FAQ

Do you have questions about Wrecks N Restorations, what we do, or how we do it?

Here are some answers to our most frequently asked questions below. If you cannot find your question or would like more information on a particular question, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Cost, Payments, etc

How much will it cost?

The total cost depends on the cost of parts and materials and $75.00 ($95.00 for mechanical) per hour in labor for the work that you agree to have us do. Once we have reviewed the vehicle, but before we start work on it, you are given a starting price estimate of costs on the recommended work.

Estimates are just that, estimates! They are not a final bill, nor do they guarantee an ending price. Costs can fluctuate depending on any additions/subtractions you make and other factors (such as repairs, rust, etc., found during the process). If any changes or unforeseen repairs need to be completed, you will be contacted before work is performed.

What parts will need to be replaced?

Honestly, this is primarily up to you. If you want us to re-use the parts you have,we can; however, if the parts are less than ideal in their present condition, you will accept that every piece will not appear “factory showroom new.” This may also inquire about additional costs if the part(s) need repair. Parts typically represent about 15% of the total cost of the restoration. If you want every piece to appear “factory showroom new,” we will rework, repair, and rebuild every part of those conditions (additional cost may be associated).

Something to consider is that when you get your car back with brand new paint, the slightly dull or pitted chrome will look considerably different or even worse. This also holds true for interiors, wheels, glass etc.

My vehicle only has a little rust. How much will it cost to repair it?

Unfortunately, rust repair is difficult to estimate; especially if the vehicle has previously been painted. Any paint and/or body fillers can hide a tremendous amount of corrosion (rust) and we won’t be able to properly estimate the amount of damage until after we’ve removed everything covering the metal and can see the extent of the damage. To do this we always recommend media blasting. Rust is tricky and deceitful. It tends to attack panels from the inside out which means by time you see the damage, there is considerably more you don’t see.

Do you offer financing for my restoration?

We do not offer any financing for restorations. Generally, after you agree to the estimate, we will begin with a down payment. We will buy parts, media blast and work on the vehicle until we reach that down payment. We will then have you come in to look at the progress of the vehicle, go over any new findings and then pay another down payment. We are flexible, so if you have any concerns, we can discuss them and come up with a solution that works for both parties.

What are my options with payments?

Down payments start as low as $1000.00. A lower down payment means more down time and increases the time before your car is finished since we will need to wait for you to come in to make another down payment. We will send you monthly progress reports of the progress made on your vehicle. We accept Cash, Checks*, Credit Cards (there is a 4% charge to use Credit Cards for Processing Fees)

*Note: We CANNOT accept checks as final payment for new customers.

If I own a cheap car, then it should be cheap to restore, right?

No, typically the opposite holds true in these cases. Either the vehicle is unpopular or is in very poor shape, both of those conditions tend to result in more expensive repairs. If the vehicle is “unpopular” or a non mainstream vehicle then restoration and repair parts are much harder (or sometimes impossible) to find which make them generally more expensive.

As an example, it would be more expensive to restore a 1972 Ford Pinto than a 1968 Chevy Camaro.

I’ve found body shops at $48/hour, how can Wrecks N Restorations claim $75.00/hour is affordable?

Body shops operate using estimating software that has paint and removal of parts figured into their system. They estimate the hours to paint your vehicle based on book time. Any good body man can fix your vehicle in roughly half of the number of hours quoted on your estimate. If a body shop estimates the vehicle’s body work at 40 hours, they will most likely be able to do the work in about 20 hours (but they will still charge for the 40 hours). The result is that even though their "hourly" rates are less, their “touch time” rate is about double our rates. We estimate your vehicle based upon realistic estimates not the industry “book time". If we work 30 hours on a vehicle, the customer pays for 30 hours of work, and not for 60 hours like the rest of the industry. We also provide more than just body work and paint into our rate as well.

Can you give me a quote?

Yes and No. You would need to make an appointment with us to bring your vehicle in and go over it. Then we can create a estimate based on what we see when looking at the vehicle. In order to create an accurate estimate we will need to see the vehicle in person. Unfortunately, even if you were to email us pictures of your vehicle we would not be able to give an appropriate estimate. Pictures may not always be high quality and/or show all possible damaged areas. Therefore, would cause an inaccurate estimate.

There are too many unknowns when working with antique/classic cars, and that requires a complete understanding of all the required work. We will give you a starting/minimum estimate whether we see the car in pictures or in person.

Parts

What happens to the parts removed or replaced from the vehicle?

Every part removed from a vehicle, that is economically repairable, will be restored and re-installed. If the part is too expensive to repair we will replace the part. The original part will be returned to you. We do not keep any parts from your vehicle unless you do not want them.

