Brock B posted:Stan Galant, yep and if i understand correctly 2 (?) of those bodies are laied up in mexico...i know mine is.
I believe all of them but Beck's are laid up in Mexico.
Greg clarified for us that his bent window coupe bodies as well as JPS's "A" coupe bodies are laid up at Greg's facility in Mexico, using molds owned by each of them. I'd be curious where Dr. Kleber's bodies are done.
There just can't be that many redundant molds out there.
Brock B posted:Todd M thats all well and good but when the shipping is set up and you wont help load it because its not up to you and it cuts into your time and money is just not how i would do business.
As i have stated above i have gone out of my way and in my pocket to make a sale amd load /box and crate stuff but i guess that just not how big business is done anymore. When the sale is made you are done with it.
Noting that only six hours ago you said that it's supposed to be dropped off at the truck companies sometime......I hope your criticism of the Vendor herein is not premature.
Brock B posted:Todd M thats all well and good but when the shipping is set up and you wont help load it because its not up to you and it cuts into your time and money is just not how i would do business.
As i have stated above i have gone out of my way and in my pocket to make a sale amd load /box and crate stuff but i guess that just not how big business is done anymore. When the sale is made you are done with it.
Me too. Personally, I think it is a lousy way to do business. Like I said or implied, the seller may not be legally to blame for anything, but if I was buying a body from this manufacturer I would want to hear from others and know exactly what I was involving myself in and just how much that phrase in the website was going to cost me. You are alerting folks how much it will actually cost. Is there any reason why people should not know the real cost to them before they start handing over money?
Just curious, if you had it to do over again, would you?
Stan, thanks good to know the particulars.
David, At this point i dont if , when or by who it will get dropped off.
I do know the trucking co sounds really positive about getting it done and so far has been on the spot answering questions .
Probably not......
Saved more $ and bought a rough real one ....on the east coast! 😂😂
Honestly the only thing i cam blame them for is being willing and or able to load.
And i understand that people have things to do and if you don't have a loading dock ok, maybe a friend with a roll back.
Heck i loaded a disassembled model a ford coupe in a sea container (4ft deckheight) by myself .
Well, it is hard to know what questions to ask or get all the details DOWN ON PAPER before you sign, say yes and purchase the item. I personally want a full complete detail contract before I sign other wise some unknown happens and you have to negotiate the last bit ....
... I mean you don't want to be pulling teeth to transport a body or should I say pull the body along by the teeth.
Ray , you live you learn!
But to be clear i didn't start this thread to call them out (even though i have not named them here) or hurt their business i simply needed some shipping help.
Brock, while no name has been mentioned the suggestions and the comments made allowed the vendor to be easily discovered.
In any case, anyone wanting a body would do well to know what he is getting himself into before the sale and the terms and conditions and the full disclosure on packaging and shipping before signing on as it seems it is a FINAL SALE .... Just saying.
Update: I have not seen your contract or if you even have one but on the buyers side there is some responsibility to ask the right questions and be informed. Doing deals Long distance is another issue as well.
Have you thought of finishing the edge of that body with dental molding?
Good news!
The shipping company has picked up the coupe!
They have been paid, Uship has been paid and it is inbound now should be here Tuesday ish.
Thanks again for all the help and encouragement everyone!
Build thread coming soon.
Glad to hear it! Congratulations again!
Todd
Thanks again!
@Brock B
Very cool, Brock! Looking forward to following your build progress. 
Excellent, Brock! Pushing through problems on a project is always challenging, but this type of issue is not at all what we normally sign up for when we embark on a build. Good for you for seeing it through. I can't wait to see what you do with the coupe!
@Brock B
Thanks guys, going to be a Outcast build.
Im going to try to stay away from most of what i think has become cliche....no tartan, no belts on the bonnet or engine lids, no fuchs, no stock wheels missing the caps ect. No aluminum bomber seats (even though i love the look). Ect.......
I will have hood filler though!
Well here it is right off the truck! Arrived in great condition, had a roll back so no problem unoading or putting it in my shop.
Glad to hear that the saga is over. Have fun with the build!
