TheSamba.com :: View topic - Restoration Shop within an hour of Los Angeles?

Mon Jun 20, 2016 1:37 pm

Well, I surprised my wife Friday evening with the '67 Zenith Blue, and she flipped out and couldn't be more excited with her new ride. I had some initial mechanical issues sorted out with a VW mechanic before handing it over to her, but the car needs some cosmetic issues addressed that I am unable to do myself. Not looking show car restoration, but really just getting the car cleaned up to be a really nice daily driver.

I've been looking for the right shop to do the work (WW bumper install, running boards, surface rust removal and some paint fixes, seat pads and covers install, etc) and every shop I find seems to be deep in Orange County, San Diego, Northern Cal or way east. We live in LA (Hollywood) and both work a lot of hours, so we can't give up half a day to bring the car in for this work.

I've been through the business listings here, but would rather hear from someone who can relay good experiences with a shop we can go back to and create a relationship with. Can anyone in the LA area help out?

Thanks!
David

Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:14 am

What is this car?

Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:25 am

I think it's a Type 3 fastback.

arizonabuckeye wrote: What is this car?

Tue Jun 21, 2016 1:26 pm

Looks like a type4 or Brazilia to me

I don't know these guys, but looked in the directory here. He seems to have good reviews on Yelp and is in N Hollywood. Body shop next door that he probably deals with too. Might be worth a try...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/united-auto-center-north-hollywood

Tue Jun 21, 2016 2:17 pm

Erik G wrote: Looks like a type4 or Brazilia to me

I don't know these guys, but looked in the directory here. He seems to have good reviews on Yelp and is in N Hollywood. Body shop next door that he probably deals with too. Might be worth a try...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/united-auto-center-north-hollywood

United Auto is a repair facility. If you are looking for a restoration shop, try Koch in Santa Clarita (Northern Los Angeles County)

http://kochs.com/

Tue Jun 21, 2016 3:31 pm

Corney13 wrote: Erik G wrote: Looks like a type4 or Brazilia to me

I don't know these guys, but looked in the directory here. He seems to have good reviews on Yelp and is in N Hollywood. Body shop next door that he probably deals with too. Might be worth a try...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/united-auto-center-north-hollywood

United Auto is a repair facility. If you are looking for a restoration shop, try Koch in Santa Clarita (Northern Los Angeles County)

http://kochs.com/

cool - United says they do it all including bodywork. but a lot of people say that

I absolutely recommend Koch's even if it is a little further of a drive. You won't find better anywhere - and many of us here can attest to that. I personally know people that work for him

Tue Jun 21, 2016 5:39 pm

Thanks for the recommendations. Don't know how I missed United on Yelp when I was searching.

Does Koch's do actual restoration work? From their website, it seems like they just sell restored/rebuilt parts.

Tue Jun 21, 2016 5:49 pm

ZenithBlau67 wrote: Does Koch's do actual restoration work? From their website, it seems like they just sell restored/rebuilt parts.

They do entire cars too!

Wed Jun 22, 2016 11:05 am

yes- easily one of the best VW restoration shops in the world

Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:14 pm

Wow - great to know (I can hear the $$ flying out of my bank account).

Would they be insulted if I showed up with the WW bumpers I just bought?

Erik G wrote: yes- easily one of the best VW restoration shops in the world

Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:30 pm

I doubt it, they are great guys. Call and make sure they will be at the shop before you go, Bob is into American cars too, so they are regularly at shows in So Cal

here's there facebook - they regularly post shows they will be at

https://www.facebook.com/kochsvw

Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:35 pm

I will definitely give them a call.

Not sure I want to go full-blown restoration, but would definitely like to clean it up and give it a new interior at the least.

By the way, your notchback is amazing!

Wed Jun 22, 2016 4:11 pm

Hello and WELCOME.
All the shops I tell you here are more than capable of the work you want.
Walter at United in North Hollywood.
Tim Caves at T C's Vdub is in Tujunga. There is a body shop right next door.
Jim at Jim's Volkswagen in Sun Valley.
The name escapes me but there is a body shop down my street and they are in fact doing some work on a 68-69, if you're up to drive over and look at their work. I will get the name if you desire.
Bill.

Wed Jun 22, 2016 4:56 pm

arizonabuckeye wrote: What is this car?

Yes a '71 or later Type 3 fastback.

Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:34 pm

There is a good resto shop in hawthorne.
On prairie and rosecrans. Its inbetween a vw parts store and a vw mechanic on the back.

Thu Jun 23, 2016 7:27 am

Corney13 wrote: Erik G wrote: Looks like a type4 or Brazilia to me

I don't know these guys, but looked in the directory here. He seems to have good reviews on Yelp and is in N Hollywood. Body shop next door that he probably deals with too. Might be worth a try...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/united-auto-center-north-hollywood

United Auto is a repair facility. If you are looking for a restoration shop, try Koch in Santa Clarita (Northern Los Angeles County)

http://kochs.com/
United in North Hollywood is a great VW repair shop and Sam I think his name was is a great honest guy from my dealings with him.

Sun Jun 26, 2016 12:34 am

Ive known Walter at United Auto for more than 10 years and worked closely with him early on. Most honest and trust worthy guy in the industry I know. Ive seen him do full restos on bugs and busses and will cater to any budget. Be clear on what you want and dont cheap out on parts, money spent on quality parts will make everyone happier in the long run.

One of the last of the true old school mechanics, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Thu Feb 02, 2017 12:08 am

I'll second Jim's at Just Volkswagens. I'm pretty sure he was a VW in a past life based on his depth of knowledge. Plus, he's as good of a story teller as he is a mechanic. I won't spoil it for you, but if you ever meet him, ask him about the time his life was saved because, ironically, after a career of working on air cooled cars, his life was saved because he was water cooled.