If anyone wants the side of the story from the guy who actually rebuilt this thing, ask away. Scott is a really good dude, but he had no idea the amount of work it takes to build one of these cars, and especially when it was so poorly executed the first time. I nearly shut my shop down after I couldn't get fairly compensated for the work done. I'm not trying to disparage him, but the story isn't complete till all sides are heard.
Car should not have been released until you were paid for work done. You should have held car until you were paid your due. Was a written agreement sign ahead of time? Did you keep a detailed list of time and materials?
And unless someone has actually done the work you did, which was extensive, and in very short time, and of high quality, requiring extensive skill knowledge, a customer is not going to have a clue. Should not be a surprise customer doesn't have a clue, thats a given, and should be assumed.
The admin over on autobody101 he bills monthly for time materials. And when customers don't pay its a stop work. So strategies to manage risk, minimize losses, and manage customers expectations need to be done.