Sounds and looks like Vinti or Vince or whatever his name is did that himself doesn't it....? Everyone knows who Rock is...who is Vinti? I've been going to Rocks for over 15 years without issue and i know many many people and serious collectors who go also. It seems like two guys who, for whatever reason want to blame someone else for their own problems. When people say it's not about the money it's usually about the money. I'm glad he has stayed out of this. He has nothing to gain by getting involved. If the whole story was told...
Nice edit to your original post. Seeing as you no longer want to ask the question, and merely replace it with a comment of the 308 looking good in yellow, I'll pose it: Vinti can you clarify what work was performed by Rocks Automotive Restoration and what was done elsewhere? There appears to be a little confusion here and if you wish to point fingers as to deficiencies in work it would be good to clarify precisely what work that Rocks carried out and billed for that you are dis-satisfied with.
No confusion - yiu went to 3 shops yourself, why do you never talk about the very first shop where you left behind 10k before going to rocks, where you guys made me wait that Saturday morning for 2 hrs while you guys went to get the Dino. Who was shop # 1 , we all know shop 2 and 3 Image Unavailable, Please Login
Jay this is the second time someone has chimed in on this thread and said 'if you only knew the whole story...' This first was called out and told to tell the story and no answer and now you come forward. I welcome you to tell 'the whole story' because if there is so much more to it I for one would love to hear it. The only thing I ask is that you preface the tale by saying that you never once contacted me to ask my side of things or ask to see any of the hard evidence I prepared for trial. Seeing as the lawsuit (which is the subject of this thread) was carried out between two parties, it would make sense that both be polled in order to establish an 'informed' opinion. Either way it would be interesting to know what version of our exchange you were privy to. Lastly it is obvious from this thread that it is not 2 people but so far 4 who have come out with negative things to say about Rocks and that does not include the 3 others who contacted me privately or the 2 more who approached me at a car event this past Saturday. So it is not 2 but 9 so far. As for 'blaming others for ones own problems' again I welcome you to hear my side of things before passing judgment.
Red there is confusion all around here so let me set things as straight as I can and feel free to ask any questions if you are not clear. 1. This thread talks about my lawsuit with Rocks for my Dino and has gotten interlaced with Vince/Vinti's 308 of which he is also dissatisfied with the work carried out at Rocco's. While I will clarify my position in this post it is still a little unclear the extent of the work that Rocco carried out over a period of 9 years on Vinti's 308. 2. The Dino was actually picked up on a Monday not a Saturday and I remember Fave being there but I don't remember you there that day. Regardless this is a minor detail but it was most certainly not picked up on a Saturday. 3. You are correct Rocks was the 2nd bodyshop the Dino was taken to and once it left Rocks it was finally taken to RM Auto in Chatham where everything was taken down to zero and work was started over to completion. The first shop was a hot rod metal working 'specialist' named Rick who worked out of a shop on his property in rural Ontario. Rick came with excellent references and he was delivered a bare and freshly media blasted shell but after $10K of expenditure we realized he was not up to the job and pulled the project from him. Rick had no formalized business, and no real assets to chase so we chalked that up to a poorly judged bad experience and called it a loss. On Monday July 18 2011 the Dino was transported to Rocks Automotive Restoration at 2543 Gerrard St E in Scarborough. Below is a photo of the car when it arrived and we hired Rocco to take the car from that state to a finished painted shell, paint polished, with the fiberglass internal parts installed. As you can see there was not a lot of places to hide so the scope of the project should be fairly well understood by an experienced competent professional. That said we asked 3 simple questions: 1. How much? 2. How long? 3. How good? The answers were: $15-25K, 3 months, At least this good (as Rocco pointed to his personal platinum winning 308 GTB Euro Glass car that we were standing next to). Having established cost, time, and quality we told him to get to work. In the next 2 days the car was chemically stripped back down to bare metal (photo on Rocks website) and again we asked at that time if there were any surprises that would re-adjust the budget to which we were assured that everything was on track. I will also note that all bills were paid quickly and Rocco was never left waiting for money. Below you will see what the car looked like after 7.5 months and just about $24K spent! After 2 more weeks with no end in sight and no assurance that the original budget would be adhered to, we issued a stop work order to the project and had the car shipped to RM. I can go on if you want me to but I think the image below tells a pretty compelling tale as to the adherence of budget and timeline. As for quality it was not until Rock's work was professionally examined that the true horrors were revealed. Again I'm happy to share if you like. Additional edit: I was reminded in seeing the photo below that Rocco was adamant that the car as seen in the March 3rd image was about 2 1/2 weeks from being done! Maybe with the whole Chip Foose A team of 40+ strong this would be possible but not at Rocks especially after the progress seen in the first 7.5 months. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Nuvolari, my wife works m-f 8-5, she drives me home after I drop my car , it's was a Saturday, your recollection of that day is incorrect. As I would have no way to get back home, and I have never taken a cab. You conversation with Fave may have been on a Monday, but your drop off of the Dino was a Saturday. I had a toddler in the car, told my wife to go shopping while I waited for the 3 of you. I even ordered pizza for us, but you and Paul were tired an upset and left. I waited the rest of that sat for my wife to come back and get me. As for the rest of your post, and this thread and its constant barrage is this going to be the new world order in Ontario for car guys. Then I guess the next 20-30-40yrs will have limited joy for yourself and others if all we talk about is lawsuits. Again, too bad things ended this way. I'm pretty certain none of the sides involved wanted this. No need for you or Vinti to answer to explain as I have gathered enough for my own decisions ( thank you for your time ). It's time for all to grow up and move on if we are to enjoy this hobby in Ontario. Safe driving to you both !
