See the full build: every build we've finished
Plenty of the cars in our shop didn't come from Alabama. Owners find us through a build they saw online, a video, or somebody who had a car here, and they ship the car to Pelham because the shop they want isn't the shop down the street. We have one location, about twenty minutes south of Birmingham, and we don't pretend to have offices anywhere else. What we do have is a process that works the same whether you're in Hoover or Houston.
We take in cars from anywhere in the lower 48, the contiguous United States. Most of our out-of-state work comes from the Southeast, because a day's drive makes everything simpler, from dropping the car off to coming to see it mid-build. But distance isn't the deciding factor. If the car is worth building, we'll build it.
The general process, billing, and timelines are on how it works. This page covers what's different when the car arrives on a truck.
Use the form or call. Photos matter more for an out-of-state car because they replace the first look we'd otherwise take in person: all four sides, the engine bay, the interior, the underside if you can get a phone under it, and the rust you'd rather not show us. Everybody's car has some. We'd rather see it now.
We'll talk through what you've been picturing and what the car is today: motor, paint, stance, interior, how you'll drive it, what another shop may have already done. For a remote build this call does the work a shop visit would, so plan on it taking a while. A video call works if you want to walk us around the car.
From photos and a call we can tell you whether the project makes sense, what direction fits, and a budget range to check against yours. We can't tell you how much rust is under the paint or what's inside the engine. The real scope and estimate come after the car is here and we've been through it.
Talk to us before you book anything. We help coordinate transport for out-of-state builds, or we'll work with a carrier you already trust, and either way somebody is here to receive the car and walk it with the driver. Open carriers are fine for a project; enclosed transport is the usual choice for a finished car on the way home. We'll tell you what to send with the car (keys, title copy, any parts you've already bought) and what to keep.
Once the car is in Pelham we go through it properly, and on a full build that means taking it apart. You'll get photos of what we found and a written scope with a detailed estimate before anything beyond assessment is quoted. Everything is billed on time and materials against that estimate.
A full build typically runs 12 to 18 months once it starts; an engine swap on its own is typically 30 to 45 days in the shop. Condition, scope, parts availability, and how quickly approvals come back move those numbers, and you'll get a window for your car once it's scoped. While it's here, you get photos and updates every week from the people doing the work, and nothing outside the estimate happens without your approval. You're welcome to come see it any time. Plenty of owners do, especially near the end.
Before the car leaves it gets driven and gone through. Then delivery day: here in Pelham if you want to turn the key in the shop, or at your door when the carrier arrives. Either way we'll walk you through the car, and the six-month warranty on our work travels with it.
The clearest case. A frame-off restoration or resto-mod is a year-plus project, and the car is going to live at the shop the whole time either way. Whether it came from across town or across the country makes little difference once it's here.
A car that drives but needs modern power is a good shipping candidate: 30 to 45 days in the shop, one trip each way. See engine swaps for what a complete swap covers.
Cars another shop started and never finished. These come to us from a distance more than you'd think. The assessment step matters most here, because we need to see what was done and what was skipped before we can scope the rest.
Smaller jobs, like brakes, suspension, or air conditioning on a running car, usually make more sense close to home. If you're in the Birmingham area, the local pages cover that work. If you're farther out and want it done here anyway, ask. We'll be honest about whether the trip is worth it.
We help coordinate it. When your build wraps, we coordinate enclosed transport so the car shows up at your door the way it left ours, and we can help line up the trip in too. If you'd rather use a carrier you already trust, that works. Call before you book so we're ready for the drop-off.
We can give you a direction and a budget range from photos and a call, which is enough to decide whether to ship it. The written scope and detailed estimate come after we've had the car apart. Anyone who quotes a frame-off from photos is guessing, and we'd rather not guess with your money.
Photos and progress updates every week, from the people doing the work, and a call whenever you want one. If we find something that changes the plan, you hear about it and approve it before the work happens.
Yes, and we'd like you to. We're at 135 Corporate Way in Pelham, Alabama, about twenty minutes south of Birmingham. Give us a heads-up so the car is where you can see it.