This 1968 Dodge Coronet 500 has had extensive metal work done to it, and before it goes to the body and paint shop, the team is test fitting all the trim to make sure it fits properly. This is an important step to ensure that the final product is everything the customer wants it to be.
The video shows the car in the fabrication shop, where it is completely media blasted and sprayed with a gray epoxy primer. Certain areas are bare steel where the team has been doing welding, panel gap fitment, and rust repair. However, the car is now at the point where the team wants to see how the trim fits before it goes to the body and paint shop.
This step is essential because it allows the team to identify any potential problems early on. For example, if a new or reproduction part doesn’t fit properly, the team can make the necessary adjustments before the car is painted. This saves time and money in the long run.
The 1968 Dodge Coronet 500 is a cool project car, and the team at V8 Speed and Resto Shop is excited to see it finished. The car has a 383 engine, 330 horsepower, and 425 foot-pounds of torque. It also has a fresh suspension. Everything on the car will be essentially brand new when it’s finished.
If you have a project car that you’re thinking about restoring or customizing, the team at V8 Speed and Resto Shop would be happy to chat with you!
Hot Wheels: Chevy Corvette Restomod Build: Custom ’64 Corvette C2 At The V8 Speed and Resto Shop
We’ve all wanted a full-size version of our favorite Hot Wheels car, and this custom 1964 Chevrolet Corvette built at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop makes that dream come true! The restomod Corvette build features custom paint, performance suspension upgrades from Global West, new disc brakes, and a Holley Sniper EFI system install on the Edelbrock 350 crate engine.
The Design
The main part of the project was repainting the Corvette in custom colors. The goal was to give the overall appearance of a full-size Hot Wheels car, a car that is fun to look at and drive! Custom C2 Corvettes can be controversial, as changing a C2 Corvette from original can hurt it’s collector car market value. However, this 1964 Corvette did not have it’s original engine any longer, and the exterior and interior had been changed from their original colors as well. This allowed for some freedom of expression to build a custom Corvette with a new paint job all it’s own.
Building The Corvette
This custom Corvette video features disassembling the corvette, repairing the fiberglass body, and a bit of Corvette C2 history. The V8 Speed and Resto Shop paint department repaints the Corvette in Ermine White, then lays out the 3 color custom stripe design. We mask off the stripes and custom paint the Corvette in our downdraft Blowtherm paint booth, and spray a final clear coat.
Our team had so much fun with this 1964 Corvette that we even built a 1:64th scale Hot Wheels version to match the full size car!
Let’s Build Your Dream
The V8 Speed and Resto Shop is as full service custom and restoration shop, complete with a full fabrication shop, body shop, paint shop, interior shop, and mechanical departments. We perform stock restorations and complete custom builds, and everything inbetween. LS Swaps, custom body mods, modern driveline swaps, custom interior, custom consoles, high quality custom paint, and dyno tuning are all available. Contact the V8 Speed and Resto Shop today to see how we can make your custom, restomod, pro-touring, street rod, or performance truck build come to life!
Check out the skilled craftsmanship happening at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop! 🔥 Our talented fabrication team is hard at work welding in a brand new dashboard into a super-cool 1968 Oldsmobile 442. This one sits on a Roadster Shop chassis but retains its original appearance.
One of the challenges was to repair the rusty dashboard, but without the support of a reproduction panel made specifically for Oldsmobiles. The solution – adapt a Chevelle piece, mating it to the Olds dash to retain the Olds speaker grille and vents while eliminating the rust. The fresh new dashboard is a combination of Chevelle parts and custom-made pieces, replacing the rusty original. The result is a seamless panel that looks like we were never there.
Stay tuned for more updates on this sweet restomod project. We can’t wait to unveil the finished ride! 🏁✨ #V8SpeedandRestoShop #MuscleCarRestoration #FabricationTeam #ClassicCarRevival
1968 Oldsmobile 442 Dashboard Replacement at V8 Speed and Resto Shop
We’ve recently completed a 1970 Ford Mustang convertible restoration here at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop. This is a cool Mustang Restomod with a rich history, and has been in the same family since the summer of 1972! The V8 Speed team completely disassembled the car for rust repairs and suspension upgrades, fixed the rusty and damaged body, and repainted the Mustang in a nearly-original color.
It’s powered by a Ford 302 V8 backed by a C4 automatic transmission, and was equipped from the factory with air conditioning. Our customer drove the car often, as it was her first car back in 1972. Over the years, the ‘70 Mustang was driven by the next generation in the family, until it was wrecked in 1993 and subsequently parked. It had not been driven since then, and we were happy to return it to the road once completed.
The Restoration Process
The V8 Speed and Resto Shop team disassembled the entire car, and stripped all the paint to reveal previous damage and rust repairs. The convertible Mustang was mounted on a fixture in our fabrication shop to keep the body structure supported and true, and sheet metal repairs began. The quarter panels, rear tail panel, doors and floors were all replaced with new steel.
