We were looking for a Model A because I wanted an old car to use in parades for my tax business.
We weren't really into old cars at this point but we both really loved looking at them and always said
wow wish we had one of those. We got the idea of just going and looking for one for my business
as an advertiser when we saw one for sale in the local paper at an auction. We attended that
auction and bid on it but it went for a big price of about $7,000, which at that time what we thought
was a whole lot of money. We lost of course so our pursuit began. We looked at several local cars
but none we really fancied enough to buy. I ws looking at a site that sells cars on consignment in
the UP of Michigan and found our "Afordabelle" as she would be later named. She was not the
most beautiful of cars but she was in reach and she was our Model A the day we saw her June 28,
2006. We made a long trip up to Lanse which isn't that far but Jim had fallen off a ladder just a couple days before and had a nasty gash sewed up on his back about 9 inches long and to the bone. It wasn't a real comfy trip for him but he didn't feel most of the pain till we got our Afordabelle home. The saga had begun for our nightmare. We got lost leaving the purchase site and drove around in a circle for about an hour wasting daylight, but finally got on the highway home. We had one stop to re-adjust the car on the trailer to make it a smoother ride. It was our first time trailering a car so it was a learning experience also. It was a long trip home and I could see Jim was in a lot of pain so I drove most of the way. It wasn't so bad driving, that trailer is a pretty good follower. Its well made so it was a breeze. We got her home and we had to make a phone call to get the combination to getting her started again as she was a stubborn old biddy but we got her to come around and got her off of the trailer and into the garage after a trip around the block of course to show her off. We did a lot of riding around town in her and took her to the ice cream store for a cone and a trip around the park with our friends Bud and Dewilla for fun. We took her to the Labor Day Parade in Rock and she wore the logo of my business well and that was good because that is what she was bought for originally. In mid summer we decided to try Vintage Tin the local car club for antiques. We decided to go on a cruise with them one Wednesday evening. About 4 miles into the trip she over heated which didn't surprise us and we did carry water with us but she wasn't in the mood for the cruise so we went back home very slowly when she cooled down. At that point we were so disappointed and embarrassed because we couldn't finish what we started that we decided to have her over hauled. We searched for shops to take her in for an overhaul and were disappointed time and time again with the end result of sorry no time till two years from now. We got a phone call back from one restoration shop in WI and thought wow finally maybe she is gonna get her face lift and energy upgraded. Our bliss was overwhelming as with many others I read about on sites but we tried to be very cautious. I wanted to do everything right so I asked for references and checked them all out and we thought everything was on the up and up. (Click here for photo gallery)
September 2006
We made the trip to WI to take her to the shop and when we got there the shop wasn't bad for a shop and the owner was building a newer shop which he showed us along with a new residence he was building. So you are thinking what we thought well he must be on the up and up or are you doubting already his validity yet? This guy had also referred an engine guy in North St Paul, MN that he worked with a lot. This guys appearance was that of a body man but his hyginne was very poor. Some people just dont take a lot of time with their appearance daily but that doesnt make them scam artists or bad business people. We discussed the car and the down payment to get the car media blasted to start the body work and process. This guy charged on time and materials and that was fine with us if its done proper. We left our car and traveled on to our hotel which was a couple hours away. The next day were were to travel to talk with the engine man in St Paul MN a couple hours away. We talked to the engine man and was sure he knew what he was up against because he honestly knew parts and options Jim had originally wanted on the car that we had discussed extensively before we started out to find a restoration man. The man (Ron) we spoke to and discussed our car with was knowledgeable but the owner (Rob) was not and seemed predisposed and not present a lot but had told us that Ron would take of the details and we also spoke to the previous owner (Dick) of this establishment and saw pictures of his car that was supposedly built by this shop. We discussed the price of the engine work and interior which was estimated at $3500 and the engine and mechanics and parts to be ordered by Ron for the body man $36,000. We went over every option that was to be included in the car and Ron put a figure on each one including the parts for the body man. We looked up parts in different manuals and catalogs for each item, it was a quite lengthy meeting about three hours or so. We got there for a 1 PM appt. and left as they were closing that day. We had neither of us slept the night before after leaving our car with Mike Janey and felt something just wasnt right with him so we designated Ron the one to do the ordering for him so we didnt have to leave a ton of money with him. We then traveled home and sent a wire to King Cobra Racing for $15,000 which was to be the initial payment and then $15000 when the car went to King Cobra for the engine work. Ron felt this was enough to buy the frame and the parts that Mike Janey would need for the body to get it to that point.
We joked that day about our paranoid feeling and then the car, I said well we should name her a- ford-a- belle, and then I said NOT(meaning she was going to cost us a fortune)! The name stuck and she has been Afordabelle since.
