Other shops polices

There are a lot of reasons why you should plan the restoration of your car before you dive in head first, one of the biggest reasons that I can suggest to you is, so your car will get restored the way that you want it to, any good restoration shop should be glad to help you with this part, if they want your business, this is one way to determine what shop that you'd like to take your car to for the restoration work, go to a few shops and compare their plans to see what one fits the idea that you have for your car the best.

Now remember that because I say a plan, this does not mean that the shop will estimate a price on the restoration work to be done on your car, a plan is merely a lay out of how that work will be done on your car, and this should give you peace of mind during the restoration work, restoration shops do not give estimates for a very good reason, they have no idea what they'll have to repair on your car during the restoration process, until they begin the work on your car.

If your main goal is to save money, then maybe now is not the time to restore your car, my experiences restoring cars tell me that usually the cars that we restore are not in great shape, usually there is a lot of rust, dents, and general bad body work to repair, not to mention electrical, mechanical, and interior work to be done on your car, and this is why I say, do yourself a favor, and go to a few shops and put a road map of how the restoration process will be done on your car.

A plan should include an idea of what needs to be done on your car, and how it will get done, a plan should include you telling the shop what you want the car to be when it's done, such as a show car, a driver, or a custom car, you have got to realize that there are a lot of differences between the type of work, a driver may not need to be 100% perfect, you don't need to replace every littles and make the car 100% factory again, where on the other hand, if you want a show winning car, every last nut and bolt will have to be as close to perfect as it can, and this of course makes the process of the work change.

Ask the shops a lot of questions, and be sure to look at some of the cars that they have restored in the past years, tell the shop exactly what you want to use this car for, because in most cases, a show car is not your daily driver, you don't want dents and scratches in your show car, well not if you aim to win any shows with it, your daily driver will get door dings, dents, and scratches as a natural part of your every day driving of the car, it does not matter if you take extra care to see that this doesn't happen, it will happen.

The restoration shop that you choose should treat your car as if it were there own, treat it and you with respect, but remember this is a two way road, if you offend the shop and it's workers, the shop will offend you, so if you ask respect of the shop that's doing the work on your car, then give respect to them, and remember that if speed and fast work is what you want on your car, this does cost more money, as the shop has to take people off of other jobs and put them on your car, and the shop labor rate is a per person thing, if there are three people working on your car and the labor rate is $75.00 per hour, you will pay that amount for each person working on your car, and yes it is fair.

So I say do yourself a favor, and plan your restoration down to the finest detail, know exactly what you plan on using your car for, know how much money you want to spend, and know that most shop's don't have the space to store your car, unless their working on it, a shop makes it's living by using the space it has to a maximum advantage, and it does this by haveing every space that a car sits in making money every day, a well organized shop will know how much it needs to make from each space to stay in business, and they will not short change themselves in any way.

Do you have a muscle car that you would like to have restored? Whether you are looking to create the car of your dreams, restore your vehicle back to its original beautify, or raise the overall value of your car, for financial purposes, you may be interested in having your muscle car restored. If this is the case, you will need to find an individual or company who can perform the work for you. Although it may sound like an easy enough decision, it is one that shouldn’t be made on a whim. When it comes to choosing a muscle car restoration company, there are a number of important factors that you should take into consideration.

Perhaps, the most important thing to keep in mind is experience. Muscle car restoration is not an easy task. In fact, that may be why you are seeking professional help instead of trying to restore your own muscle car. To achieve perfection, you must have some knowledge of cars and restoration. The same criteria is needed for professional muscle car restoration experts. An experienced individual or business should be more than willing to share their past history with you. Look for individuals or companies that have years of experience with muscle car restoration. Training is also important. Did the individual in question or any of the company’s employees undergo any training pertaining to muscle car restoration or car restoration in general? Although everyone needs to start somewhere, you are urged against going with a brand new individual or company, it is considered a risk.

In addition to just discussing training, education, and experience, you may also want to ask for proof, namely with samples. An experienced muscle car restoration expert or company will document their restoration projects. In fact, you should be shown before and after pictures. An individual or company that shows you pictures of their vehicles while the project is in the process of being completed are true professionals. In fact, ask if you will receive these same types of pictures. They are a great way to know exactly how your muscle car was restored, as well as have pictures to show your friends, family, or potential buyers!

