Finding A Restoration Specialist For A Classic Car

by CARL PHILLIPS

There was a time when you could find a restoration shop in almost any city in the United States. Starting in the nineties, many have disappeared from the scene leaving class car enthusiasts with few places to go to for help in restoring their vehicle.

Happily, even though the shops themselves have disappeared, many of the mechanics and other restoration experts who worked on those classic automobiles are still around and are more than willing to help you, if you can find them.

One of the best places to find an auto restoration specialist is at a classic auto show. Look for newspaper or television notices of classic auto conventions and events occurring near your town and make an effort to attend. As you look at the cars, take special note of the ones that have restoration quality work that impresses you. Then, simply ask questions to find out who did the restoration work on the vehicle. If you do this for all the classic cars the impress you, you will probably have quite a list by the time you leave the auto show.

Depending on where the automobiles hail from, quite a few of the restoration experts may be too far away from your home. This doesn't mean that you should not contact them. In fact you should contact ALL of them. Simply tell them that you were recently at an auto show and saw some of their work which you admired. Explain that you are looking for someone they could recommend that does quality work similar to them but who is closer to your town. You will not get referrals from all the experts that you contact but you may be pleasantly surprised at how many names you do get. Many will also give you other restoration tips that you might not have thought of on your own. And it never hurts to build up your contact list.

The advantage of finding a restoration specialist in this manner as opposed to finding them through a phone book or a newspaper ad is that you have seen, first hand, the results of their labor.

Another excellent way to find classic car repair specialist is to join and become a member of one or more classic auto clubs. These clubs can be an invaluable resource for finding parts, services, and other information of interest to classic car hobbyists. The best thing about these clubs are that they are full of enthusiasts who are always willing to go above and beyond to help other members. And don't think that these clubs have to be local. If you're in New York and join a club based in Chicago, for example, in most cases you'll still be able to actively take part in the club through their bulletin boards, newsletters, ezines, and so on. Classic automobile clubs can also help you to avoid being taken advantage of by unscrupulous shops, restoration specialists and so on.

In addition to pointing you to the best restoration resource, classic car clubs help their members by giving them information on what questions they should ask a classic car renovation specialist. The clubs will also give them tips on how to tell if they're being gouged or overbilled, how long certain jobs should take, what to do if there's a dispute between you and the car renovation specialist and more.

As more and more restoration shops leave the scene, the classic car owner will increasingly find himself looking for all of the help that he can. At least, for now, the help is still out there if you're willing to take the time to research and find it.

Carl Phllips discusses antique car appraisal, classic car restorations, and other classic car restoration issues. He is an author and regular contributor to www.antiquecarcollectors.com ,