Mirror Image Automotive

Skill: This is what we do, day in and day out. Paintworks Unlimited team has years of collective experience in high-end body, paint and mechanical work and we are constantly updating our skills to keep up with the latest advances in restoration technology and techniques. We're not a collision. Our focus and our passion is classic cars and to that end we have developed a special set of skills that are tailored to producing the highest quality, top to bottom, meticulous restoration possible. It's a different mindset and a different set of skills than insurance or collision work and it shows in the finished product. Space: A disassembled car will often take up 5 times the space it did when it was together. Done properly, a disassembly requires dozens of meticulously labeled bolt bins and boxes arranged neatly and logically so that each piece can be inventoried, restored and then reassembled. This requires rows and rows of shelving. Tools like air compressors, paint booths and lifts are huge pieces of equipment that take up huge amounts of space but are essential to doing the job right. These are not items that will fit in the average garage. Tools: Paintworks Unlimited has a state of the art paint booth that provides a super clean, properly lit and safely ventilated space for high-end paintwork. This kind of controlled, dust free environment is crucial to creating a glossy, blemish free and perfect paint job. The paint booth along with compressors, air tools, lifts and dozens of state of the art metalworking, mechanical and body-finishing tools are simply beyond the reach of most home mechanics. Time: Our time is valuable and so is yours. If it takes a team of seasoned professionals working 40+ hours a week a year and a half to complete a fully detailed restoration, how long would it take you to do the same in your garage? In most cases: a minimum of 5 years. That's 5 years or more of nights, weekends and days off from work. This is the reason a lot of restorations are started but never finished. There is simply more time involved in doing it right than most people think. What kind of modifications do you want? Resto-mods are becoming more and more popular because they offer the style and muscle of a classic with some of the conveniences we associate with modern cars. Modern brakes, transmissions and suspension offer better safety. Aftermarket engine components, stroker kits and custom exhaust give you more horsepower and torque. Custom sound systems, upgraded interiors and air conditioning add comfort and lastly, modern metallic paints, stripe kits and custom wheels can give you the unique "one-off" look that will make your car stand out from the crowd. Often, these aftermarket upgrades are actually less expensive than searching out only rare NOS, factory correct parts but brand new, modern components are not cheap and will definitely add to cost. The unforeseen problems: How many bolts are going to break? Will it take 2 minutes to take off a part or 2 hours to remove rusted and broken bolts, drill and tap new threads, and then find the proper replacement items. The truth is that you never really know what you're dealing with until you get into it. Things tend to have a "snowball effect" once you start. Parts that looked good to start tend to show their age once cleaned and fully inspected. Only after a full inspection of any project at hand can a "best guess estimate" be made. We have been doing this for quite some time and have lots of jobs under our belt to compare to. Special car is taken to understand each job and let the customer know what exactly might be involved.