Atlanta Builders?

[EddDeeEye]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a reputable builder in/around the Atlanta area?

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

what are you looking to do?

engine? full builds?..

different guys for things..

[EddDeeEye]

A full build really... I have a 69 Camaro base coupe in good shape that I'd like to PT. I need a shop that can do body work, suspension, engine, etc... or one that has the contacts to do what they can't, if that makes sense.

[Young Gun]

Road Killer Kustoms isnt too far from the ATL if I recall correctly?

[ccracin]

Call Frank at Prodigy. He is in Florida, but it would be worth it.

[vipercuda]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a reputable builder in/around the Atlanta area?


What about Brian Fuller?? He used to work with Foose and is Atlanta..

http://www.fullerhotrods.com/pages/index.aspx

Mike

[68protouring454]

another vote for road killer kustoms up in cartersville, great guy, easy to get along with and has built plenty of camaros.
www.roadkillerkustoms.com

[fletcherscustoms]

Give me a call, I'm a few hours south ATL. But feel sure I can make it worth your while. Give me a call and we can discuss what your looking for.

Chad
229-221-4690
www.fletcherscustoms.com

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

I recommend Fuller hotrods AND-OR Fletcher Customs(even tho they are 3 HOURS away from ATL.)

Fuller is my homeboy and he is actually in the center of downtown.

if youre looking for metal.. hes the guy.

now... Road Killer Kustoms is GOING OUT OF BUSINESS.

so you might want to choose others.

[70rs]

Fuller or Pridigy are both well known and have a lot of references to look at. Good history with established builders.

[awr68]

With Road Killer Kustoms closing up shop (and that's a real shame!),
The ONLY builder down there I would trust would be Frank and the Prodigy Customs Crew!

^^^I'm not leg humping - just the honest truth!^^^^

[Young Gun]

Frank and Fletchers have shown they can do great work! give them a look!

[speedshftr]

I dont know Frank from George Washington but from what he posts and what he offers and what people say,he is the man to go to.For him to offer free planning for people is a sign he is in it for more than just the money.just seems like he lives the job and you would be happy with his shop.i think his son runs day to day ops doesnt he?goodluck whichever you choose.:thumbsup:

[GregWeld]

I dont know Frank from George Washington but from what he posts and what he offers and what people say,he is the man to go to.For him to offer free planning for people is a sign he is in it for more than just the money.just seems like he lives the job and you would be happy with his shop.i think his son runs day to day ops doesnt he?goodluck whichever you choose.:thumbsup:

Good thoughts here!

Tell you what.... I met Frank (Prodigy) for the first time at SEMA this year. A group of Lat G guys met up one night after the show. We got into a "fuel" discussion about electric pumps etc... Personally I love discussions like this because if you listen you learn. So Frank and Mark Steilow start talking these systems and I was thinking that Frank was a "body and paint guy" -- but tell you what -- He's been around all this stuff and knows what the hell he's talking about. He's not just a pretty face. His shop has a wide product line - tires - wheels - suspension.... he's got exhaust guys - paint - etc... and if I lived anywhere near there - that's where I'd be hanging out.

[68protouring454]

road killer kustoms is not shutting its doors. They are downsizing, and eliminating over head, and bad customers. Its been a hard year for most who are in business for themselves, David is just taking steps to make sure his DOORS STAY OPEN. To me thats a good business move, you cannot force a business.
Good luck, if I were you I would chat with a few of them and then go to who you feel best about.

p.s- road killer got robbed 2-3 weeks ago, about cleaned the shop out of all their high dollar hand tools,(15k) so if anyone could use some good fortune and work, it would be them. He has a really cool 69 he is building now with full suspension on it, and all the other details, call him and go check it out, he is close enough

[awr68]

Jake, thanks for the info! Good to hear David isn't closing the doors! He does outstanding work!

That's terrible that he got robbed! I wish him the best on that recovery!

