Authentication

I have a custom that was built by a renowned custom car builder out of California. I e-mailed pictures and the remember the car from 12 years ago. Problem is they want almost 5K to confirm that they built it. Is it worth it at the time of re-sale or should I just forget about it and drive the crap out of it.

 

Someone wants money to claim that they built the car? Ridiculous!

 

if you allready know who built it then?

 

Thats is ridiculous! I would tell them to screw off its not that important. A true and honest builder would not charge a dollar for that info.
If you already know that this famous builder did this car why do you need confirmation from them that they did indeed do it?

 

Well that is what I am thinking too. My gal thinks it would add to the value if I was ever to sell it. It my but probably not 5K

 

5 grand to say they built it? builder must be some sort of asshole.

 

are they just insane?

 

I think you post the name of the builder trying to do this.

 

I am not going to do that. He has done me no wrong he just wants a lot of my f___ing money. Just wanted a few unbiased opinions fellas.

 

Hell, for 5K I bet you could get a bunch of "famous" and even a few not so famous builders to claim they built it. Sounds like a huge scam to me...

 

Hell for 5K I can remember almost anything whether it happened or not. Double that and I'll admit to kissing a pig.

If they want you to pay them to confirm that they built it they couldn't be too proud of it.

 

If he's so famous and it was 12 years ago I would be scouring mags of that period to see if I could find an article about it, to me it's a nice very mild custom clean black car nothing special from those angles, got a front shot? Frenched headlites? Smoothed hood? Rounded corners?

 

5k seems WAAAAAAAY overprices for an authentication! I mean, how many hours is someone going to spend at the shop to determine if they built it! Prolly not more than a handful.

 

there is no reason not to say who you think built the car, gezz, its bad publicity to ask 5k just to say you built a car, its good poblicity to say it for free.

 

A lot of well known or renown custom car builders worked on a lot of cars over the years but unless the car had a serious history and fame as a show car I can't see a lot of added value or at least enough to warrant spending that kind of money that will most likely never be recovered.

I really like the car and it looks slicker than all get out but it actually doesn't look much different than all the other slicker than all get out 51/55 Chevy hardtops one might see on the net or in magazines. Not too much there to distinguish it as coming from one shop or another. That may be the big problem, the shop owner may not actually remember the car or remember it well enough and figures he will have to spend a bit of time searching through old photos or paperwork to figure out if he actually did work on it.
Right now the best documentation would be a magazine article from the period it was built in stating which shop it was built at or photos of it being worked on in that shop.
And maybe the guy has been undaunted with requests for documentation on cars his shop allegedly worked on years ago and is just tired of fooling with it outside of a few cars that made his shop famous in the first place.

You have to remember that a lot of cars got worked on all over the place. Maybe to the Barris shop for frenched headlights and three months later to Valley Customs to have it nosed and decked and then over to another shop six months later to have the door handles shaved before heading to still another shop to be painted. That was pretty common for mild customs then. And then guys saved and had the work done rather then throw the plastic down and pay later.

 

No way is that worth it. I can't see 5k added to the bottom line based on the builder.

 

For $1000, I'll claim that our HAMB-famous Dreddybear built the car. That way you can say "well this dude down in Texas built it, he's HAMB-famous, it's worth so much more"

Whadya say Pauly, 50/50?

 

Ha that would make the car worth LESS!

 

If he is that renowned and the car were famous, everyone would already know that. It would be well documented in print. Regardless, unless it were a hereto unknown or lost car by someone like Westergard, I don't think it would add much value at all.
As for the builder, you would think they would want folks to know who built it ~ 1. before someone else claims it, and 2. to help gain more business and notoriety. Then again, maybe the work isn't that good underneath the paint and he is ashamed and wants to make money off it, because it's not good advertising
And he has done you wrong, by not authenticating his work!

 

put it up for sale claiming it was built by someone ELSE and I bet you'll get conformation from the real builder quick, and FREE!

 

Just show it to George Barris and he will claim he built it.

 

redonkculas.....

 

This story can't be real, can it?

$5,000 just to verify someone built it?

Sounds like an early April Fools joke to me. We've been had .

If this is actually real the shop owner should be ashamed of himself .

 

I'm sorry, but with all respect to the o.p., I call bullshit on this claim. If it's true, put bozo's name out. Stu

 

Put the 5k in the safe. When you go to sell the car and don't get what your asking for it, you'll be up by the 5k you didn't waste.

 

for 500 I'll say I was in the shop when he built it. That even comes with a "certificate of authenticity".

 

Thanks for all of the opinions guys. This is not an April fools joke or a bull shit story. And Mr48chevy I like your thoughts on this. I am done with this now. I asked for some opinions and I got many. I am of the same opinion now and the next time the builder comes to Toronto to do a show I will chat with him and share my opinion with him. I will also let him know the opinion of others on this thread. By reading some other posts on here I don't think he is very popular with alot of you guys anyway. Thanks to all.

 

Big Daddy:

Regardless, you've got a pretty cool car there. Enjoy it and drive it like you stole it. Stu

 

Thanks Stu we do drive the crap out of it and have alot of fun along the way

 

What if you pay $5,000 and then they say they didn't build it?..............