While this car is restored to appear original, we modified a few aspects of the car for better drivability, reliability, performance, and more enjoyment. For example, we installed an upgraded front suspension system from Rod and Custom Motorsports, which provides a tubular upper and lower control arm assembly based on the later Mustang II geometry. It also features an oversized sway bar and a rack and pinion steering unit for more precise control and modern Mustang Road feel. Improved front disc brakes are also installed, along with all new plumbing and brake lines to help the Mustang stop better. Familiar but upsized 17” Magnum 500 wheels from Scott Drake are wrapped in Bridgestone tires.
Watch The 1970 Ford Mustang Restoration Videos
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Adding Complimentary Technology That Fits The Theme
The 302 small block Ford V8 was rebuilt, and is now topped with a FiTech fuel injection system for modern-day reliability, which is also controlling the electronic distributor and ignition timing. This car came from the Ford factory with air conditioning, but we elected to install a more efficient A/C system from Vintage Air, which uses current refrigerant to cool the air. The front accessory drive is a black serpentine system from CVF Racing, complete with a high-flow water pump and higher output alternator.
The color is very close to the original Ford Medium Bright Blue, but it’s been tweaked a bit as preferred by the owner for a bit more… pop! And where the original paint was a single-stage blue, today’s urethane 2-stage basecoat / clearcoat shines far more than the original finish ever did.
New Interior With A Familiar Look
The V8 Speed and Resto Shop interior shop rebuilt the bucket seats and rear seat, upholstering them in the original white / parchment hue, and a new black carpet covers the sound-deadened floor. The top frame and hydraulic system was restored, and we installed a new white convertible top. Fresh glass looks crisp and clean, Dozens of new trim pieces from Classic Industries were installed to make things new again inside.
This family heirloom 1970 Mustang Convertible is nicer looking, and nicer to drive, than it was when it rolled off the assembly line brand new. We at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop are honored to have the opportunity to bring it to a new level for many more years of family enjoyment.
Weather It’s a stock original restoration, a mild restomod, a road-hugging pro-touring machine, a fiery hot rod, or a full-out custom, the V8 Team has what it takes to bring your dream car to life. Contact us anytime to chat about your desires and how we can create a one-of-a-kind ride just for you!
Author: Miguel Pujols Content: Great job, she’s better than new, hope the family enjoys for many smile per mile of years ahead! The classic always appeal to me its like stepping in a time machine, but a RestoMod where it counts makes it so much sweeter…
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Author: James Hutchins Content: Absolutely beautiful! Love the very sensible upgrades making her a sweet daily driver or a show car. A true win win.
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Author: Jason Hull Content: Looks so sharp and clean. You guys sure do good work. I would be honored to build classic’s with you guys ! Keep em coming. We can’t get enough of them. I’d love to see what you could do to My 1970 Camaro too. Lol
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Author: Rick Read Content: Absolutely gorgeous! I like every thing that was upgraded to modernize the car, I’m loving it!
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Author: JSR Roadrash Content: Your team does outstanding work. Beautiful Mustang with a great history.
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Author: Annatar the Maia Content: What comes out of your workshops isn’t work, it’s art.
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Author: Trip Reviews Content: Although I like an all original mustang this is a fantastic updated 1970 Mustang. The classic look has been maintained and yet it is new. Nice. 👍
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Author: GPLIPP Content: Another home run guys. Well done!!
Author: Charles Dalton Content: There are so many things well done on this car but I kept coming back to the panel gaps. They look like they were cut with a laser – holy mackerel!
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Author: KFH Content: More great work… A Real Beauty!!!
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Author: Codename C.A.R.S Content: Nice car!
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Author: John R Smith Content: I had the identical car, except mine had the deluxe interior, which included a console. Absolutely the worst car I ever owned, because of a complete lack of quality control during assembly. Virtually everything was wrong with the car, and I only owned it for 3500 miles. Sad, because it was a neat little car.
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Author: Kenan Turkiye Content: There’s something about metallic blue and chrome on a good car.
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Author: echoi Content: This restomod is the gold standard on what a restomod should be. Compared to cars with chrome air cleaners, chrome valve covers, Obnoxious 20″ rims, those generic jeep LED units, and obnoxiously loud speakers in the back. Eeewww
If you have rust or damage in your classic car, muscle car, hot rod, or truck, you have some options when it comes to sheet metal body repair panels. One option is to replace the entire panel, be it a quarter panel, fender, floor section, trunk floor, roof skin, dashboard, or other body panel.
The other option is to replace a section of the panel, cutting it in the middle and only welding in what is needed. Which is the better option, full panel replacement or patch panel installation? This video attempts to answer that question as shown at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop.
Our team performs original factory style complete body panel replacements as well as patch panel installation, as we have the tools and experience to complete both types of repairs that are nearly undetectable when completed. Our fabrication shop uses resistance spot welders and TIG welders to install quarter panels, trunk floors, trunk drop-down panels, cabin floors, rocker panels, fenders, and more.