[70rs]

road killer kustoms is not shutting its doors. They are downsizing, and eliminating over head, and bad customers. Its been a hard year for most who are in business for themselves, David is just taking steps to make sure his DOORS STAY OPEN. To me thats a good business move, you cannot force a business.
Good luck, if I were you I would chat with a few of them and then go to who you feel best about.

p.s- road killer got robbed 2-3 weeks ago, about cleaned the shop out of all their high dollar hand tools,(15k) so if anyone could use some good fortune and work, it would be them. He has a really cool 69 he is building now with full suspension on it, and all the other details, call him and go check it out, he is close enough

Thanks for the update on Killer Kustoms. I hope they make it through the tough times. Sorry to hear about the robbery too. That just sucks!
If they are in fact staying open then they would be a great place to take a look at as well.:thumbsup:

[GregWeld]

If I was looking for a house painter - and called a guy that was "recommended" and he could come paint my house the next day... I wouldn't use him. Personally - I want the guy that has so damn much work - that I have to wait and get in line... THAT is the guy I want. :rofl:

[Vegas69]

I find that's true in Real Estate as well. Even if I'm at the bar on a Thursday afternoon, I act like my schedule is full because that's what everybody wants to hear. Image is everything.

[tones2SS]

I agree with the other guys that Frank is the guy to go to!!
ALWAYS do your own homework though. Frank is a member here and a vendor as well and knows his stuff.
GOOD LUCK!!:thumbsup: :cheers:

[EddDeeEye]

Thank you for all the suggestions, you've given me plenty to think about...

[nvr2fst]

I find that's true in Real Estate as well. Even if I'm at the bar on a Thursday afternoon, I act like my schedule is full because that's what everybody wants to hear. Image is everything.

Ha, Hey Todd it depends on how often your seen at the bar!


I guess IMO it doesn't matter weather it be way up by Jakes, down by Franks or across to the Cali. shops. Its who your going to feel most comfortable with after reviewing there "sales" pitch. Keep in mind just because there local doesn't mean you'll save money. Don't hesitate venturing outside your area.

[WSSix]

Says the guy who lives in Wisconsin but is having a car built in Cali :)

You're right though. Local doesn't always mean better. I'm speaking of course in gross generalities. Do your research like you are doing and see what makes the most sense and will work for you.

[GregWeld]

WSS ---

If you live in Wisconsin -- you WANT to have a car built somewhere WARM so you have a good reason to go THERE!!
:rofl: :rofl:

[nvr2fst]

Says the guy who lives in Wisconsin but is having a car built in Cali :)

You're right though. Local doesn't always mean better. I'm speaking of course in gross generalities. Do your research like you are doing and see what makes the most sense and will work for you.

My point exactly, I don't have to show up every week to babysit. A couple of suggestions to look for when inquiring no matter how many builds under there belt or reputation. Some of the best shops out there at times can not fulfill commitment.

Be honest with your projected budget up front, have the shop give you a general breakdown on the anticipated costs you plan to do. Keeping in mind most shops are billed hourly but at least there's some direction as funds flow. If your planning on doing an all out custom try to get rough ideas hourly wise up front on the custom stuff then multiply it times 3 (J/K) it will enable you to go for it or look at possible different ideas to bring cost lower.

Find a shop that either sells there own product or may be a good vendor on product whether it be frames, suspension, engines etc. Most will be able to discount deeper on utilizing there product or main suppliers in your build.

Make sure the shop can handle another project. Of course most want as many in house projects on going to keep the doors open but the last thing you want is a shop that is says there committed, you put funds down and the project sits for 6 months. However I do feel the better shops always have a waiting line so my suggestion would be to at least give a portion payment showing your committed and then send the car there when there ready. Make sure you have a contract stating funds returned if the shop prolongs the wait so far out from what you and the shop projected and agreed to.

Find a shop that has the proper equipment needed to do the tasks, whether it metal work, paint, etc. If these tasks need to be outsourced it may cost you more. However some shops have certain subs they keep "in house"

If by any chance your vehicle becomes dormant for a period of time until your gathering more funds, verify if there's any storage fees. Most will be willing to work with you as long as your progressing on and off.

