Watch out for Nick Acton!!

[kris-kincaid]

If you destroyed the frame, what's he supposed to get back? As it is now, you destroyed it, it's yours forever. You say it was no good, then you should have pursued returning it. Now it's absolutely no good to anyone. I've seen lots of frames with problems, but I've always tried to find an elegant way to fix it.

I don't think there's any way for you to explain your story so that it's believable. If you bought a computer you thought was defective, you would never smash it open with a hammer to try and use parts inside to build a new one, then after you thoroughly destroyed it, start blasting Best Buy because they won't give you a refund.

[Bernica]

Originally Posted by kris-kincaid

What is it you want? Since you destroyed the frame, there really isn't anything for him to fix or replace. I've probably built around 100 Cobra frames, and what you did in your "build" thread is shocking.

Once, in my younger years I was pissed about how something was built so I had my guys tear it down. Felt good at the time, but turned out to be a costly mistake. Just sayin'...

[paulmartin]

Have a look at what scratch builder has done to his chassis in his build thread.
It has long been known that csx4000 bodies are perhaps a little off , coupled with cobra restores refs plans being off. My question is , having seen the pictures why did you not visit the car before final delivery or question why the body is off.
Actually whyr risk a scratch build a all , it surely comes with so many head aches. I have had nothing but good experiences with nic as have 99 % of the members on this forum.
Red mtn your confused story ranges from 1000 to 7000 and is nothing but slander , you say you spent 7000 dollars and have nothing to show for it , then it's 1000, a very confusing story and you are just backing up your mate scratch
Scratch builder you stated you had a good conversation with nic , he's dealing with it , yet 72 hours later you are putting him down again .
I would hate to have customers like you.
Nic has just finished a great resto on csx 3035 and is currently building my aluminium Daytona coupe . His workmanship and his attention to detail has been top notch .
Having cut your chassis in 50 pieces you don't have a legal leg to stand on .
Nic has offered you a new ladder frame and I hope that will arrive in due course . The 5000 or so views you created over this matter should really be directed at your madness of chopping up a repairable chassis. Please see scratch builders build thread

[redmt]

"Red mtn your confused story ranges from 1000 to 7000 and is nothing but slander , you say you spent 7000 dollars and have nothing to show for it , then it's 1000, a very confusing story and you are just backing up your mate scratch"

It would seem that your ability to read what actually was written is about as good as your opinion on something that has absolutely nothing to do with you. If you want to take shots at somebody , first make sure you know how to read. 18 posts and your some sort of authority on what?

[ScratchBuilder]

And of course I sold the body I had in Cali and bought the Shelby Body as Nick told me the scratch built frame he was building was made for it:

> ------------------------------
> On Fri, Mar 30, 2012 7:43 AM PDT Nick Acton wrote:
>
>>Hi XXXX,
>>
>>Attached are some pics of the Shelby body hood, trunk and door panels the
>>scratchbuilt frame was made for. This is the same as the primered one you
>>saw on my car pulled off Shelby's car as correct as you can get in
>>fiberglass of course. This is a fiberglass Shelby body that was taken off
>>a car that was re-bodied in aluminum. It is currently at my friends in
>>Florida. You could buy that body and have it shipped here for $4,750.
>>
>>Please let me know if that is something you are interested in.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>Nick Acton
>>Acton Custom Enterprises, LLC
>>33 Wildwood Drive
>>Holderness, NH 03245
>>(603) 279-0241 Home
>>(603) 254-4105 Cell
>>Acton Custom Enterprises, Custom Metal for Cobras
>>www.csxinfo.net
>>"Like" us at www.facebook.com/actoncustom

[ScratchBuilder]

My Cobra project:

Aug 7, 2011
Quote received from Nick to supply plasma cut and bent bracket set

Aug 27, 2011
Payment sent for brackets

Oct 2,2011
Brackets shipped

3/26/2012 On site and decide to have Nick build me a frame, he has a frame mostly complete that I agree to purchase and he will finish

4/2/2012 CSX4000 body purchased, Nick assured me that was the body the frame was made for, Sold body in Cali I had that I think was from Arntz

4/27/2012 tko600 sent to Nick to make sure fit frame

5/26/2012 Chassis finished and painted

7/19/13 suspension control arms finished

9/15/13 on site at Nick’s. F panel inner fenders from other cars do not fit front, front control arms do not fit. Told Nick if something wrong with the front tower fix it even if that meant cutting it off and rebuild it. Assured frame same as other cars.

