Got a hold of my favorite Germans, the guy's buddy is going to fly over to Sweden next Wednesday and is still willing to carry the trim for me, he'll drop it off with VP, then it'll make it's way over in a container. Over the river and through the woods..
Sleeper update. This saga came to a close 5-Feb when this crate showed up at my door:
The bottom is new inner and outer rocker panels for the day this car gets body worked and repainted. The top... the top is the finest piece of shipping I've seen in some time. Forgive me as I wax poetic about some sticks of trim but this was 7 months of time and more money than I care to admit.
G&W in Germany came through in a big way. This package was checked onto a flight from Germany to Sweden, driven over to VP and dropped off in person, sat in a warehouse for a spell, shipped on a container to SC, then finally made it's way to Western Mass. None of this would have happened without Ian (Hi Perf Auto). I think he knows it by now, but his help with this was the keystone to the whole project and he was nothing but gracious and happy to help. To me this is like the ultimate Volvo community success story. It's also a testament to my own stubbornness in many ways, but seeing this package come is was so exciting! I was so relieved to see a REAL box, and I can't tell you how nervous I was bringing it inside. If it was bent I had no recourse and I was out... well I would have been out.
And my bounty is, from what I can tell from my searching, some of the last (THE last outside of private stores for some) of a few particular pieces of NOS stainless DL trim... in the woooorld. Quarter panels, doors, fender spears, and a lone trunk section. Got it all.
it's PERFECT
I'll note that Oak Park Volvo in IL made 3 failed shipment attempts of a quarter panel piece before I finally convinced them to make the best use of their brains by turning them off and letting me do the work for them. Since they could not manage to figure out how to make a box, I ended up SENDING THEM the crate I got from G&W. Only then were they able to get me a piece of trim unbent. They were cooperative with me so I should be kinder, but honestly they should be a little embarrassed. All's well that ends ok, I ended up coming out a few sticks of trim ahead but I'll leave it at that
So when the day comes, the car will have a high quality repaint and a complete set of brand new trim installed. That will be a payoff. In the meantime I worked really hard for this stuff, and for the price I paid no one is going to recoup my costs, so it's stored safely in the shed where I'm happy to leave all of it.