My biggy- Find a shop thats efficient! When overlooking shops on there billing rates this is huge. Just because one shops rates are lower than the other doesn't mean they'll complete efficiently on the hours it takes. The lower rate shop may end up taking twice as long as the shop that 20 bucks more an hour. In the end costing you twice as much.

In ending- HAVE A CONTRACT in writing. Don't be shy to review it with your lawyer. Keep in mind any contract can be changed up front and worded that you both can comply to. If no lawyer at least have somebody review it that has gone through a build before.

I can go on but these are just a few, Good luck.

[nvr2fst]

WSS ---

If you live in Wisconsin -- you WANT to have a car built somewhere WARM so you have a good reason to go THERE!!
:rofl: :rofl:

Greg, I have no time to catch sun LOL My first time in CA was the ONE time I visited Rodger over Thanksgiving. Ive been everywhere around the world but ironically CA never fell into place and I even have relatives all over that state. Im trying to find more excuses to go but timing is always off. Besides we have these things here behind the farms out in the cheese country next to the beer tent down the street from Harley Davidson called tanning beds, I use them to cook my WI. brats.

[Roadster Shop]

A lot of good ideas here. References from previous customers would be a big one to look at. I have seen way too many horror stories on here of "shops" not getting the car completed in a timely manner, or worse yet, getting in way over their head on builds they are not capable of doing.

[GregWeld]

A lot of good ideas here. References from previous customers would be a big one to look at. I have seen way too many horror stories on here of "shops" not getting the car completed in a timely manner, or worse yet, getting in way over their head on builds they are not capable of doing.

That's a great point - about getting in over their heads - both CUSTOMERS and SHOPS... there's a huge difference between "metal work" and "body work" (to me) - Metal work means spending hours making the metal work paint ready - Body work means (to me) getting it close and skimming it with some bondo (nothing wrong with this by the way - if it's a skim coat).... IMHO very few shops are capable of real metal work - so if that's your expectation - be prepared to pay - and make sure you see that other cars in the shop are getting this done... but if you take your project to a "body shop" and expect to get metal work... you've got a big mismatch going. Similarly if you're expecting to only pay body shop prices - and take it to a real metal working shop - you might just be in way over your head.

I'm going to say one other thing that I've seen... even from my friends... the "bigger D*** syndrome". Guy gets his car in the shop - sees what "others" are getting done - so they try to go from bodywork and paint - to full on build and have no idea what this is really going to cost. Then they end up mad at the shop... and never finishing the project.

I'm sorry - but if you're doing a full on custom build - and you have to ask what it's going to cost - you're in over your head already. So I would say to make a plan - and stick to it - and if body and paint work was what you started out with... and that's your budget - then just do that and leave the custom stuff to those that can really afford it.

Personally... I'm so happy that there are people in this hobby that will just write huge checks and build the ultimate stuff... We all love these cars... Just don't hawk your house in order to try to keep up with them - 'cause you're going to fail... LOL

I think the other thing I see all the time -- is a guy starts out to build a "nice driver" -- then ends up with a friggin' "show car"... with 40K paint job... and there it sits in his garage because now "it's too nice to drive"... There are people that can afford to go out and just hammer on a 40K paint job. Great! Glad they're doing it - it's way kool... You just have to stick to your guns and build the car that you wanted to... and don't get sucked into something that goes out of control.

[70rs]

That's a great point - about getting in over their heads - both CUSTOMERS and SHOPS... there's a huge difference between "metal work" and "body work" (to me) - Metal work means spending hours making the metal work paint ready - Body work means (to me) getting it close and skimming it with some bondo (nothing wrong with this by the way - if it's a skim coat).... IMHO very few shops are capable of real metal work - so if that's your expectation - be prepared to pay - and make sure you see that other cars in the shop are getting this done... but if you take your project to a "body shop" and expect to get metal work... you've got a big mismatch going. Similarly if you're expecting to only pay body shop prices - and take it to a real metal working shop - you might just be in way over your head.

