Speaking as someone who has been through the experience of having a couple of cars ‘rotisserie restored’, there are several important points that should be given careful consideration before committing to any restoration.
The first and highest priority, because it’s the key to avoiding anger, disappointment and regret, is finding the right person to do the job.
Before you decide, visit restoration shops. What kind of shop do they keep? Is it organized and clean? Your first impression is important.
How competent and knowledgeable is the person you are dealing with?
Look at the quality of actual work in progress and don’t just take someone’s word for what they think they can do.
Ask a lot of questions; seek advice and contact previous customers as references. A reputable person, who is serious about what they are doing and takes pride in their work, will be happy to make sure you are comfortable with the work they will do and outline the process they will follow.
Run from anyone who just wants to rush through things quickly without explaining everything clearly, while assuring you things will be fine.
A restorer who cares about your car as much as you do is the only kind of guy you want to touch your valuable possession. A conscientious restorer will keep you aware of your car’s progress, invite your close inspection and input at all times, suggest options and address your questions and concerns quickly. This is where your complete trust is developed.
All the things listed above are exactly what I discovered and experienced at Dan Green Restorations in Salt Lake City. Aside from all his great work, I learned a lot about the restoration process and gained admiration confidence and respect for Dan’s thorough knowledge and expertise.
No one who wants a quality, first class car restoration, should ever have to constantly worry, doubt and lose sleep because they aren’t getting what they had expected. Fortunately, that will never happen at Dan Green Restorations.
Over the last dozen years, I have seen spectacular, award-winning cars come from Dan’s shop. Every single car he touches only reinforces his respected reputation. Based on my experience, he is the only person I would ever consider restoring a car!
I like to think I know a fair amount about cars, and especially Muscle Cars.
I was born in the 50’s into a family that owned a Ford Dealership. Cars were an everyday part of life.
I have great memories of especially my cousin, who was older than me, and worked at the dealership when I was still in grade school.
Through him I experienced the 1 engine 2 stroke go-karts, the wickedly fast dual engine go-karts, the 390 Tri-Power FE’s and the birth of the Muscle Car era.
I can remember clearly the day I witnessed a new ’64 GTO lay 30 feet of rubber and continue that dual stripe screeching into 2nd gear.
I have done some racing myself, blueprinted a few engines, and gone through ’57 Chevys, GTO’s, 289, 390 and 428 Mustangs, a 427 Fairlane, a handful of Mustang Fastbacks (’66 –‘69’s), and 3 Boss 302’s.
However, the most any car ever had an impact on me was the 1968 Shelby GT-500 KR. That is probably because I was now in High School and was at the dealership when that car was first delivered and put onto the showroom floor.
Fast forward 12 years, and now a house, mortgage and children, but I still had the dream of owning a Shelby. And one day, I lucked out. I found one for sale and was able to afford it by trading a Boss 302 powered ‘67 Mustang Fastback I had built in college.
But the Shelby was not perfect, now being 12 years old.
Fast forward now 25 years. Mortgage paid off and children gone. Time to get the Shelby out of storage and start driving it. I have always loved to attend car shows of every kind. One day in 2005, I attended a small local car show held in a park in Salt Lake City. While there, I came across a 1966 Mustang coupe. It looked quite good from a distance but what happened was that I was able to pop the hood and look at the engine compartment. What I saw was literally astonishing to me. This was not what one would call today a “restoration”, but was a car that had been repainted and made into a very nice driver.
But what did I see under that hood? An ATTENTION to DETAIL that one never sees except in CONCOUR RESTORATION cars. I immediately sought out the owner for more information on the car.
That’s when I met Dan Green. He was about ½ my age, but to my pleasant surprise, knew more about Mustangs than I had ever known. It was amazing to me. He had built this Mustang in High School and had a dream that he would go into the car restoration business. Lucky for me, he was just getting started.
And now here is the rest of the story.
I hired Dan Green to “Refurbish” my Shelby so I could start driving it on weekends etc.
We also laid down the rules for the budgeting, and payment of his work.
But something else happened that I didn’t expect. After the car was pulled into his shop, he did a partial tear-down to prepare to fix a rust spot on a passenger front fender. He then had me come by the shop and explained that he could do the repair and repaint 2 different ways. The standard patch and repair, or for just a little bit more money, fix it right, and permanently. The right way to do the repair was really not much more money , so I chose that.
And then he gave me a list of the things he could do in “Refurbishing” my Shelby, or for just a little bit more, a full on quality “Restoration”.
In every case, Engine, Transmission, Suspension, Interior, Exhaust, Paint, etc. etc, Dan would have me come by the shop, and explain to me what was next to do on the car, and then explain to me what my options were for each stage of the restoration and a cost breakdown of each option. It was entirely my choice, but with his expert opinion of why I should choose one option over the other. I ended up choosing the “Restoration” route in every case.. Why? Because in each instance, Dan’s bid to do the car to “RESTORATION” standards, doing it right and with his attention to DETAIL and QUALITY I was getting the car I had always dreamed of and was maintaining a cost that was entirely acceptable and in line my initial budget. What a surprise!
My 1968 Shelby GT-500 KR turned out to be an award winning 98 point restoration at the first car show I entered it in and has won many awards since then.
It is without hesitation that I highly recommend “Dan Green Restorations”.
I hope my recommendation doesn’t make him too busy to do my future next project which will be a 1969 Boss 302.
Dan Green the owner of Dan Green Restorations has worked on two project cars of mine. The first was a 66 GT350 Shelby Mustang. It won a Silver award at the SAAC-38 show the first time it was shown. Enough said.
The next is a 69 Mach 1 Super Cobra Jet. Both cars are beyond belief as to the originality and quality. Dan does not take shortcuts. It’s done the right way and it shows.
After a thorough search for a legit restoration shop and interviewing several clients that had utilized Dan Green’s services – many more than once, I gave him a call to start my 1969 Mustang Fastback project. Since this was my very first car – purchased when I was 15 years old in 1983 – I wanted to make sure it was in very capable hands.
Nearly three months passed waiting for an opening in Dan’s garage, but right from the beginning Dan was very professional, interested in my project and extremely detailed and honest in scoping out every step of the process. Once the car got underway, Dan did an excellent job in communicating and keeping me updated on every detail. He sent pictures, called and texted with updates and invited me to stop by the shop at any time for a live look. Every week I knew the exact status of my car and never had to wonder if things were progressing or if I was being treated honest and fair.
I would seriously suggest that you take the time to have a gander inside his shop. It is top notch, absurdly clean and well organized. Dan and his crew never lost a part or had any mix-ups from disassembly to completion. Perfection is something that can’t be rushed, and in my opinion this is Dan’s most admired trait and something you want in a classic restoration expert. Because Dan fusses the details, large or small, and makes things right if you’re not satisfied, don’t expect that your car will be knocked out quickly. Perfection takes time.
My full rotisserie restoration project was well worth the wait and the investment! The car was flawless, ran and functioned like new and every Dearborn Michigan detail was restored to exacting specs – exceeding my highest expectations. I dare say that there were extra touches that Dan did and included on my vehicle that were not reflected in the charges. The Dan Green finished article is truly a work and piece of art and I would recommend this company without hesitation for anyone looking to restore an American muscle piece of history.