About Vintage Vehicles

Specializing in the repair and restoration of pre-1980 American cars for over 25 years.  From tune-ups to complete restoration, no job is too big or small.

32 thoughts on “About Vintage Vehicles

  1. Hi, I’ve got a ’68 Rambler American that needs work. Right rear axel bearings and front right wheel bearings to start. I will also need break system work, carburetor rebuild, U-joints, etc. etc.
    I love this car and would like to keep it on the road. It’s been my everyday car for the past 25 years. I’m trying to figure out a way to keep it running, but am torn between keeping it or selling it.
    I’ve done some work on it myself, and have had work done in the past with Jean of Auto Aces in Berkeley (now defunct).
    So many questions. Parts availability? Labor costs? Viability of such a pursuit on my limited income? Etc.
    Any advice would be most welcome.
    Thanks,
    Mark

    1. Hi Mark,
      Sorry that I did not see your comment earlier. Please call the shop and speak with Walt directly. 415-892-7671.
      Thank you

  2. Kent Johnson referred me to you (Walt). He is my next door neighbor. I am looking at buying a 1968 GTO convertible that is in pretty solid shape. I want to have it inspected prior to buying it so I was hoping to have you guys inspect it and then help me get it to pristine condition. How much would it cost for the inspection and is that something I could have you do?

  3. I think I just met your wife and mom up here in Napa (neighbors?). I was walking by this marvelous custom rebuilt cream/green truck/van and just had to stop and admire it. I stepped back in awe.
    Too bad I didn’t bring a hanky to wipe away the drooling I was doing over the body work.

    I am considering a vintage car to replace my 16 yr old Subaru when it is put out to pasture. I am getting good use from her still.
    However, must be pre-1990.
    I do NOT want a car with a computer!
    It was serendipitous that I walked by just as this lovely gal was helping mom unload the Vintage Vehicle she was driving that hubby rebuilt.
    If you are this man or know of him or do as good work as he does then-
    I’ll keep you in mind- I don’t have a business card. I shall bookmark this site.

  4. Could you give me a guesstimate on the cost of rebuilding a 270 inline 6 for our 59 GMC pickup, including removing the old one and installing the rebuilt one? I realize it wouldn’t be a firm price, but I’d like to have some idea what I’d be getting into.
    Thanks!

    Mike

  5. Hello,
    We are looking for a vintage car to rent for a day, this Tuesday March 28th. Do any of your customers rent a car for a day or do you?
    Hilary 510-708-3147

  6. My 1961 Buick Invicta convertible needs some work, including
    -Tune Up
    -Brake Conversion to Disc Brakes
    -New ball joints
    -Repair of nicks and dents
    -Convertable top replacement
    -New front seat cover
    -New carpet for interior and trunk.
    -New oversized radiator.
    -New muffler.
    -New horn

    Is this a project you are interested in?

  7. Hi,
    I have a 1967 Mustang Convertible. Your shop looks great!! I wanted to know, do you guys “paint” classic cars as well?? If not, any referrals in the Marin Co. area??
    Thank you in advance!

    Respectfully,
    Rich Z.

  8. Hello,

    I have a 1963 American Rambler that I want to completely upgrade and restore. Do you have the time/experience/manpower to perform this project?
    I want to start with:

    1. Replacing the engine, requires some fabrication- Replace with an AMC 242 straight L6 or Chevy 250 L6
    2 Replace the transmission- R700 or similar that will work with above engine’s
    3. Replace the front end suspension- FatMan stage III hub to hub kit
    4. Replace rear end – rear axle Ford 8-inch narrowed to fit the Rambler’s track width.
    5 Upgrade: power steering, suspension, and brakes (disk brakes)
    6. Redo all the interior
    7 Custom paint job

  9. FOR SALE: 1951 FORD F1 FLATHEAD I6. ALL ORIGINAL, GOOD GLASS ALL AROUND. AWESOME PATINA, HAS BEEN GARAGED FOR 20+ YEARS. ENTERTAINING ALL OFFERS. HAVE A HIGH NICKEL 302 INCLUDED.

  10. Walt I missed your call on Monday as I am in the UK. I am back on June 11th and will need to have the 54 Chevy truck towed to you as the brakes have completely failed. If you want access to the truck before the 11th I can arrange for my Son to help you access the truck

  11. I have a 1963 Impala super sport. Has some rust in usual areas. I need bumper to bumper restore. All body work done. All bumpers and trim either dethroned or replaced. All interior pieces and trim either restored or replaced. Engine bay prepped and painted. Engine brought back to life and dressed up including painting the block and getting the car to true “turn key” status. (No trailer queens here, this car must run line a champ) Interior is all there, but need it redone to stock/original. All floor boards inspected and repaired if needed. Car WILL HAVE HYDRAULICS installed after completion, so structure of body needs to be solid. On entire car if it’s not saveable/rechromeable, then I want it replaced. So I need body work, interior work, trim work, suspension work, engine work, and possible paint work needed. A one stop shop!! Is that you and your business??