Hi Gents and Ladies on the Forum,
To answer some questions raised.
My fiberglass bodies are hand laid up in Tijuana, BC, Mexico by R& M Manufacturing. ( labor costs and EPA rules over acetone are much easier in Mexico) These are NOT bodies from molds associated with VS . I own all of the molds that I use. Bodies are trucked up to San Diego and I arrange shipping from here.
I have been though several shipping companies and the process can be trying. We do our best to work with the buyers shipping agents as it is the responsibility of the buyer to pick up from San Diego, CA directly or arrange shipping. Thanks to Brock for his patience working with HIS brokers. I know it can be frustrating.
The UShip broker Brock used was great after having frustrations with another Florida based broker that could not deliver Brock's goods in a timely manner. I personally delivered the pallet and body ( OK uncrated per broker) to the first Florida broker's freight terminal in San Diego who said that the body could be accepted and not be shipped because it was not crated ( at Brocks cost... About $450-500 to crate). The Broker through U Ship came through for Brock and delivered it as contracted , uncrated.
This is a text that we received from Brock this morning:
"Hey man.. Just unloaded everything and is in great condition. I know we both got a little irritated with each other so I hope you and Chris do not have any hard feelings over it. I would have no problem recommending one of these bodies to anyone. Thanks again for everything" Brock
Satisfied and appreciative customers are the foundation of any business.
Thank you , Brock.
Persevere,
Dr. Chris
Thanks for the update and transparency @Chris Kleber, KitMan Motors. I cannot wait to see how the project comes together @Brock B
Good work, Doc. Those kinds of issues are tough, but everybody fulfilled their obligations.
The question remains how the seller plans to assist aka arrange , shipping of the body to future customers ?
Alan Merklin posted:The question remains how the seller plans to assist aka arrange , shipping of the body to future customers ?
The website is super-clear. Ultimately, crating and shipping is the buyer’s responsibility.
There is really nothing new here, compared to buying a kit from CMC years ago.
You bought a CMC kit of body and parts for "X" dollars. It was FOB Miami, Florida.
If you wanted to pick it up at the factory, bring some friends and load it onto your own truck/trailer.
If you wanted it shipped, then there was another company (not CMC but was probably some relative of the owner) that did the packing/crating for you (full crate) and prepared it for pickup for about $500.
Then I hired another company, MCI Express, to pick it up and deliver it to my address in New England where MCI told me to have a minimum of three people and a flatbed tow truck available to off-load because it was shipping in an enclosed tractor-trailer without a liftgate. I actually had them transfer it on a street 1/2 mile from my house because of the size of the trailer.
I just looked up my paperwork and that was all back in 1993.
Not much has changed.
Exactly!
Chris
Stan, im guilty of not reading the fine print......
The best part is i got my body here and i am really impressed with it and look forward to starting a build thread here. Hopefully / maybe us coupe owners could get a coupe section.......hint hint ......
Thanks again everyone!
Brock B posted:Stan, im guilty of not reading the fine print......
The best part is i got my body here and i am really impressed with it and look forward to starting a build thread here. Hopefully / maybe us coupe owners could get a coupe section.......hint hint ......
Thanks again everyone!
I'm really glad it worked out. I'm excited to follow along with your build.
Me, too. Always love to follow a build.
Hope it goes well, Brock!
Glad to hear that the body has been delivered in good shape. Looking forward to your build!
Chris Kleber, KitMan Motors posted:Exactly!
Chris
Good for you, Chris and nice to see some patience ( no pun intended ) on your side.
You might want to enlarge the fine print for those that have a hard time with it. 