12/31/13 Front and rear control arms fitted, it’s a roller. Asked how the issues with the front was fixed and told it was welding distortion of the front control arms.

7/12/14- 7/16/2014 on site wrapping up to ship to Cali. Due to unexpected work to do on car had to leave with car on jack stands. Nick finished next few days.

7/22/2014 Get call from Nick “are you sitting down …”

to be continued

[ScratchBuilder]

Note the body fits properly:

PhotoPost Classifieds - 3000 4000 chassis frame body footboxes rollbar package - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by ScratchBuilder

Note the body fits properly:

PhotoPost Classifieds - 3000 4000 chassis frame body footboxes rollbar package - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds

After reading your thread here ad naseum, along with your other thread(s), I have to wonder if you knew that not all of the Shelby fiberglass bodies came from the same manufacturer, or even the same molds. I state this knowing that there are several Shelby take off bodies that were rejected by SAI because they were not up to the proper specs. Could it now be that one of those "blem" bodies is what you purchased?


Bill S.

[Three Peaks]

I'm with Kris on this one. I noticed how the OP butchered the frame taking it apart also, but kept out of the thread, hoping a resolution was forthcoming. However, with a perfectly repairable chassis now ruined I am of the opinion you only have yourself to blame for most of this mess.
If you are a true scratch builder, you could have easily repaired the frame at the points you were concerned with and also repaired the bird cage if it required it. However, this would have required some real metal working skills, which I assume you don't possess, since you insisted on your path of cutting huge holes in the frame with a plasma cutter instead of cutting everything off flush, repositioning, and rewelding in proper placement. Probably a couple days work, max. IMHO, and I've actually done this, fabbed my birdcage, built my aluminum pieces, and modified my chassis where necessary. ( an original style chassis like yours)

I'm not really sure where the control arm mounting points were off by your pics, as the adjustment available in most of these will more than make up for any small differences in mounting. And adjustable control arms can be bought or manufactured by a decent metal worker/fabricator.

Continuing to post day after day to force a resolution to this problem is distasteful at best and embarrassing at worst.

Maybe you should consider changing your handle to something other than Scratchbuilder.

BTW, I've had great dealings with Nick over the 10 years or so that I've know him and I would trust him to build me a frame, car, or any other part if necessary any day of the week. That is, if I couldn't do it myself- which is why I'm a scratchbuilder.

Bob

[ScratchBuilder]

I'm to blame for Nick sending me a junk frame and bent to fit control arms? Nick offered a replacement ladder including front and rear towers! I even talked to him why I cut out the defective ladder and he got it. If you read the thread, the only thing disclosed to me as being wrong was the position of the bird cage, no big deal to move that.

[ScratchBuilder]

The ends on all the control arms are not even in the same plane, I started to take the car apart apart to move the body and the control arms were impossible to move on the chassis! Everything twists and moves around as you tighten or loosen bolts, Nick charged me close to 1K for front suspension assembly. I sent the control arms out for repair as the are bowed and out of plane, it's cheaper to just replace them like the defective chassis.

Note how the rod doesn't come close to hitting center of the bushing:

[ScratchBuilder]

Really think my intent here was to spend $50K with Nick over 3 years to get a botched Cobra build so that I could come back and complain on Club Cobra about it to make him look bad?

Again I was the first to put my trust in him to build me an awesome Cobra, who else has?
He failed, wouldn't address my concerns replace the chassis or refund my money. I posted on consumer watch and he offered a new ladder including the front and rear towers and claimed he had one ready to go but couldn't provide at least a pic of it and a few days later thought oh sh*t, here I go again thinking I'm going to get a good frame when I sent him an email and got no reply asking for an update.

Fair enough 99 percent are good with Nick's parts and repairs. How many are satisfied with an Acton Cobra?
Its 0% I'm 1 of 1 unfortunately and shocked Nick hasn't given me a replacement or refund.

