Notes from the shop floor
TheJournal
How the work actually gets done — bare metal to colour to clearcoat — written for owners weighing a restoration and for anyone in San Diego County comparing body shops after a collision. No pricing tables, no glossy nothing. Call the shop for a real estimate.
10 articles
Read before you commit a car
- RestorationWhat a Frame-Off Restoration Actually InvolvesEvery stage of a bare-metal build, from teardown to reassembly — including the slow, unglamorous months in the middle.Read →
- RestorationRestomod or Period-Correct?The single decision that shapes budget, parts sourcing and how the finished car drives — best made before anything comes apart.Read →
- PaintHow Paint Colour Matching Actually WorksWhy the paint code is only the starting point, what a spray-out card is for, and how a repaired panel gets blended into the rest of the car.Read →
- PaintSingle-Panel Repaint vs Full RepaintRepainting one fender is often the right answer. Here is how to tell when it is — and when it will look wrong next to everything else.Read →
- Body RepairPaintless Dent Repair: When It WorksPDR is the cheapest good outcome available on a dent — as long as the paint is intact and the metal has not been stretched.Read →
- Body RepairFrame Straightening After a CollisionMeasuring before pulling, why structure comes before cosmetics, and what it means when a car tracks crooked after a repair.Read →
- CostWhat Drives the Cost of a RestorationNo numbers — the honest list of what actually moves the total: rust, parts availability, scope, colour coats and brightwork.Read →
- RestorationRust: Repairable or Replace the Metal?Surface oxidation, scale and perforation are three different problems. Only one of them can be sanded away honestly.Read →
- Choosing a ShopHow to Choose a Restoration ShopWhat a shop visit tells you that a website cannot, plus the questions that separate a straight answer from a sales pitch.Read →
- CareKeeping Paint Alive in San Diego SunUV kills clearcoat from the top down and salt air works from the seams outward. What actually helps, inland and near the coast.Read →
Reading only gets you so far. Describe the car, and we will tell you straight what it needs.
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