November 2006
Car was done with media blast and we were on our way to make some decisions. We met with Mike Janey and was totally blind sided with what used to be our car that was totally distroyed. He demanded, I mean he didnt ask at all he demanded $10,000 to be given to him that day or take our car and shove it up our a$$ (his exact words). My husband doesnt talk a lot as he just tells me to handle it when money is concerned because this was my business project. Mike said to jim,"Whats the matter with you dont you talk or are you just a *P----? (derogatory word for woman's part) My husband was taken back by that and at that point it was time to take the car and go. My husband is not one to fight but he is an ex-Marine so he is capable of taking out those who want to start the swinging.
Mike Janey originally told me it would be cheaper to fill the top then to keep it original. and now he was saying the opposite. I questioned his previous comment and he got real nasty and was swearing at me and I don't mean using calm language it was the F word over and over. We had stopped at King Cobra on the way to Mike's shop and gotten a lot of wisdom on some people who were filing a suit with the State of WI for fraud on Mike so we immediately started questioning what and how our money was to be spent and he said he didn't have to put anything in writing as to the steps of how the money is spent ahead of time so we decided that it was not in our best interest to put any more money with him and to move our car, so for him to tell us that realliy made our day as we are being totally truthful in the facts. So when he said "Lady take your F----g car and shove it up your A$$ if you arent leaving $10,000 here for work, I was glad to do so.
We left, telling Mike we would be back with the sheriff and a tow truck. We called a friend in a nearby town to ask if he would help us to get the car stored until we could find someone to work on it. He agreed and sent a friend of his with a wrecker to the Mike Janey place of business for us and the car was then moved to Trego and Mike Janey was told he had 30 days to refund our money left on the initial $5000 which he did, because he didn't have a copy of the signed contract, but we did, and he knew he was wrong. Mike Janey decided he didn't want anyone else logging where the money went but little did we know that Rob the owner of the engine shop was just as bad as Mike at this point. Ron had been treated for cancer and we were not made aware he had cancer or how bad he was and that he was dying until early 2007. Before Ron died he did get us in touch with a friend of his to work on the body of the car to try to get it done. This body man I will not name as he was doing us a favor and will remain anonymous as he still has our car at this point.
January 2007
In January 2007 we were sent an email asking for more money from King Cobra and still had not received any statements of what the initial $15,000 went for. I requested this many many times and then told Rob I wouldn't send anymore money until I saw what was happening with the last. He assured me that the statement would be on the way. We were getting updates from the body man and statements of what was delivered to him and it was adding up on our estimate so with doubt we sent them the other installment of $15,000 to not hold him up with parts he needed. We received the first statement and it had a posiotive balance that was added to the $15,000 on the second invoice which had over $4000 positive balance. Things were going ok but with a lot of problems with parts for the bodyman through the month of January and time came to have a mock up at the bodymans place Jan 28th, 2009. Needless to say again but the frame wasn't right this time as Rob had made welds for the engine that were all wrong and everthing had to be reworked and when the Dan contacted the frame company he was told the frame was not the ideal frame for a ford engine for that make car and the bodyman worked with the engineer to make it right and to keep safety in mind as a major factor.This is what I was told anyway and I have no way of knowing if this is completely true but Dan never had a reason to lie to us and thus far was the most honest person we had dealt with. This was also stated by another guy who was present when we were at the Dan's shop but who know this could have just been a good friend of his. Many parts were ordered for this car that were noticably wrong to me and I am not a restoration man but I can read what the descriptions say they work for. and what they don't work for. Believe me at this point I could order parts with the best, and was ordering parts and got them right. We really got tired of paying to fix parts that were ordered wrong and paying to send back with restock fees, obviously ordered wrong parts. Ron worked with this man but in a real incapacitated state that Dan thought we were aware of from the start and that he wasn't aware of himself until things started going really wrong. Had we been told all this up front we would have pulled our car immediately and never would have given King Cobra any money for the build or the engine work and parts for the body man. Dick was the one that supposedly had the cancer and Ron was in a wheelchair but lots of people are in wheelchairs and work jobs. His mind seemed fine at the start and we questioned if his illness would interfere with this build, and was told no he was fine, but with time it went quickly. Ron passed away in 2007 and Robs business quickly turned to a place of total choas. The boady man or I could not reach him and he would not return calls or answer mail. He would send mail back unopened from his business and home address. This happening we decided the car would not return to St Paul for anything. In the meantime between Jan 2007 and now the car has been with Dan and he has worked on it with help when he needed it. (Click here for photo gallery)
November 2007
We are going to Az for the winter so we have tried repeatedly to contact Rob to stop in MN to get our money but he is not returning our calls and Dan has all our parts that the invoice states were bought so we will have to deal with the rest when we can find Rob. We have sent several letters and made numerous calls to his business and home to no avail. Rob ceased to be available to get parts and refused to repay our remaining money which to this day he still has. We have contacted the Attorney General of Minnesota to complain and were told there is nothing they can do. Rob has threatened us with if we file a civil suit he will sue us for the remaining money we owe him for work that was scheduled Feb to April 2007. This is a joke since the car went to the bodyshop Jan. 28th 2007 by his reference and was left there at his reference to get the engineering of the frame done because he said he couldnt' get anywhere with the company and the bodyman said he would try Jan 28th at the mock up. The frame engineering took until after Ron died and Rob disappeared.and didnt even get it close to being able to hold the engine that was never ordered by Rob which is why he wanted the $15,000 in Jan. We then were told the business was surrendered back to the previous owner Dick who held an auction but says he was totally free and clear of that business in 2006. Hey do they sound crooked to you yet??
