kbaker1
Jr. Member
Bear with me. I just need to vent a little. Bought my Bronco Oct. 2004. Sweet deal from a buddy. Mechanically sound with rebuilt 302, cam, detroit and posi. Lots of engine work, but little interior work. I bought it for a hunting vehicle, and after the hunting season ended in 1/05, I brought it home to do a little tinkering. Because I am absolutely not mechanicaly inclined, even the smallest of projects became a headache. BUT, I was toatally into it, just overwhelmed. I wanted to do all kinds of stuff to it, but didn't even know where to start. One day, while working on it, it sliped out of park and rolled backwards, ever so slowly, and ran right into both passenger doors of my Ford King Ranch. The truck is still dented but I fixed the scrape it left on the Bronco.
Anyway, one day in Nov. 2005, while driving to work, I saw a new offroad shop with an EB in front. HHHMMMM? I thought. I stopped in and met the owner. Super nice guy. Showed me photos of his EB and al of the vehicles he has customized. I told him about mine and all my grand ideas. The next day, he was at my house with a trailer and took it back to his shop to begin work on the project, which would eventualy include the folowing:
1. new wiring harness
2. custom rock sliders.
3. body lift
4. spray lined inside
5. spray lined top.
6. spray lined outside around exterior bottom edge.
7. remove all exterior chrome parts and powder coat black.
8. powder coat rims .
9. Tune-up and fix overheating problems
10. new gears
11. custom 6 point roll cage
12. new seats with reupholstery to match exterior.
13. powder coat dash
14. install new guages
15. install and spray line new james duff flares
16. new carb
ETC, ETC, ETC, ETC
I paid him $500 up front to begin the tune up and installation of all new hoses, belts, etc. Well, the Bronco sat outside the shop for about one wek and then they finally brought in to start on it. He put a mechanic on it who started the tune-up and putting in new carb. I would go in every day to check on progress and it seemed to be real slow. At one point, nothing got done fr about a week, it just sat there. Apparently, the mechanic had been callig in sick and had all kinds of personal problms, including not liking to work much. After it sat for about 3 weeks, the owner told me the mechanic quit, but that he was running an ad for a new mechanic and as soon as he started they would start back up on the Bronco.
Abut 2 weeks later a new mechanic started and he got right to work where the old guy left off and seemed to be making good progress, but I began to notice that they were having him spend more time on body and suspension lift type stuff than fixing my Bronco. Finaly, the owner told me that they weren't going t finish the engine until I got the new wiring harness, which would need to be installed first. So, I ordered the wiring harness, and after it sat there for about another wek, the new guy started installing it, with his brother in law (who didn't even work at the shop). They made a lot of early progress, but didn't finish the install. When I didn't see the guy for a few days, they told me that he had also quit. So there sat my Bronco, with a half finshed engine/carb and half instaled wirig harness.
Of course, the story was that it was essentialy compltete - a few litle odds and ends here and there and it woud be ready to roll.
About 5 weeks ago I told them that I had to have the Bronco by March 15 because I was taking it to the beach for a fishig trip over spring break.. The owner laughed at my comment and told him that the work left would only take a few days - but days went by and noone was working on my Bronco. During the process I came to meet another customer who was having the same isues and was actualy comin in after work to fix the vehicle he had already paid them to fix.
About thre weeks ago I told the shop manager about the March 15 deadline and the next day she told me they were going to clear out all of the other vehicles so that the following week they could devote to my bronco so that it would be ready by last friday. Needless to say, they didn't meet that deadline, even though Istarted coming by after work to push them to work on it. On Friday evening, the owner asked when I was going on vacation. I told him that I was leaving on the 15th but that they had promised it to me on that day. He told me it would be ready on Saturday (just buttoning up a few things). I went in on Saturday - got there before anyone else - and worked until 9 p.m. - but Bronco wasn't ready. Worked there from 3 -11 on Monday, 11- 9 on Tuesday (last night). The owner asked me last night what time I was leaving town today and I told in in the a.m. He said if I could wait til the afternoon he would have it ready to go. I told him that Iwas already pissed, and that if I waited till the afternoon, on his promise to have it ready, and it wasn't ready, that I would not be happy (as if I was anyway). He told me not to come in today, but to just let them get on it, kinda stay out of their way, and to come by at 3 pm to pick it up. Guess what happened at 3? Yep, walked in through the back of the shop. No one was working in the shop and it looked like the Bronco had not even been touched. So, I let the employee who was ther have it as well as the shop manager, but the owner wasn't in, he was "pickig up some parts or something."
They called me three times this evenig and when I finaly answered, the manager told me that as soon as the owner got back, they jumped all over it and when she left, "it was almost done."
GIVE ME A FREAKIN BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's the kicker. I'm a lawyer. I defend people who get sued. The owner has been sued twice since they've been working on my Bronco, one from a guy that claims he brought his vehciel in, paid a bunch of money up front, but his vehciel never got fixed, just torn apart. I agreed to repesent them in both of the suits. one is set for trial on april 11th.
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. Anyone who reads this entire story - thanks for listening.
I just want the Bronco back. I'll learn to do everythig myself - regardless of the headache.
Oh yeah - of all the stuff I listed above, here is what they completed - engine tuneup and carb (but still overheats and discovered blown gead gasket 3 days ago), powdercoated rims, new wiring harness (but as of this afternoon, there is a short somewhere, the brake lights don't work and the license plate light is not connected), 3 in body lift (but the steering clumn stil needs to be lengthened 3 inches - he started it last night but ran out of oxygen in his torch/welder?) Several other things have been done over time but I did them while in his shop because no one else would.