    I heard good things about your business, and I’ve heard bad things about your business. Both good and bad come from people I completely trust and vouch for. We all know there’s “restoration” shops out there that are horrible at managing time and customers money. There’s always plenty of “Steve’s money paying to finish Tom’s car”. Because Tom’s mom at was mismanaged and already spent.

    So you tell me, are you a shop that can handle a full custom/restore project on a 1963 Impala Super Sport??

    1. Hi Angel,
      Thanks for your questions. All very good. We appreciate that you love classic cars and want to restore one. We recently completed a restoration of a 1963 Oldsmobile Starfire and are currently working on a 1967 Pontiac GTO and a 1964 Lincoln Continental. All full restoration projects are worked on over time and billed monthly. As we are a full service shop, we are upfront that we cannot work on a time frame nor can we give a valid estimate of the cost. There are many cars out there that have a lot of reproduction aftermarket parts that fit well and many do not. Some of those parts we don’t use and have to spend time researching and locating these better used or NOS parts. Our motto is, “come with an open mind and pocket book.” Just as a comparison, the Starfire was approximately $40K and the GTO will probably be about $50-$60K upon completion. That being said, we are probably about a year out from taking another project.

  12. Hello, I wanted to ask a question about a 1952 Dodge M37 army truck I have. I wanted to get all the information I can think of in writing so I don’t bug you calling yet. These have a 230 flathead in them. I have added power steering and a front disk kit but the thing is pretty hard to live with in modern driving conditions. I also have a family member I would like to have be able to drive it, he is a Korean War vet, but he has some physical issues that make it difficult. So, I am no expert and I had thought of some options I have seen done in various ways. I have seen automatics put into these but I don’t know what engines and what they had to do.

    1) Wilcap/Quality Engineered Components makes adaptors for various tranny swaps, is the easiest thing to put one on the 230?

    2) If the swap is a pain anyway, maybe easier to put a slant 6 in it with a 727 auto that was made to go with it? I like the idea of keeping it a Chrysler inline engine, a bit more HP and it looks the part.

    I have read about what can go together and what lines up, I guess I assume that Chrysler stuff might be similar. I assume a custom drive shaft will be needed. I don’t know what kind of room we are looking at either, it’s a truck with a lot of room under there but there is a transfer case. I am not looking to use the PTO or anything, the winch was removed from this truck.

    1. Hi Morgan,
      Great to hear from you. I sent you an email. Your questions have a lot of information and components. Please feel free to call the shop. Sometimes a conversation is actually faster as we sometimes need to ask clarifying questions and get different details. Thanks 😊

  13. Acquired a well cared for 67 Camaro. Would like to get the steering tighter, fix a passenger front braking noise, fix a hard-start when warm issue, fix a very minor dent in the rear bumper…ideally find some solutions to give it a bit more low end power, add posi, multi leaf, drop the front a bit, check drip at rear main seal, check/ eval transmission, replace stock closed element air filter with open element, check timing, adjust carb possibly…Any combo of the above would be great 🙂

    Please let me know regarding estimates and appointment availability.

    Thanks

    Kishore

    1. Congratulations! What a great car. Of course we specialize in these vintage American cars. Feel free to give our shop a call. We are booked out til June but we love keeping these cars on the road.

  14. Walt, this is Sal. Hope all is well. Think it is finally time to sell the Falcon. Trying to determine value and find buyers. Was hoping that, knowing the car you could lend some insight. Want it priced to sell, but not give it away. Read that the 19631/2 260V8 Futura 2-door coup is rare and desirable. Any help appreciated. Thanks.
    Sal

  15. Hello,
    I have a 79 Chevy K10 short bed, and I am looking for an affordable paint job that can replace the deteriorated paint. Not looking for a top notch job, just something that can act as a placeholder until down the line when I can get it fully worked. There are a few small rust areas that would need repairing as well as a few dents. Is this something your shop can do? If so, any estimate on pricing? Thank you.

  16. I have an original 67 RS Camaro that has been sitting for a while. Time to sell it but want it to be in good running condition first. Needs new valves, still runs on leaded gas. Also needs a complete tune up and carb rebuild and probably more! Are you able to do this?

  17. Hi there,
    I’m looking to get body work and paint done on my 79 Chevy k10. I was wondering if your shop would be able to accommodate the job, and if so what the timeline and pricing would look like. Thank you!

  18. Hello ! I am the owner of a 66 Mustang hardtop White 3 manual speeds. Mr Walter Jensen was the owner in 2009. I leave in France. I’m just looking for my car history. If someone in your company can help me, please write me an email. Thanks in advance !

  19. Hello. I’m owner of a 66 Mustang coupe TKC193 owned previously by Walter Jensen. I’m looking for the history of this car and I searching for the list of all the previous owner. If someone can help me please ? Thanks in advance. Fabien from France

    1. Hi Fabian,

      Sounds fun how exciting that you have a Mustang in France. Post some pictures and let’s see what the car looks like. We’ve owned many cars over the years so you’ll have to be more specific pictures, color, etc..
      Hope you are enjoying the car.

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