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- Apr 13, 2012
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I'm not one to play "Dear Abby" with my personal problems, but I've got myself in a jam and I'm not sure how to handle it.
In December 2012, I was at a friends house talking and he complained how his car project was getting nowhere. A former buddy started metal replacement where there was rust, then the guy just disappeared off of the face of the earth. I have had mediocre/moderate success with patch panels, bodywork and paint so I told him "If you are still interested in the car, I'd do the body and paint for you.
This is where things get murky.
I just found out recently for certain that he misinterpreted the offer. He interpreted my words for I'll restore the car for you.
Anyone with a brain knows that these two are vastly different things.
I'm not a OEM purist, but to me, to RESTORE, a car, I see this as a complete return to OEM correctness. I'm talking original type engine, original color, original type everything. I do not use the word RESTORE in reference to a car when there are several NON stock changes. Different engine, NON stock color paint, shaving of some trim and emblems, different interior, etc. The word restoration just does not apply here. Still, many people use the word in any instance where a car is fixed up.
In January 2013 I rented a tow dolly on my own dime and dragged the car back here to wait its turn. The guy gave me a bunch of parts that he saved for the project, saying I could sell any leftovers. Some of the stuff was junk but there was some decent stuff too. He gave a motorcycle to one friend, a Valiant to another friend. He gave me a project car and a beat up truck, saying he never goes camping anymore and didn't need the car either.
Fast forward to December 2015. I finally got to the point where I was able to wheel his car in to my workshop to begin work on it. Over the last 3 years, he has made talk of the car project. Subjects of engine rebuilding, wiring upgrades, suspension modifications, etc . This confused me because those things have nothing to do with body & paint. I started thinking that either he was just jabbering about the car OR he was expecting more from me than I offered. As time wore on, I was stressing that he really did think that I offered to do everything on the car at my place. I have had stomach trouble and short temper episodes because of this. On Saturday of this past weekend, I confronted him about it and learned that he really did think I made the offer to "restore" the car.
I keep notebooks on my various cars and such, and I clearly wrote that I offered to paint the car, nowhere in my notebook is any other work mentioned.
I like the guy. He is in his mid 60s and cannot do most of what is required for bring a stripped out car back to life. When he is over here, he spends most of his time talking and standing around. He gets an hours worth of work done in the 5-6 hours that he spends here. I buy cars to fix up and sell for extra money, so a full-boogie rebuild of his car is both NOT what I had planned, and gets in the way of my other projects.
He is sure that he is right. So am I. In the interest of fairness, I offered to compromise. In reality, it was not a compromise of any kind. He wants to get the car running here before taking it back. I'm kicking myself in the *** because not only did he not give an inch on the "compromise", but I seem to be on the hook for far more work than I ever intended. The tasks that he is capable of doing take him 5-6 times longer than anyone else, which prolongs the time that the car takes up space here.
I'd appreciate helpful opinions on this situation. I did make an offer that I am obligated to fulfill. I just wish I had made things crystal clear back in 2012 when the offer was made.
In December 2012, I was at a friends house talking and he complained how his car project was getting nowhere. A former buddy started metal replacement where there was rust, then the guy just disappeared off of the face of the earth. I have had mediocre/moderate success with patch panels, bodywork and paint so I told him "If you are still interested in the car, I'd do the body and paint for you.
This is where things get murky.
I just found out recently for certain that he misinterpreted the offer. He interpreted my words for I'll restore the car for you.
Anyone with a brain knows that these two are vastly different things.
I'm not a OEM purist, but to me, to RESTORE, a car, I see this as a complete return to OEM correctness. I'm talking original type engine, original color, original type everything. I do not use the word RESTORE in reference to a car when there are several NON stock changes. Different engine, NON stock color paint, shaving of some trim and emblems, different interior, etc. The word restoration just does not apply here. Still, many people use the word in any instance where a car is fixed up.
In January 2013 I rented a tow dolly on my own dime and dragged the car back here to wait its turn. The guy gave me a bunch of parts that he saved for the project, saying I could sell any leftovers. Some of the stuff was junk but there was some decent stuff too. He gave a motorcycle to one friend, a Valiant to another friend. He gave me a project car and a beat up truck, saying he never goes camping anymore and didn't need the car either.
Fast forward to December 2015. I finally got to the point where I was able to wheel his car in to my workshop to begin work on it. Over the last 3 years, he has made talk of the car project. Subjects of engine rebuilding, wiring upgrades, suspension modifications, etc . This confused me because those things have nothing to do with body & paint. I started thinking that either he was just jabbering about the car OR he was expecting more from me than I offered. As time wore on, I was stressing that he really did think that I offered to do everything on the car at my place. I have had stomach trouble and short temper episodes because of this. On Saturday of this past weekend, I confronted him about it and learned that he really did think I made the offer to "restore" the car.
I keep notebooks on my various cars and such, and I clearly wrote that I offered to paint the car, nowhere in my notebook is any other work mentioned.
I like the guy. He is in his mid 60s and cannot do most of what is required for bring a stripped out car back to life. When he is over here, he spends most of his time talking and standing around. He gets an hours worth of work done in the 5-6 hours that he spends here. I buy cars to fix up and sell for extra money, so a full-boogie rebuild of his car is both NOT what I had planned, and gets in the way of my other projects.
He is sure that he is right. So am I. In the interest of fairness, I offered to compromise. In reality, it was not a compromise of any kind. He wants to get the car running here before taking it back. I'm kicking myself in the *** because not only did he not give an inch on the "compromise", but I seem to be on the hook for far more work than I ever intended. The tasks that he is capable of doing take him 5-6 times longer than anyone else, which prolongs the time that the car takes up space here.
I'd appreciate helpful opinions on this situation. I did make an offer that I am obligated to fulfill. I just wish I had made things crystal clear back in 2012 when the offer was made.