Looking to buy a General Lee? STAY AWAY FROM BK AUTO!! It's almost over!!!

[hemi-hampton]

Ask Roger Gibson if he has ever spent 1400 hours or charged $150k on a car that just got best of show at Mopar Nats & then tell him he dont know what he is doing   LEON.

[knitz01]

man that realy sucks? Not that I would recumend it , but thats how people go off the deep end and get shot. Like i said not reamending that but WOW

[RallyeMike]

There is a word for work like that: Robbery.

[Mike DC]

 
The world is waiting for HLPAG to evoke a shooting. 


If you could ever get Hans to a DOH or Mopar show, there could be a thousand people on the scene and there wouldn't be a witness who sees a thing. 

[jb666]

 
The world is waiting for HLPAG to evoke a shooting. 


If you could ever get Hans to a DOH or Mopar show, there could be a thousand people on the scene and there wouldn't be a witness who sees a thing. 

The boys from HLPAG were at one of the Dukefest shows.. I'm not sure which one, but I saw pictures of them with a couple of the show characters. I was shocked no one confronted them 

Anyways, thanks for all the comments guys, it'll come together nicely, over time.. I don't care if the body doesn't get done until next Fall, at least I'll know it can be driven safely..

I forgot one of the 'funniest' things they did. They installed the battery in the trunk, and ran the cables all the way to the engine bay through the interior. Well, the cables were right under the back seat, sitting on a sharp weld just waiting to be broken through.. Then they went forward and stuffed both cables through a hole in the firewall.. A SHARP EDGED HOLE. No grommet, just sitting there.. The cables then ran to this fire-hazard-waiting-to-happen setup where dozens of things were jumped off each terminal.. I think you can see it here, I don't have a close up show yet.



Here you can almost see the wiring nightmare on the firewall. Not quite, it's a bit far off to the left.



Small detail, but who would wet sand/buff a car and not clean it up before putting the gas cap assembly on??



Brand new gas tank, installed without a pad against the body, leaking in 3 places..

[Troy]

That's f'd up.....$150K    I built my General for less than $20K and it's done right.  Add $20K for a crate hemi and the rest of the drivetrain to handle it.  Anyone that spends 1400 hours on a car doesn't know what they are doing.  I have half that in each of the cars I've built.  I just don't get how scumbags like that can stay in business.  I guess just the gullability and naivety of the general, uneducated public.

Yes, they told me he was "cheap"
They told me it's "$150k to properly build one of these cars".

From their ad:

Exercise common sense, these are not 100% fully restored SEMA show cars. It costs a MINIMUM of $65k to restore a 1969 charger. The restorers guide calls for an average of 1400 man hours or over $100,000 in labor alone for a full restoration on any car. These are Great show cars at even GREATER bargain prices. If you own a Ferrari 240, don't expect this car to run and drive the same. It's a classic American muscle car, know what you are buying. Do your research and go with a solid company that knows how to build cars.

There are many levels of "restoration". As mentioned above, the guys who are out winning trophies in concourse show judging will have exponentially more time into a car than someone who wants a nice "driver" or to compete in local shows (where the judging is based on paint looks - not correctness). You get 1,000-1,500 hours into a restoration by paying attention to the details. Obviously with the over spray on the tank they didn't completely disassemble the car. The frame rails, wiring, and a thousand other things prove that these guys like to talk big but not deliver. It's a sales pitch and they cut corners to increase profits. Any reputable shop would have never let a car leave with obviously hazardous  defects which could have resulted in tragedy. I think that, in this case, the shop is certainly liable for the work they performed (even to a subsequent owner). I'm going to guess here that their invoices are a bit light on details (in order to hide what they didn't do). Some of the things you have shown had to be deliberate and accusing the owner of being cheap is no excuse. I can't imagine that anyone would intentionally ask for fiberglass frame rail patches - especially when that would have been near the beginning of the project before cost overruns. Add in the fact that they knew it would have a Hemi and anyone with any brains would have known it needed a solid foundation.

I applaud you for sticking with the car but you shouldn't be forced to rebuild the car solely on your own dime. These guys put their name on it and therefore their reputation. It is an expensive lesson for all parties involved but the originators should be getting hit the hardest. This reminds me a bit of the whole rebody problem. The first owner knows and maybe the person who buys it from him. However, the details tend to get lost as the car bounces around from owner to owner until, one day, a guy pays a small fortune only to find out he just bought a fake. All the previous owners who weren't aware of it are also distraught but glad they no longer own the car. The guy who started the whole mess has since moved onto another business or otherwise disappeared. You have caught the problems early enough to do something about it.

Good luck! I hope this has a (somewhat) happy ending.

Troy

[Drache]

My suggestion would be to create a webpage and pass out the link to anyone who likes your car or better yet have a book of all the photos and information about this car and what you had to go through and have the book with you at EVERY car show you go to! Spread the story around!

[SFRT]

I am a mechanical soundness/safety freak and I would really really pull that engine and take a good long  hard look at how they did the conversion to mount it etc. I am going to assume as well that it is an off the shelf crate engine they just stuck in there.

