Getting YOUR Project Started

Like any project worth undertaking, it all begins with a meeting of the minds. Restoration projects are nothing to take lightly. The costs are substantial and we want to make sure you get your money’s worth. That means that we need to gain an understanding of your desires and expectations. The best way for us to accomplish that is to meet in person – preferably with the project vehicle at hand. But, with or without the vehicle available for inspection, an in-depth discussion of the project’s scope, standards and finish levels needs to take place in the very beginning.

We feel that one of the best ways to begin a restoration project is to define the vehicle’s mission. After all, the guiding standards for our work will vary widely between a concourse trailer queen show car and an all-weather daily driver. Knowing just how you intend to use your newly restored car or truck will help us to put together a project plan that will help you to get the best bang for your buck. But, even with the best project plan, we need to be prepared to deal with both “scope creep” and “creeping elegance”.

This meeting of the minds is a two-way street. In addition to face-to-face meetings, one of the ways we can learn more about you and what you’re going to want to be driving home when we’ve finished your project is to ask questions. We can do this in person, or we can provide you with a standard questionnaire to review and complete at your leisure. In addition to providing us with information, the questionnaire may also give you greater insight into how we think and work around here. But, you can gain an even greater understanding of how we work by devoting some time to read sections of this website – particularly the pages under the Projects, Services, and Company menu headings. Believe it or not, the Glossary page (under the “Stuff” menu heading) can also be quite informative and help you to decide what kind of parts you prefer that we use (OEM, NOS, Reproduction, Remanufactured, Rebuilt, or Used) and to ensure that we’re on the same page when we toss around “car jargon” in our discussions. Of course, all of this (the questionnaire and reading the website) are at your option. But, if you prefer to be involved in the restoration process, the more you know, the more involved you’ll be and the happier you’ll be when we’re done.

We’ve been fortunate enough to have maintained a backlog of restoration work over the years. This helps us to ensure stable employment for our staff – meaning we are able to hold on to quality people. It does, however, mean that your project will be in the queue for some time before it gets its turn “at bat”. The length of time in the queue varies with the number of projects in the backlog and the scope of those projects. In order to ensure that we don’t turn away prospective projects unnecessarily, we require that a deposit be placed on account to hold your place in the queue – unless we have space available to store your vehicle here. As the time to start work on your project approaches, you will be kept informed of how our schedule is progressing so that you can be ready when we are.

It all starts with a phone call, email or a visit – either here at our facility or wherever your project is waiting.

If you would like to review – and maybe complete – our restoration questionnaire, click HERE.