I'm going to say one other thing that I've seen... even from my friends... the "bigger D*** syndrome". Guy gets his car in the shop - sees what "others" are getting done - so they try to go from bodywork and paint - to full on build and have no idea what this is really going to cost. Then they end up mad at the shop... and never finishing the project.

I'm sorry - but if you're doing a full on custom build - and you have to ask what it's going to cost - you're in over your head already. So I would say to make a plan - and stick to it - and if body and paint work was what you started out with... and that's your budget - then just do that and leave the custom stuff to those that can really afford it.

Personally... I'm so happy that there are people in this hobby that will just write huge checks and build the ultimate stuff... We all love these cars... Just don't hawk your house in order to try to keep up with them - 'cause you're going to fail... LOL

I think the other thing I see all the time -- is a guy starts out to build a "nice driver" -- then ends up with a friggin' "show car"... with 40K paint job... and there it sits in his garage because now "it's too nice to drive"... There are people that can afford to go out and just hammer on a 40K paint job. Great! Glad they're doing it - it's way kool... You just have to stick to your guns and build the car that you wanted to... and don't get sucked into something that goes out of control.


Very good advice Greg. Balance and controll while keeping things in perspective. I find myself struggling with that all the time. I am on a good plan now but getting here was NOT easy and it would have gone sideways in a hurry without the help and advice from the members here.

Know what you want and can afford and make sure they match. Know what you are paying for and agree on a decent timeline. These are NOT seven day builds.

Make a plan and a budget and make sure they match, then stick to it like your life depends on it.

If you follow the advice of the experienced guys here (ie:not me) you will do fine.:cheers:

[nvr2fst]

A lot of good ideas here. References from previous customers would be a big one to look at. I have seen way too many horror stories on here of "shops" not getting the car completed in a timely manner, or worse yet, getting in way over their head on builds they are not capable of doing.

I agree, another good one.
But I would take it a little further by not looking only looking at previous customers but ongoing customers. With the economy as it is customers with past builds might have been with a shop at better times. It is always best to ask for "on going" customer references. Don't hesitate to ask the reference what you don't like about the shop your inquiring. Most likely its just little quirks that that customer doesn't care for but could have no meaning to your personality.
Besides considering your asking for reference on this forum and most likely your findings will bring you to some shop that chats here. If there's bad most likely its been posted.

[GregWeld]

Just a little "fuzzy math" here... my buddies are always so "impressed" with the car shows on TV that build an entire car in a week... Then my facts and figures mind has to jump in there and grab my little iPhone calculator... and make them eat their words just a bit.

10 people working round the clock - for 7 days - is 1680 MAN HOURS...

A shop like Brizio - will tell you their "AVERAGE" build is around 1500 hours... Remember too, that a 32 Ford highboy is a little "simpler" than what we're building around Lat-G...

Okay -- Averages are just that - and all jobs vary in complexity...

Doing the quicky calc - 1680 hours @ $35 an hour is $58,800 LABOR

@ $45 an hour = $75,600

@ $70 an hour = $117,600

You can also see how the $35 shop can easily catch up to the billable "time" of the higher hourly rate shops - if they SUCK at doing what you want. :woot:

[Vegas69]

I was bull ****ting with Frank today on the phone. He puts it pretty simply. A restoration shop is alot like an oak tree. You can count the rings and figure out how old it is, the only difference in a shop is how thick the dust is on the projects laying around. Greg, your math is damn scary. I couldn't afford my car if it wasn't for all my own labor. Over 1000 hrs easily.

[nvr2fst]

I was bull ****ting with Frank today on the phone. He puts it pretty simply. A restoration shop is alot like an oak tree. You can count the rings and figure out how old it is, the only difference in a shop is how thick the dust is on the projects laying around. Greg, your math is damn scary. I couldn't afford my car if it wasn't for all my own labor. Over 1000 hrs easily.

