All Tore Up
My hearse spent its first night with me closeby in the LA Times garage. I parked it at an angle to at least give the appearance that I wasn't trying to be obnoxious. It still stuck out a little, but hey, it's 22 feet long.
While I'm in LA, I need to have three main things done to the hearse: upholstery, audio/video, and exterior decals. Once I'm settled somewhere, I might add smaller items like spinners, much to the chagrin of some of my buddies. But they'll be classy spinners, I swear.
Frank's Auto Upholstery
Frank is actually named Francisco, and I went to see him before I purchased my car. Doug (who sold me the hearse) uses his services to restore some of his older cars, and he definitely knew his way around a hearse. He gave me rough estimates for everything from flooring to covering seats to creating new side panels. As I mentioned, everything on the inside is navy blue and it all has to go. The dash and window control housings are a brown wooden finish, which I'm not crazy about but they're not prominent enough for me to vehemently hate them.
Central Auto Sound
Francisco recommended I get my audio and video wiring done here and called to let them know I was coming. When I called to follow up and explain what I wanted to do, Art, the owner, wasn't appropriately enthused. "Well, come on by so I can see what the job is before I turn it down." Ouch. But all I had to lose was a little time, so I paid him and his two assistants a visit. As I gave them the grand tour of the car, Art softened up and one of his assistants, Admir, got really excited. I brought up the idea of recessed lighting in the ceiling and he exclaimed, "Yeah! We could do a galaxy!" Hell YEAH, I want a galaxy. As an aside, I was originally thinking I'd put a sunroof up front. They're not that expensive to cut and install, but hearse tops are slightly rounded and the one I have is brand new, so I just don't want to mess with it right now.
D Only Son
I told Admir I needed some custom paint done, so he called his buddy Francis and told him I was coming. When I arrived the next day, there were a lot of people around because a car magazine was doing a photoshoot of Francis' work. When Francis, a short, hispanic man with long hair, saw me pull in, he did the sign of the cross on his chest and said, "Oh my gosh it's real!" He showed me some of the cars he's worked on, mostly sports cars. Impressive. I told Francis I just need logos on each side and the back. He suggested making decals instead of painting because they're cheaper, easier to remove, and won't scratch as easily. Sold! He said it would take about two days, so I probably won't bother with it until the inside is done. I'm going to have to meet with an artist though, since my days of trying to design anything are long gone.
Right now, my car is with Francisco. One of his employees, Pablo, has been driving me to and from my hotel in Downtown LA. Since it's a good 15 or 20 minutes, I chatted him up in Spanish because I need the practice. I don't think my Spanish is great, but Pablo thinks it is because we talked about the weather, my family, places I've visited, and stuff I like to eat, all of which are covered by the high school Spanish cirriculum.
As for the hearse, most of the side panels are gone and they're starting to pull out the rollerboard. Francisco (slightly) lamented that the rollerboard is in great shape, but very securely placed (as it should be) so they may not be able to salvage it. I told Doug I'd have Francisco hang on to all the parts I didn't use, so I'm hoping they find a way. Art suggested keeping the rollerboard in there to maintain the effect of riding in a hearse. Although there appears to be a lot of space back there, I still need to provide the extra inches of legroom for it to be comfortable.
My biggest issue right now is finding a head unit to put in the dash. This is going to display all the stereo, DVD, and navigation controls, so I want it to look slick and you know, work. I've been researching Pioneer and Eclipse units, with Pioneer being a clear winner. I also need to look at Infinity too. Art doesn't keep a lot of stock around, so I'm better off buying the one I want and letting his folks install it. I showed him a few I'm considering to get a feel for the limitations of installing it, but I couldn't get much information. They're making it sound like whatever head unit I get, they'll find a way to install it. Of course, everyone has been nice to me, but I knew this question was coming: "Do you think you'll be able to learn to use something this complex?" Heh, I may look like just another stupid woman, but the money to pay for this didn't come from Daddy.
One last shop I might have to visit is LKQ Auto, a modern wrecking yard with all its parts listed in a database. Admir told me about them because we discussed the idea of getting a new dashboard and steering wheel. Francisco advises against it, since making a new dash would cost the same and a new wheel may not be compatible. I'll call them tomorrow, but I'm thinking of siding with Francisco on this one.
