History

After the success of Gone In 60 Seconds, Unique Performance with the blessing of Carroll Shelby started building "Eleanor" replicas. Turns out that most of those replicas may have been built with salvage or otherwise questionably titled Mustangs and, despite taking huge deposits, weren't being delivered. After being raided by police and shut down, the company filed for bankruptcy and refused to pay Unique Performance employees. That's where we stood before these latest revelations.

Statement From Doug Hasty's Lawyer

Every customer that has received a car has ultimately been satisfied with the quality of the car they received. Farmers Branch Police are continuing their witch hunt. They continue to leak false accusations to the press knowing that we have not had an opportunity to have access to the cars to rebut their claims. There were no title issues or criminal problems with the titles and no one has been defrauded. We are eager to address these cases in a court of law, on the record, where people will have to be responsible for their conduct. And I'm referring specifically to the Farmers Branch Police Department.

Special thanks to 67Mustangblog for following the story so closely. [All information via CBS-11 TV]

Wouldn't you feel sharp rolling down the boulevard in a vintage Mercedes roadster? Ja, ja, of course... but- Mein Gott!- look at the price tags on those things! But don't walk away, buddy- have we got a deal for you! How about this 1956 Mercedes 190SL (go here if the ad disappears) for only $6,500 asking? You'd probably ask "Where's the catch?" Well, no, you wouldn't- not after you saw the photos! But don't let appearances fool you- this car is even rougher than the photographs indicate. Take a deep breath and dive into some Craigslist-spec CAPSLOCK description. The high points: the engine is a Ford 289, the rear end is a narrowed Ford of some kind, and the transmission isn't mentioned (we're betting on the Mercedes-Benz-approved Leaky C4 Option). As for the interior, we'll let the seller put it in his or her inimitable style: "ITS BEEN GUTTED DO YOU SEE AN INTERIOR NO I DON'T." It allegedly "RAN GREAT" for a while, but wouldn't you know, a "FUNKY NO KNOW ELECTRIC PERSON WORKED ON IT" and this car's running days were over. Best of all, you'll have a chance to break out the Ass-Bondo: "IT WILL NEED TO GET SOME BONDO. TO FIX THE ASS END." We suggest going for the 10-gallon Economy Size bucket of Bondo, or even the 55-gallon drum.

Considering a vintage Mercedes-Benz? What, you're too good for your old friends? You think you're some kind of landed gentry now? Hell no! That's why you need a classic People's Car for your next project... but of course you'll need the ability to drive through the mud at high speed, which is why you oughta take a squint at this 1969 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia with Buick V6 and 4x4 Drivetrain (go here if the ad disappears). It's priced at $500 less than the 190SL, and the seller claims it "Runs All Day Long" and "Just Needs Paint." We think it "Needs A Lot More Than That," but there's no problem on an air-cooled Volkswagen that can't be fixed with lawnmower parts and a $9.99 convenience-store toolkit. This fine off-road machine comes with Buick V6 power, and we all know what happens when you add turbocharging to that engine! It's also got Super Swamper tires and a rollbar, so you'll be able to go anywhere and not fear death. Hey,y'all, watch this!

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Though it's a simple substance, the two part epoxy we all know and love is often the bane of inherited project cars. Too many fall prey to its siren song of cheap and fast repair, and thus end up filling cavernous dents with the stuff. Fortunately, in this case, the repair area is not too bad, from a depth perspective. However, the damage is over a long distance, probably almost a foot... and on a car with strictly straight front to back lines... and on one of the few curved surfaces... and right over the prominently visible drivers door. Given that, this presents some unique challenges.

For those of you unfamiliar, get ready for a primer (ha!) on the art of Bondo. There are several levels of knowledge here, I am by no means a master, but I've picked up some tricks over the years. First and foremost, make sure the area of repair is clean and free of paint, rust, grease, cheeseburgers, primer, and dust. Feel free to get to that point in whatever creative or low budget way you like. When mixing, use some type of surface that is portable and will forever be dedicated to Bondo mixing. I've got a nice piece of plastic set aside for this. Lay down the gray filler in the middle of the surface and then squeeze setting agent out next to it. The proper amount of setting agent to add is determined by black magic, but it's almost impossible to do it completely wrong. Here is a good time to put your latex gloves on. Use your Bondo paddle(s) to quickly mix the two elements together to an even color.

Now get to work laying it down, move quickly because you've got about five minutes before things get sticky. Select a Bondo paddle appropriate for the size of the defect. With firm, even pressure push the Bondo into the valleys of the repair area. If you're paddle can bridge the valley, stand it on end while applying the Bondo so as to mimic the original profile. My personal rule is to never lay down more than an eighth of an inch of Bondo at a time, and never more than a quarter of an inch in total. If it looks like it will take more, that's why man invented body hammers. I like to take my time with Bondo, rushing it just gives you a crappy end result. Even though the can says you can start sanding within an hour, it usually results in Bondo clogged sandpaper. Give it a couple of hours to set up, there are plenty of other things to fix in the mean time.
Sanding is the yin to the applications' yang. Whereas applying is a hectic race against chemical reactions, sanding is about gradually reaching the zen state of surface perfection. As illustrated, I like to sand in the dark. Why? Well, who knows what evil lies in the peaks and dips of Bondo? The shadows know. Using a strategically placed light source allows you to see what your hands can feel. This greatly increases the efficiency of your efforts. Unless you are a glutton for punishment and wish to hand finish things, grab an orbital sander with about an 80 grit sandpaper. Again, take your time working things out, find the high spots and work until the surface is uniformly as smooth as you can get it.

With an area this big, you'll probably have to reevaluate things now. Use your spotlight to look at different angles of the repair. I like to have a pencil handy here to make notes on the surface. If you see a peak, draw its outline and a rough map of it's topography (I use plusses and minuses, bigger plusses mean higher peaks, smaller minuses mean shallower valleys, and vice versa). This will give you a map of where to sand next or where to apply your next skim coat. Another tip: For bigger jobs like this, I like to use the two different colors of setting agent, blue and red. It provides contrast to the different layers, indicates where things have been worked already, and shows you how the repair has evolved.

When you've got what seems to be a nice smooth surface to the hand, mask off a generaous area to prevent unwanted overspray and lay down a couple of thin coats of high build primer. I garantee you won't be finished after that unless you're some kind of bodywork Michelangelo. The primer layer usually does a great job at showing off defects for you to go after. Repeat as necessary.
The process can be tedious, and a pain the ass, but you can't go around gangster style with a dented sled now can ya?

50 Dollar Paint [rickwrench.com]

Related:
World's Largest Corvair [Internal]

There's a ring of hell under construction for Bondo misusers, where the doomed will cruise an infernal mall parking lot in perpetuity, awkwardly chatting up damned chicks and scoping out spots among the brimstones on which to do donuts. They'll serve their sentence in cars like this, with no sense of proportion, design or economy of form. Remember kids, there's no such thing as "Camaro Summer." – Ben Wojdyla

Incriminating link:
Mostly Muscle Cars

Related:
Camaro Moment of Zen [internal]