When Erik contacted me after Carl made his post he asked if I had seen it and when I told him that I had he asked if I wanted to make a reply. I told him that I was not interested in engaging into a he said-she said with a shiny happy person. He ultimately made the decision to close it. Dave Hodgkins called me a couple of days later and I told him the same however I was also hearing from former customers, friends, other professionals and even forum members who I've never conversed with previously who encouraged me to open up. Meanwhile Dave made the decision to unlock the thread so here goes.

As Dave mentioned I'm a one man show. I think I'm the only guy specializing in these cars who operates this way. This is no secret and customers know it. Every nut, screw rivet is done by me...every bit if filler is mixed and spread by me...every stroke with a piece of sandpaper is done by me...every bit of primer, surfacer, sealer, pigment and clear is sprayed by me. I bust my *** on these things and have never had a customer who fails to appreciate it. There aren't any helpers and I have the deteriorating hands and body to prove it. If unforseen things happen there isn't anyone to step into my place.

Like most times there are two sides to every story and differing recollections, interpretations and things either presented or taken out of context. Carl and I spoke at some point during his build but he got out of the lineup when he decided to send his 10K mile engine back to the vendor. He let me know when it came back and I told him that I would slot him into the mix as the next car to arrive. My 2020 started out slower than planned and stayed that way; the London Cobra Show raffle car that I DONATED the bodywork and paint for arrived to the chassis builder months later than planned and then came to me even later. Meanwhile I had other cars here and in process; I wasn't going to come to a complete standstill waiting for Carl's engine to come back to him (he later told me that took longer than he wanted it to also). While his car was down we were in communication a number of times about his color selections. I had samples mixed, sprayed them and sent them to him (all on my dime). Once he was running he asked when to bring it and I told him that I wouldn't be able to begin work on it until one of the three that remained (the LCS car was gone by this time) was finished. He was unhappy with the prospect of waiting and I told him as I had before (and as I've told others) "If the timeframe doesn't work for you feel free to go with another option and there won't be any hurt feelings on my end." A short time later we talked and he asked about dropping the car off in early July because he was planning to make a trip to visit his Dad and that would put him about halfway here. I told him that he could but he needed to understand that was for convenience and that didn't mean that I would be starting to work on it right away. He may be forgetting that---if indeed I told him "you're next" it meant next in line after these. I have no clue where he got the idea that I "completed 5 more cars during the time he was supposed to have mine in his shop". Cars belonging to Jim, Ed and Dave were all here and in various stages when Carl dropped his off. None moved in after those and ahead of him despite what he thinks to be the case. He thinks that cars that were here when he dropped his off were gone and others had come in when he visited in September...wrong...they all were completed in the order in which they arrived...Dave's car left on 7/21, Jim's on 9/5 and Ed's on 11/3. Carl if you have knowledge of the others please let me know because I never got paid for them!

I had delays, no doubt. One of the cars ahead of his had some major issues that took an inordinate amount of time to correct. We had a family health situation that took my wife and me out of town unexpectedly twice. Carl was unsympathetic, not even a so much as "I'm sorry to hear that" but was only concerned with his own disappointment. What I interpreted as a selfish attitude kind of put me into a frame of mind that told me that it was best to limit our conversations so when he sent a text again expressing his displeasure with the timeframe I replied back with:

"Hey Carl, Sorry that you are disappointed, I'm not happy with the delay either. Believe me I want the car gone from here as much as you do but sometimes circumstances keep things from going according to plan. I've had plenty of these, some of which you've been aware of---we didn't plan to have to drive our daughter and kids back to Virginia when she came down with Bronchitis while visiting here. We also didn't plan to have to return a couple of weeks later when she was hospitalized with double pneumonia. I didn't plan tor the tremendous number of extra hours that the car before you required due to what was the worst body I've ever received. I didn't plan to have to grind out and rebuild your door jambs at the 11th hour when I discovered that they had massive blowouts under the gelcoat (I don't think I told you about this). Those aren't excuses, just reasons why. You don't want me to shortcut and rush the job and even if you did I won't. I'm one guy here, working on your car every single day and no others until it is loaded into your trailer and on it's way back to South Carolina."

See what's in bold type above? That's what I told Carl yet he feels that "Jeff rushed the finish of my car. It was almost Christmas and he had family plans"....No, I did not rush the car. The car was finished and ready for pickup a full week and a half before it actually was picked up on 12/19. There were photos of it fully assembled posted to the build thread on 12/11 so Christmas rush doesn't apply. Sidenote; there are also about 3 dozen other photos that I took in various stages in that thread but yet it is alleged that I "refused to take or send me any photos at all"

I've gone on too much and more than I intended. Our personalities obviously don't gel, Carl was not happy with what I was telling him and I wasn't happy with him either. I think Carl is an OK guy and I'm sure in another situation things would have gone differently. First time I've ever had any disagreement with a customer; most have become true friends who I look forward to talking with regularly, seeing at events and even having as guests. Sometimes Carl seems happy with what he got for his $5,325 (yeah, that's what I charged him...didn't even charge for some of the extras), other times he's not, then he's pleased again like appeared to be the case with the post he made on 12/24. Lot's of ups and downs, highs and lows when dealing with him. At one point he told me that he was so disappointed with waiting that he just wanted to sell the car and not get it back...seems kind of odd to me but??? Truth be told I was very close to refunding his deposit and having him come and get it partially completed, and even discussed this with a couple of Pro Builders to see if they had ever had similar situations (they had), but obviously I didn't follow through and neither did Carl. When I talked with David H. a couple of days ago he said that maybe this can all serve as a learning experience and it has. I learned that when I get a feeling in my gut that a potential customer may not be a good match I need to listen to it and not take them, and I've done that.

Read what you wish into all of this; I'm finished here,
Jeff