Vintage Restoration in Seattle, WA

The word Vintage is in our name because this shop opened in 1963, which means we were doing routine collision work on cars that are now collectible. Some of the vehicles that come back through the door were here when they were new.

Old cars are not simpler, only different

There are no published repair procedures for a 1965 anything, no parts portal, and no diagnostic port. What replaces all of that is judgment: knowing what the factory panel gaps actually were, that lead was used where filler would be used now, and that a reproduction panel from a catalogue will need reworking before it fits like the original did.

Meanwhile the metal itself is thicker, more workable, and far more forgiving than a modern boron-steel structure. That is the pleasant part.

Northwest cars have Northwest problems

Sixty years of Puget Sound damp does predictable things: floor pans, lower quarters, rockers, trunk drop-offs, and the bottoms of doors. We open those areas up and show you what is there before quoting a finish, because a beautiful paint job over compromised metal is money set on fire.

Deciding how far to go

Not every car should be taken to a concours standard. A driver-quality restoration that gets used on weekends is often the better outcome and a fraction of the cost, and the wrong choice here is the expensive mistake. We will talk through what the car needs, what it does not need, and what it will cost before anything begins, work in stages if that suits your budget, and tell you when a car is worth less restored than it is preserved.

Modern discipline on an old car

Panel fabrication, structural work, and complete resprays run through the same shop as our certified collision jobs: the same measuring equipment, the same certified technicians, and the same Glasurit paint system that handles a new Porsche. Colors are mixed and matched properly rather than approximated, and the patient rebuilding an older car needs gets the same auto body craftsmanship as everything else we do.

If you have a project sitting under a cover, bring us photographs, or call (206) 495-4774 to talk it through. We will tell you honestly what is involved.