It is so hard to get anyone to do anything

[edhd58]

I had to take the front seat out of my car.

The seat cover has shifted terribly bad after only a few rides.
I found a local upholsterer that several people told me was good and took the seat to him. This was in January.
I picked up the seat, NOT DONE, Friday.
He kept putting me off saying he just got behind and couldnt get caught up. Funny thing, everything there wasnt there when I dropped my seat off.
Basically what it is, he priced himself too cheap and then had money making jobs come in so he put me off till I got fed up and took my seat back. He was supposed to sew the sping pockets and fix the edge wire that was broken, (NOT FIXED BY THE FIRST GUY) and a couole other thngs for $175. like I said earlier -- priced too cheap.
The problem is the springs in the seat. Its a 42 front seat bottom and all the springs are supposed to be in their own pocket, time consuming work. Anyway, I have done some research and found I can replace all the springs with modern ones and only have 30 springs instead of nearly 80. I also wont have any weak springs or any of the other issues that go along with 75 year old inspiring

I have the springs, edge wire and necessary stuff to do the work ordered $146. Now to find someone that will do the work needed after I replace all teh springs.

[Jack E/NJ]

>>>Now to find someone that will do the work needed after I replace all [the] springs. >>>

Have you checked with the guy in the mirror. 8^) Jack E/NJ

[Bubsyouruncle]

There was a time, long ago, when we paid an honest wage to someone who did something for us. And we were pleased with the result.

And then, shortly after WWII, wise guys started to tell us that cheaper was better.

Welcome to the new world. Where advertising is king. No -Marketing is king.

[Jack E/NJ]

>>>There was a time, long ago, when we paid an honest wage to someone who did something for us. And we were pleased with the result.>>>

They're still around here today. Jack E/NJ

[Ken/Alabama]

I agree with Jack! You should give it a try. People ask me all the time " where did you learn to do all this?" I learned by doing. Is it perfect? No . But I learned a long time ago that you wait and wait to get something done only to discover that when you finally get it back that I could have done as good or maybe better. And you saved your money in the process.

[Tinker]

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Any wonder why I do it my self. Even half-a$$ is better then most.

The good guys are always busy... for good reason. and worth the wait.

[Drbrown]

After spending a career evaluating workers in the construction industry, and dealing with home and auto repairmen, and not to diminish the admiration due the majority of those in such places who are sincere, truthful and honest, its my personal opinion that many "painters", including those who are afraid to climb ladders, and auto "upholstery businesses" sleep in the outhouse.

[Jack E/NJ]

Drbrown>>>its my personal opinion that many >>> sleep in the outhouse.>>>

You talkin' to me? I doze off sometimes sittin' on the indoor pot. Does that count? 8^) Jack E/NJ

[cas3]

i'm really good at hiring people that do nothing too. many small shops are spending your money to finish the job 3rd back in line from your new money. an old friend now dead from painting was a terrific paint and body man. you bring in your car, he says x number for the job, and i need x down for materials. meanwhile, theres a car in the shop supposed to be done months ago who the owner had made many payments "due to more material cost", which in reality was to pay the charge bill at the paint store from the job before. and there was a car in the drive way...gonna get started next week, and you come in #3 and give some money to live on or pay the paint store. that guy was really good, but liked short days and watching tv. next, my old friend motor man. locally very respected on our dirt tracks, his motors win. he likes race motors, but does everything from lawn mowers to diesel tractors. so, my antique motors sat in a pile for years, racing comes first. he had an allis tractor motor for five years, and a 30 packard motor for 8 years, then i decided i wont live long enough to work with him anymore. really smart guy, i miss our conversations about motors. now, i have a 34 3window coupe that layed on its side for decades and needs major repair. i have mostly been a do-it your-self guy always, but the 3w is so valuable i want it done right. my guy in canada tig welds and finishes the seam with a file so you cant tell its been fixed, very little, if any bondo required, really a great metal man known for building those C 400 bodies. but, like most my other friends, nothing is happening. been two years now, gobs of money in the project. i've decided to not buy any more parts until theres a car here to look at. enough whining, but yeah i've worked with some talented but slow shops

[Jack E/NJ]

That doesn't sound like whining. That's more like ranting! 8^) Jack E/NJ

[GB SISSON]

In the woodworking trade, like so many others, there are great woodworkers and great businessmen. So seldom are they both the same guy.

[Brian]

'That doesn't sound like whining. That's more like ranting!'
No, it's the truth, and very eloquently put!

[Vics Stuff]

Not to get off the subject but as mentioned to do it yourself . That is the kind of builder I am. Always learning from my mistakes . Today I just replaced the headlights in my wife's 2011 Chevy Malibu. Shop time is 3 hours @ $100.00 per hour , headlights from the dealership $27.50 X 2. Well I went on line and watched a video on how to replace these lights. Well in 55 minutes from start to finish I was done. Found new replacement headlight bulbs of E Bay for $12.75 for the pair.
I made $342.00 for this job in 1 hour. Not bad.
My point is , I see many car enthusiasts having work done on their vehicles and many times way over budget and not done as the owner wanted. I say as a home builder. Stop what you are doing and get on the internet and educate yourself and do not be afraid to make a mistake. That is how I have learned and have saved thousands of dollars. In the end , we all need to remember that this is supposed to be a relaxing hobby.
Vic

[richard crow]

i had the same prolbem with body shops give you one price when you go to pick up car it,s an other price plus they take forever to do it. i have found a body shop on long island that do very good work. good fast service & they will take any job big or small.they onley do restotion work so you not put on a back burner while the do collision work.

[TJ]

Lots of information on You Tube. It's amazing what you can learn there.

[Tony, NY]

There's a good auto interior forum that's worth joining. Many tutorials as well as tech help by experts. Here's one on seat spring repair.
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/seat...ir-145733.html

[FHFD]

A guy was in town to visit his business owner friend whom he hadn't seen in awhile. His friend gave him a tour of his facility, the guy said wow how many people do you have working here?..his friend said, oh I'd say about half of them.

[OLD AS I]

Friend of mine took his truck in to a shop in town, said how this guy was recommended and did good work, shop owner said he does 3 vehicle over the winter, this was # 2 for that winter, 3-4 months will be complete, hes had it now for 3 yrs, my fiend has swallowed his line hook and sinker, money just keeps being dropped off, I warned my friend about him but he knew better, I dont even ask about it now, feel sorry for him, as long as this shop can catch one or two he'll continue doing what hes doing, ive redirected 3 jobs else where

[Jeff/Illinois]

Originally Posted by oldasi

Friend of mine took his truck in to a shop in town, said how this guy was recommended and did good work, shop owner said he does 3 vehicle over the winter, this was # 2 for that winter, 3-4 months will be complete, hes had it now for 3 yrs, my fiend has swallowed his line hook and sinker, money just keeps being dropped off, I warned my friend about him but he knew better, I dont even ask about it now, feel sorry for him, as long as this shop can catch one or two he'll continue doing what hes doing, ive redirected 3 jobs else where

They're not restoring this vehicle, they are holding it hostage.

A friend dropped off his early 60's Vette for a restoration four years ago at a local shop, and all they have done was removed the body from the frame and shoved it into a corner, covered it with plastic, and now letting it collect dust. And he has handed over a ton of cash and not seeing any results. All they give him are excuses.

This seems fairly common today.

[edhd58]

To those who say do it yourself, I am doing it all except the actual stretching of the cover. There is a hump in the center back of the seat base that scares me. But it may well end up something I just have to do myself

Tony, went there and joined the site, thanks for the lead

oldasi -- friend of mine has an uncle that has a car in the same shape, to be painted -- 4 years -- REALLY??

[Drbrown]

Jack E/NJ: An indoor pot is a far cry from an outhouse. If you want a snooze in the indoor one you can lock the door, and at least you have a water source, probably a light, and hopefully an exhaust fan. When I was a kid in the '40s we had a 4 foot square outhouse. Hated going out there during the night .... the bears use to hang out around it. Guess they liked the "perfumed" smell. It was a 70 foot dash back to the door of the house, hopefully with a working flash light. Them's good old days !

