Does anyone know a good car restoration place at a reasonable price?

Hi all,

Like the title says, does anyone know a good car restoration place (that won't screw you over) at a reasonable price? I have a 67 Riv that would love to be restored. I'm in the Denver area. Thank you.

-Ed

 

I don't usually think of "car restoration" and "reasonable price" in the same sentence. However, I'm sure our members who've been happy with shops that did their restorations will be happy to give some recommendations shortly.

 

Maaco and Earl Scheib are reasonable, but reasonable and good are not used in the same sentence for a proper car restoration.

 

"reasonable price" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. Now that I have been doing my own restoration work for the last couple years, my idea of reasonable price is higher since I can appreciate first-hand the time, effort, and skill necessary to obtain nice results.

In my opinion, if you aren't interested in the process of restoring the car yourself (or cannot do the work), you may be much better off financially if you bought a car that is already restored to the condition that you desire.

I know a guy in Texas that does good work for a reasonable $35 an hour. He has a website "Fast Eddie Automotive". His name is Ed Brizendine. He did some sheet metal, brakes, and other misc. stuff on my car before I shipped it over here.

What I learned however, is that I could have done that work myself if I had the tools and good advice....which now I do. I sourced my tools, V8Buick has kindly offered me lots of advice along the way.

 

Being in Texas there are a lot of options here but I will tell you be prepared to pay at least $40 hour (if you are lucky enough to find someone with the skills you need for that low a price) all the way to $100/hr. Most mechanic shops in the DFW area that do first class mechanical work are minimum $75/hr but tend to be more like $100-$110. These are guys that work quickly, have the correct tools, and know the ins and outs of working on computerized cars.

Restoration guys are harder to find. I use a company that is two brothers that have been doing first class restorations since they were both into Camaro's back in the 90's. They now have a mature shop and first class reputation but are backed up with work. They can't find qualified technicians who want to work on restorations. They have a large State Farm operation on their site and do lots of collision repair but the restorations are done in a separate building. I was there today because one of my cars is being worked on and he told me I might have to take it home after they finish the high priority work because lack of qualified personnel who want to work on restorations and he will call me to bring it back when they work through the cars that got there before mine. Apparently finding a technician that has the knowledge and patience to do restorations is tough, most of the technicians just want to do collision work and not have to meet the high standards of restoration work.

I try to do the small stuff to save myself some money.

 

I had to look for someone to inspect a car in another town so I called 3 or 4 auto upholstery shops and asked for recommendations. I realized these shops deal mostly with old cars so they often know who is who locally in the restoration business. I also realized they frequently see cars before the interior goes in so they see the "dirt." Lastly, they know who pays their bills -- no one wants to deal with a shop that isn't financially stable. Like anything, it might be better to make an in-person visit to a few upholstery shops if you want a more "forthright" answer about one resto shop vs another. You might also be looking for front seat repairs so it could be a 2 for 1. It's a way to get some qualified leads.

I suspect you'll want to look outside the metro area to get better hourly rates based on lower space/labor costs for the shop.


Hope that helps. Good luck!!

 

get exactly what u pay for. Cheap in restorations is a no no.

 

Pick Any Two...

 

I don't think the OP is looking for a "cheap" job or shop. I am of the understanding that, after reading some of the 'horror' stories from others on here, he would like to find a shop that will actually do the work and not rip him off. Certainly some of you have had work done by a shop you'd recommend. I may be looking soon to get a nice paint job on my '69 Z/28.

 

Do you have a budget worked out? The statement above leaves us to wonder if you expect to spend 10k, 20k, or 50k. A good quality resto that involves a new interior, rust repair, body work, nice paint, and mechanical work won't be towards the low end. And 67 Riv specific parts, if needed, are not easy to find either.

That said, I know there are guys here who can recommend shops they've generally been happy with, but most will probably tell you to expect to spend a lot more than you plan to.

 

Part of what you need to consider is the value of the car when finished. While you may not be planning to sell the car, that day may come. If you are looking to go through the mechanicals, fix sheetmetal, squirt a nice paint job on it, and take care of interior wear items, that would give you a nice looking reliable driver that you'd be proud of, but not a frame-off. That said, you will likely spend more than the car is worth. If you can stomach that, go for it. Or if the car has tremendous sentimental value, that might up what you're willing to spend.

As an restoration starts with an estimate and as things come apart surprises are inevitably found, add a healthy multiplier to the estimates you get.

I know this does not answer your question regarding a recommendation, but hopefully will help guide your decision when it comes time to put your money on the counter. A good source of information is to attend local car shows when the weather breaks and find cars you think look they are to the level you are seeking and ask the owner who did the work. It might be a combination of places based on engine/mechanical work, paint, upholstery, etc., but if you start hearing the same names from happy customers you have developed your own local list of shops.

Check these links out for values, if you haven't already done this research:

https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1967-buick-riviera

http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Cars/1967/Buick/Riviera-Gran-Sport/2-Door-Hardtop/Values

 

No.

 

Of course the labor cost component can be tempered if you are able to do some of the work yourself.

 

Doing some of the work yourself, can be a double edged sword, most guys will want to the teardown themselves so when reassembly time comes they know what goes where and how it was fitted and what bolts held it on etc etc. Buicks for me aren't this way I know where pretty much every bolt goes, give me a 67 Impala to do and I wouldn't want anyone but me touching it if I was the one to do the work. Same goes stripping the paint, you can Jack body lines up and cause metal distortion if done improperly, something extra you be paying to correct. Expect $10k + for paint and body $10k+ for teardown,reassembly, frame and trim restoration then another $1500+ for interior, then you got parts which depending on what car your doing and to what level can equal or surpass the labor investment. I'm doing a 66 Chevelle SS 396 now that will be close to $70k in parts and labor, and stuff for chevy A body's are pretty cheap

 

They're all high around this area. And slow.

 

can you shed any tears on demand or better yet a female ??? if so get ahold of CHIP FOOSE to be on an episode he is looking for projects and have you done in a week ..COME ON MAN

 

this is what's on my business cards I hand them 3 at time lmao