I purchased a body from Chris about 12 months ago and it was shipped to me in Australia , Chris has fantastic to deal with , he arranged a treated pellet that could be shipped here and dropped it of at the freight forwarder that I had arranged to ship with in LA without a issue, the body arrived here perfect, very happy with the service and support that I have received since
Thank you , Ian,
You are delightful to deal with and Jonathan and I have enjoyed your enthusiasm and photos. Great job on the gas tank and center fill through the bonnet ( ......hood, for all of us Yanks). What you are doing for your mates with your posts in AUS is most intriguing. I still marvel at what you have to go through to build a special car "Down Under" with having the automotive engineer 1) sign off on your plan to build 2) oversee the build and its phases and 3) sign off on the final build before you even navigate the registration process. AMAZING there is such a variance in provinces regulations....... as I recall, Queensland is the most reasonable to deal with....- We Yanks have no appreciation of the lengths that you have to go through to get your car built. ( much less the US vs. AUS exchange rate fluctuations) Persevere!
As we say in Yankee Redneck " git R' Done"
Cheers,
Dr. Chris
Glad this is ending well.
Here's my two cents, as a blundering type who is typically overconfident in his own expertise:
MAKE THE FINE PRINT BIGGER!
(And this goes for everything and everyone, not just people manufacturing fiberglass car bodies for sale).
When I bought my lift, the company had a small note online saying they would ship to a drop point and required the customer to get it home from there. For a person (Alan Merklin, say) who is well-versed in shipping big things, that's probably enough information to trigger some sort of subroutine. For me it meant no small anxiety and many cold-calls/drop-ins at places that operated big flatbeds with forklifts hanging off the back. I was fortunate in this one instance to have had the foresight to arrange all this before swiping my card; I think it took me about a month to get those "last mile" ducks in a row. Many other times in similar situations I've just said "we'll sort it out" and blithely proceeded to heartburn city.
We don't know what we don't know. And while money is the great fixer in all things, it's not always available in sufficient quantities to solve these kinds of problems.
So I think it would be excellent, and save a lot of agita on both sides of the transaction, if the seller of the big item would sort of tap the enthusiastic dummkopf customer on the shoulder and say, "hey, wait: you're sure you've got this shipping thing down? You've done this before? You know it can be a Whole Thing?" And then offer a few suggestions and maybe a step-by-step plan. This shipping primer could fit on a sheet of paper under the headline "READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NEVER SHIPPED SOMETHING BIG AND RIDICULOUS BEFORE."
I doubt you'd lose even a single sale.
That really sounds like a way to keep both parties in good humour.
I got this looong letter from the transporter, MCI express (I can post it if anyone is interested) telling me exactly what they would do, and would NOT do, a description of their trailer with recommendations for what I needed on my end to receive the crated car body, which turned out to be one of those tilting flat-bed car haulers They tend to be about the same height as the bed of the trailer and he just winched the crate from one truck to the other in about a minute. The transport from Miami was COD (can you believe it?) and the trucker could only accept a certified bank check (plus a tip in cash).
Once it was loaded on the car hauler and secured, we rode over to my garage and he tilted the bed down in the back and winched it off to gently put it on the floor where I wanted it.
I would expect the process for a large lift (or any BIG shipped item) to be the same. IIRC, hiring the tow-truck guy was about $50 bucks.
BTW: I just remembered shipping a used Speedster from my town in south Carolina to Kevin Hines in Indiana. I get a call from the trucker and met him in a shopping mall parking lot. He's driving a standard 18-wheeler box trailer. He gets out, opens the back, (already had two cars in there) and pulls out these really looooong ramps in three sections, quickly puts them all together and I drove it up and in, Badda Bing, Badda Boom. Whole process took less than 30 minutes.
Where there's a will, there is a trucker with ramps.
If I recall from my time in (New) Jersey, Badda Bing was a local operation that specialized in the delivery of bodies - generally to rural locations.
They also had strict rules for what they would and would not do, but most long-time (New) Jersey residents understood those pretty well.
They didn't advertise much, but ran a mainly 'word of mouth' business.
They did not have to advertise, It was a stiff business ...
Trunk ride and then chum for the fish's
Footnote to the above cartoon: A member of the Patriarca family (the crime bosses of Rhode Island) sent a letter to Don Bosquet (he drew that cartoon for the Providence Journal newspaper) complaining that he (Patriarca and family, I guess) “don’t look like that”.
I have eaten in Italian restaurants in Providence, RI and, trust me, they ALL look like that! It’s like dining wih the cast of the “Sopranos”!
