Shade Tree Mechanics

These days it seems as if anyone with a toolbox and a garage is hanging a shingle on their door calling themselves a car builder.  They watch a few episodes of Hot Rod TV and voila, a car builder is born. They seem to be popping up faster than McDonalds. For those of us who do this for a living, it’s like watching Mickey Mouse trying to climb out of your TV set.  Although we wish it were easy, the reality is that what we do is hard work that not only requires the passion for building cars, but extensive training and experience to do it right. I guess we should tip our hats to the miracle of video games and the Speed channel for making that fantasy seem so real. I love these shows too, but they only give you the sanitary, done in 30 minutes view of the profession and some viewers forget this is simply entertainment. I bet if they filmed the entire process with all the body work mess and the parts that you need but haven't arrived yet normality, the shows would be less entertaining to watch.

Don’t get me wrong, anyone with the determination and passion to work weekends in their garage building their       dream car should be saluted. The experience is even more enriching when their kids share in their passion for these cars. I have a strong belief that sharing the car building process with your family is an incredible way to fortify family bonds. Creating something together as a team, seeing it through to completion, and enjoying that final product together is a priceless family experience not to mention a great lesson for your kids. I have multiple projects set aside to not only have quality time with my children, but to re enforce the notion that applying themselves with a powerful goal in mind can be extremely rewarding. Plus, I get to see them grow up next to me instead of losing their attention to television or video games. I am creating eager little souls who aren’t simply content with watching us build “cool stuff.” They want to jump in and create together. I read somewhere that they call that “parenting.”  What ever it is, it makes me proud.

 There are many people out there that have the financial means to hire someone to build their dream machine. It's extremely selfish and immoral to mislead those enthusiasts to believe that a few episodes of Horsepower TV have made you into a real builder. Not only does it require years of training, and hands on experience, but in most cases a sizeable investment in equipment is required to truly turn a barn find into a show car. People work too hard for their money to have it lost to sub par restorations by a hack. I know I sound bitter but this is derived from the frustration I feel when meeting a new client who has spent tens of thousands on a poor rebuild only to find out that corners were cut. We have one simple rule at Torque Customs, “Do it right.” This is typically an amazing process for the builder and client but unfortunately those who have been burned have lost their enthusiasm for the process.   

 Here at Torque Customs, we have set our facility up to handle the extremes of auto restoration.  We do most everything in-house, which allows us to control the quality of the process from beginning to completion. We occasionally utilize outside contractors for certain elements of the builds that we feel require very specific expertise. Items such as the stitching for custom interiors elicit the support of several contractors that have made names for themselves as artists with a sewing machine.  Also, our block work is handled by a contractor and close friend who does nothing but machine vintage blocks to our exacting specifications.  These tasks aren’t beyond our in-house capabilities, but in the absence of arrogance and ego, we let the experts handle them.  Some builders will tell you that they can do everything better than anyone else.  Bullshit.  They are merely too arrogant to put their customers needs ahead of their own egos. If that last sentence made you mad, then good, because I bet you’re one of them.

This is what puts Torque Customs at the forefront of this industry. Our focus is on creating the best product without sacrificing integrity for ego.  If you truly want to get your dream ride on the street, give us a call.  We will provide you with an honest assessment of your project and deliver what we promise. No matter who you go to, please remember this; there are no fast food professional builders that can build the quality that you will see in a Torque Customs ride.  You may find faster, you may find cheaper, but you won’t find better.  That’s our promise to you.