Nestled away in Wisconsin...
Nestled away in Wisconsin is Muscle Car Restorations (MCR). They can honestly be called one of the best in the country. MCR can handle everything from a 100-point restoration to something as simple as applying paint on owner-prepped sheetmetal.
Body Shoppin'
So how do you know where to take your car for paint? Choosing a body shop can be a daunting task, but, luckily, Mopar enthusiasts are always glad to give their opinions of a shop's quality, demeanor, and service. Most of the time, word of mouth is a good advertiser.
Cost also plays a large part in the process of choosing a shop. Quality shops may charge between $50 and $80 an hour for labor. If you have a buddy, who has a friend, who has a cousin, whose father knows a guy, be a little shy about handing over your pride and joy without first seeing some of this guy's work. Also try to find some cars with a few years of a restoration under their belts and see how well they have fared.
So now you've found the shop you think can handle the painting of your car. Some things to keep in mind: 1) Keep in touch with the shop. If the shop is constantly seeing and hearing from you, they will realize you want your car back and will be motivated to spend more time on it. 2) Never, and I repeat, never tell the shop to fix your car as if it were their own. It's the old adage--Cobbler's kids never have new shoes. 3) Another bad statement, "Work on it when you have time." Trust us, if you tell the shop owner that you're not in a hurry, he won't be either.
We are quite confident in our selection of Muscle car Restorations in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Muscle car Restorations has been restoring award-winning cars since 1989. But we really do not want a car that will win an O.E. Gold certification at the Nats. Heck, a Bronze certification isn't even in the plans. What we do want is a good-quality paint job, that with proper care will last more than a summer of cruising all over the Eastern seaboard and midwestern portions of this country. We spoke with proprietor John Balow and expressed our concerns. He replied that he doesn't want to be known as only a 100-point concours restoration shop. The crew at MCR has done several cars for customers who were looking for the same things as we are. According to John, "We [MCR] have done work ranging from paint only to just prepping a shell we received and applying the paint. We are willing to hear what the customers tell us they want and work with them on achieving that."
So keeping in mind you are trusting this shop with your car--and let's not forget your hard-earned cash--do you know what to look for? a shop with the proper facilities, a top-notch staff, and integrity should be at the top of your list. We found that at Muscle car Restorations.
When looking for a competent...
When looking for a competent shop, take a look around at the entire business. At MCR, customers' cars are never left to sit outside. Look at it this way--you have trusted this shop with your pride and joy. Do you want it outside where the weather or vandals can get to it? Not a problem at MCR.
One of the first things done...
One of the first things done at MCR is to get the plan on paper. We walked around the car and made sure MCR knew what we expected. This is done on all cars, and a game plan is established early in the process to avoid any confusion later.
Here is a shot of the assembly...
Here is a shot of the assembly room. Each car is assigned a space in the building, and only the parts pertaining to the car are in that area. This again avoids any confusion, and each car is assured special attention until finished.
Are the parts from your car...
Are the parts from your car going to get lost or misplaced? At MCR, each car is assigned a cart, so all the parts removed have a central location and will not get misplaced.
All bodywork is done in a...
All bodywork is done in a separate building from reassembly. a state-of-the-art spray booth is paramount for a quality paint job.
Does the shop you chose take...
Does the shop you chose take these kinds of measures to assure quality?