Restoration Services
One of our recurring themes is that we want to help our customers “recapture their dream.” All of our customers have either had or wanted to have a particular classic car for years, and for some people, decades. We can help people realize their dreams in several different ways. We can sell you one of our cars, we can find the car you want in the condition that you want it or we can take your classic car and restore it. We can “freshen up” a car by attending to those areas that are showing age, such as paint, chrome, and rubber weather-stripping. Or we can perform a complete body-off restoration.
Our body-off restorations are world class and consist of a complete restoration of every nut and bolt on the car. Every original piece that can be salvaged will be, and will be subject to a through reconditioning process. Parts that are replaced with be replaced with “New Old Stock” parts. New Old Stock parts are original parts in like new condition. We can produce “Number One” grade cars that will be competitive in any classic car event. These cars not only look great they can also be driven as a part of enjoying your car.
We can also take your car a step up to a “concours level.” These cars are “exceedingly rare” works of art. The paint will look like you can “dive into it and take a swim” and the chrome will make the car glisten. These cars are drivable but would only be rarely driven. It just depends on what area of your hobby in which you want to participate. Our works of art do cost more than the restoration of a car to a “number one” show car but only by about 15% which is not much of an additional investment. However, what you do with your car may be limited by your desire to maintain its level of perfection. Our restored cars will stop traffic. Our concours cars will cause accidents.
Most of the work is done in-house. However, highly specialized areas such as plating (zinc, phosphate, cadmium, etc); electric motor restoration; steering wheel restoration; instrument cluster restoration; carburetor restoration; body part derusting; and seat belt reweaving will be outsourced to only the finest artisans available. If needed, your car’s engine will be rebuilt by world class master mechanics that have taught at the college level and have built engines for NASCAR competition. If you would like, as part of the rebuilding process, we can enhance engine performance without changing the outward appearance of the car. Or we can change the outward appearance and performance of an engine with custom chrome and performance enhancing replacement parts, such as high intake manifolds, carburetors, exhaust headers, etc. The stock engine that reputedly turns out 300 horsepower can be inwardly tweaked in order to up the horsepower and the torque or it can be outwardly modified to turn it into raging bull that will snap your neck when you bury the accelerator. It’s all up to your design specifications.
We can also take cars and restore them to their original condition and then beyond that if you want to by using modern technology to enhance the appearance and the performance of your classic. For example we can take a 1957 Corvette and rather than repainting it using the original lacquer paint we can shoot it using a combination of metal flake paint and multiple coats of clear urethane to produce a dazzling finish that cars manufactured in the fifties could never achieve. Or we can replace an original vinyl interior with an exact match, made instead of only the highest quality leather. Sound systems can be enhanced as well, without changing the appearance of the car’s interior. The extent to which you want to walk down that path will be up to each owner.
Our cars are world class cars of only the highest caliber and will more than compete with the other top restoration houses in the country. We are presently expanding our services in this area in order to minimize our renovation time and our backlog. It can take three to six months to complete a car depending upon the original condition of the car and the buyer’s specifications as to appearance and performance.
Each step of the process will be highly documented and photographed. Upon completion you will receive not only your car but a leather-bound book that chronicles the metamorphosis of your car, including all the custom parts used in modifying your car should you decide to do so. We will need a number of pictures of your car, or the car itself, and your custom specifications in order to provide you with a quote on your car for restoration purposes. Most of our stock restorations cost between $40,000 to $60,000 plus parts. The concours cars will generally cost $10,000 to $20,000 more than a stock restoration. Please read Our Policy for details on charges and billing for car restoration.