I knew Greg was the Lat G philosopher but I guess we better add Frank to that title also

[ProdigyCustoms]

A few things on different subjects. None of this pertains specifically to this post, just general comments about the business


1st and foremost, Geez, Thanks guys for all the kind words!



2nd, Controlling cost is a huge issue. Many shops work by the hour and give a estimate of what a project will cost, say $10K, then one day the customer realizes they are over $10K in and the car is only in primer. So the customer runs out of money because he only budgeted $10K, he is already at $12K and is still $10K to $12K from finished. So the shop horribly under bid either by accident or on purpose to get the job and deposit.



At our shop we do enough work on the majority of services so we can give a firm cost number for things like Paint and body. I actually had another shop I had never heard of call me and ask how the heck can we do that? Before the conversation was over he admitted he was incapable of hitting a "estimate" within 10% to 20% and could not risk loosing money on a job. Before it was over he got nasty with me because I could give a good number! It was kind of hilarious how agravated he got with me. He went out of business 6 months ago for non paying customers. One of those cars is here. My / his customer paid all along until he had more in the project then the original quote and was less then half way through process, and the work done was so bad we stripped it to the bone, re installed another set of quarter panels to start over! That car is in the booth ready to spray, and yes, it is snowballing a bit too. We do enough cars, we know how long it takes to install a quarter panel, mini tubs, and we know how long it takes to paint a car after sheetmetal and rough in bodywork is done. There MAY be some open items we cannot determine until the car is naked, but once it is naked we can fill in those blanks also. Any pro shop should be able to do this, certainly any shop should be able to hit a estimate within 10% to 20% anyway. We have ZERO billing issues with customers, because we do not change our price unless the customer adds to the scope of work. Todd can verify our rock solid pricing for a given scope. As well as others here.



3rd Scope of work changes. This is a big issue we do have. Someone sends a car I for x and Y work, (100 hours), then adds W and Z (another 100 hours) while it is here. Just last month we sent home a car that came in from California for a subframe, mini tub and rear suspension. We scheduled it in and before it got here he added a big motor and transmission. Then once it got here and we got started, he said hows about looking over the paint, We painted it. Then what about the interior, shouldn't we replace it with a DSE insert, some seats, some seat belts, Are those door panels good enough now that everything else is so pretty? and if were doing door panels should we go ahead and replace the glass and add power windows? So in the end a 150 hour suspension and mini tub project turned into a full build, 600 hour project. We let this one grow a bit, but when we sent the final bill the customer could not pay the bill quick enough. He was thrilled!



4th, The down side, it puts the next project behind. The Bull Run car is another perfect example, we originally were not supposed to do any bodywork on that car. Touch up a couple bubbles, spot it in some paint and do full body and paint another day after the race. But when we dug in it it was so bad it made no sense to spend $5K on a spot in job when that money could go towards doing it right. We ended up re sheetmetal the entire car, 300 additional hours later, she was fantastic. But it puts us behind on the next project.



5th So thanks for your recommendations, but right now we are slammed busy and cannot touch anything new for at least 6 months. We had 6 projects in a row more then double, some quadruple hours. And 2 of the 4 cars in the shop now are snowballing. All my customers are very understanding, but we want to get the load a little more manageable right now. We are a small shop, 5 guys including me, and I manage and do parts more then spin wrenches anymore. And I do not want to hire more guys and add space, tried that and let both of them go in short time! I love my low overhead and the entire crew has been here for years. So they are easy to manage.



6th, Keeping it local, Every car here is from out of state except 3. One if from 300 miles away in Tallahassee, the other 360 miles away from Key West. and one suspension job is local. We have cars sent from Canada and California for just 150 to 200 hours work, to full 1000 hour builds. We are talking about a project coming from Australia right now. Unless you need to see the progress and want to have the shop visits as part of the build experience, do look out of town if nothing local makes you comfortable. It can be done with E mail and pictures, along with specified milestone payments that prevent your getting in to deep at any point in the project.