I say, as long as your going deeeeeeeeeeeeep on this, have the engine inspected and worked by a real machine shop and have some one that knows conversions check out the welding on the k-member mounts etc....how are the shock towers?the transmission crossmember?

in fact, you might be better off getting a clean roller and swapping over the good stuff, as it sounds like this car is really shot. in the long run it will save you the expense of going back in and patching up here and there forever and ever.

[jb666]

I am a mechanical soundness/safety freak and I would really really pull that engine and take a good long  hard look at how they did the conversion to mount it etc. I am going to assume as well that it is an off the shelf crate engine they just stuck in there.

I say, as long as your going deeeeeeeeeeeeep on this, have the engine inspected and worked by a real machine shop and have some one that knows conversions check out the welding on the k-member mounts etc....how are the shock towers?the transmission crossmember?

in fact, you might be better off getting a clean roller and swapping over the good stuff, as it sounds like this car is really shot. in the long run it will save you the expense of going back in and patching up here and there forever and ever.

I strongly disagree, at this point. The problems to this car's frame/undercarriage are confined to the back end. Sure, it's a mess, but the rotted sections are already cut out with the new ready to go in.. From the rear wheels forward the frame/floors are clean.

He's checking out the K-frame this week, but isn't that something that gets bolted in??

shock towers are fine, transmission cross-member is fine.. The tranny itself is questionable since NO ONE knows what was done with it. It has a stock converter and I highly doubt it was the "rebuilt unit" that they promised. If so, why would it have been leaking like a stuck pig from every seal  We shall see..

I just left the shop though, and I pulled the trigger on the inner & outer rear quarters. It's the perfect time to do them , and then by Spring I can make paint arrangements for the car..

BTW, I have plenty of new pictures.. I'll upload some now.

[jb666]

There are many levels of "restoration". As mentioned above, the guys who are out winning trophies in concourse show judging will have exponentially more time into a car than someone who wants a nice "driver" or to compete in local shows (where the judging is based on paint looks - not correctness). You get 1,000-1,500 hours into a restoration by paying attention to the details. Obviously with the over spray on the tank they didn't completely disassemble the car. The frame rails, wiring, and a thousand other things prove that these guys like to talk big but not deliver. It's a sales pitch and they cut corners to increase profits. Any reputable shop would have never let a car leave with obviously hazardous  defects which could have resulted in tragedy. I think that, in this case, the shop is certainly liable for the work they performed (even to a subsequent owner). I'm going to guess here that their invoices are a bit light on details (in order to hide what they didn't do). Some of the things you have shown had to be deliberate and accusing the owner of being cheap is no excuse. I can't imagine that anyone would intentionally ask for fiberglass frame rail patches - especially when that would have been near the beginning of the project before cost overruns. Add in the fact that they knew it would have a Hemi and anyone with any brains would have known it needed a solid foundation.

I applaud you for sticking with the car but you shouldn't be forced to rebuild the car solely on your own dime. These guys put their name on it and therefore their reputation. It is an expensive lesson for all parties involved but the originators should be getting hit the hardest. This reminds me a bit of the whole rebody problem. The first owner knows and maybe the person who buys it from him. However, the details tend to get lost as the car bounces around from owner to owner until, one day, a guy pays a small fortune only to find out he just bought a fake. All the previous owners who weren't aware of it are also distraught but glad they no longer own the car. The guy who started the whole mess has since moved onto another business or otherwise disappeared. You have caught the problems early enough to do something about it.

Good luck! I hope this has a (somewhat) happy ending.

Troy

You know, I would like to think that BK Auto would read something like this and say "Oh wow, this doesn't make us look very good" and offer to do something about it. I would do the right thing and post that they stood by their word and sent something to help with the repairs, but honestly, there's no way they're going to do anything.They DO NOT CARE.. This car is in the past, they only care about $$ that's to be made in the future, which is a VERY poor way to run a business. Word of mouth + the internet can make or break a business..

As for the invoices that were associated with this build, they are an absolute joke. I won't post them (to protect Brian's information) but one states.. $2500 for repro parts.. NOT BROKEN DOWN, just that.

The reason Brian was called "cheap" was because he started to question why he was being double billed on certain items.. That made him CHEAP 

You guys would laugh if you saw these "invoices" though.. VERY unprofessional, and some billing for items that were not replaced at all!!

[hemi-hampton]

These scammers run a business for as long as they can until it catches up with them & out of control with angry lynch mob beating down there door then they just claim bankruptsy & move on to another town with new name & start all over again & again & again. What a shame they cant be stopped Scumbags LEON.

[68charger383]

Looking at the pictures and thinking that $70K was somehow spent on the restoration of that car seems impossible. I think there is no doubt, the restoration has latent defects (frame rails, steering, structural, wiring etc. which would make someone liable.  I agree with Troy, you shouldn't have to make lemonade out of a lemon.

The guy you bought it from would be the one with the right to seek action against BK. Honestly, your action is against the seller of the car to you. If he sold you the car making representations that it was restored...you can go after him and include BK in the action.

What is the story about the guy you bought it from?  Did he know of the defects, was the car sold to you for a discount based on the sloppy work or full value?

