My T/A is cursed!

[JH27N0B]

With all the setbacks and trouble I had with 2 shops during my 16+ year ground up restoration odyssey, I've become convinced the car is cursed!
Or if nothing else, it and trailers don't get along too well....
When I got someone with a trailer to assist me in getting the car out of the shop where the bodywork was completed and paint done, when we went to unload the car the winch gave way, and as the car was rolling down the ramp with me and the trailer owner pushing on the bumper to keep it from gaining momentum, the front swung to the left and scraped the trailer ramp cable, damaging the paint.
Then after I got the car more or less completed in time to take to MCACN 2016, I had someone with a trailer pick it up and take it to the hall.  I drove the car into the trailer, but after he left, I gathered a few things and then headed there, to find he'd beat me to the hall and was already backing the car out of the trailer.  Later in the day, when I went to move the car to its display spot, I noticed a scratch in my NOS drivers side door stripe!  Now I'll never know if that happened in the trailer, or something scraped it while the car was sitting there for 6 hours before I moved it to its spot, but moving it out of the trailer is a suspect.
I've been trying all summer to get a different shop, the one that did a bunch of work on my convertible last year, to finish some things that weren't done before at the previous shop, including realign the door that isn't right, replace the damaged stripe piece, and polish and install my original side and rear glass to replace the spotted AMD glass that I hate. 
So he finally comes by Sunday to get my car.  He's driving it up the ramp to his trailer, and the ramp broke with a big bang!!!  For the first time ever perhaps, I did catch a break.  The left hinge and support broke, but the front valance, which was an NOS piece I'd bought in the 80s, missed the trailer floor by inches! No damage to the car.
He came back later that night, around 9 pm, with another trailer he'd borrowed, so at least the car got picked up to go to the shop, things are already under the wire to get the work done in time for MCACN.
But another setback.  I'd mentioned to him in the little I've driven it, that I thought I heard a rear end noise in excess of what would be normal. We took the car for a drive around the block before the ramp incident, and he said something is definitely not right there.  The previous shop didn't put it together right or check it, and I might need a new pinion bearing or something, maybe another $500 additional of work I didn't expect.
What will go wrong next?

[750-h2]

I feel for you. Restoring a car is mostly very satisfying but unfortunately there are always set backs.

[JH27N0B]

I have been telling myself I need to get a rig, and ready to break down and get a truck soon and then look for a trailer next year (I posted over the weekend asking about tow vehicle recommendations).  But with all the trouble I've had with trailers, and when I stood in the borrowed enclosed helping guide him in with my car the other night, I can say I'm more than a little apprehensive about the idea of owning my own trailer!!
And about my bill when I get my car back in a few weeks....

[AAR#2]

Certainly a string of bad luck 
Let's hope all the bad is now behind you.
Have you considered buying your own trailer?

[anlauto]

Yea that kinda stuff really sucks....maybe the car is trying to tell you something.....either just drive it or sell it...

I'm surprised this is your second year in a row for MCACN, I thought they would pride themselves in a different selection of cars each year ? I know that's what indoor shows do around here ?

[Rich G.]

I've seen more damage done with trailers then I've seen when driving the cars. My 51 Dodge pickup fell off the ramp in the Pilot trailer when they were taking it to SEMA . Amazing there was no damage. But some of my friends weren't so lucky with their trailer days.

[JH27N0B]

My car was back in "Mopar Alley" 2 years ago, but it wasn't at the show last year.  This year it is in a feature/invitational display and I'm planning to have it judged.  The general guideline is that they don't want a particular car to be in the show more than twice.  I've heard the number of first time shown at MCACN cars at meetings in the past, and I don't remember the exact percentage but I want to say it's something like 85-90% of the cars at MCACN each year have never been displayed there before.
There are a handful of cars that I've seen there more than twice, typically they are cars belonging to people in local clubs who display them in club displays.
Otherwise, typically only will be there more than 2 times if there is an invitational display that the car really fits into.  Maybe my T/A will be back sometime in the future if they have another Mr Norms cars feature display?

[JH27N0B]

Certainly a string of bad luck 
Let's hope all the bad is now behind you.
Have you considered buying your own trailer?

Truck and trailer high on my triage list!
Sadly, my property isn't large enough to store an enclosed, so there is another big pain in the butt aspect.  During the off season I can store a trailer by where my 71 is stored for cheap, but that isn't close enough to go get very quickly to go to a show. So during the fair weather months I'd need to store it at one of the self store places near my house which is expensive in my area, might be over $100 a month for outdoor parking at one of these places!

[xx88man]

If you really feel like it's cursed I'm sure a few of us would LOVE to take it off your hands! 

But seriously, I have owned an enclosed trailer and I loved it...buy one that's good quality

[Chryco Psycho]

A friend had a enclosed trailer , it was low , pulled well , got it for a good price , moved his car in it all the time with no issue , a couple of years back he unloaded the car & walked back into the trailer & the back door hinge broke off , extremely lucky , no clue how the car made it out & not in & why the door broke under his weight alone 1 min later while it supported the cars weight , it would have been very difficult if the car was in the trailer when the door broke 

[JH27N0B]

He'd dropped off another car earlier in the day no problem.  But as soon as he started to drive my car up the ramp, the left hinge broke!  It looked pretty rusty.  But otherwise the trailer looks to be in good condition, it's a Pace, not some off brand.

[RUNCHARGER]

If you use borrowed trailers stuff can happen. When I brought my orange car home the beavertail fell off inside the trailer and dented my trunklid, it was a rented trailer.
If you own the trailer you work out a non-risk way of loading and unloading and you maintain everything properly.

[JH27N0B]

An update, the shop got delayed starting on my car because he had to fix his trailer after the ramp broke as he tried to drive my cursed car up it.
My rear axle is a mess, the last shop didn't bother filling after restoring it and installation!   
So that's in getting rebuilt after a new ring and pinion sourced.
None of the bolts on the driveline were tightened.  The bolts for the steering column to firewall weren't there.  He tried to align the door thats misaligned, and couldn't do it. He's removing the door and going to modify a hole in order to get the door aligned.
And the misaligned AMD glass is removed, to be replaced with my original glass that's being polished.
Missing down stops in windows. At least they filled the transmission with oil.
He did say just about everything under the hood is concours standard.  I installed just about everything under the hood, at least someone did quality work! 
I just can't believe how bad I got hosed at the national show winning shop that finished the bodywork, painted and installed the driveline, steering and glass.
That shops motto is "It costs less to do it right the first time!", I'll keep that in mind as I write big checks to fix everything they did wrong. 

[Chryco Psycho]

That sucks big time 

[anlauto]

PM me the name of the shop so I can avoid them...