YAWN!!!! Back to work Monday
Posted by Dr Diecast at 4/7/2008 8:33 AM and is filed under uncategorized 
So there will be nothing to post here today..... Ok their will be but not much. See for those who didn't know, Saturday was my birthday so I took the weekend off from diecast cars. I honestly did not touch a diecast car all weekend. I did answer a couple emails and talked to two customers on the phone but other than that nothing, and I needed it, LOL.
Friday afternoon though I did get to cutting on another project. 1968 Shelby GT 500. See this car is only made as a fastback. I will be making the first (in 1/18 scale diecast) 68 Shelby convertible when its done. I love what these look like as converts... and this will be a fun project.
First off I have to lay out the cut lines for the fastback and rough cut it. Then, using a 68 Mustang coupe, make like cuts so I can section in the rear deck valance and decklid. See.... I could have just made the filler panel between the top and deck but then I loose the working trunk aspect. This is key and it something I did last year with an Eleanor convertible I built.
These shots were taken on my kitchen counter and show the rough starting point. I will be removing the spoiler and replacing it with a better one off of either the original fastback or an Eleanor parts car trunk I have here.
This will be Yellow with Black GT stripes when finished with a fully working finished trunk. Kinda cool I think.
I guess this will be a long post...... I figured I would add my rant from last week.
So....Oct 1st 2003, I get a call from a woman who wants a Redbird done to match her husbands car. Apparently in the late 70's, 79 to be exact, Pontiac created some 1000 special Firebird Formula's. They were done in a couple different color packages one being Red, hence the Redbird designation. So, in diecast they do not make a 79 Formula but I or course can. Back then.... 2003 I explained everything in detail and she wanted to do the car. I wrote the contract and mailed it to her in New York. Now like my current contract there was a 10 day return time stated. So after some 14 days and not receiving anything ( back then I was so busy I didn't pay close attention) I contacted her and was told she would be mailing everything within a day or so.
Well another week passes and still nothing....... so I call back, according to my records, Oct 23rd. At this time I was told they had snow and she couldn't get the car out to get pictures. OK....... well lets see, she should have done so back around the 1st when the contract was written but hey... ok. So I again hear that she will be mailing everything within a couple days.
So lets skip ahead to March 27th 2008. Yep....just a couple weeks ago. I get a phone call..... woman says, back in 03 you talked to my husband (not) about doing a car (true) and I was cleaning out our desk (what ?? once every 5 years ?, LOL) and found this (uh huh). I want to get this done for him if I can (sure, send money, LOL). She then asks IF I still do this by May 10th, LMAO..... (yeah of 2009)...... but I said of course, you called the number. She then states she has the old contract and wanted to know if we could use that. Hmmm..... lets see...... 5 year old contract that states MUST return in 10 days or void, LOL. I say no.... but I would like her to email or fax me a copy so I can see what my notes were on it. In the mean time I search through my copies that I always keep a copy of and find her original contract.
She then emails me a copy of it and I call her back the next day. We review everything and of course prices have gone up and the original 2003 contract had a price of $598.00. The new contract comes out to $725.00. Hmmm.... 20% increase in 5 years...not sure if thats good or bad, LOL.
So after discussing the new price she says, YES, I want to go forward with this and I say well should I rewrite the new contract and she says, not right now that they were getting ready to leave for a wedding out of town and would call me first thing Monday morning, Monday March 31st. Today is Monday April 7th.... and I have yet to hear from her.
My point......... why do people waste other peoples time ? I mean, she couldn't afford it back then apparently and it sure looks the same way now. Guess that's how life is..... hmmm, I wonder if I can bill her for my time wasted, LMAO..... with interest over 5 years it has to add up to something, LMAO.
OK...... Im out!
Friday afternoon though I did get to cutting on another project. 1968 Shelby GT 500. See this car is only made as a fastback. I will be making the first (in 1/18 scale diecast) 68 Shelby convertible when its done. I love what these look like as converts... and this will be a fun project.
First off I have to lay out the cut lines for the fastback and rough cut it. Then, using a 68 Mustang coupe, make like cuts so I can section in the rear deck valance and decklid. See.... I could have just made the filler panel between the top and deck but then I loose the working trunk aspect. This is key and it something I did last year with an Eleanor convertible I built.
These shots were taken on my kitchen counter and show the rough starting point. I will be removing the spoiler and replacing it with a better one off of either the original fastback or an Eleanor parts car trunk I have here.
This will be Yellow with Black GT stripes when finished with a fully working finished trunk. Kinda cool I think.
I guess this will be a long post...... I figured I would add my rant from last week.
So....Oct 1st 2003, I get a call from a woman who wants a Redbird done to match her husbands car. Apparently in the late 70's, 79 to be exact, Pontiac created some 1000 special Firebird Formula's. They were done in a couple different color packages one being Red, hence the Redbird designation. So, in diecast they do not make a 79 Formula but I or course can. Back then.... 2003 I explained everything in detail and she wanted to do the car. I wrote the contract and mailed it to her in New York. Now like my current contract there was a 10 day return time stated. So after some 14 days and not receiving anything ( back then I was so busy I didn't pay close attention) I contacted her and was told she would be mailing everything within a day or so.
Well another week passes and still nothing....... so I call back, according to my records, Oct 23rd. At this time I was told they had snow and she couldn't get the car out to get pictures. OK....... well lets see, she should have done so back around the 1st when the contract was written but hey... ok. So I again hear that she will be mailing everything within a couple days.
So lets skip ahead to March 27th 2008. Yep....just a couple weeks ago. I get a phone call..... woman says, back in 03 you talked to my husband (not) about doing a car (true) and I was cleaning out our desk (what ?? once every 5 years ?, LOL) and found this (uh huh). I want to get this done for him if I can (sure, send money, LOL). She then asks IF I still do this by May 10th, LMAO..... (yeah of 2009)...... but I said of course, you called the number. She then states she has the old contract and wanted to know if we could use that. Hmmm..... lets see...... 5 year old contract that states MUST return in 10 days or void, LOL. I say no.... but I would like her to email or fax me a copy so I can see what my notes were on it. In the mean time I search through my copies that I always keep a copy of and find her original contract.
She then emails me a copy of it and I call her back the next day. We review everything and of course prices have gone up and the original 2003 contract had a price of $598.00. The new contract comes out to $725.00. Hmmm.... 20% increase in 5 years...not sure if thats good or bad, LOL.
So after discussing the new price she says, YES, I want to go forward with this and I say well should I rewrite the new contract and she says, not right now that they were getting ready to leave for a wedding out of town and would call me first thing Monday morning, Monday March 31st. Today is Monday April 7th.... and I have yet to hear from her.
My point......... why do people waste other peoples time ? I mean, she couldn't afford it back then apparently and it sure looks the same way now. Guess that's how life is..... hmmm, I wonder if I can bill her for my time wasted, LMAO..... with interest over 5 years it has to add up to something, LMAO.
OK...... Im out!
Don't worry, she'll call again in 2013. Remember to ad don your administrative time. Or, send her a message now and tell her she can SAVE $300 by doing it now instead of for her husband's retirement party in 2013 - or 2018 - or ...
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