Contact the V8 Speed & Resto Shop if your classic car, muscle car, hot rod, truck, or other restoration project vehicle has rust or damage to repair.
People ask what we do in-house at the V8 Speed & Resto Shop, and the answer is almost everything! We do all body and paint work, mechanical, fabrication, alignment, wheel balance and tire mounting, tuning, and interior work on-site in our complex. We farm out engine machine work, but we assemble engines in-house. We have a great partner shop locally where we perform chassis dyno tuning as well. Worldwide transport available. What do you need?
This 1946 Ford Tudor street rod stands tall after a cosmetic restoration at the V8 Speed & Resto Shop! The car was already sitting on a Mustang II front suspension with a Chevy 350 and Turbo 350 transmission combination when it arrived at the V8 shop, and the owner was happy with how it drove. But he didn’t like the peeling black paint, the beat-up trim, and the rust around the edges. It was time to strip it and start fresh.
Down to the bare bones
Once the paint was stripped, it was obvious that the old Tudor needed some love in the metalwork department. The trunk floor was badly rusted, and the rear fenders were also rusted thin with pits. Nice 1946 Ford rear fenders are hard to find, so the V8 crew created new ones in the metal fabrication shop. Once TIG welded in, you can’t tell there were any repairs ever made. Similar treatment was done to the trunk floor.
A whole new look
The body shop crew took it from there, sanding the Tudor’s curves and prepping the body for paint. Once in the paint booth, the ‘46 was treated to multiple coats of Mercedes Graphite Metallic basecoat color and several layers of clear. We think the polished and replated trim looks dynamite against the subtle metallic silver color.
Inside, the seats, carpet, and headliner were reupholstered, and the dashboard chrome was restored adding a brilliance to the interior not found on modern cars.
The 350 was tuned up, Rocket Racing wheels were added, and this super clean ‘46 Ford is ready for another ¾ of a century of cruising fun.
We invite you to contact the V8 Speed & Resto Shop for all your fabrication and paint needs, no matter how old your ride!
Contact the V8 Speed & Resto Shop with all your Classic or Muscle Car needs today!
We recently did some work on this clean 1969 Chevelle for a cool customer who’s become a good friend over the years. The car came to us with most of the pieces in place, but just not playing that well together. In fact, it’s been a repeat visitor over the years getting better upgrades each time.
Round One
The first time, we did some driveline repairs, but the fun project was creating and installing a custom contoured firewall we made in our fabrication shop. It was made from 18 gauge cold rolled steel, and the design added strength and a style that didn’t look out of place on the Chevelle. Once that was body worked and painted, we moved on to the engine.
It originally arrived sporting a crate big block Chevy, but we eventually installed a Fast Times Motorworks built 460 cube torque monster for more laughs from the right pedal. This one started as a 454 with a 4-bolt block, but was bored and stroked to 460 cubes with Scat I-beam rods, Keith Black pistons, and ARP hardware throughout. The top end relies on a Howard’s roller cam and Edelbrock heads and intake inhaling the mix from an MSD Atomic EFI system.
Stirring The Gears
It’s bolted to a Tremec TKO-600 6-speed manual transmission shifted by a Hurst stick and a hydraulic clutch for smooth action. We installed 3.55:1 Motive gears in the 12-bolt housing along with a Detroit TruTrac differential for better grip. We love the sound of a rumbling big block through the stainless x-pipe Borla mufflers.
Handling is improved with a QA1 tubular coil-over suspension system up front for adjustability, a nice ride, and a lowered stance. The upsized QA1 sway bar resists body roll when you whip the Grant steering wheel and Delphi quick-ratio steering box around. The rear is hung with more QA1 coil-overs, tubular arms, and sway bar. We added Wilwood disc brakes all the easy around, which hide behind 17” Rocket Racing Booster wheels. The calipers are squeezed by a Hydratech hydraulic brake assist unit.
Inside, you’ll find Dakota Digital Gauges, a tilt steering column, Scat seats, and a Vintage Air A/C unit with it’s compressor and belt held in place by a Vintage Air Frontrunner serpentine accessory drive system.
Stripes For This Star
The Chevelle wears a handsome shade of metallic charcoal gray, but it really came to life when we added some custom-made silver SS396 stripes to the sides. It’s a sharp car that drives like a champ.
You can see more photos of the work on this one by clicking on the link in the description, and please don’t hesitate to contact us if your muscle car needs some upgrades, tuning, or a complete do-over… we’re happy to help!
Contact The V8 Speed and Resto Shop
Contact the V8 Speed & Resto Shop for all your restoration and performance needs!
The V8 Speed & Resto Shop is a full-service classic car and muscle car restoration service ready to perform everything from simple maintenance on vintage cars to full frame-off restorations and modifications. Whether you are seeking a stock restoration, a pro-touring muscle car, or a custom restomod, the V8 Speed & Resto Shop in Red Bud, IL, can help. Contact us today to put the V8 crew to work for you. Transport services are available.
