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East Coast Restoration Shops - Any comments?

6K views 12 replies 12 participants last post by  allanjs 
#1 ·
Hi All -

Very long story, but i have been thru 2 shops in the CT/NY area in hopes of restoring my 69 Camaro. I am looking for a reputable shop who wont take years to rebuild my Camaro. I am not looking for a concourse restoration - just a good honest build. I have heard some good things about the following shops and wanted to see if any TC members had any personal experiences that they could share. If there are any other shops you think are worth speaking to, I would be very interested as well. Thanks in advance for your help. Hopefully I can get this restoration going!!

Legacy Innovations Emigsville, PA legacyinnovations.com

East Coast Muscle Cars Craley, PA emusclecars.com

Camaro Specialties Camaros.com Aurora, NY

Truman Muscle Car Parts Egg Harbor Township, NJ trumanmusclecarparts.com

Lucas Restorations Phoenix, MD lucas-restorations.com

East Coast Motorsports eastcoastrestorations.net Bristol, CT

Thank You - David
 
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#2 ·
Hi All -

Very long story, but i have been thru 2 shops in the CT/NY area in hopes of restoring my 69 Camaro. I am looking for a reputable shop who wont take years to rebuild my Camaro. I am not looking for a concourse restoration - just a good honest build. I have heard some good things about the following shops and wanted to see if any TC members had any personal experiences that they could share. If there are any other shops you think are worth speaking to, I would be very interested as well. Thanks in advance for your help. Hopefully I can get this restoration going!!

Legacy Innovations Emigsville, PA legacyinnovations.com

East Coast Muscle Cars Craley, PA emusclecars.com

Camaro Specialties Camaros.com Aurora, NY

Truman Muscle Car Parts Egg Harbor Township, NJ trumanmusclecarparts.com

Lucas Restorations Phoenix, MD lucas-restorations.com

East Coast Motorsports eastcoastrestorations.net Bristol, CT

Thank You - David

Ken Lucas in MD has retired, and is now doing consulting with Jerry's Hot Rods in Hampstead MD. I believe Jerry's is the shop that did Ken's body and paintwork.
 
#5 ·
David,

My ‘68 SS is currently undergoing a concourse restoration at East Coast Muscle. I opted for this type of restoration since it’s a number matching car and my desire to bring it back to the way it rolled off the assembly line. They do, however, perform all levels of restoration....it’s really up to you to tell them what level you’re interested in and how far you want to take it. In my case, they’re performing all of the bodywork and paint and I’ll be doing all of the final assembly. They will do a turn key restoration but I enjoy the satisfaction of doing the work myself. Again, it’s really up to you.

They’ve been featured in many muscle car magazines and in my opinion, are one of the premier restoration facilities on the East Coast. I’m extremely pleased with the work they’re doing on my car. Their attention to detail, right down to correct spot welds, seam sealer, panel fit, etc. is phenomenal.

If you decide to check them out ask for Lonny. He is the owner and a real pleasure to talk with.

Good Luck!

Bob
 
#10 ·
Get ahold of Paul Serafin, the owner of Wizard Auto Body in Hampden, Mass. The shop number is (413) 566-2121. I've known Paul for 30 years, he's done work on several of my cars, they are certified to do exotics, have done tons of Camaro's and Corvettes over the years. Camaro convertible pictured he did a few years ago while I happened to be at the shop... HoK Kandy Brandywine. They can handle any level of work... but restorations aren't quick unless you want a hack job. Paul is more than reasonable on his work. If you're in CT it's worth the ride, he's just over the CT border. Paul's not big on social media or the web.

If you want another really good New England shop... then get in touch with Chris Cerce of Chris Cerce Customs in Taunton, MASS ((774) 263-1306). Chris painted my SVT Lightning a few years ago, he's also won best paint awards at the World of Wheels Show in Boston. The Lightning had ghost flames on the hood and bed cover, paint was a combination of PPG, HoK, and Glasurit. The Lightning won best paint twice at local shows.

Chris Cerce Customs - Instagram

Bodyworks Unlimited is owned by Tony Bordoni and is in East Longmeadow, Mass. Tony's shop is unique in this area... he's done a ton of restorations on all kinds of cars. Does really nice work and has a big following in the local hot rod and restored community.

Bodyworks Unlimited

Another great shop is AK Customs up in New Hampshire. I've never dealt with them but almost bought a '68 Camaro from them that had been fully restored. Beautiful work, nice people too.

AK Rod & Custom
 

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#11 ·
I had Truman Muscle Cars do my floors, rockers etc on my 69 vert. John is one of the most honest guys I have met in the restoration business not to mention a great person. You can tell him Donny with the yellow 69 Camaro convertible recommended you.
 
#13 ·
Be prepared to wait no matter where you take the car. Also be sure you have insurance
for "restoration" or whatever the insurance company calls it when it's out of our possession
for work to be done. Inventory all parts, take pics of the parts and containers, make a list,
and have whomever does the car sign the list stating such inventory is now in their possession.
You may even want to go as far as assigning a value to everything. In some shops you'd be
surprised as to the parts that come up missing.
 
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