I would also point out, if you bought the car without checking it out first, you start to get into the "what did you expect" area of the argument. Usually, they hold anything you could have discovered during a reasonable inspection of the car against you. You have a great attitude about just getting the car done right, but someone needs to pay you something back.

Sorry to hear about this mess, thanks for posting which may prevent someone else from getting involved with this shop.  

[jb666]

Ok, I just got back from the shop and took many interesting shots of the (removed) parts, and some that are about to be removed this week. I just (today) pulled the trigger and decided to have the rear (inner & outer) quarters replaced due to the findings you'll see below...

First.. This was the first thing I removed from the car when I found out what a mess it was..

PICTURE REMOVED BECAUSE IT CONTAINS ORIGINAL OWNERS FULL NAME.

Nice patches, and great work with the welder, you can barely see these  , and My God, look at the mud on the lips of the quarter.. WOW!!



Love this inner quarter shot..



Another great shot of the frame rail(s) that were removed..Gotta love those clean patches that were put on, and great job removing the old rotted section before patching them..





This is some great work!! 



Would you trust this to hold your gas tank up?? They did..





Another awesome patch job on the inner rear driver's quarter. I guess after you glue your patch on, it's great to seal it with roofing tar.



Eh, who needs a rear valance panel??





Luckily, everything you see that's still on the car will be off very shortly. I decided to do the rear quarters now because of how far along the car already is. I couldn't see doing it next Fall when 1/2 the car's already apart..

Here's a quick peek at the cage. The headliner hasn't been fixed yet, so it's still as I got it when I bought it ..








Anyways, LOTS more to come..

[General_01]

I think Brian is very lucky you bought the car. You seem to have deep pockets and a willingness to fix it yourself. I am not saying this out of jealously or anything else. I am just saying that most of us on this board could not pull the trigger on 45K or so on this car and than so cheerfully poor 10-15K more into it. I know I couldn't.

I am glad you are happy with it and I can't wait to see the finished product. Hope the car is out of surprises for you.

[jb666]

I think Brian is very lucky you bought the car. You seem to have deep pockets and a willingness to fix it yourself. I am not saying this out of jealously or anything else. I am just saying that most of us on this board could not pull the trigger on 45K or so on this car and than so cheerfully poor 10-15K more into it. I know I couldn't.

I am glad you are happy with it and I can't wait to see the finished product. Hope the car is out of surprises for you.

First, I didn't pay $45k for the car.. Second, I'm not dumping that much into the car.. I wouldn't be quite so cheery 

I am , however, very optimistic of the outcome.. In fact I'm excited about it. The car will be better then new when it's done..

[hemi-hampton]

What a joke, Charging someone $70k & leaving all that rust behind & other shoddy Earl Scheib type garbage work done to it (no insult to earl intended)

[Hemidoug]

You better hope that who ever put that Hemi together knows what they are doing.....that doesn't go together like a wedge......lots can and DOES go wrong with Hemis.

[jb666]

You better hope that who ever put that Hemi together knows what they are doing.....that doesn't go together like a wedge......lots can and DOES go wrong with Hemis.

Mopar Performance put it together, fortunately Burger King Auto didn't touch it except to put the motor in place and drop the carb on..

[Ghoste]

The MP ones have had their issues too.  Still worth checking out.

[jb666]

The MP ones have had their issues too.  Still worth checking out.

Will do, thanks!  With the exception of some valve cover clearance issues the motor runs like a top and sounds great!!

[The70RT]

I can't believe Brian never crawled under the car and seen all that crap. I wouldn't have paid a big ass bill when I was picking up the car from the shop. He must never checked in on them at all when they wreaked their havoc. I'm glad you are happy and dealing with it in a not so somber way.....but shame on you for not crawling under or all over the car when you bought it. If you know anything about mopars rectal cancer is the first place to look before dumping a small fortune. Good luck I'm sure you will get it back to your standards.

[jb666]

I can't believe Brian never crawled under the car and seen all that crap. I wouldn't have paid a big ass bill when I was picking up the car from the shop. He must never checked in on them at all when they wreaked their havoc. I'm glad you are happy and dealing with it in a not so somber way.....but shame on you for not crawling under or all over the car when you bought it. If you know anything about mopars rectal cancer is the first place to look before dumping a small fortune. Good luck I'm sure you will get it back to your standards.

SERIOUSLY --- I KNOW. You couldn't be more correct here.. I am kicking myself for not crawling underneath the car.. OH WAIT, I DID.. I was under the back end strapping it to the trailer.. But did I see? NO. I was blinded by my enthusiasm and my dream of owning this car..

Trust me, I'm already blaming myself for not catching all of this crap..  And all the way down/home I was thinking I "lucked out" buying this car, that it was a survivor, or at least a fully restored winner..  Oh well, live and learn..

Don't be too hard on me, I'm a Vette owner, what do you expect me to know about Mopars?

[The70RT]

Oh a vette owner....nevermind  J/K

[jb666]

Can you guys suggest any other Mopar forums I should post this short story on? If not, maybe someone could do some link dropping for me??

[The70RT]

Moparts, B-Body's.com