ragtop65

I've been unhappy with my mechanic (wouldn't do the work that I asked, would keep the car for months) and need to find a new one. Anyone know a good mechanic?

I like to deal with competent seasoned mechanics with small independent shops that work on older cars rather than large "vette shops". I live in downtown Chicago and a city based shop would be best. I'm the kind of guy that will find a good shop and take my car there as long as they are in business. It's not so important that the work be cheap, just as good as the work I would do myself if I had the time.

So, anyone know a shop in Chicago?

Phil

Plasticman

ragtop65,

Frankly I have not heard of any "good" Vette shops in Chicago (most cater to the C5 crowd with chip, NOS, etc. upgrades). I do my own mechanical work anyway, but have several friends that have asked me, and we are all scratching our heads. There is a guy (that I would possibly recommend) who use to work on many older cars up off North Clark (name was Tom Bowler), but I don't have his number or any way to get a hold of him.

I hope you find someone you are comfortable with!

Note that if you are desperate, I can do some items for you (I certainly would not want to keep your Vette for very long, since my garage is already filled and my wife hates going out to a cold car!).

Good luck,


[Modified by Plasticman, 10:34 PM 11/24/2003]

ragtop65

Anyone else have a suggestion for a wrench turner in Chicago?

Thanks for the suggestion, Plasticman. I'll try to track down Tom. Any idea which of the following he might be?

Thomas J Bowler
7244 W Myrtle Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 774-4650

Tom Bowler
2248 W Lunt Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 973-1255

I appreciate your offer. There are no crises right now, just a laundry list of things that need attention eventually or just aren't right. I used to do all of my own work but I just don't have the time these days.

Plasticman

ragtop65,

Frankly could be either or neither! Try the phone and see if either does any Car/Vette work.

Good luck,
Plasticman

olredalert

------Bob Zimmerman,Classic Motors in Naperville Ill. You will never find a guy with more working knowledge of mid-years. He is honest to a fault and if he charged what his knowledge is worth he would be a millionaire,but he is very reasonable. He and another good friend,Bob Sindelar who has moved on to Chicago Corvette,are the two main reasons our 66 big-block roadster got a gold with ease. His # is 630-357-5170. Give him a call. From a sparkplug change to a body off frame resto,hes done it .................Bill S

Nicky71

Try Suburban Pit Stop in Berwyn. 708-788-9299. I have not tried them (I do everything myself except for bodywork), but have heard really good things about them. I understand that the owner is a former GM tech who worked on midyears a lot when they were new.

I am also going to call Bob at Classic Motors based on olredalert's recommedation. I'd like to have some spotwork done on my 67 this spring and I haven't had any luck finding someone else locally who I can trust.

Or better yet why don't you invite us all over to your house and we will work for whiskey? We really should plan some type of activity for the C1/C2 guys in the Chicago area to get together and form our own chapter of the CCC.


[Modified by Nicky71, 10:41 PM 11/27/2003]

Nicky71

Don,

Have you had any bodywork done by either? I'd be very interested to hear if you have.

I've got a fifth of my favorite whiskey waiting on a CF party. Now all we need is a place. Maybe Brian (Allcoupedup) wants to throw the inagural party in his new garage??? :cheers: :D :thumbs:

olredalert

-------Bob Z painted my 66 in laguna blue lacquer,and the car went on to Bloomington Gold. He is not painting as much as he used to but can source a good paint job as well. He works with several shops,I think,in the Naperville area. Another extremely good fiberglass guy has been working with him for the last 5 years as well,Jim Lafferty. He has probably put together at least a 1000 wrecked Corvettes in his lifetime. Ive seen Jim bring cars back from the dead that you would have said couldnt be fixed for any price. He is a master craftsman.................Bill S

Allcoupedup

I will. I got about 3/4 of it insulated yesterday and I'm itchy. I'll have an engine/tranny pull party. Maybe we can even change the cam. Doesn't look like it can happen in December though.

Brian


p.s. Home Depot has a spend $125 in insulation and get a $25 giftcard deal going on right now. I used the one on Army Trail Road near 355.

Nicky71

Bill,

What I need done is relatively simple (I think). My car is done in the correct Marina blue, but in base/clear. The paint job is quality, but there are old (real old) repairs to the RF fender that are sloppy and starting to show through the paint. The hillbilly who fixed it also messed up the crisp body line above the wheelwell, so that will need attention along with the cracks that are resurfacing. The key is that I am not willing to paint the whole car. I am only willing to do a spot repair and take the risk of a slight color mismatch if need be.

I will have to give him a call later this week

ragtop65

I'll give Bob a call. It is a bit of a haul for me to Naperville but, if I Bob is as good as everyone says, it will be well worth the trip.

I also need some spot repairs on the paint but I am not willing to paint the whole car.

chitown65

I would recommend Vetteran Automotive in Crystal Lake. I have known Joe, the owner there, for a number of years and found him to be a honest straight forward guy who takes a lot of pride in his work. He took my 65 BB convertible and transformed it from a good driver to a Top Flight award winner including a Gold Spinner at the 2002 Chevy Vette Fest. In this year's Vette Fest he had four customer cars entered. Three took Gold Spinners in the stock class and a 65 BB took a Top Gun award in the Modified class. His shop does anything you need from mechanical work to frame off resto's. Reasonable prices and excellent service.

Nicky71

I have an overall neutral opinion of Vetteran. I was at Vettefest last week and it seems like there were a lot of high-quality cars being shown that had work done by Joe. His work appears to be top-quality. However, I had a one-on-one talk with him at the last Vettefest and I walked away from the conversation knowing I wouldn't likely be satisfied with the customer service I would get...

chitown65

Nicky71,
I would agree that Joe is not the smoothest salesman you will come across. That being said he is a great technician and offers a wealth of experience. Too bad you were left with a negative experience. There were a number of his customers there at the last show even though they had no cars entered. They came to show support and give the other owners a hand with their vehicles. That type of customer loyalty is typical of the people I have met at his shop.

Hopefully once "springtime" reappears in Chicagoland we can all get together with our cars.

Hank

Phil,

I don't know of a "good Chicago corvette mechanic" to refer you to. I do most of my own mechanical work, by trial and error. When I outsource (eg alignment) I have used Corvette City, who is kind of expensive but also reliable. He's pretty far north (Highland park) for you, closer for me since I live in the burbs.

I strongly support a Chicago-area get together and support group -- I will lend tools, parts, and my know-how, such as it is. I would love to get together some time. I may pull the engine on my '66 502 again this winter, or maybe just replace the tranny with something tougher -- haven't decided. But it would be a fun party either way, and I have my own stash of rarely used parts and tools to lend if it would help. Beers are good with midyears, but I also have a good wine cellar that's open for the "ChCC".

Gerry