NCRS-level restoration shops

[Howard W.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops

Ditto: Restoration Connection. Rob has done numerous Cars that achieved Top Flight at the Regional and National levels.

[Howard W.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops

Ditto: Restoration Connection. Rob has done numerous Cars that achieved Top Flight at the Regional and National levels.

[Dennis D.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops

Corvette country Lakewood NJ.

[Dennis D.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops

Corvette country Lakewood NJ.

[Joe R.]

Re: How about your own garage?

I'm with you Terry. No one will put in the TLC like you will if you DIY!

Joe

[Joe R.]

Re: How about your own garage?

I'm with you Terry. No one will put in the TLC like you will if you DIY!

Joe

[Rick A.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops

Tony's Corvette Shop
7500 Rickenbocker Drive
Gaithersburg, MD
301-987-0565

[Rick A.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops

Tony's Corvette Shop
7500 Rickenbocker Drive
Gaithersburg, MD
301-987-0565

[John D.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops COST

Roy,Base price is usually about 150 grand or so it seems. That should get the ball rolling. Its the same old story. Realistically it costs about a 100 plus to farm it out.And then its typically a repromobile(but not always) So you have to sit on the car for boo coo years to break even. And if you do it yourself it typically ends up looking like that. But so what. It's only money. I mean if we don't spend it the wives will take it from ya for sure. Along with the cars. John D.

[John D.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops COST

Roy,Base price is usually about 150 grand or so it seems. That should get the ball rolling. Its the same old story. Realistically it costs about a 100 plus to farm it out.And then its typically a repromobile(but not always) So you have to sit on the car for boo coo years to break even. And if you do it yourself it typically ends up looking like that. But so what. It's only money. I mean if we don't spend it the wives will take it from ya for sure. Along with the cars. John D.

[Roy B.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops COST

And people offer me fare fare less , tho it's not for sale

[Roy B.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops COST

And people offer me fare fare less , tho it's not for sale

[Dick W.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops COST

I just saw a quote from a very well known restoration shop. To do a body off on a '63 Fuel Infested coupe was approximately $100k

[Dick W.]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops COST

I just saw a quote from a very well known restoration shop. To do a body off on a '63 Fuel Infested coupe was approximately $100k

[Rich Puleo]

Re: NCRS-level restoration shops

I'm part of a low key shop on Long Island, & I won't take advantage by making this an advertisement, but I have to speak up here. In some cases, a car may take 6 figures to fully restore. But I firmly believe it doesn't have to be that way. It depends on the car you start with, & it depends on who you're dealing with. Obviously, if you start with a rusty frame, wrong motor, nose blasted off, no interior, missing this & that, you can't make a 99 point fuelie cost effectively. But, if you start with a car that is pretty much there & fix what's there, there's no reason why a resto should take more than 6 to 9 months & run a second mortgage. You've also got to do some homework on any shop that you are considering. Always go with a reccommendation! Talk to customers at that shop. If you take your all original '61 no hit body in for resto & the shop wants to sell you a nose, you have to question the guy's methods. Otherwise, you're going to find yourself 100 grand in the hole for fresh paint & chrome, but no interior or no drivetrain, & now you're coming to terms with cutting your losses & trying to figure out how you can get the car out of one shop to be finished by another. I get these customers all the time. Heartbreaking stories. We've all heard them. I could tell you about a complete original owner '67 that went in for a resto 4 years ago & still isn't done! Work not completed, parts are missing, & the customer is so discouraged about "You need how much more$$$?!", the car that was so much a part of him & his family is now a sore subject. Why?
Ask the questions. When you walk into a shop, look at what's on the floor. Pay attention to what space is devoted to each car. Are they all Corvettes? Are there mostly Corvettes, or are they all different? If it's an NCRS shop, why are there so many different types of cars on the floor? How far along are they assembled/disassembled? How many are just sitting untouched? How many completed refferences are available? Look at the dust settled on the cars. Are they clean? Freshly wiped? If they look freshly dusted, take a look at the frame. A car that has been sitting will have a film of white or grey dust on the tops of the frame rails. Any shop has this body dust floating around. Even the cleanest working shop will have some dust around. What some guys do is dust off the cars before an appointment to cover up. It's a quick way to make a shop look clean, it's too much work to get in to the frames & get all the dust off. How long have these cars been here? What is so special about the ones that have been here the longest? IE, obviously, a '53 will take a lot longer to restore than a '75. The final question is what is the end result? Are you going to spend 50K for one shop's resto because he's cheaper than everyone else, only to have to sink another 30K to make the car NCRS correct? It happens!
All I'm saying is be educated. This message board is the best forum for this education. Horror & success stories are your best source of info. Don't let someone muscle you into a project. It's your Corvette, you can call the shots!
Rich