body damage

i lent my speedster to my dad and he went and got some front end damage to it. the bumper, headlight, and around the headlight is cracked/ smashed/ etc. does anyone know of a reputable body shop in massachusetts, ct, ri, eastern new york area?

Aaaarrrggghhh ! ! ! ! !

I betcha Gordon has the inside scoop on decent body shops near us. He seems very "connected". Shoot him an email.

Luck ! ! !

TC

Before you go to a body shop I would recommend that you purchase the replacement parts first. Body shops will charge you a premium for these parts. Look for a shop that repairs Corvettes. Fiberglass is the same.

George:

Sent you an email.......gordon

guys,

thanks for the advice, especially gordon.

george

George:

All Weather Auto might be a good bet, but check them out and get them to commit to price and finish date (in writing is best).

I don't know any body shops near Boston specializing in Corvettes - the only really good one I know is Colonial Auto Body on Rt. 20 in Worcester (intersection of rts. 20 and 122) and they've been fixing Vette's for years. 508-754-1746

There is a kid in Grafton, MA, on Rt. 140 near the Upton line who is great with fiberglass and could do this work and do a good job of it, but I can't remember his name - got my scouts out looking over there and should have something in a day or so.

gn

Auto Turismo Sport in New Milford CT, autoturismosport.com, 860.350.2128, ask for Steve. I got my Speedster through them, great guys.

Maybe even give a try yourself? If it's just the head lamp and fender that needs repair (the bumper can just be replaced), you really ought to be able to get in there and do it yourself. Of course, farm the paint out and get that base/clear job that you've wanted.

Fiberglass is terribly EASY and LOTS of fun ! ! !

Oh, Gordon . . . BIG two day Swap Meet at the Tweeter Center this weekend. Saturday morning is going to be decent and you REALLY ought to get there early anyway. YOU might not need anthing right now, but the guys are ALWAYS after Obergs and Bosche Blues and headlamp trim rings the like. Go on . . . get out there and hook up a Buddy . . .

Oh, and bring your own water. They get three bucks a bottle at the stand!

See you there!

TC

has anyone heard of "pro finish" in pittsfield, ma? i instructed my 'ol man to take the car to the local restoration place in his hometown, "donovan racing". they specialize in jaguars. they send their paint and body work to pro finish. after a little probing, i happen to know a guy who had his vintage vette done there and the product was great. if anyone has heard anything about pro finish, i'd appreciate any feedback...

I damaged the front end of my 94 intermeccanica and needed a new bumper and hood and lights. I used BodyCraft in Wakefield ma. They have a great deal of Corvette experience. I got the parts from Henry and these guys did a great job. They matched the paint perfectly and are good guys to deal with. Recomend without reservation 781 245 9811

Pro Finish has been aroound a while, mostly doing Classics and such (hence, the Jaguar connection).

They do excellent work - concours level at times - and charge accordingly.

Gordon

gordon,

if the insurance company is willing to pay, i will definitely have pro finish do the work. thanks for the input.

george

With as costly as insurance claims can be on future premiums (and impact even them droping your policy or negating future good driver discounts), you might want to even consider NOT filing a claim for self inflicted damages! Save insurance for a catrostopic claim/loss. By time you pay for the deductible ($250?)--- and then a possible premium increase over the next few years it might be better to either repair yourself or foot the bill yourself. My thought is based on it sounds like less than $1k damage to your vehicle. An insurance company will only pay to fix that specific damage -- they won't repaint the whole car so that would fall on you anyhow if you wanted to have the entire vehicle painted.

Wolfgang
You are on the right track. I have even changed my thoughts on rental car insurance. We always said " my insurance will cover any problems" That was true but the after math of a crash can be very expensive. I now pay the $12 or $15 a day and if anything happens, bring a new car and pick up your wreck!!!

Jimbo

Sort of ironic that dad does in the son's car. It usually works the other way.
ed

when i was in high school, i was detailing dad's '86 944 turbo. i put the roof panel on the roof-rack of the family wagon, did my cleaning and forgot to put it back. hours later, i was driving the wagon across town, took a left at a major intersection, heard a scraping sound on the roof of the wagon, and saw a bunch of cars skidding to avoid the "ufo" coming off my car. i say dad owed me one...

as far as the insurance is concerned, i had one body shop give me a price of $500 to "blend" the paint. pro-finish gave me a price of $1500 to do the job right. my deductible is $500. Grundy insists that because it was nobody's fault (hit and run in a parking lot) my premium will not be changed. if this is true, i just assume spend the same out of pocket and have the repair done properly.