jimbosprint 1972 C20 - the good, the bad, and the ugly

[Xeen]

Yikes man sorry to hear that.
It is unfortunate that there are people out there that have no professional pride, that cut corners and are dishonest, not everyone is like that though, when you are ready to get it painted you need to ask around a lot and find someone known to do good work by reputation and you can show him the shoddy work done by the previous guy and he will fix it man so no worries.

[flashed]

Sorry to hear of your plight with the shop but you still have a nice truck and you will find a better shop .

[Zane M]

Sorry to hear about the body shop fiasco.

[mcbassin]

Sorry to read about the bodyshop problems. I went through that myself back in the day. I decided to learn how to do it myself. That way I'd never pay anyone to screw up my trucks again. Good luck in the future.

[jimbosprint]

I just got back from the shop. He is offering to make it right. I almost don't want to let him touch it, but legally I have to give him a chance to fix it before I can sue. He only offered a partial refund, and he said I would have to wait a month or more because he doesn't have the money. I got his offer to fix it in writing, but I didn't leave the truck there. Not sure what to do.

[jimbosprint]

Well I took my truck back to the guy to give him a chance to make it right. Still not pleased with the sloppy work. It's a shame that some people have no pride in their work or business ethic. He actually thinks this is "ready to paint".

[dfwright]

Maybe if you're talking about "ready to paint" another coat of high-build and some more blocking, lol. I'm no body and paint expert, but that is awful, and I would not be satisfied with that.

[jimbosprint]

I just filed a complaint with the California Bureau of Automotive Repair, and I wrote negative reviews on Facebook and Google. I don't want anyone else to get screwed by this guy.

[Aus69c20]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. It's always disappointing when you pay out your hard earned for second rate work. I wish you all the best moving forward from here.

[jimbosprint]

So here's an update -

The California BAR inspector came out a couple weeks ago to document the work on my truck and collect evidence. I just got a call back from him that he was finally able to meet with the guy that did the work, and that he has agreed to refund half of the money within 30 days. I must say I am impressed with the BAR and their ability to mediate this issue.

[flashed]

Im glad it's going to work out for you ,dont think we have anything like that here .

[mooseknuckles]

looks like its ready for bodywork..

[jimbosprint]

I just ordered my personalized "Legacy" plates to replace the damaged one.

[jimbosprint]

^ thanks b.sharp

I found my truck's twin lurking here in town. I talked to the owner today and he even let me take it on a test-drive. It's a '71 C20 and it has a 350 w/ 4-spd granny (was originally a 292 6-cyl.). Sure makes me appreciate my power steering and automatic!

[jimbosprint]

Well I came out of the hardware store today to find a puddle of coolant under my truck and a constant drip. Looks like it is coming from between the water pump and block. I guess I'll have to take it apart. Bummer.

[jimbosprint]

Originally Posted by jimbosprint

Well I came out of the hardware store today to find a puddle of coolant under my truck and a constant drip. Looks like it is coming from between the water pump and block. I guess I'll have to take it apart. Bummer.

Well I think I have this fixed finally. I hurt my back just after the coolant leak happened, and didn't feel well enough to work on it until yesterday.

Also, my custom 60's style plates came in! I just wish they had the blue 70's style available. "California C20 Deluxe"

[jimbosprint]

I started working on a replacement step bumper. I don't like the one that is on the truck because it is so big, and the receiver does not have an approved classification. I got this one for $25. It's far from perfect, but it's reasonably straight and a better size, and I can put an aftermarket hitch under it. I squared up the ugly ends, and I'm working on a new license plate light for it.

[mcbassin]

Nice work on the bumper. Very cool license plates too
Too bad about the water pump taking a dive on you....

[Oly72C20]

Looking good with the progress!

[jimbosprint]

So I took all 9 bolts out that attach my bumper to the frame only to find out that it is also welded to the frame in a spot where I can't get to with a grinder.

What a pain. Whoever put this bumper on is probably laughing at me. I can just hear him saying "I feel sorry for whoever decides to take this bumper off!"

[flashed]

It may be time to go visit your local muffler shop and have them hot wrench it off for you.

[jimbosprint]

Originally Posted by flashed

It may be time to go visit your local muffler shop and have them hot wrench it off for you.

Good idea! I'm going down there early tomorrow morning to see if he can help.

[jimbosprint]

Muffler shop was no help, but I found a local welder/fabricator that said he could cut the old bumper off for me. Going down there later today.

I have an LED license plate light on my new bumper now. I really like the little cut and bump in the diamond plate that hides and protects the light.

[jimbosprint]

Progress! The welder chopped it off and did a nice job cleaning up the frame where it was welded. The new bumper installed really easy. The holes all lined up without any drilling. It looks like it's always been there, and compared to the old one it looks tiny!

While installing it I discovered that the guy that replaced the bedside put the bed back on crooked and it is closer on one side of the bumper. Of course it can be fixed, but goes to prove once again that he was a sloppy idiot.

[knomadd]

Much better!