Of course, cost is an important factor when choosing a muscle car restoration business or expert. As you likely already know, restoring a muscle car can be considered an investment due to its high cost. If you are a budget, you may still be able to have your muscle car restored, but it is important to be on the lookout for individuals or companies that have “rock bottom prices.” These prices are often a sign of the quality you will receive. If you want the best, you need to be prepared to pay for it. Also, it is quite common that a deposit be required, especially with well established muscle car restoration businesses. This is not a scam; in fact, it is quite common.

Who you choose to restore your muscle car is an important part of the end result. By keeping the above mentioned points in mind, you should achieve the end result that you were hoping for, a beautifully restored muscle car.

Most classic car lovers who attempt to restore cars do so out of love for the automobile and what it represents to them. Many also do it for the pure challenge and personal satisfaction of restoring an object to its former glory. Although it's possible to make money restoring and selling antique autos, few do it for the money alone.

If you've never before attempted to restore a classic auto, here are some tips to save you money and aggravation before you lose yourself in your hobby.

Before you do anything to the car and especially before you spend any money, take an appraisal of the car and determine exactly how much restoration you want to do. Do you want to restore it EXACTLY to the state it was in when it came off the assembly line? Do you merely want to restore the shell and interior of the car to its former state, but completely modify and soup up the engine and internal parts? Do you want the car to be drivable or do you simply want a showcase car? The time to answer these questions is now, before you even begin to think about the next step.

With the answers from step one in hand, estimate and write down all of the materials and parts you'll need to restore the car to its desired state. Of course, you can't know everything that needs to be done until you actually get under the hood and start to work with the body, but do the best you can with what you know.

If you are not mechanically inclined, you'll have to find or hire someone to do the inspection for you. If you happen to live nearby an automobile restoration shop, you can often get one of their mechanics to make a house call and inspect your car for a fee. Now find a good price book or a respected automobile restoration expert and begin pricing the replacement car parts. And don't forget online research. The prices of many car parts can be found on the Internet.

If you are planning on contracting the car restoration to a shop, price the labor costs also. This may take some time, but when you're done, enter all of your figures into a spreadsheet and compute the estimated total costs. Then, just to be conservative and account for unexpected repairs and cost overruns, increase the total amount by 50%. The final tally may shock you. But at the very least you won't be surprised when money begins to drain from your checking account.

Here are some of the problems you may run into while attempting to evaluate classic car and price parts:

It's not unusual to be unable to locate all of the parts that you need. Car parts become available when they become available, and some antique car parts are extremely rare. It this is the case you will either have to settle for a substitute part or wait for an authentic part to hit the market.

You may find the perfect car part that you need but it's in another city or state and needs to be shipped to you. Make sure you include shipping prices in your parts estimates. Some people and companies use transportation costs as profit centers and the resulting price may be more than you expected.

As you know, rust is the enemy of cars. Body rust is not something to be too concerned about - you are doing an automobile restoration after all. However, rust on structural parts can bust a hole in your budget big enough to sink the entire restoration project. So make a special note to look for evidence to look for rust in the wheel arches, roof pillars, floor, and so on.

For those of us who love cars, finding and restoring antique autos can be one of the most enjoyable hobbies around. Just be sure that you don't go broke while enjoying it.

How to Pick the Right Restoration Shop

Hemmings Muscle Machines - MAY 1, 2006 - BY MARK J. MCCOURT

Let's face it-not all of us have the tools, skills and space to restore a muscle car by ourselves. Where does this leave us? There are hundreds of restoration professionals out there who can tackle even the rustiest hulk of a formerly glorious car. Before you can choose a restoration shop, you've got to decide what you want the finished car to be (Concours-winning show car, or simply a nice driver?) and how much money you can spend to get it to that point.

When you finally own a restoration-worthy car, you'll have to determine if you can perform any aspects of the rebuild yourself, or if you'll have to farm out the entire project to specialists. If you reason that restoration is out of your league, the next step becomes the homework you'll have to do in order to pick a restoration shop that will deliver the finished product you envision while remaining close to your budget and time schedule.

