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Need advice and also a warning.

superbee6

Well-Known Member
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11:38 AM
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Location
San Jose CA
I'm going to start with the warning just in case you decide not to read any further.

DO NOT DO BUSINESS OF ANY KIND WITH GARY SCHELLENBERG, THERESA DUNAWAY OR G CORP MUSCLE CAR in Fresno CA.

First off, this is also my fault for being too trusting. I am now fully "beat down" by this hobby and dealing with body shops, shady people, I've lost all energy for restoring a car. This all started back in June of 2018.

I purchased a 70 challenger from him a year and a half ago. It was a project, solid car, sold as a complete car minus drive train, basically a roller. I went and checked it out, bought the car got a bill of sale. He didn't have the title with him, had to get it out of his files. He owned a shop and showed me some pictures, said he could paint it for me and get it back together and ready for me to install the drive train. I gave him $8500 for the car and $1500 for labor to get started on the paint.

A few weeks later, I brought him the Gerst front suspension and rear 4 link I bought for it, and the US cartool stiffening kit. Then I took my son down to Fresno (where he lives) and we picked out a paint color and bought $1100 in paint supplies.

After weekly complaints to him about not having a title, I finally got the title over a year later. The title was a different VIN from the first BOS. He sent me a second BOS and claimed that he gave me a BOS with the wrong VIN the first time. It had been so long by then I couldn't remember for sure if I had matched the VIN on the BOS and the body at that time. I'm pretty sure I did. What he didn't tell me was that he didn't have the title from the very beginning, some shady deal that it was his dad's car and someone had a lien on the title etc, etc.

Promised me multiple times he'd send me pictures of progress and a paint sample. I finally got a paint sample months later after "it got lost in the mail", then a second time it got sent back to him because it didn't have enough postage. It looked like it was sprayed with asphalt. Crazy texture. He claimed that I told him that I wanted to cut and polish it myself, his mistake and he'd send me another one. Took another month and it was just as bad.

I have since told him more than 4 months ago that I just want the car now, forget all of the work, just get the parts together and I want the car.

He just keeps coming up with excuses and lies and I still don't have the car. He basically refuses by ignoring any requests for pictures, and he always comes up with some excuse on why he can't show me the car or send pictures. Claims he moved it to storage for final assembly, then he moved it back to his garage so he could take a picture of it.

This is only the tip of the iceberg on what has gone on with this guy. I'm just tying to keep this short enough that someone will read it.

I'm going to post this everywhere I can so if you see it again, just ignore it.

How do I handle this?

Thanks for any advice. And spread the word. I'd like it if this guy could never sell or buy anything again in his life.
 
Last edited:
I would be talking to Lawyer on how to proceed
there are some that specialize in these type of things
I would do some research and find one ASAP
Good Luck
 
I'm going to start with the warning just in case you decide not to read any further.

DO NOT DO BUSINESS OF ANY KIND WITH GARY SCHELLENBERG, THERESA DUNAWAY OR G CORP MUSCLE CAR in Fresno CA.

First off, this is also my fault for being too trusting. I am now fully "beat down" by this hobby and dealing with body shops, shady people, I've lost all energy for restoring a car. This all started back in June of 2018.

I purchased a 70 challenger from him a year and a half ago. It was a project, solid car, sold as a complete car minus drive train, basically a roller. I went and checked it out, bought the car got a bill of sale. He didn't have the title with him, had to get it out of his files. He owned a shop and showed me some pictures, said he could paint it for me and get it back together and ready for me to install the drive train. I gave him $8500 for the car and $1500 for labor to get started on the paint.

A few weeks later, I brought him the Gerst front suspension and rear 4 link I bought for it, and the US cartool stiffening kit. Then I took my son down to Fresno (where he lives) and we picked out a paint color and bought $1100 in paint supplies.

After weekly complaints to him about not having a title, I finally got the title over a year later. The title was a different VIN from the first BOS. He sent me a second BOS and claimed that he gave me a BOS with the wrong VIN the first time. It had been so long by then I couldn't remember for sure if I had matched the VIN on the BOS and the body at that time. I'm pretty sure I did. What he didn't tell me was that he didn't have the title from the very beginning, some shady deal that it was his dad's car and someone had a lien on the title etc, etc.

Promised me multiple times he'd send me pictures of progress and a paint sample. I finally got a paint sample months later after "it got lost in the mail", then a second time it got sent back to him because it didn't have enough postage. It looked like it was sprayed with asphalt. Crazy texture. He claimed that I told him that I wanted to cut and polish it myself, his mistake and he'd send me another one. Took another month and it was just as bad.

I have since told him more than 4 months ago that I just want the car now, forget all of the work, just get the parts together and I want the car.

He just keeps coming up with excuses and lies and I still don't have the car. He basically refuses by ignoring any requests for pictures, and he always comes up with some excuse on why he can't show me the car or send pictures. Claims he moved it to storage for final assembly, then he moved it back to his garage so he could take a picture of it.

This is only the tip of the iceberg on what has gone on with this guy. I'm just tying to keep this short enough that someone will read it.

I'm going to post this everywhere I can so if you see it again, just ignore it.

How do I handle this?

Thanks for any advice. And spread the word. I'd like it if this guy could never sell or buy anything again in his life.
Luckily I went with a friends recommendation to a shop in Gulfport, MS and they did a stellar job. No complaints
 
Honestly, this is the toughest part of car resto. Getting your property back from this business is paramount. If, however, the title was shell game.....that changes things. Stick to your guns....and you'll make it through.
 
Vin tampering is a federal crime.
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Tell him you're coming with a truck and trailer on a certain date and to have the car ready and if it's not ready, you're going to get the authorities involved. Go there, pick it up and go.
 
It's sad to hear about the shady $hit that goes on in this hobby, I too was a partial victim of something very similar. Best advice is to go get your car the hell outa there before things get worse. After you have the car in your possession then start with the legal stick, this way the car isn't held hostage when all the **** starts flying. Damage can start mysteriously occurring with out any accountability and recourse.
 
Thanks everyone. I wanted to get the word out about this guy. It makes me feel a tiny bit better to hear the suggestions from the forums.
 
I don't know any of these people, however I have been around the hobby and cars for a long time and in most cases there are 2 sides to every story. The problem in these situations is that you end up with 2 simultaneous issues; you have the vehicle owner who decides he wants the vehicle back, however you have the shop that has time/money into the project. Neither side wants to back down and thus cars sit in limbo for an extended period of time. As much as you don't like it, if you want the car you are going to have to settle with the shop, if you believe you got screwed (which obviously you do) then its time for a lawyer and the court system. I agree that if the car was mine, I would take a trailer down and try and make a deal to gain physical control of it, but I suspect the shop is going to want what it thinks it deserves before they will allow it to leave because once it is gone they have very little chance of getting paid; the car is their only leverage. Yes, I get that you got screwed or feel that you did (not n any way discounting your statements, just that I don't know one way or another), but if the shop has been in business for any length of time and intends to remain so, it is going to invoke its rights to hold it until paid. So, you either bite the bullet and pay, then take them to court or you leave it and try and take it to court while the car is in the shop. Problem there, parts will be flying off of it no doubt. If it were me and I could afford it, I would eat and get the car back.
 
Different VIN? May be a different car than what you originally bought.
 
I would contact the DA's office also. No charge and they will definitely look at the situation because of the VIN issues.
 
I don't know any of these people, however I have been around the hobby and cars for a long time and in most cases there are 2 sides to every story. The problem in these situations is that you end up with 2 simultaneous issues; you have the vehicle owner who decides he wants the vehicle back, however you have the shop that has time/money into the project. Neither side wants to back down and thus cars sit in limbo for an extended period of time. As much as you don't like it, if you want the car you are going to have to settle with the shop, if you believe you got screwed (which obviously you do) then its time for a lawyer and the court system. I agree that if the car was mine, I would take a trailer down and try and make a deal to gain physical control of it, but I suspect the shop is going to want what it thinks it deserves before they will allow it to leave because once it is gone they have very little chance of getting paid; the car is their only leverage. Yes, I get that you got screwed or feel that you did (not n any way discounting your statements, just that I don't know one way or another), but if the shop has been in business for any length of time and intends to remain so, it is going to invoke its rights to hold it until paid. So, you either bite the bullet and pay, then take them to court or you leave it and try and take it to court while the car is in the shop. Problem there, parts will be flying off of it no doubt. If it were me and I could afford it, I would eat and get the car back.

A little more clarity on the situation. Sorry, I was trying to keep it brief so it wasn't such a long read. Again, this is just the tip of the iceberg with this guy and his excuses.

The shop has done nothing except paint a sample. "Shop" is used in the loosest terms imaginable here too. It's one man, in his personal garage at his house and in storage units. That by the way, one time we went to "see/get the paint sample" the storage unit attendant came out and told him his access was revoked because he hadn't paid rent in three months. This was a 1000% oversold to me in the beginning and under delivered. Originally there was youtube channel and three guys working for him....etc. He was in the process of moving into a new larger shop where he could put all of his lifts, and tools. There is no real shop. Again, my mistake, for being too trusting.

Besides, Even if he has done any work on the car, I gave him $1500 labor deposit and bought $1100 in paint supplies which he still has too.

This is essentially like you went to purchase a car from someone, paid them in full and they refuse to give the car to you or your money back.
 
A little more clarity on the situation. Sorry, I was trying to keep it brief so it wasn't such a long read. Again, this is just the tip of the iceberg with this guy and his excuses.

The shop has done nothing except paint a sample. "Shop" is used in the loosest terms imaginable here too. It's one man, in his personal garage at his house and in storage units. That by the way, one time we went to "see/get the paint sample" the storage unit attendant came out and told him his access was revoked because he hadn't paid rent in three months. This was a 1000% oversold to me in the beginning and under delivered. Originally there was youtube channel and three guys working for him....etc. He was in the process of moving into a new larger shop where he could put all of his lifts, and tools. There is no real shop. Again, my mistake, for being too trusting.

Besides, Even if he has done any work on the car, I gave him $1500 labor deposit and bought $1100 in paint supplies which he still has too.

This is essentially like you went to purchase a car from someone, paid them in full and they refuse to give the car to you or your money back.

Definitely provides more clarity; I would be hunting down my car and getting it back, once I had it I would decide what the best course of action (legally) would be. You need to get that car ASAP.
 
Yeah, if there really is no car, then I guess the best I could do is get the police involved and sue him. Sounds like a ton of fun.
 
The reason I say the car is probably gone is storage will only hold items in storage units for so long before selling them to recover cost and free the unit. You should have paid the three months storage last time you were there to see it and took your car home at that time.
 
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