[badvnom]

I realize that it is time to update this post. I wanted other owners to see the kind of trouble you can get into with these projects because there are plenty of unscrupulous characters still out there although the recession has flushed several of them.
I bought an unfinished CR kit from the mid 90s in 2008. I contracted with Don Scott (now deceased) to finish it for me originally because he was the "manufacturer" at the time. Don was heralded in the Classic Roadsters community and still is to some degree. When I visited his shop in 2008, it was bustling with employees, projects and parts everywhere. Don told me that finishing my car would take about six months because he so much work. I shipped the vehicle to Don in Sauk Centre. While Don was very helpful at first and we talked on the phone quite a bit, I noticed after a few months (and sending him quite a bit of money) that nothing was happening and that he quit answering the phone and responding to questions by the Spring of 2009. I got his home number and that prompted him to confess that he was struggling with employees (because he had stopped paying them I found out later from one of them I tracked down) and suppliers (engine builder) to complete the car. He went out of business within less than a year after that and took me for thousands of dollars. I learned a hard lesson in life at that point. Because Don's business went bankrupt, my attorney advised me that I'd be lucky to even get my kit back at that point. So, while Don sat comfortably in his farm house, I was scrambling to figure out my next move.
At that time (late fall of 2009), he recommended to me another builder in Detroit known as Terry Gatrell of Great Lakes Replicas. Based on Don's recommendation (who was still heralded as an expert even at that time on this forum), I had the unfinished car shipped to Detroit for Gatrell to finish (for those keeping up with story, that's two times the car was shipped at my cost in excess of $1,000). Supposedly, Terry and Don were working with the bank that had seized Don's business assets to transition the business to Terry in Detroit. Terry was indeed held up in an impressive 15,000 square foot former auto manufacturing facility. What I didn't know was that he had worked a deal with the landlord to "borrow" against the lease until he could get the business transitioned. He in fact, had no capital except for what he stole from several unsuspecting people (myself included) as down payments on the completion of their project.
So, roll bars and a partially assembled engine that I had paid Don in addition to the 50% down I paid for the build for were never found. Don's explanation at the time was that because he was out of business he could not access the parts because the bank had them tied up and he didn't have the money to reimburse me. His passing obviously ends that saga. Terry Gattrell turned out to be a bigger liar than Don. After several years of "working" on the car, money that I paid for an engine build that never happened (again) and a transmission that is still missing to this day, I finally was made aware by his landlord that he was past due on his rent for a year and was being evicted. My oldest son and I visited Terry last Summer 2012 and he stood right beside my car and told me that he had the transmission with a guy who was modifying it for a hydraulic clutch and that my car would be finished by the end of the year. I found out later from the landlord that he wasn't even supposed to be on the property that he was taking legal action against Terry. Terry owes me thousands of dollars for uncompleted engine work, painting, transmission and miscellaneous parts. I understand he is living with his mother and has finally stopped answering the phone as Great Lakes Replicas (which irritated me to no end).
In looking through the paperwork left behind by Terry and hearing from several other owners that contacted me once I went public with this news I found out that Terry was indeed defrauding over a dozen people and under investigation by the State Attorney General's office. Evidence suggests that he had taken pictures of my kit and used them to entice at least two other would be owners to pay him a down payment on a kit that was under construction. That's right, in other words, he was pedal ing my kit to others who thought they getting a car.
Ed Combs (who sold me a set of botched roll bars) and many others have come forward saying that Terry had defrauded them too. It's time that the word gets out there that this guy is a crook. He's the Bernie Madoff of Cobras!
If you see Terry Gattrell, tell him I said, "what comes around goes around". And, yes, while my loving spouse continues to support me, she cannot fathom the money that I've simply lost and will never recover pursuing this car. I put the cash losses for unfinished labor and parts paid for but never delivered at $16,000. I'm ashamed to admit that I let that much go when it could have gone to much better use in our family because I have two small children and one finishing college. I offer this information to demonstrate how badly things can go and as a lesson to others to keep their eyes wide open.
So, in late fall of 2012, I made a decision to take the car to Jeff Nelson of Celina Custom Auto. He came recommended by a number of owners on the forum and after much anquish over the financial losses already embedded in this kit, I decided to press on. The engine long block was completed by Michigan Motor exchange and recently shipped to Jeff. Suspension and rear end are complete. I recently visited Jeff's shop and looked at the color combination and body paint that he had recently completed. It was better than I expected and Jeff is working toward finishing my car in late Spring of 2012.
Thanks to all the members who have emailed offering advice on where to find parts and build information. I've certainly been tainted by what's happened and never thought I'd ever be the victim of such fraud and deceit. Please take precautions when dealing with folks out there. Ask questions, don't be afraid to upset anyone when testing their creditability. Get information and recommendations on who you are dealing with. And never, I mean NEVER, put money on deposit for work to be completed unless you can stomach losing it. When paying for parts get receipts on them or pay the distributor directly. But, despite these precautions, you can still get robbed, never take anything for granted.