So we are discussing June / July appointments right now

[ParkerRS]

I'm about 50 miles west of Atlanta in a town called Dallas, Ga. right next door to Cartersville. I use a shop in Cartersville for my paint and some other work. You don't hear much about them because for some reason the owner has a thing about his work maybe not standing up to the big guys in the business.

Let me tell you that 90% of what comes out of their shop is usually in a magazine spread within a year on it's own merrit and workmanship. No politicing or pushing from the shop, just the owners showing up at events. They do extremely nice work at a fair rate, the employees are very easy to work with and care about what you want in the end.

They do a wide range of projects, Right now they have a lowered '49 Chevy PU, 2 55 Sport coupes with full Morrison Chassis, one with an LS7 and 6 speed, also a 56 drop top custom. There is an 09 Challenger factory drag car being finished out there along with some others, last month they finished work on the HEATCO factory five GTM.

They will do anything from PT upgrades to turnkey cars, you just don't hear about them except by word of mouth because they stayed covered up without advertising. My car will be back there in about a month for final paint and some of the final assembly. They outsource engines and interior work from reputable sources such as Turn key, mast, etc. and interior work by Sam's trim shop which is located in Dallas or Paul Atkins in Alabama. You will be hard pressed to beat the workmanship in this area.

They are also a dealer for Morrison Chassis and several other high qaulity component manufacturers. This may save you both time and money in the end for some items.

Give the owner Brad Cline a call at 678-986-2632 and tell him Tommy Parker sent you. The shops name is Thunder Valley Customs and is located just out of Cartersville on hwy. 411 in White, Ga.

[GregWeld]

Tommy --

You mean -- like this one!! LOL :thumbsup:


http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/BuWicked/2009_Nashville_Good_Guys_029Small.jpg

[ParkerRS]

Greg

That looks like one they did with a magnacharged LS a few years ago for a guy at the same time they were painting my grey car. Brad was sort of ashamed of the interior because the guy wouldn't wait for either of the shops he uses and took it somewhere else.

They do a wide range of cars as well as PT. Their specialty is Tri-Fives from mild to wild. I've seen them order and use as many as 5-6 Morrison tri-5 chassis in a year.

EDIT: The one I was thinking of had grey interior, not red, sorry. They can lay down one of the slickest black paint jobs I've seen though.

[GregWeld]

Nothing much better than a tri five!!! wink wink

[fleetus macmullitz]

They did this one.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k156/wnyjazz/Fords/55Fordblackslammedsuperrod.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k156/wnyjazz/Fords/55Fordblackslammed34rrdr.jpg

http://www.streetrodderweb.com/features/0712sr_brad_clines_1955_ford_fairlane_club_sedan/index.html

"She's a sweet ride" ... to quote a famous fictional short, stocky, dimwitted, bald unemployed man who lives with his parents. :lol:

[WSSix]

Tommy, didn't Thunder Valley have a car in the great 8 at Riddler not too long ago or am I thinking of TNT? I know it was one of the shops over near you.

[ParkerRS]

Skip, the ford was Brad's (the owner) personal weekend cruiser. It was nothing really special in his opinion, but he carried it to a couple of GG shows and it won all sorts of accolades to his surprise. I will say it wasn't their show car effort, but a d*mn nice ride for a quick effort. More of an old school look and feel type build.

Trey, that must have been TNT.

Like I said they build some nice rides and are nice guys. They do from simple or plain to full boat, depending on customer desires and budget.

[NOVA]

I like this car alot, talked to him once, cool guy, very humble ......

They did this one.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k156/wnyjazz/Fords/55Fordblackslammedsuperrod.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k156/wnyjazz/Fords/55Fordblackslammed34rrdr.jpg

http://www.streetrodderweb.com/features/0712sr_brad_clines_1955_ford_fairlane_club_sedan/index.html

"She's a sweet ride" ... to quote a famous fictional short, stocky, dimwitted, bald unemployed man who lives with his parents. :lol: