DonaldBuswell

Several months ago, I subbed out (Media Blasting) to a fella I was trying to help out in getting his business stood up so I could basically 'do more' and do it faster. This job was the Hood for a '59 Cadillac. He destroyed the Hood. I asked him what happened he said he blasted it and 2 days later on my way up to retrieve it he had his new 'Vato' just lightly blast it to clean off any surface rust. Well, this was where the damage occurred (or so he said). (Note: about 2 weeks after I retrieved this Hood I was deposed in a lawsuit as an expert witness against this same fella as he also damaged an old Toyota truck). (Note 2: He uses sand, however, if you're a good, experienced blaster you can blast with any media and blend techniques to get the desired results and not damage anything, but that only comes from years of experience).

The shop which hired me to do this Cadillac job (the entire car) continued to be happy with my results except for this Hood. Where and how can this be fixed? I personally spent about $6500.00 in out-of-pocket expenses on tools and time to render a fix on this Hood. Sure, the Shrinking Discs do work, but this was massive damage, and the end state result is we are not going to use body filler on this vehicle except in miniscule amounts as this was a car being built by Muscle Rod Shop out of Boerne TX. After a lot of searching and asking and visiting forums and calling people who knew a guy that used to have a Hood and a car and that was 20 years ago etc. (this took about 9 months of searching) we found a Hood, a perfect Hood, same year in Mojave CA. Pictures were exchanged, deals and costs were agreed upon, but, the seller would not do any electronic money transfers, and would not ship it, and we did not want to ship it either.

So, I quickly took to the Plate and offered to go get this Hood on my dime and time. Muscle Rod Shop was blow away and very grateful I was stepping up to make this right. (Note 3: that blaster fella I subbed it out to lost that lawsuit re that old Toyota truck and closed up his business -- he really had no business doing that sort of work and all the dozens of hours I spent training him went down the drain). I coordinated my timeline for CA and put out an APB to anyone in TX and CA needing anything brought to CA and or back from CA to TX as I could be dragging my newly refurbished 18ft car-hauling trailer if anyone needed a car transported. Mark jumped on this offer and we worked out how to get him an 85 928 from Dallas. However, time beat me and I couldn't finish this trailer in time for my go date, so I rented a U-Haul on a discount as no one is moving back to CA and this was a one-way trip. Mark got his car with shifter handle and complete tool kit and perfect Muffler and perfect Gas tank strap! I also had a business just 'dump on me' stuff to go to a business in CA which I was not even asked if I would take to CA, and this same entity had stuff for my return trip, which I flatly refused because I was not going back that way and I was pissed of the arrogance of this entity and assumptions I would be his Donkey ferreting his materials back and forth to LA. No offer for gasoline money, just "here you go". Since I was ambushed, and, I had room, I took the stuff (and had to sleep in my truck as this was all high-dollar stuff) and never a mention of gratitude or appreciation -- let alone remunerations of a fiscal nature! Oh well, it is what it is! Micheal R. in LA and I had spoken some 2-3 weeks earlier and he inquired about me doing his S3 top end, I told him historical pricing and he said he would look-around in LA for services, but on my arrival day to Mark he arranged to come over and drop off his stuff -- too easy, and always nice to meet new people in this community. Just be nice and pleasant to everyone you meet; we all have vastly different backgrounds -- backgrounds often never resulting in crossing paths with each other. Michael R works in that industry called Hollywood and me being born and raised in NH and then 21 years in the Army and now in Texas meeting Hollywood people always is pretty cool!

After Mark I zipped over and dumped the U-haul off for more CA people to exit for TX, then went over to Precision Motor Werks, met Kyle, Greg and Mary were gone but had a nice 30 min visit with Kyle and his customers as Kyle gathered 2 more top ends to go back for refreshing (Note 4: I am not charging them for transportation -- they have always been fair and civil and an absolute pleasure to do business with). Kyle showed me some of the previous blasting work on stuff they used to send out, wow, just wow, pretty violent and torn up. Loaded up with 3 complete top ends, and 2 to refresh in Greg's special color (which I never will reveal) and off to Mojave along the I5 around 3pm on a Thursday, about 10 mph average for 40 miles and $5.50 a gallon for gas. Arrived in Mojave, met the fella, (super nice man), payed him the cash requested, loaded up, secured the load, bid farewell and off I went back to TX. About 700–900-mile days with no easily pilfered materials in my truck bed, I slept in Hotels for 2 nights and arrived at 7pm at Muscle Rod Shop with their new Hood and shook hands and all is good! What a trip! No issues at all except horrendous I40 roads and a really bad road joint in West Texas or Tuscon AZ which popped a belt on my front left tire and only became irritating a few days later in TX, tire replaced, over 200 gallons of gasoline, 928 delivered, Hood picked up, and 3 jobs -- success!