechanic, that ripped you off, and took your money up front, and did´nt do the job agreed, and what he did do, was way under par, and with this bad experiance you are in danger to not be able to get your dream come through etc.
Dont tell his name and get sued, but explain detailed enaugh for people to understand who you are talking about, if they are sligtly interrested. You can put his name here instead!! there is a thread for that somewhere here
With some luck some luck there are somebody reading that article, and want to help you out, to get some good publisity locally, and get it done right.
And with some luck he gets a visit from IRS, and a bad reputation in the neighborhood!! If it does´nt help you, there is at least a good chance that it will sour up his life, and that is also good for something!!!!
I get pissed off, and mean, when i hear stuff like this.
Good luck
Rolf

[AutoRust]

Its just to bad there are people like that out there. They really ruin the hobby.
We hear it all the time here, although usually not that bad.
I kind of agree with SunTech. Make some noise. Make a lot of noise. Who cares if the IRS visits him. Who cares if the local zoning office visits him. Let them all know. Get Mean, if you feel he screwed you, let him have it.

I understand when a guy does his own thing in a backyard, hell, I sell a lot of parts to guys that do stuff at home.
BUT, when a guy like that takes business away from the company that does the right thing, pays the taxes, gets the proper zoning, and permits, has a big $$ spray booth, pays the hazmat disposals.....
It really gets me worked up. Nothing wrong with do it yourself at home, or even a buddys,, but when you undercut my business, and can do it cheap because your not paying your fair share of taxes and fees, it really goes up my A$$, big time
Unload on the guy, he did you no favors, dont do him any.

[hemihead]

Another side of this is ( and I'm not saying that 8wheeler is like this  ) but there is no pleasing some people . I have worked alot of places and they some people expect miracles for little money and nothing to work with . Sometimes , you do get what you pay for .

[8WHEELER]

I appreciate all of the positive feedback, and suggestions. I know that people that get on the news, and play
the sympathy card, often get a big reaction. But being in a chair for the last 23yrs, I really get tired of ''some''
people that have an injury, and play it for all its worth, I would just not feel right, and I think it might look wrong.
I have talked to several lawyers, and of coarse its the same thing, it would cost me much more for there
fee's, than all of the money I lost to his shabby work, and much of it needs to be redone.

Dan

[hemi-hampton]

You say you have 45K Into it. Is that just in Paint & Bodywork? I can tell you I sure would not be doing that kinda garbage if you were paying that much or anywhere near it. Doesn't the guy own a welder? LEON.

[8WHEELER]

Another side of this is ( and I'm not saying that 8wheeler is like this  ) but there is no pleasing some people . I have worked alot of places and they some people expect miracles for little money and nothing to work with . Sometimes , you do get what you pay for .

No, I am not on that side either.............

I gave this SOB 4 1/2yrs longer than he said it would take!!!  he would not do things on the car correctly, if you would
like another example, Here is a pic of the new installed vallance corner. I told him I have a web site that has all of
this info to do this job correctly, and I would print out the instructions, he said OK. So I printed all 23 pages out
took it down to him three days later, they were on allready on this way, and he told me there is no possible way to install
them level. I told him yes there is, but it takes more than 2hrs of labor.................... I cannot live with this work   

Dan

[8WHEELER]

You say you have 45K Into it. Is that just in Paint & Bodywork? I can tell you I sure would not be doing that kinda garbage if you were paying that much or anywhere near it. Doesn't the guy own a welder? LEON.

No, I have 15k just into labor, but he told me 7k max before we started, and remember I bought the car from him.
I forgot how much in paint, primer and POR 15. I have the rest of the money spent on parts

new quarters
new front and rear valance
new valance corners
trunk pan
new lower quarte extensions
new front floor pan 1/2 size needed
head rests seat and back seat all redone in pearl white
on
on
and
on
I have every part for the car restored or NOS, IT IS READY TO GO, I payed though the nose for pretty much everything.
I wish I could have done it myself, like when I was NOT Paralyzed    now the 1/4's may need redone, trunk in
my opinion is not safe, and the lower quarter extentions don't come within 1/2in of the quarter panel.

Dan

[hemi-hampton]

I wish I could have done it for you, I did a similar job out of my Garage. It cost a little more then $15 K but the customer was extremley happy & ecstatic with the results & so is everybody else that see's the car. I did it in 1 years time, Could of done Quicker but had to slow down so owner could pay. I got 1,000 hours into my job. I'll try to post a pic? LEON.