All too many custom car owners have nightmares to tell about the local hot rod shop. They did poor work or they over-charged or did unauthorized work and on and on. With over thirty-five years experience working in the custom car industry in a dozen or more shops from California to Texas, Oregon and Washington and been in dozens more and I've seen it all from the best to the worst.This book will tell you how to find shops in your area, what questions you should ask and what you should look for. When taking a car to a custom shop, you are putting your baby in the hands of strangers. You need to maintain control so bad things don't happen and this book explains how to do that as well as control expenses. There is often more ways than one to achieve a desired result. Costs vary wildly. This book will help you make intelligent decisions and build a better car.The book is an easy, entertaining read that could save you thousands and help you end up with a better car.

Everyone wants a great-looking paint job on his or her car, but it’s not cheap. Since most of the expense of a custom paint job is labor, learning to do the work yourself using tips from the pros can save you money. Veteran author Dennis W. Parks joined body shop owner and TV personality Rick Bacon with Custom Car Painting on a Budget to show you how to paint your car. With the knowledge provided in this book and your willingness to learn, you can be driving a car with a custom paint job of which you can be proud. Step-by-step photos and easy-to-follow directions cover everything from paint removal and disassembly to final reassembly. This book includes chapters on ways to reduce cost, perform minor bodywork, strip old paint, install patch panels, do surface preparation, mask, paint, and maintain the finish. Bodywork, surface preparation, and buffing are all labor-intensive tasks that quickly add up at the local paint shop. With the knowledge provided in this book and your willingness to learn, you can be driving a car with a custom paint job that you can be proud of. Get professional results at a fraction of the cost with Custom Car Painting on a Budget.

For custom car builders today, one of the biggest expenses--and a make-or-break features of the build--is the paint job. Now, with the expert help of one of the country's top custom painters, readers can learn to custom paint their own cars, from design to finishing touches. With the attention to detail and keen sense of style that have made her the most sought-after custom painter working today, JoAnn Bortles offers step-by-step instructions for achieving that professional look at home. Her book provides detailed advice on every step from basecoating to artwork and airbrushing to clearcoating and troubleshooting, with special emphasis on designing and executing elaborate paint schemes such as flames, skulls, murals, and pin striping. Clearly written and amply illustrated, this is the ultimate how-to-custom-paint guide. Also contains an excellent chapter on realistic flames as featured on the book's cover.

Young adults from around the world travel to San Diego, California, coincidently meet and become lifelong friends. Each one has a dream and they help each other pursue that dream.

With over thirty-five years experience building and restoring custom and classic cars, I've seen it all, bad cars, bad workmanship, bad shops and bad parts. The biggest issues in building a car are, out of control expenses, delays and poor quality workmanship, whether you build the car or a shop does the work. My insider's knowledge will show you how to build a better custom or classic car on a reasonable budget, without over-spending, not one dollar. You will also have much more control over the quality of parts and components installed, and the quality of workmanship, whether you build your car in your shop, or have a local custom shop build it. There is a method or process to doing this, and anyone can easily learn it. You can learn how to build your custom car or truck on-budget, no surprises. This process applies to any vehicle. You will save thousands of dollars, not having to deal with surprise costs, delays, and poor quality parts and labor. I wrote this book to help you car nuts and gearheads save money, know more about a hand-built vehicle, and enjoy your car even more, rather than have to tow it back to the shop for another repair. Many of you guys know some of this stuff, but almost no one ever has built a car for the dollar cost he proposed when he started. This book will open your eyes, teach you to make wise decisions and your end result will be that you build an even better car for fewer dollars spent, a car that you will enjoy more and will be worth more, and not just maybe. Muscle car or hot rod, custom or classic, 30's, 40's, 50's, or 60's, this method works. Whether your project is just an engine upgrade or a complete ground-up build, this process removes the guesswork, the worry about everything, the last minute or unexpected decisions and expenses. You will know before you start, what your car will cost, to the dollar and the day it will be done, exactly. I have also written five other books about custom and classic cars. Just type my name in the Amazon search window and all of my books will come up. Thank you for your interest.