April 2008
Stopped to see bodyman and check on car on way home from AZ. Lot of body work done but not looking really swell. Can't really tell too much because we really aren't trained to see things that are wrong but we have been asking lots of questions. Top is on body and all filed and looks ok. Our bodyman has kept us up to date with everything he has done to this point. To this point we have wired him several thousand dollars for fixes and have ordered several thousand dollars in parts.
April 2008 to April 2009
Not a lot happened but a bit of body work and excuses from Dan saying he has been ill.
April 2009
We visited the bodyman this month and the car is looking good but we were told it was not going to be within his expertise to get the engine in and he would finish the body, set it on the frame and set the engine on the frame so we could transport it home to finish it. Dan cut and fabricated all the parts that were ordered for the wrong vehicle(supposedly by King Cobra) to fit the car as they couldn't be returned. He has done an ok job of course at a price to us but when you get this far you cant stop and most of the scammers know this so they bleed you dry. We did keep our heads about us and minimized the scam but it still hurt a bit. If you ask are we sorry? No we aren't sorry we just wish we had kept it a Model A and drove slow and bought another car to fix up for shows and cruises. But then in another frame of mind when it's done it will be fabulous one day. The stock market crash didnt help as the funds became lower and spending is much more closely watched. Just hope we live to drive it.
June 2009
The bodyman has advised us we may be able to pick it in July so we have everything ready to go. We are anxious to get it home and get it going. Its a real beauty of a car and will have all the best in it. We will share the coming home pictures as soon as we go get her. June 30th Dan called to say the car should be ready to bring home the end of July. (Remind you not finished but together enough to bring it home). We have by the way bought another car a "55 Buick to have as a fun cruising car. (Click here for photo gallery)
September 2009 Trego, WI
Ok we are here to pick up the car but now he told us it’s not done and it won’t be for three more days. Better go see if the motel has the room for three days available. He was not kind enough to call us before we drove 300+ miles to get it. Just the day before he told us everything was go. We decided we are taking it home no matter what we are done messing around with this guy. We went to pick up the car after waiting around another two days and loaded it up. Finally we are on our way to taking it home and not happy campers at all with the way it looked but had no choice to get it together enough to get it out of that money pit rip off body shop. After seeing the car we were very disappointed in the way it looked but to the normal person’s eye it would look like a super ride. It was just the exact opposite to us knowing how much the trashed work had cost us. We honestly would have been better off stopping after the first $5k we spent in the beginning on another scammer. Yah know you are wondering how gullible are we?? We aren’t we checked out these people and the references actually lied to us too. Anyone wanting to rod a car or restore better take heed and know personally the work of someone or forget them as a source of dependable reference or body work if a shop or individual. When it comes to wheels on a road or highway the mistakes and shabby work could cost a life.
September 2009 Bark River, MI
Ok it’s now time to take her back to the shop because while it may look like a happy reunion it wasn’t at all. We got home to Upper Michigan safely with the hotrod on a trailer and took it to the shop that was going to finish it up and what a surprise we got. I won’t go into all the things that were wrong but will say we basically paid the guy in Trego WI, $25,000 to do a real mess of a job. On the initial visit to the body shop just a few things that were apparent were pointed out to us like bows in the roof that was fabricated by Dan, body not square at all and it shows in the door frames and later on you will see other things in pictures and in writing that were a safety hazard as well as just plain negligence by Dan. The first point was he shipped this car with the engine uncovered top and bottom so it was full of road dirt and grime not to mention it hadn’t been covered in his shop either as previous pictures have already shown it as it sat there. That brand new crate engine sat for two years collecting the elements in this body shop. So needless to say the engine had to be totally cleaned and flushed and no longer would be warranted because of Dan’s negligence. Need I say we are not really happy campers at this point again? (Click here for photo gallery)
Updates Jan to July 2010
Now to get to the build the right way!
