Have any of you guys used a restoration shop. I was wondering what the typical procedure is for commencing the work. ie what should the contract( is there one)state, completion dates, money owed, etc. Any tips?

Carolina Classic Restorations .Vic Calvert . Spartanburg sc. monthly billing . deposit to get started , pay as work is done and billed with photo documentation of all work. labor rate plus parts . usually 5-10 k down. strip and get the metal blasted and primed to get an idea of rust / metal work . that's if you are doing a full resto . tip ... most good shops are busy and you will get in line . you could get lucky and get in sooner but it is not typical ...this is an up front shop . always a phone call away ! there are others... http://www.carolinatrimshop.com/index.php?view=aboutus also see some of their work here ! https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbt...tml#Post1802906

PM me and I will be happy to give you advice. I retired 2 years ago with over 30 years in Mopar restoration. I would be happy to make sure you know what to expect and how to manage the restoration of your car. I may no longer restore cars, but I do have a lot of knowledge to share to make sure you receive the best for your money.

WOW. Did you work on a specific body style or anything Mopar?

In 30 years I have seen just about everything. My cars have been on the covers or featured in Mopar Collectors Guide, Musclecar Enthusiast, Hemming, etc. There are many private and public museums around the world housing cars I have completed.

You can trust what Truetriplex says. I've known him a few years. He knows his stuff. From my own experience, you really need to get things on paper and agreed to. So there's no he said, she said, issues. You may need to walk away also. Don't take a bad deal because you're in a hurry or anxious. Not saying everything have to be your way or the highway, just keep emotion out of it.

If your looking for a great Restoration shop that has a lot of experience, Look at Precision Car Restoration in St. Louis.
Precisioncarrestoration.com. It is a Large shop and has everything needed in house. They have a full car media blaster, upholstery shop, and 2 paint booths.

They can help with shipping the car to their shop. They also do a thorough estimate process that will give you a good cost to finish the car.
If you go to their website, they have a downloadable guide that may help with your questions.

Give me a PM and I can tell you more about my experience with them.

Smos

Before pulling the trigger on anything regarding a restoration you have to make a checklist of your expectations of the finished product. 90% of the shops will give you a great finished product but restoration is all in the details and process. Also everyones definition of a restoration varies. Are you going for an OE resto,an over restored car, a nice driver, a restomod, etc....There are mega differences with each mentioned and some shops are stronger in one style vs. another. For example I dont think frank badalson or mike mancini are doing any restomods or have the fabrication equipment to do so. However they will produce an OE restoration that you could win any show with. (no, im not advertising for either mentioned.) Also check the shops portfolio of work to get an idea of how they do things. Most of what your paying is for is hundreds of hours of basic to advanced body and paint work. Engine work is not cheap either. I hope you have a car that has all original parts that can be easily restored. If you have to look for NOS or original parts that could run into $$$ as well because parts are getting harder to find. Also component resto costs is up there too. The list is endless. Good Luck with everything.

If you're in Gainsville FL, you might look into
Todd's Body Shop
DeLand FL 32720
phone 386 822 9625

He's done full restorations on 16 B bodies that I can think of, and I'm sure there's more that I don't know about. That's not counting the E bodies and side projects he's done. He did a 68 Hemi Charger that took 1st place in class at the 2013 Mopar Nats. There's 4 B bodies in his shop right now.


He's easy to work with and does a great job. His shop is close enough that you could drive over and check on your cars progress any time, which is real nice.

I think I've known him for about 15 years, and he's been in business longer than that.

Tav

Check these guys out, you can actually do an on-line estimate in minutes !!!

http://www.amdinstallation.com/

I was very pleased with Stripmasters in Milton FL. I saw some of their completed cars at the Garlits show before I sent my Challenger there.

Just hate hearing the stories about cars sitting for years not done and having to send off to another. I own a 69 R/T convertible like the one there talking about in the WIW forum. The car deserves a nice resto. But it doesn't have the original motor or trans. So I don't need to do a concourse resto. Any good shops up near NE ohio or Western pa. Something I could do myself?? farm out the paint then put back together. Done other resto, but always had to get paint work done. This was years ago.

I have no personal dealings with Dennis Kohr but he is in PA and I have heard good stuff out of him. Might be worth a shot. His website: http://www.kohrskustoms.com/
Matt