[maheshramaling]

Hi all,

I have seen plenty of restoration threads from vintage to classic to new ages cars/ bikes in this forum. Personally, I was keen in getting a MK1 or 2 Amby bought & restored.

However - I couldn't find a thread (except
Calcutta-Restorer/Collectors-Bumpu Sircar - Team-BHP) which has a list of restorers in India. Hence, thought of starting this thread asking all gurus to help list restorers with following information;

Name of the Restorer:
Garage/ Company they run (if any):
Location (State/ City/ Town):
Address:
Contact phone:
Contact email:
Specializes in (Car/ Bike) & pls. specify if the person is a specialist in a type of vehicle for e.g.,: Rolls Royce or a Beetle:
Is the restorer reliable & trustworthy:

I am hopeful that this thread will help gather a database of restorers and would be easy for anyone to choose the right restorer.

Mods - if any such thread exists on same line which I couldn't figure out while searching - pls. merge or close this out.

[GTO]

There are plenty of BHPians in the restoration world!

DKG

Kaizad Engineer

Kasli (not sure if he allows cars of folk he doesn't know into his splendid facilities)

Marespand (BHPian morris1948)

Pavan Kadam

Tutu Dhawan

There's Manvendrasingh Barwani from Indore.

Rishad Kundanmal...always see stunning cars at his Peddar Road petrol pump.

I'm a noob with classics and leave the full list to the others to complete. But do note that there are plenty of quality restorers operating on a small scale who aren't really well known. Then, lots of guys have their own, inhouse facilities to maintain their own cars.

[john a milne]

I tend to agree with Harit.

Unless you have very deep pockets to ship your car to another city, one needs to get to know other collectors in your city and learn from their experiences.

A very important part of restoring a car is being at the Restorers, consulting and guiding them along the journey. Whether it is your first Car or just one of many, if you are not present during the restoration, quite often you can be disappointed with either the quality of the work or miss details that, at the end of the day, will not be what you had wanted.

We have a number of "Restorers/Collectors" here in Kolkata that can do a first class job, but each has their strengths and weakness. Sanjay Gosh and Bumpu Sircar have the two best Commercial Workshops.

Then there are a few who I would classify as "Collector/Restorers" who, to maintain their key personal, will undertake a few projects for other Enthusiasts.

A number of Collectors here bring in the various tradesmen and have the work done at their home or private garage. One of the nicest cars I saw at The Statesman Rally this year was an Austin that won one of the major Trophies as per the attached photo. I should mention that this Family have a few other exception cars and are very knowledgeable.

Half the Fun is being a hands-on owner along the long journey and participating in every step along the way!

[wasif]

Since you are based in Bangalore why not get in touch with Pavan Kadam, he will definitely be able to help you restore your Amby at reasonable expence and you will be able to visit the car when its being worked on

[manishalive]

In Bangalore, a lot of people do classic cars, some do without supervision and good at that too.

Kannan garage (LCK) near Lal bagh do a lot of vintage and classics. One fiat of Praveen on forum is restored there.

Krishna garage, near Indira nagar bda complex, next to used car showroom also does classic cars. Mr. Reddy's fiat was done there.

[manishalive]

There is one more mechanic down South of Bangalore - Gopal. He has a very neat and original Fiat too. He is doing / done work on one of our mods - Rudra Sen. You can view his thread here-

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ogress-18.html

[maheshramaling]

Thanks GTO for bringing the thread back on track and listing few restorers.

I have collated the list we have in this thread so far, though they are not complete. I would request everyone to add restorers to this thread - which in my view will help in long term for Bhpian's and others who visit TBHP as visitors.

Thanks manishalive for sharing the names. Could you pls. help complete the list?

Couldn't add attachment in my previous post and was unable to edit it as well.

Hence, posting in a new reply.

[gowda79]

GTO this is a nice thread and will help many owners to get their loved one's(Cars & Bikes) restored and can say that there are very few restorers like Pavan Kadam who has the passion to restore and does not do to earn some penny like other restorers all over India do, i would say Pavan is a non commercial restorer I have known for past few years.

[harit]

How come no one mentioned Swadi's Garage in Nana Chowk

Good Luck
Harit

[manishalive]

I mentioned the ones who I knew off and restore fiat and ambassadors apart from other stuff. I mean they restore these type of cars too.

[KPS]

Originally Posted by gowda79

...... earn some penny like other restorers all over India do,

Very loose comment my friend. If restoration was such an easy and money making job, you would have restorers available in every street.

Restoration is a consultative process between the owner and restorer. Thus it is very easy to have agreements or disagreement in this process. For example there is no guarantee that you and I will be happy with the same restorer.

Secondly professional restorers make a living out of this business. Hence if you cannot digest their charges you just do not have to use their services. Today when people quote crazy prices for their cars, it not for us to comment but we can choose the ignore the offer to sell. Likewise if you cannot afford a restorer find another one who is willing to work as per your terms. Just because you cannot afford the restorer, you cannot brand him wrongly.

For people who have witnessed restoration of some great cars over the years, the topic of discussion will always on the adventure of the restoration not necessarily in commercial terms.

Cheers

KPS

[gowda79]

Originally Posted by KPS

Very loose comment my friend. If restoration was such an easy and money making job, you would have restorers available in every street.

KPS

KPS, i have not mentioned any names to say that they are working for money and i do not not understand why you are feeling offended by the statement.

[KPS]

Originally Posted by gowda79

KPS, i have not mentioned any names to say that they are working for money and i do not not understand why you are feeling the sting.

Since I am not a restorer there is no question on any sting and I have no bones to grind with you my friend. If you have read and understood what I written, you will note that I have only commented on what I believe are statements which are avoidable since it does not add value. This thread is only for naming the list of restorers and not commenting on who makes money or not.

Cheers

KPS

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by KPS

Since I am not a restorer there is no question on any sting and I have no bones to grind with you my friend. If you have read and understood what I written, you will note that I have only commented on what I believe are statements which are avoidable since it does not add value. This thread is only for naming the list of restorers and not commenting on who makes money or not.

Cheers

KPS

Well said KPS, Every one knows Professional restorers and garages are doing it as their business,and so they charge according to their sophistication,quality,competence and efficiency.If they dont meet the standards ,they are sure to lose their business.In the case of ''amateur'' restorers there is no guarantee of quality or workmanship and there is high chance of spending much more than what is charged by a professional restoration shop,as experienced by some forum members

[manishalive]

I agree with KPS, and in some of the post that were deleted, I had also said just give names and may be the type of resoter (Like some restore only vintage and costly stuff and some do common models) but no judjment or commerical discussion. There are some who need apportunity to praise and then there are some who need opportunity to point fault at.

Why not we sit back relax and enjoy. Commercial discussion is not the motto, information is.