I pretty much just went through the same ordeal as you.... if not worse. I've been looking on and off since 2013 to have my AMC Gremlin done. I also live in British Columbia, a province not exactly well-known for good body shops. Most places in this province will only deal with ICBC (our provincially run insurance corporation) because they get to bill 10x to ICBC what they could to a regular customer. ICBC of course, just passes those savings on to the customer.... so we have some of the highest insurance rates in the industrialized world. What fun!
So, finding a "boutique" body shop is near impossible. I bet you, before I found Pacific Muscle Cars, I must've phoned a dozen places in BC and even contacted Cold War Motors in Alberta! Everybody is either booked 3-4 years in advance, won't touch the car because there's no reproduction sheet metal, laughed at me because they don't think a Gremlin is "worthy" of being restored.... one even laughed at me saying no *bleep* ing chance and hung up.
So, if you're getting a bad vibe right off the bat.... avoid the place.
When I finally found Pacific Muscle Cars, the owner actually took me seriously. While he's no AMC guy, I think he understands that everybody likes something different. Just because he may not be hip to it, doesn't mean it's not worthy. He actually thought of it as a challenge as he'd never done an AMC before! Anyway, I got a really good feeling over emails, phone convo's.... he seemed to ask all the right questions and when I had a question, he'd have an answer that put me at ease. I was even able to talk him OUT of going base/clear and using single stage.
When we delivered the car, I took a knowledgeable buddy with me and he got the same impression too. Yes, new shop; yes, younger crew, but seemed to all be on the right setting. Their shop was CLINICALLY clean. Like, seriously, I'd seen dirtier hospitals! They set time aside every month to dung out the shop and I think that's pretty important too.
Long story short, turn-around for my little Grem was 60 days and it looks marvellous in pictures. Had we not had truck issues today, the car would've been home today. Another friend of mine was gracious enough to loan me his insane souped-up 1-ton Dodge and 20+ foot equipment trailer to go pick up my little pimple of a Gremlin er.... well, later today. I got six hours of sleep in the last 48.... that's enough, right?
