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.
On the brighter side, Although the shops themselves have vanished, a number of of the car-mechanics, as well as 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.
Among the most ideal spots to look for an automobile restoration expert is at one of the classic automobile shows. Search newspaper and TV notices for classic auto conventions and events occurring in or around your town and make an effort to attend. Then, as you look over the cars, take special note of the autos that have restoration quality work that impresses you. And finally, try to find out who did the restoration work on that vehicle. Doing this for all the classic cars that impress you will provide you with quite a large list by the time you leave the show.
Dependent on the source of the cars, many of the restoration experts may be too far away from your home for you to make use of. But, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't contact them. As a matter of fact, it doesn't hurt to contact as many of them as possible. Just tell them that you were recently at an auto show where you saw samples of their work which you admired. Further explain that you are looking for someone that they could recommend that does quality work similar to them but who is closer to your home. Now, you won't get referrals from all the experts that you contact but you will probably 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 god part of locating a restoration specialist in this way as opposed to locating them through a phone book, newspaper ad, or some other means is that you have seen, first hand, the results of their work.
A different, but still excellent, way to find a good classic car repair specialist is to join and become a member of one or more classic auto clubs. These clubs can be an valuable resource for locating parts, services, and other information of interest to classic car hobbyists. But, the best thing about these clubs is that they are full of enthusiasts who are always willing to go above and beyond to help otherof their members. And these clubs don't 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, web site, 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.
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