Alan Nowaczyk, owner of Collision Craft Autobody and Frame in Bridgeview Illinois completed his training at Greer Technical Institute (Lincoln College of Technology in Melrose Park.) Collision Craft was recommended to me by a car club member. On December 3 my 72 El Camino was towed to his shop for front end damage. I have located original parts for the El Camino in Ocala, Florida and told Alan to call and have the parts shipped to his shop. I have a condominium in St. Petersburg FL., and I was going to drive to Ocala to inspect the parts before they were going to be shipped.
State Farm Insurance estimated the repairs to be at $8,200. Alan's estimate came to almost $11,300. We were off by approximate $3,000. I signed an agreement with Collision Craft that if insurance does not pay the higher amount, I was going to pay it. However, Alan was not interested in obtaining the original parts, he was more concerned about getting the extra $3,000 from insurance. It took a month to have the higher amount authorized. By that time, the person in Ocala has sold the EL Camino front end, and other needed parts.
Meanwhile, I was calling Alan to find out about the progress he was making. Sometimes we talked, other times he did not even call me back as promised. He told me "You do not need the car for winter" This explained to me why he was dragging his feet in ordering the parts and not working on the car. I told him there is no winter/snow in Florida and that is where I was going to have the car shipped to. Over the next 2 months he was able to obtain some parts, and I found a bumper in Arizona and had it shipped to his shop. In mid-April, he told me he will not complete the car because I was calling him to get it done. He told me he was getting stressed and to have the car taken to another shop. He would talk over me, tell me to listen and was mad because I wanted the car completed before sometime this year. I found my 72 El Camino parked outside behind his shop exposed uncovered and rusting away.
By end of April, he had all the parts to complete the work. On April 28 I came to pick up the truck and parts to have it towed to another shop. I found that Alan has sent back several other parts back to suppliers. I would have paid him for them. Five months passed by, I had some parts, and no work was done other than having the front end apart. The current shop had to re-order parts, and it will take weeks before they get them. The new shop will have the car completed in less than 2 months. It would have been done sooner, but they have to wait for parts, and there were other cars in front of my truck.
I found Alan to be just talk, and how great he is or was. However, I guess I will never know. After 5 months of keeping my truck, he gave up on it. I believe this job was too much for him to handle, and if there is more work to be done, he gets overwhelmed and cannot complete the work. It could be that he is incompetent to do great work and did not want to mess it up. I belong to antique car club, and he must have been afraid other club members will see his inferior work.
If you want your car or a 50-year antique vehicle to stay in his shop for months, then parked uncovered outside, then this the place to bring it to. Just remember, he might never complete the work and your vehicle will need towing to another body shop read more