Bill's Hot Rods..Springfield,Ohio

Just a heads up on this so called hot rod shop or businessman Bill Metz.Quality is garbage,the communication is crap.I ordered a rolling 32 chassis from this guy he quoted me 2 months.Six months later a recieved a chassis the a kid could have done a better job welding up.On top of which he never returned any of my hundreds of phone calls.Just a heads up for anyone shopping

 

Bill used to be allright. He's just a one man shop but I thought at least he could weld.

 

welds were sloppy, plus he only welded one side of all brackets on the entire frame

 

Post pics. Always wondered about him. I used to live in Springfield and for whatever reason never heard of him until AFTER I moved, but after the fact got in touch with him and he was LESS than friendly to say the least. He sells chassis on Egay as well. Any chance that's where you bought your setup?

 

Deja vu, I have been waiting for a 33 Ford frame from this guy going on 2 1/2 - 3 years. It's a customer of mine that just had to have one of his frames. His car is one the back burner because of it. He just went up to Ohio this week and it was about 75 percent done, and he just took it like it was. Its rolling on the front wheels only because he wasn't done splining the axles in the rear. The axles and about 1000 dollars worth of stuff is suppose to come in the mail. I'm not holding my breath. The reason I'm so pissed about it is I was ready to get this guys 33 Ford going 2 or so years ago. I'm a good guy and let the body and all the parts sit in a corner all this time waiting just "two more weeks" over and over again. It didn't help me a bit finacially! I feel for ya!

 

Some links for you:
http://www.billsrodandcustomshop.com/
http://billsrodandcustomshop.com/billsnon-visual.html

 

Call the attorney general in ohio and file a complaint. They have a file on this guy. He jerked me around for over a year on my 34 chassis.
I can't believe this guy is still in business and pulling this crap. Yes he was good once upon a time but he shouldn't be allowed to pull this crap on people.I know my car would have been done by now!!!

 

Good reputations are a slow build, bad ones are fast. Paid avertising is just that. Word of mouth is generally accurate.

 

Theres a few good shops in and around Springfield. Just from what I have heard I have never dealt with this guy. Theres too many other places that are falling down to accept your money and make you happy with no headaches.

 

Man . . . glad I saw this post and one on EBay. Was thinking of having him setup my Q.C. rear (pinion to ring fit and custom axles) - guess I will do it myself or have Frankland do it.

Here is an auction on eBay that some guy put out there just to warn others about Bill and his frames:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...ndexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting


Seems like he is trying to screw a bunch of people . . . or somehow is just making too many promises that he can't keep. I'll stay the hell clear of hiim.

Dale

 

at one time he had a good reputation and did some great work. he must have some other problems or just burnt out to let things go into the crapper like that

looks like someone to stay away from

 

I know a guy in the U.K. that ordered a frame 3 years ago from Bill through Ebay, He still reckons he's gonna get it !!! I didn't have the heart to tell him.

 

Drugs!!!

 

If they have an auction go there. He has a lot of OLD hotrodding machinery.

 

That's exactly what I thought when he ripped me back in 1982. I had taken my '32 chassis to him in 1980 and he did a Hell of a job-I was really happy with the work and the price. Two years later I took a T-Bucket project to him -wanting a new chassis but using some of my parts. Two years later I got back something I could have done myself and at a price that would have bought two of Speedway's. His personality had changed-he didn't seem to want to be bothered bysomeone mundane (like a customer). He was buying big machine shop equipment back then and I thought maybe he was going to get out of the Rod business. He liked to respline axles (you couldn't find anybody back then). He "built" a '57 9" rearend for the T (shortened one axle and the housing on one side). When I got it home I took it apart to do the cosmetics and found the shortened axle had been welded up before resplining but everything was off center-a real nasty mess. The housing had a crack most of the way around the rear "cover" .

I asked around and the consensus was that he was into nosecandy. When I recently saw that he was still in business, I thought maybe he had gotten his act together-after all it's been 25 years. 'Guess I was wrong.

 

Wow . . . amazing how many ugly stories. Usually it only takes a couple mad customers to really hurt somebody -- appears that Bill has more than a couple. I stopped by his shop last winter -- lots of cool stuff, but also one hell of a mess. I guess the old saying that you can usually tell how somebody runs their business by how clean they keep their work area . . . seems to be more than true in this case. Not that everybody needs an operation like a Nascar garage, but when you look at the unbelievable mess that some have - you have to wonder if they are firing on all cylinders.

Hope he gets straightened out . . . what a shame.