I had thought this Thread was dead but supporters of Rocco keep on bringing it back to life. Now we have RossG, an unsubscribed individual, with his first post, raising from the dead this thread again. The question should be who is RossG? Hi Jay. My formal name is Vinti. As I grew up with Italians all my life, and they could not speak English to well, it became Vince or Vinnie. It was great growing up with Italians as my late dad spoke and wrote fluent Italian (taught English and math in Italy at University level). We are originally from India, so it was hilarious when my dad would speak Italian with my neighbours in a heavy Indian accent. Through my great neighbours, I learned to enjoy Italian food, learned to date Italian girls, learned that only IROCs are the cars for our neighbourhood, and learned construction skills which have supported me to this day. You are welcome to attend my house to break bread by way of traditional Indian food and consume beverages with me and get to know me better, and vice-versa. You sound like a person with a lot of energy. You are always welcome. Send me a PM and I will provide you with my contact particulars. We can drive over to my warehouses where I store my classic collection. I have to warn you though that my house is in the midst of construction as I am demoing and building a 14,000 sq foot house with a 12 car garage. This is the culmination of my working life and my final legacy to my children. I have 6 children, 3 biological and 3 adopted. They are all professionals (lawyers, doctor, engineer, computer project manager, etc) and, in the Indian way, they are all there for you if you ever need any assistance. Further, we have communicated in the past when I was looking at buying your GT4. Refer to your PMs during Feb. 2015 and your emails. We also spoke on a number of occasions via phone. At the end, as we could not meet at your house (believe it was actually a family members garage if I remember correctly) due to logistics of our respective availability, and therefore you left it at Rocks for me to view. In one of the threads, I attached a picture of your car and my car at Rocks and I complimented you on how well your car engine sounded and you thanked me in a post for this. I did pass on your car as it was a little too rough for me and I was looking for originality in the driveline. In the Thread by Dr. Tommy Gosgrove titled , Please Help Me Find Chassis 21277 308 GTB, Rocco advises on Posts 10, 11, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26 that he has the car at his shop. Further, Rocco attaches many pictures of the car showing the VIN and assembly numbers and his strip down of the car. Rocco posted these before I was a member of FChat. You being a long term customer of Rocco, I am positive you will recognize the shop. Lastly, if you wish to review, and we can do this over dinner and beverages, you are welcome to review my file which includes the invoices for the bodywork (including the faulty rocker panels, faulty metal work, etc). Big Red had also posted previously a thread or two that he saw my car at Roccos. While it is great to stick up for a friend, I am sure you will agree that facts speak for themselves. As I have mentioned in the past in many posts, I had the highest of respect for Rocco as an individual. For me to change my opinion takes a great deal of energy on the part of the other person. This is my experience. It is independent of anyone elses. Best wishes to you.
BIG RED'S POST #50 - Fact is - I've been going to Rocco's since 2008, and I have never once seen this Vinti car there. Big Red, please refer to 77 308 GTB Update, your post # 42 which states: Saw your car today V - yellow is such a correct color on the 308. Congrats on the journey V ! No problem being a supporter Big Red, but no need to conveniently forget either.
Hi V, how are you ? The Dr Tommy posted a thread of 2011., amd the picture actually taken of your car was back in January 2008. I stand by not seeing your car until after we both met in July /August 2015 after it was painted and worked on by yourself as per your post. Out of respect Vinti, I covered up you full name for privacy and email stuff. I think it's time you also move on and enjoy your cars .... Good bless, and I look forward to seeing the finished product Image Unavailable, Please Login
Wonderfully put Vince and this exactly mirrors my experience. In fact I personally feel that I tried exceedingly hard to give Rocco the benefit of the doubt both during and after the time he had the Dino. Regrettably the instincts I tried to suppress were proven correct time and time again which led to the eventual dissolution of our friendship. It is sad and I do not wish him or his supporters any ill will. Remember that this thread exists because Rocco (through his lawyer) specifically asked for me to be clear and precise in my account of our dealings. Because I have not heard from either Rocco or his lawyer since the inception of this thread, I can only assume that they are satisfied that my posts are sufficiently factual to not mislead the truth. As an enthusiast and member of car community though I feel it necessary to share my experiences both positive and negative with fellow enthusiasts. To be fair, in all discussions, I try to be as factual as possible and identify personal opinions when they are dispensed. Beyond that I'll leave it to the person to decide whether my words hold any value to them. Some very interesting information and questions have arisen from this discussion and I for one think they have been valuable. I am still awaiting more information on the legalities associated with track inspections carried out by non licensed mechanics. Hopefully this information could save someone a great deal of hassle down the road.
Red if it were not for the legal filings I'd say that you may be correct. As it is I have a ream of photographs all shot with a cell phone and date stamped showing the car in the trailer and being unloaded at Rock's place on a Monday. Good enough for Rock's lawyer so it's good enough for me. We certainly shared a lot of good times, pizza, and banter at Rock's shop so I can only assume you are remembering a different day that was a Saturday. No worries. Now for old times sake I think I'll act like the group and go post elsewhere in the Canada section to bump this thread down. You know the way the other supporters have been doing
I wil say this, I have enjoyed our conversations in the past, and present. We can agree to disagree, as my wife would challenge that as she hates picking me up to ruin her Saturdays I'm glad your ready to post and move on, now let's not spend the next 20-40yrs with this and talk cars. Give my best to Paul and Annette.
