Smitty's Classics

Sent my car to Smithy's for inspection and service as it had not been on the road in several years. The Owners and GM took great care of the car and it now drives like new! Thanks Smitty's!

I trusted Smitty’s Classics with my 1937 Chevrolet business coupe, and it turned out to be one of the most disappointing experiences I’ve ever had with a restoration shop. I brought the car in for a simple, straightforward job: replacing the gas tank, which I personally supplied. Instead, before any work began, I was required to sign a contract giving Smitty’s full discretion to perform any repairs they deemed necessary—at my expense. Unfortunately, they took full advantage of that clause. Without my request, they chose to rebuild the master cylinder and wheel cylinders—components that were working perfectly when the car arrived. Throughout the process, I was repeatedly asked to come down to the shop and bring more money. After four to five weeks, I was told the car was “finished” and “running perfectly.” When I arrived, I had nearly $11,000 to add to the $10,000 I had already paid them. Yet the car would not run, and the brakes no longer worked at all. Despite this, I was still required to pay the remaining balance in full. Later that week, when I called for an update, I was casually informed that the entire shop had gone to Barrett-Jackson—showing no urgency or concern for my car, even after taking more than $21,000 from me. When the car finally came home, it ran and the brakes functioned—but not as well as they did before Smitty’s touched anything. The next morning, I walked into my garage to a strong smell of fuel. The shutoff valve, part of the original issue and a simple fix, was still leaking gas all over the floor. When I called Smitty’s, they offered only excuses and refused to come fix the problem, even though it’s a 30-minute job. I also discovered the rear transmission seal had been left loose and leaking. I am completely disappointed and no longer feel confident driving my car—let alone taking it to a show. Once you sign Smitty’s contract, you have no recourse: you pay what they demand and take your car as-is. I’m out $21,000, and Smitty’s Classics got to enjoy their trip to Barrett-Jackson. I truly hope this review helps someone avoid the same mistake.

Smitty's Classics will not guarantee their work, will not provide simple after sale customer service that they stated they would provide, and nickel and dime their customers dry. Avoid, unless you have tremendously deep pockets and don't mind being fleeced. They had my car for a few months performing electrical work on it and the engine failed before they could finish the final task. When told about the engine failure, the general manager immediately denied responsibility without being asked (since they weren't working on the engine this is probably true, but it is a red flag). When asked to guarantee the work that had been done to that point which couldn't be confirmed without an operating engine, all he said is that they'd look at it, meaning there is no warranty and will do everything they can to make sure they charge for fixing their work. They offered to replace the engine, which would have led to even more work for them to bill me for (trans, driveshaft, differential, brakes, etc.), likely leading to another $50k+ invoice. But, when I indicated that I might take the car to someone else to repair the engine due to the incredible expense of having them do it and my budget bled dry, he lost all interest in me as a customer. When I asked for follow up documentation on what they did to my car, including engine diagnostics which weren't authorized but paid for in good faith, he began to ignore the requests since he already had my money. They were given plenty of time to respond to my requests (more than a month and a half) and to make things right, and simply don't care because they can't milk me for anymore money. Find someone else, anywhere else.