SB

[ScratchBuilder]

Originally Posted by mrmustang

After reading your thread here ad naseum, along with your other thread(s), I have to wonder if you knew that not all of the Shelby fiberglass bodies came from the same manufacturer, or even the same molds. I state this knowing that there are several Shelby take off bodies that were rejected by SAI because they were not up to the proper specs. Could it now be that one of those "blem" bodies is what you purchased?


Bill S.

I assume this ones to Nick? He purchased the body with $$ I sent and transported it to his shop. CSX4099 are you out there?

[Dominik]

"the quote was $18K"

This is quite a quote...

As for the measurement in an early picture showing the length incorrect for the main rail, I have 2 points you may want to consider:
Is your tape measure correct?
And the variation might actually be within ISO tolerances for welding.

I try to see if your front shock tower is twisted because for me it merely looks like the gusset sits at an angle, which has no detrimental effect on the mounting. To be honest, by looking at the picture I can't tell.

I admit, the gap from control arm mount to chassis bracket is too big, but can't this be shimmed out? Well, not anymore...

I agree, the body doesn't fit. But that may have been the radiator frame off a bit, and/or the boot frame. The 4000 body on a 3000 frame is not an easy fit. Not even a 4000 on 4000...

I tried to see it from your angle, but I am biased because I once was building from scratch myself.

[redmt]

Guys,
I think what the point is that everybody seems to be missing is that there is a problem. Acton took money. The customer wasn't happy for whatever reason and it doesn't seem to me that Acton has done anything to resolve it. He has made promises but never followed through.

In my case, Acton took money. Whatever parts he manufactured were junk. That's a plain and simple fact. The other fact is that he has never completed his obligation to send the parts that have already been paid for in full.

Paul Martin, I honestly hope that you don't have any of the problems that SB or I have had. It's a terrible feeling to have somebody that has such a great reputation that you trust, to do what he has done. I hope your build doesn't turn into the nightmare that Acton created for others.

[ScratchBuilder]

Dominik,
Tape measures are good. The cut tube length being 3/8 inch short on the 4 inch rails has nothing to do with welding and caused the rear wheels to toe out and the wheelbase to be short.

[ScratchBuilder]

Thanks to the CC member who pointed out that Acton Custom had installed the rear springs on the front of the car:



And the front springs on the rear:


You can also see the rubber bumper on the shock in the wrong spot.

SB

[Jamo]

Been watching this from the beginning, and the previous thread...

I've been a AAA arbitrator in a few bike, custom and hot rod builder-customer disputes over the past several decades, and more than a few custom installation/build cases involving other "stuff" (ranging from sewage leach fields to industrial installations in bottling plants), and I just have to ask...

Did you talk to your sister before you cut up the frame? It's a yes or no question.

Obviously, you could slip behind the attorney-client privilege and maybe you should. It's just that given the amount of money involved, it might help folks understand why you've resorted to this rather inefficient way of seeking redress rather than simply going to court.

Otherwise, you've repeatedly stated your concerns...the same pics are being posted...and it's time for the rest of us to turn the page.

Oh, by the way...that's a bit more than a suggestion.

Happy Thanksgiving.

[redmt]

Jamo, I think what your seeing is an expression of extreme frustration. I understand that frustration as it's the same thing acton did to me, except mine was a much lesser scale. I'm out maybe around a thousand dollars in junk parts and for parts he never shipped. SB is out 10's of thousands of dollars to a guy who's typical M.O. is to take the money and run. If acton would at the very least come out and say "yep, I realize there is a problem" and then do something about it, or to say "tough shxt buddy, I screwed you" then it would all be easier to take. acton's style is that when there's an issue, he clams up and hopes it goes away and that you give up and forget all about it.

Building one of these cars is a life event. It's an important and expensive event. When you get screwed mid stream by somebody who has a good reputation, it's very upsetting and frustrating.

[Three Peaks]

Originally Posted by ScratchBuilder

Thanks to the CC member who pointed out that Acton Custom had installed the rear springs on the front of the car:



And the front springs on the rear:


You can also see the rubber bumper on the shock in the wrong spot.

SB

May or may not be true. With my QA1 springs, that is how they are mounted also due to the fact the springs for the rate I was seeking are only available in certain lengths. Those springs are probably mounted in the correct position if you check the spring ratings.

However, Jamo has made a great suggestion and I hope those involved take heed of it. Thanks Jamo.

Bob