If a customer has a core that needs to be turned in, we offer the customer the opportunity to pay the core charge and keep their part instead of sending the part back.

What is your process that all of the original parts will be reinstalled on the vehicle?

Process

Will you come to my house and give me an estimate on my vehicle?

We cannot come to a customer's house for an estimate. This is something we just don't have the luxury of doing given the costs and the extensive time involved in driving out to inspect vehicles off-site.

Our process is to have you make an appointment to bring your vehicle into the shop for an estimate. Once an estimate is agreed upon, we can schedule work on your vehicle.

Can you pick up my vehicle that is in parts and pieces?

Yes and No. The pick up of your vehicle follows the rules listed above. We cannot come to you for an estimate, but we can get your vehicle to us. If a vehicle requires extensive work because of its condition or distance from the shop, a fee will be negotiated in advance.

At this time we can not pick up individual parts. We can only pick up complete cars. If the parts are off of the car and you can bolt them in place or put them in the car, we can pick them up. We don't have a way to securely transport parts at this time.

How long will the process take (work hours/how many months in the shop)?

It is nearly impossible to predict an actual amount of hours required for any restoration. Once we have gone over your vehicle and have created an estimate, we will have a rough idea of the hours required for the project; however, even after a thorough initial examination, the extent of rust, damage, and state of the parts under paint, fillers, and panels cannot be determined.

We have had a few owners state their cars were “completely rust free vehicles” and so far, only one of those vehicles has been stripped down to find that there was actually no rust. In a few cases, vehicles were significantly rusted, and yet the owners had no previous knowledge of the true state of their vehicle. So far, we have found that 400-1200 hours are generally required to rework a vehicle; with 400 to 600 being a cosmetic makeover (not media blasted) and 900 to 1200 being a complete restoration. If we set the vehicle on a rotisserie and finish the bottom side as well, that adds roughly another 20 percent.

We generally complete cosmetic restorations in about 6 to 8 months. We generally complete frame off restorations in about 12 to 24 months. This can be completed faster if there is a valid reason (and it is funded accordingly) or may take longer if the restoration involves extremely hard to find parts or has significant rust.

There are no set number of hours for each project, especially when dealing with classic cars. Every vehicle and project is different.

One of the differences between my shop and the competitor’s shop is the progress, documentation and communication. We work on your vehicle based on your budget and what you can afford to pay as a deposit. If you need to slow down the process, we can arrange that. We take many pictures of your vehicle from tear down, metal repair, body work, prime and block, paint, wet sand and buff to final assembly. You will be given a thumb drive with all those pictures for your records. We keep in contact with you at least once a month and encourage you to stop by and see the progress on your vehicle.

Do I need to repair rust that I can't see?

Yes we must repair the rust that we can not see! The parts that you can not see on your vehicle are the most important part of your vehicle, the structure. Rust works from the inside of the vehicle to the outside. If you don't repair the inner rust and only repair the rust that you can see. The rust will come back in a couple days, couple months or a couple years. If you were building a house, you make sure that the structure is done safe, right and complete before you continue building the outside of the house. This is the same when you are building a car! It doesn't make any sense to pay to restore a vehicle but not repair/restore every part of the vehicle so you don't need to restore your vehicle again within a couple of months or years.

Can we restore the vehicle in stages?

Yes, we can work with you in any reasonable fashion to complete the restoration per your requirements. Whether you wish to complete some of the restoration yourself or you want to go slow during the restoration for budgetary reasons, we can accommodate you. There are a few exceptions to this rule that include some mechanical, some electrical and paint work. We typically do not paint a vehicle over body work that we did not complete. We don't know what was done or what "their" process was between the metal and the body work. It is strongly advised to have us complete the body work and paint work. We will not warranty any issues that are under are paint if we don't do the metal work and body work.

Can we assist the customer in a restoration?

Can I visit my vehicle or be part of the restoration process?

Will your employees be the only people working on my vehicle?

Yes and No. We partner with a few different companies to complete your vehicle. We have a glass company that takes care of the glass work. We have a tow company that tows your vehicle to the media blast or mechanic. We have a media blast company and a mechanical shop that we use for engine, transmission, brakes and exhaust work. We have a really talented interior shop. We send the re-chroming pieces out of our shop. We complete all the work and will take complete responsibility for the restoration if something happens even if one of our partners makes the mistake.

Will I get reports on progress?

Yes, we will give you progress updates of your vehicle and recommend one visit per month. At your visit we will walk you around your vehicle and answer any questions or concerns you may have. We will additionally provide updates via email and will provide a monthly report of your vehicle’s status. At the end of the restoration, we will give you a copy of all photos of the process of your restoration.

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