 

I had a bad experience with Bill's also. I bought a frame from Bill and was promised a two week delivery that turned into several months. If it was'nt for good friends in hot rodding I would still be waiting like these other guys. And some of the patrons on this sight thought I was hitting the panic button.

 

ford barn is full of these same stories too, he sets up at cars & parts swap meet in Springfield all the time, same exact spot for years.
i just can not understand how this person still has two legs to stand on.

 

dealt with Bill in the late 70's, a great guy to deal with then. now he's a dick to deal with

 

There are too many other good hot rod builders in the area to deal with that guy, Go to Jerry "Porkchop" Walker in Lewisburg Ohio or over to Dave pleasants shop in Dayton next time for all of your hot rodding needs. Porkchop did me a roller and it is nice, good welds and he got it done in a few months.

 

Back in the seventys Bill had an employee that did all of the fabricating work. this guy was a craftsman to the n th degree. He was so good that he appied for, and got, a job at Wright Patterson AFB as a restoration man on the Aircraft that they do for display at the Air Force Museum. I believe it was after this time that Bill's quality took a serious dump. I heard that he tried to do all of the work himself and just didn't have the talent to pull it off.
I don't know if he still has it or not but back then he had the lowest full fendered '32 roadster I've ever seen. No matter how many times he painted the front fenders they would always blister the paint almost immediately with the heat of front tires rubbing the bottom sides.
I bought a '32 2dr from him during his "good days" that was chopped about 5". It was just a roller when I bought it and turned out to be a wicked car when it was done, wish I still had it.

Frank

 

Dark red with cream colored steel wheels........saw it at Indy Goodguys a couple of years ago........KQQL HOT ROD......30 year old paint and all.

 

Yes ,I had a bad experience with Bill also (in the mid 80's)
I took my 32 ford frame to have some new crossmembers put in (He did have a good frame jig)
After a year, I got mad and picked it up from the same spot I had unloaded it
I keep hearing the "I'LL Have it done in TWO MORE WEEKS " thing, also
If you want a good fabricator ,I'd recomend Steve Ginter from Dayton,Oh
He's a one man shop and takes much pride in his work
Awsome welder (40 years )
And Resonable
He's been building Hot Rods for over 20 years
He's build many Magazine cars
I'll try and get a picture of the 40 Willis he just finished for a customer
IM me for his phone number

 

bill is still at it. i paid him for a pair of axle bells and he has lied to me since the 9th of march. out of town/shipped them last week etc etc. sent me a tracking number that isnt worth a crap.

i put a wanted ad up here on the HAMB, he responded, i paid him and now he wont send my stuff. why is he still a member here? i wish i had seen this thread before i sent him money.

sent me a tracking number that is nothing more than a label and information he submitted to UPS at 7:09 am today march 29th. he claims to have shipped them last friday. i called him out on it over the phone and he hung up on me.

BEWARE

 

What a shame! Thats all I can say.

 

he's a HAMB member...............mrbill32

 

his user id is

mrbill32

he pm'd me after i put up a "wanted" post in the classifieds here, we made a deal, now my project is at a standstill.

anyone got any 37-41 banjo axle bells for sale incase i never get these from him?

 

he's just a messed up dude. he tried to put it all on me. he answers his phone when i call and it almost seems like he thinks it's funny. well,at least he wont do this to anyone else here. meanwhile i still need some banjo bells. it's the only thing keeping me from getting my A pickup to the roller stage.

 

1988 i drove my 32 3whiboy from florida to nats in columbus. on way to friend Jon wrights's on the freeway driver axil broke, tire passed me up tore down fence. called friend Ed yoder in dayton ,came and got me, took me to bills shop magfluxed other axil, it was cracked also.car had a narroed 55 chevy rear w/ ford5.5.5bolt pattern. bill wernt to j yard got 2 ford 31 spline truck axils w/5.5 patern.machined EVERY surface and splined them to make them 55 chev axils...2 days & $250 thanks, bill .....they are still in the car.

 

I wish I would have seen this thread 4 years ago. Bill got me good on an Ebay transaction. I paid in full up front for a 32 chassis for a Model A I was working on. 90 days turned into a good year and a half of lies and bullshit. Finally my wife and I jumped in the car one Friday and drove straight to Ohio with trailer in tow. I swear I wanted to beat the living shit out of him. Kinda glad my wife was with me or who knows what would have happened. I eventually got parts of my chassis. I was so pissed I sold it all. Just didn't want to look at the thing.

Karma will come around full circle one day.