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The Story Behind East End Restoration
Always playing with toy cars, trucks and gadgets I was a busy kid. Soon came lawn mower powered mini bikes and go karts, we had to build most of them from scavenged parts. Eventually my boatyard job at age 13 allowed me to start buying project dirt bikes, fixing them up and selling them. When my older brother got his drivers license in 1984, he wound up with my grandmothers 1965 Mustang, my grandparents bought it new. My brother and I recommissioned the car after it was in storage for a few years. I was now completely hooked on old cars, specifically Mustangs. A few months later, I got my first car it was a similar 1965 Mustang coupe. I would amateur restore it in my parent’s garage. A year later, I would sell it and acquire my grandmother’s Mustang from my brother. The transaction was easy. My brother knew I loved the car and would keep it forever so the deal was done. That car has become a long story I will tell it all in another section of our new website soon!
The Local body shop was my next job. While working there, I went to college afternoons and evenings and got a degree in Business. Over the next few years, I bought, restored and sold a dozen or so early Mustangs in a small garage in Huntington Station, NY. I also freelanced chassis work in several local collision shops. Around that time, a good friend and I attended a custom paint school in Baldwin NY, actually in the old Baldwin Motion building. The professor was Gary Kupher “Gary The Local Brush.” The class was the first exposure I had to very high-end paint work techniques. Gary did not teach the the paint manufacturer rules. He made his own and suggested his students to do the same. I also attended Garys pinstriping class. Sadly, the school closed after just a few years of operation. Extremely inspired, I began the restoration of my recently acquired 68 Mustang convertible. The car would be daily driven and attend local car shows gathering trophies on weekends, (I remember dating my wife in that car). Like many of my cars, it was quickly sold when a close friend offered me the opportunity to purchase his 1965 Shelby GT 350 project. The owner was a local pinstriper I had watched the Shelby drive through my neighborhood for years I could not believe I now owned it! The first rotisserie restoration began with limited space and questionable safety for a significant collector car in my small garage. The Shelby was restored by me in several buildings over the next two years. It was even in Connecticut for a few months. Several close friends and one shop owner loaned and bartered space. As the 65 Shelby neared completion, the decision was made to open East End Restoration Inc.
With family on the East End of Long Island in mind, we located a large commercial building to rent in Quogue and moved in. I worked in that space for 19 years, 3 sons later and dozens of Mustangs and Shelbys restored, a change was due. We purchased a 10,000 square foot building behind the existing shop. Soon a massive renovation would begin. Fourteen months later, we moved in. With added space, I could finally layout my dream shop! We also registered the dealership and designed the showroom and collector car storage area. Hard work and great luck in family, friends a very special business partner and especially my wife have made it possible for me to live my dream!