Dayton Daily News

It all started 20 years ago in a single-car garage with Chris Smallenbarger working on a car. This fall Smallenbarger christened his new 6,600-square-foot shop, a complete facility where he and his six employees can do literally anything you want.

"The work just continued to grow, and I had more jobs to do than I had space. We built this place so we could work on 20 cars at a time, and right now, we have 14 that we're working on," Smallenbarger said.

Restorations, Rods & Customs is both the name and the mission.

"We can do original restoration, custom work or street rods. Actually, we do whatever the customer wants, and we can tailor the work to fit their budget. We fabricate custom panels, make panels for restorations that can't be purchased, all types of paintwork, whatever you need. We also do all of the assembly here. The only thing we don't do is upholstery and internal engine and transmission work," he said.

A recent tour of the shop found a frame-off restoration under way on a 1935 Rolls-Royce, a one-off custom 1971 Camaro on the lift getting Corvette suspension fitted, a '60 Ply- mouth Duster body in primer and a pair of Baldwin Motion Corvettes getting some finishing touches. There was also a '57 Chevy in the sanding bay, another later Rolls-Royce being assembled, a Porsche Speedster with a fresh coat of paint and a Nova being brought back to life after a career as a drag racer.

The well-lit shop is neat, tidy and sparkling clean.

"We take a lot of pride in what we do, and we are growing. We grew to this by word of mouth and customer satisfaction," Smallenbarger explained.

He added he would also come to a customer's garage and pick up a vehicle in pieces if necessary. "That Porsche came here in boxes, and we're almost done."

Another feather in his cap is the 1953 Mercury Custom that Smallenbarger built for a customer two years ago.

"He told he wanted the classic '50s lead sled and gave me a blank canvas to work with. I spent over two years building it. I chopped the top, fitted '57 Olds headlights, a '56 Buick bumper and Desoto grille and had to fabricate every one of those pieces to make it fit and work with the design. I built the rear bumper by hand and had it chromed locally. Then after more custom work, I painted it bright red. He drives this car all over. It's not a trailer queen. Last year, we were invited to display the car at the Detroit Autorama. That's pretty much the ultimate for custom builders," he added.

Restorations, Rods & Customs is located at 1530 Casstown Sidney Road near Troy. Smallenbarger and his staff are there from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday by appointment. You can reach them via e-mail at restorationsrodsandcustoms@yahoo.com or at (937) 339-8229.

To nominate your special vehicle for Wheels of the Week, contact us at: Wheels, Marketing Publications Department, Dayton Daily News, 1611 S. Main St., Dayton OH 45409 or via e-mail at arollins@coxohio.com.

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