Sorry for the long post. Give me my Bronco back!
Anyway, one day in Nov. 2005, while driving to work, I saw a new offroad shop with an EB in front. HHHMMMM? I thought. I stopped in and met the owner. Super nice guy. Showed me photos of his EB and al of the vehicles he has customized. I told him about mine and all my grand ideas. The next day, he was at my house with a trailer and took it back to his shop to begin work on the project, which would eventualy include the folowing:
1. new wiring harness
2. custom rock sliders.
3. body lift
4. spray lined inside
5. spray lined top.
6. spray lined outside around exterior bottom edge.
7. remove all exterior chrome parts and powder coat black.
8. powder coat rims .
9. Tune-up and fix overheating problems
10. new gears
11. custom 6 point roll cage
12. new seats with reupholstery to match exterior.
13. powder coat dash
14. install new guages
15. install and spray line new james duff flares
16. new carb
ETC, ETC, ETC, ETC
I paid him $500 up front to begin the tune up and installation of all new hoses, belts, etc. Well, the Bronco sat outside the shop for about one wek and then they finally brought in to start on it. He put a mechanic on it who started the tune-up and putting in new carb. I would go in every day to check on progress and it seemed to be real slow. At one point, nothing got done fr about a week, it just sat there. Apparently, the mechanic had been callig in sick and had all kinds of personal problms, including not liking to work much. After it sat for about 3 weeks, the owner told me the mechanic quit, but that he was running an ad for a new mechanic and as soon as he started they would start back up on the Bronco.
Abut 2 weeks later a new mechanic started and he got right to work where the old guy left off and seemed to be making good progress, but I began to notice that they were having him spend more time on body and suspension lift type stuff than fixing my Bronco. Finaly, the owner told me that they weren't going t finish the engine until I got the new wiring harness, which would need to be installed first. So, I ordered the wiring harness, and after it sat there for about another wek, the new guy started installing it, with his brother in law (who didn't even work at the shop). They made a lot of early progress, but didn't finish the install. When I didn't see the guy for a few days, they told me that he had also quit. So there sat my Bronco, with a half finshed engine/carb and half instaled wirig harness.
Of course, the story was that it was essentialy compltete - a few litle odds and ends here and there and it woud be ready to roll.
About 5 weeks ago I told them that I had to have the Bronco by March 15 because I was taking it to the beach for a fishig trip over spring break.. The owner laughed at my comment and told him that the work left would only take a few days - but days went by and noone was working on my Bronco. During the process I came to meet another customer who was having the same isues and was actualy comin in after work to fix the vehicle he had already paid them to fix.
About thre weeks ago I told the shop manager about the March 15 deadline and the next day she told me they were going to clear out all of the other vehicles so that the following week they could devote to my bronco so that it would be ready by last friday. Needless to say, they didn't meet that deadline, even though Istarted coming by after work to push them to work on it. On Friday evening, the owner asked when I was going on vacation. I told him that I was leaving on the 15th but that they had promised it to me on that day. He told me it would be ready on Saturday (just buttoning up a few things). I went in on Saturday - got there before anyone else - and worked until 9 p.m. - but Bronco wasn't ready. Worked there from 3 -11 on Monday, 11- 9 on Tuesday (last night). The owner asked me last night what time I was leaving town today and I told in in the a.m. He said if I could wait til the afternoon he would have it ready to go. I told him that Iwas already pissed, and that if I waited till the afternoon, on his promise to have it ready, and it wasn't ready, that I would not be happy (as if I was anyway). He told me not to come in today, but to just let them get on it, kinda stay out of their way, and to come by at 3 pm to pick it up. Guess what happened at 3? Yep, walked in through the back of the shop. No one was working in the shop and it looked like the Bronco had not even been touched. So, I let the employee who was ther have it as well as the shop manager, but the owner wasn't in, he was "pickig up some parts or something."
They called me three times this evenig and when I finaly answered, the manager told me that as soon as the owner got back, they jumped all over it and when she left, "it was almost done."
GIVE ME A FREAKIN BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's the kicker. I'm a lawyer. I defend people who get sued. The owner has been sued twice since they've been working on my Bronco, one from a guy that claims he brought his vehciel in, paid a bunch of money up front, but his vehciel never got fixed, just torn apart. I agreed to repesent them in both of the suits. one is set for trial on april 11th.
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. Anyone who reads this entire story - thanks for listening.
I just want the Bronco back. I'll learn to do everythig myself - regardless of the headache.
Oh yeah - of all the stuff I listed above, here is what they completed - engine tuneup and carb (but still overheats and discovered blown gead gasket 3 days ago), powdercoated rims, new wiring harness (but as of this afternoon, there is a short somewhere, the brake lights don't work and the license plate light is not connected), 3 in body lift (but the steering clumn stil needs to be lengthened 3 inches - he started it last night but ran out of oxygen in his torch/welder?) Several other things have been done over time but I did them while in his shop because no one else would.
Sorry for the long post. Give me my Bronco back!
Punitive damages and take their bronco away from them . Afterall , you stopped there because you thought they could do the job as a fellow bronco enthusiast so I say they should have their bronco previldges revoked for 1 year while you learn how to fix your own you can be using theirs as a hunting/fishing/parts chaser vehicle ;D Let me know if you need a couple legs broken ... I know a friend of a cousin that has a sister that knows .... ;D 