[cas3]

i still have an outhouse near the shop. the smell is nothing if its used seldom. now more whining on topic, i forgot the main point of my story, that is these guys that have so much talent is why you hire them right? but, if the shop is behind, and the wallet is empty then they rush thru the last stages to get it out of there because the next guy has already started to bitch. so you went to a special place, and got half ass results. my motor guy did work long hours and produced great motors, just not mine. the 34 project is a tough call. i feel if i bitch too much it will get done, but perhaps a rush out the door job. if i dont bitch at all it may not get done. i have had a few conversations along the lines of...we have tornados, is the shop insured? even if it is, i doubt i'll ever see a check for the gobs of money i have in it. fire? i had a shop fire in 2010, fire is a bad thing. death? people die in short times daily. we are old, this winter my best friend, 71, had me over to help go after some junk, i was hooking up the trailer stuff and he said "you drive", and went up the side of the truck and got in. 30 seconds later, i went up and opened the drivers door and he was laying there dead, heart failure gives no warning, you are done...now. i have had two friends die from pancreatic cancer which gives you about two months from time of discovery. so, these are the sad facts of life especially for us old guys. so, i say, do your kids know thats my car if you die? do i have an international law suit ahead of me? car accidents? thats any of us, any time. so, my deal is not good, i will never do it again. i had the chance to buy a 3 window and have the body fixed right, so after 2 years of looking i went for it. now, i wait, dont want to push too hard, and dont want to just wait for the call that its done. be gentle, push a little, but never again, another of those lessons in life.

[slowforty]

"Forty Yards to the Out House" A Story By Willie Makit and Betty Don't.

[rotorwrench]

A good friend of mine worked for a restoration shop here in the SA TX region a fair number of years ago. The only type of work the shop would do was concours restorations. I think he worked there for near four years before he finally got a lot better job (and Pay) somewhere else. In that time, the resto shop never completely finished a car. The shop would string the owners along till they finally got tired of waiting and paying many thousands of dollars with no end in sight then they would eventually wise up and pull their cars to stop the dumb. The guy that ran the place was nuts. He would use calipers to measure door gaps and crap like that. if it wasn't just right and he couldn't adjust any better, he would weld on the edges until they were all perfect. If he ever finished a car I imagine it would have been close to perfection but the cars weren't that nice when they left the show room floor and I don't see the point other than to bilk the customers of their money.

[J Witt]

People get completely nuts over cars. Beats anything else I know about (not me, though ).

I watch Carini and his TV show about classic cars. It's interesting to watch some of the moneyed people who buy/sell/restore cars on the show and some of the absurd things that are done. But one of the things that impresses me is the occasional look at some of the craftsmen he finds to do the work.

The really good ones have a secret and that is to raise the price until the work load is at an acceptable level. I found that out years ago when doing custom model building.

[GB SISSON]

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Caliper? If a door gap looks good to the eye, that's all that matters. If you can't tell a .016 points gap by eye, you have't grown up working on old cars.

[rotorwrench]

I never could tell in the dark after the bike quit on the way home but I found that a match book cover was about .016" thick so I always carried a book of matches with me. A Harley owner always has to be prepared.

[TStiles]

I have a many-years friend who is a machinist by profession (retired) and can fix ANYTHING. After retiring, he found his calling doing yacht repair - something that he loves to do and is extraordinary at. His problem, as J Witt mentioned, is his rates. FAR too affordable. This kept him overwhelmed with work and with huge backlogs. He finally raised his rates. The impact was a workload that he could keep up with and a lot more money in his pocket. These guys are out there, but they're rare, for sure.

[cordbob]

the biggest problem today is people have no Integrity if they would just do what they say they're going to do life would be so much easier I always do exactly what I say I'm going to do no matter what it is like today I'm still waiting for a package that was supposed to be shipped out 10 days ago and still waiting for the tracking number That was supposed to be emailed to me yesterday. ...

[Paul Bennett]

My recent experience was getting a bathroom remodeled. Got the first contractor started in May and the final one was in December. And that was top dollar. They can take on too many jobs when the weather is good and make excuses missing schedule dates. But what's the alternative?