Step into the garage of LaVine Restorations in Nappanee, Indiana and be prepared to see transformations taking place before your eyes.
Eric and Vivian LaVine have been restoring automobiles for 41 years.
Tucked into the rural Nappanee countryside, sandwiched between two Amish farms, the couple specializes in cars from the late 1920s up through World War II and have also ventured into street rods and customs.
They are known internationally in the car-collector world for their painstakingly accurate restorations of Auburns, Cords, Duesenbergs and Packards, but they work on a lot more than those models.
When the couple married they restored a 1964 Ford Mustang. Both knowledgeable in working under the hood, they enjoyed the project so much that they sold the Mustang and restored a Triumph TR250.
In the restoration business, becoming successful and growing a client base require excellence in workmanship and making connections with clients through word of mouth.
What started as the restoration of two or three cars a year has now developed to eight or nine.
There is a two-year waiting list to get in, and it takes anywhere from 12 to 16 months to complete a full tear-down to the chassis and rebuild restoration.