According to Ed Beranek, owner of Resto-Rides in Solon, the car culture is alive and well with new car enthusiasts joining the ranks, buying and having their new classics modded or restored at an all-time high.
Beranek, who grew up working on cars, is “old school” when it comes to the vehicles he enjoys working on. He has been modding, restoring, and fixing cars since he was in high school. “The first one I built for myself was a ’69 Z28,” he said. “I still own it.”
He’s owned and operated Resto-Rides for 19 years and has been at his current location at 200 Windflower Lane for the last six years. Beranek says his shop is fully-equipped to build a car from the ground up, including all sheet metal work, mechanicals, paint, engine swaps, interiors and more.
“We do everything here, from ground up restorations to building street rods. We do a lot of restorations, but we’re also doing a lot of LS (engine) swaps now,” he said.
He explained many of his customers want the classic car, but they also want the reliability of fuel injection. “We still do a lot carb rebuilds, but nobody knows how to work on them anymore … no concept.” He adds when a carbed engine is dialed in they’re tough to beat.
Newer vehicles have become computerized and exceedingly complicated. In order to even find out the most basic issue, Beranek said the new vehicles require computers with specialized software to diagnose the cars. “They’re all electronic. You have to have a $10K computer to fix a $20 sensor,” he said, laughing.
Car Culture“Oh, I see the car culture getting bigger,” he said. “Not too long ago, you could get Camaros at a reasonable, yet higher price. Now they’re astronomical.” He says he talked to a guy who wanted a ’68 Camaro convertible and was looking at one for between $50,000-$60,000.
Beranek says he sees a lot of guys in their 30s and 40s buying classic muscle cars, and bringing them in to get worked on. “I think it’s nostalgic for them. The older muscle cars … seeing their grandpa or dad driving them back in the day,” he said.
Although muscle cars are being bought and modded, Beranek, says, people are “buying the cars, but not doing the work. Years ago, car guys would do their own work and there was certain pride that went along with it.”
Beranek says that his shop is busy with so many cars, their waiting list is about a year out. “We have 15 customers with multiple cars here.” Walking around his shop it’s not uncommon to see classic muscle cars in various stages of completion – everyone a masterpiece.
Resto-Rides specializes in restoring or modding classic cars, and Beranek says he’ll get an occasional customer who wants to restore their classic to its original state. “A lot of the guys want drivers, they like the speed. We’ll get a few who want their car back to its original condition.” He said he had a customer with an all-matching chevy, but he wanted to mod it into a better driver. “He had all matching numbers, but he wanted new suspension, a new engine … it’s classic that will drive and respond like a modern car.”
Although Beranek does all the body and paint work, he says his son, Nate, does all of the interiors and mechanicals done by the shop. “Interiors takes a lot of finesse and Nate does very good work.” He also adds Fountain Transmission out of Iowa City works on and supplies many of the transmissions coming out his shop. “I’ve known Chris (Fountain) for 35 years, and I know he does excellent work.”
Baranek gives credit to employee Jack Wolf for stepping in making a huge difference around the shop. “Jack’s 20, and he’s very smart and loves the old cars. It’s tough to find someone of his caliber. He’s one I don’t want to lose … kids his age don’t have the skills or interest in working on classic cars.”
Although Beranek says they’ve built cars of every make and model, his personal favorites are Camaros and Chevelles. “I know Chevys,” he said laughing. “I know 99 percent of everything about them.”
Although businesses have since opened up from the pandemic, many are struggling with inventory and parts. Beranek says he’s also feeling the effects of the crunch and manufacturing shutdowns.
“We’ve had a terrible time with parts. They’re stupid hard to get because of COVID,” he said. “We’ve got a few jobs around here that are done otherwise except for getting a few parts to finish.” He said they’re putting in a lot of vintage after-market air conditioners, but are waiting for the units to get back in stock.
Investing in a classic driverBeranek recommends anyone looking at a potential classic car to hire a mechanic to look it over before they buy it.
“If you have a barn-find, take someone with you to go through the vehicle,” he said. “If you’re going to make the investment, pay the extra for an inspection — $300 or $400 will go a long way saving you money in the long run. Doors and headliners can cover up a lot of sins.”