"Talk to other people at car shows," advises Gary Stone, a self-employed restoration specialist in Pawlet, Vermont. "Pick a car like the one you want to restore, or one that appeals to you. Talk with the owner about the restoration, and find out if any other cars at the show were done by the same restorer." You may learn of shops that specialize in GMs, Fords, Mopars or AMCs, but they aren't automatically your best choice-the best will be restorers who do the most careful and thorough work.

You'll have to do a fair amount of research; call a variety of shops and speak with the owner or principal restoration specialist. Talk with them about your vision of the completed car, and ask them what they have to offer. A good shop manager will be more than happy to discuss his experience and restoration techniques, and will do the same for any of his employees. It's also important to learn if the shop stores all cars being worked on indoors, and if they carry enough insurance to cover all vehicles in the shop.

As you visit prospective restoration shops, you should pay attention to the appearance of the facilities and the equipment with which it is furnished. If you've got a car that will require extensive metal fabrication, look to see if they have a metal brake, an English wheel, a shrinker/stretcher and a bead roller, among other important metalworking tools. They should also have a blast cabinet, a lathe, and a half-ton press as well as gas and MIG welding equipment. Organization and adequate space are also important in a shop.

"When you're working on a car, it's often hard to keep the work space clean, but it's important that there is room to work on a car and good access to the parts and equipment that will be needed," says Joe Myers of Myers Classic and Custom in Palmer, Massachusetts.

The reputation of a shop is extremely important, as is the satisfaction of its former customers. Ralph Prueitt of Al Prueitt & Sons in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, offers advice: "Stop in the local parts store and ask the guys how (the restoration shop is). They'll always tell you-they never pay on time, or, they're great guys who do good work." Contacting old customers is also a smart bet. "A restoration shop should be willing to give you the phone numbers of previous clients," Joe adds. "You should talk to those clients about what was done to their cars, and look at (the work) if possible."

You will sometimes come across shops that advertise both collision work and auto restoration. While most restoration professionals focus solely on restoration work, some shops combine it with collision repair. Some restorers caution against using a combination shop, arguing that collision expertise isn't restoration expertise and that prompt work and attention to detail can suffer. Tom Kazanji, owner of Redz Auto Collision and Restorations in White Plains, New York, has been restoring cars for years and disagrees. "I don't do that much collision work anymore; there are a lot of guys here who handle it," he says, explaining that his Shark laser measuring machine forms a de facto line of demarcation between the everyday insurance work and the restoration work he handles personally.

When you feel comfortable with a shop, it's important to discuss all the particulars of the costs that occur during a restoration. Tom says that his labor rate is $65 an hour, but explains, "I job-cost every single project that comes through here, because the materials are exorbitant. You're talking $2,000 to $3,000 per car just for paint, primer and painting supplies. I have a 1970-1/2 Z/28 in here now that's going to cost $10,000 just to paint. You have to understand, these are projects that can take four to five months to finish. It's not like Mrs. Smith, whose Honda Accord gets smacked up and it's gone from here in three days."

When you've chosen your restoration shop, get a written estimate for the labor, materials and parts required for the project, but remember that estimates are subject to change. "It's difficult to figure an exact price on any restoration," Gary says. "I'll have a general idea of what it will cost, but even my best guesses are often low. You've got to be prepared to spend more money," Tom adds, depending on the situation, a car's restoration may end up costing many times its value. A shop that specializes in your car may change a flat rate, with a clause for extra charges due to unforeseen additional work, while a general restorer may charge for labor, materials and parts separately. A deposit is often required to secure services and begin the parts ordering process.

Be aware that better restoration shops will often have substantial waiting lists, ranging from months to years.

"Any good restoration shop will be booked for at least a year," explains Mopar restoration specialist Dennis Kohr of Kohr's Kustoms in Myerstown, Pennsylvania. "If you can get into a shop right away, you should question the quality of its work. My waiting list is between three and four years; as soon as we finish a car here, another one rolls in. I usually have five cars in the shop at any one time, and full-blown restorations can take a year. There is so much down-time... I let primer set for 30 days before sanding it for paint."

Once a restoration begins, most good restorers want to remain in touch with the car's owner to allow progress updates as well as to keep abreast of potential financial issues. If the shop you've chosen isn't within reasonable driving distance, be sure to ask for detailed photographs on a regular basis. Who knows-maybe your car will become the next HMM restoration profile feature!