My car is going to eat your car.
While I'm in LA, I need to have three main things done to the hearse: upholstery, audio/video, and exterior decals. Once I'm settled somewhere, I might add smaller items like spinners, much to the chagrin of some of my buddies. But they'll be classy spinners, I swear.
Frank's Auto Upholstery
Frank is actually named Francisco, and I went to see him before I purchased my car. Doug (who sold me the hearse) uses his services to restore some of his older cars, and he definitely knew his way around a hearse. He gave me rough estimates for everything from flooring to covering seats to creating new side panels. As I mentioned, everything on the inside is navy blue and it all has to go. The dash and window control housings are a brown wooden finish, which I'm not crazy about but they're not prominent enough for me to vehemently hate them.
Central Auto Sound
Francisco recommended I get my audio and video wiring done here and called to let them know I was coming. When I called to follow up and explain what I wanted to do, Art, the owner, wasn't appropriately enthused. "Well, come on by so I can see what the job is before I turn it down." Ouch. But all I had to lose was a little time, so I paid him and his two assistants a visit. As I gave them the grand tour of the car, Art softened up and one of his assistants, Admir, got really excited. I brought up the idea of recessed lighting in the ceiling and he exclaimed, "Yeah! We could do a galaxy!" Hell YEAH, I want a galaxy. As an aside, I was originally thinking I'd put a sunroof up front. They're not that expensive to cut and install, but hearse tops are slightly rounded and the one I have is brand new, so I just don't want to mess with it right now.
D Only Son
I told Admir I needed some custom paint done, so he called his buddy Francis and told him I was coming. When I arrived the next day, there were a lot of people around because a car magazine was doing a photoshoot of Francis' work. When Francis, a short, hispanic man with long hair, saw me pull in, he did the sign of the cross on his chest and said, "Oh my gosh it's real!" He showed me some of the cars he's worked on, mostly sports cars. Impressive. I told Francis I just need logos on each side and the back. He suggested making decals instead of painting because they're cheaper, easier to remove, and won't scratch as easily. Sold! He said it would take about two days, so I probably won't bother with it until the inside is done. I'm going to have to meet with an artist though, since my days of trying to design anything are long gone.
Right now, my car is with Francisco. One of his employees, Pablo, has been driving me to and from my hotel in Downtown LA. Since it's a good 15 or 20 minutes, I chatted him up in Spanish because I need the practice. I don't think my Spanish is great, but Pablo thinks it is because we talked about the weather, my family, places I've visited, and stuff I like to eat, all of which are covered by the high school Spanish cirriculum.
As for the hearse, most of the side panels are gone and they're starting to pull out the rollerboard. Francisco (slightly) lamented that the rollerboard is in great shape, but very securely placed (as it should be) so they may not be able to salvage it. I told Doug I'd have Francisco hang on to all the parts I didn't use, so I'm hoping they find a way. Art suggested keeping the rollerboard in there to maintain the effect of riding in a hearse. Although there appears to be a lot of space back there, I still need to provide the extra inches of legroom for it to be comfortable.
My biggest issue right now is finding a head unit to put in the dash. This is going to display all the stereo, DVD, and navigation controls, so I want it to look slick and you know, work. I've been researching Pioneer and Eclipse units, with Pioneer being a clear winner. I also need to look at Infinity too. Art doesn't keep a lot of stock around, so I'm better off buying the one I want and letting his folks install it. I showed him a few I'm considering to get a feel for the limitations of installing it, but I couldn't get much information. They're making it sound like whatever head unit I get, they'll find a way to install it. Of course, everyone has been nice to me, but I knew this question was coming: "Do you think you'll be able to learn to use something this complex?" Heh, I may look like just another stupid woman, but the money to pay for this didn't come from Daddy.
One last shop I might have to visit is LKQ Auto, a modern wrecking yard with all its parts listed in a database. Admir told me about them because we discussed the idea of getting a new dashboard and steering wheel. Francisco advises against it, since making a new dash would cost the same and a new wheel may not be compatible. I'll call them tomorrow, but I'm thinking of siding with Francisco on this one.
My car is going to eat your car.
posted by Unknown at
6:36 PM
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