The car is at LANTAGNE‘s Auto body now and in fine hands. Gary has sent us pictures of the screw ups of the previous body man and has found that most of the new parts such as cowl, hood and fenders were sliced and diced so badly they all have to be basically re-fabricated or re-bought. Parts put on upside down, I kid you not. Things were moving pretty slow until the first of the year but we were just happy the car was in someone trustworthy shop. Gary’s shop has re-made the roof of the car to eliminate the pools the first so called body man created in the roof he made and to fill the roof seams all the way around instead of tack it to the body with spot welds or whatever they call it. Gary’s team then found that the cowl, hood and fenders were all cut and forced to fit instead of squaring and fitting properly. This was verified by Gary calling the supplier to get original measurements of the parts. The door frames that we could visibly see were bent to fit are now lying like they belong there. There are plenty of things that were fixed to make us realize that Dan really wasn’t a body man after all he was just someone else in the nightmare plan set for this cars adventure. This stuff you didn’t need to be a professional body man to see it was wrong that is the sad part. Dan really thought he did a beautiful job on our rod and I truly wish he lived closer to show him how not a beautiful job he did. We are about to go seek legal help to see if it would be possible to get some of our money back from the scammers that we hired as legit business owners. We are now so pissed that we don’t care if they get jail time for fraud or whatever. Meanwhile we have hired an interior guy to take over the interior job and get the rod all finished up this year. YAHOO!! I will write more later as we go and the car progresses to the final paint job and engine work.
The body man just told us today when we went out to square last month’s bill, that there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. She is in the final primer application process right now and the date is now July 8th 2010. We are sure looking forward to the day we bring her home and the day the bills stop mounting up. We knew this would be an adventure but we sure didn’t anticipate it would be a nightmare.
Update to November 2010
Summer was a litte slower than expected but work is back in full swing now. Wiring is being done and things are looking up. Hopeful for spring realease of the new and much improved Model A Hot Rod! The interior guy is staying busy with other jobs while he awaits her arrival too. Now we all know we got hunting season coming up and what that brings with it so please everyone just watch for those 4 legged creatures and don't be hittin' any because we want to get this hotrod done so we are deeply in love with the idea of a car/deer accident fee season until one name hot rod (AFordABelle) is done; then you can make up for lost time if you really want to and make business boom for Gary. If you dont know who Gary is then you need to check him out. If you have work you want done just give him a jingle and let him know Karen & Jim sent ya. You won't be disappointed if you want quality work and an honest up front analysis. Rick is a very quiet guy but he sure does some nice body work. You can see he cares about the car by his careful pointing out of the things that he could have skimped on but it just wouldn't be quality if he did so he chose the right way to do it so its quality. If you want to get a slop job then don't bother with this team at Lantagne's Auto Body because they aren't into sloppy and their time is valuable so don't waste it. Did I mention that the office people also take the time to let you know whats going on if the boss happens to be busy when you stop by? They have proven to be knowledgable as well as kind and thoughtful. Ok, thats whats happening for now so I will sign off and let your know when we progress further. (New pictures click here then scroll to bottom of page to see new ones)
Update to December 2010
Update to March 2011
The work has been re-started now and I have posted some pictures to show the progress of the past three months. It doesnt look like a lot but they are working on it again now. It has been readied for paint and should be all painted in the next two weeks. We are getting anxious to get it done just to have the monkey off our back and to be able to enjoy our life again and stop living for a car that is a money pit. If we had it to do all over again we would have stopped and taken the initial $15,000 as a loss and moved on. We went into this project witha lot of research after reading about so much scamming but you really dont know who is going to scam you and when people they have done work for lie because their car is being held hostage its just wrong. But hey live and learn. Maybe someone reading this will be spared the grief and expense we experienced. Once you have a bundle of money tied up in a project you are past the point of quitting and that is where we found ourselves after the scam. We were lucky things played out the way they did or we would still be paying a ton in court costs to just retrieve what was rightfully ours without paying the scammers more money. We did talk to the Attorney General of 3 different states (Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota) and there is absolutely nothing they do to this kind of person who does this. That is sad. I am sure once our Model A is done we will get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Thanks to Gary and his team it should be done soon. Then off to the upholstery shop to put the finishing touches on the interior. We will keep you up to date and hope to show you the final review soon.
March has been a very productive month. The final build has begun after long awaited repairs are coming to an end. Jim is dreaming again of driving this hotrod and its nice to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The work is so beautiful you can not describe it in words. The car will do a great justice to testify to the great work this team does and the pride they take in putting out a truly amazing hot rod! If you have body work to be done take it to Gary's Team they will treat you right and you won't be sorry! The excitement level in this house has just been elevated to CAUTION! (New pictures scroll to bottom of page to view new ones)
