All repairs and work are done to insure that our cars look, run and drive just as if they had come off the factory line. We use a rotisserie for complete body metal restoration for the installation of floor pans, battery box and b-pillar repair is done while enabling access to difficult to reach areas.
Lead is then used in the same areas as the factory applied on the seams and where panels have been replaced. Engines are disassembled and determined the extent of rebuild necessary. After rebuild, engines are placed on an engine run stand and started and run to sort out engine timing, carburetor adjustment and to secure/ tighten all oil line connections.
Lead is then used in the same areas as the factory applied on the seams and where panels have been replaced. Engines are disassembled and determined the extent of rebuild necessary. After rebuild, engines are placed on an engine run stand and started and run to sort out engine timing, carburetor adjustment and to secure/ tighten all oil line connections.
Services
Customer brought in the car for some rust and body repairs but when we start removing the paint the body showed a lot of rust and bondo therefore the owner decided to buy a new body instead of repairing the old one. Work performed so far: Dissasembly body, lift body off the frame, strip frame, sand frame, grind welds; sand, prepare and paint frame, etching primer; paint body olive drab green.
Repair area on firewall below master cylinder where brake fluid had lifted the paint: paint firewall. On Wilwood brake system: install parking brake system by adding Wilwood parking brake to rear wheels. Fabricate and install new rear brake lines. Plumb in new Wilwood proportioning valve. Fabricate and install new front brake lines, isntall new brakeline clamps, check brake coils; all brake connections are tight and do not leak.
Customer brought this 1965 Mustang that belonged to his dad's and then to him when he was in high school. This car has a lot of wonderful memories and now his daughter wants to drive it, (three generations). At some point in time the car stopped running, could not find anybody that could work on the car until now.
Work performed: Our diagnosis is that the cylinders were "gas washed", meaning that the piston rings had lost their "bite" on the cylinder walls due to flooding the engine while trying to start it. When we performed a leak down test we found that air was escaping past rings and exiting through the 3 small holes in the oil sump vent cap.
Remove existing rear quarter panels by cutting them off of car; previous work was poorly done and gap alignment was ill fitting. Install new customer provided driver and passenger rear side quarter panels. Also fix and repair and install new rear taillight valence. Car had rust on inner rear wheel wells so we repaired inner rear tire well on passenger side by cutting appropriate piece from new customer provided panel to weld in.
Reviews (10)
Andrew Callanan
Jan 28, 2022
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Scott Hazard
Nov 21, 2021
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Tom and Nancy provide a well run and honest business for classic car owners in the Raleigh area and beyond. I'm very grateful for their expertise and input over the past few years on my '77 Ford F100 to help keep it running well. They are always happy to share their knowledge about what is happening with your vehicle so you have the context to make good decisions (and know what to look for in the future). I brought my truck in recently with a minor electrical issue (with big implications) and Tom addressed it in about 10 minutes. I appreciate working with a team of careful and respectful craftspeople
Andy Heymann
Sep 19, 2021
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Alondra Meraz
Sep 18, 2021
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After calling no less than 8 shops and being rejected for having an antique van, TJ Auto was the rainbow after the rain. Tom & his team understood the urgency we had & got our 1960 promotional van up and running in Godspeed. Tom’s team provided to be timely, ingenious, passionate and most importantly uphold the upmost integrity. At every point we felt like we were dealing with a long term friend-eager to help, and have already recommend TJ Auto to our business partners.
Damon Evans
Jun 24, 2021
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Tim Preisinger
Feb 11, 2021
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TJ auto has been a fantastic experience from start to finish. I live in Georgia and took my 1971 Chevy Nova to Tom to do basic maintenance since it sat in a garage for roughly 2 years. Tom took the time to give me a personal tour of his entire shop from back to front, explained the other projects he had in his shop and sat me down to go over the business aspect in a quiet environment. After I left the car with him he took great personal care of the car. He sent me videos of his work, a video of him driving it and a detailed list of everything that the car needed and what he suggested be done.
Thomas Cleverdon
Dec 30, 2020
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Tom Nelson and his team at TJ Auto go above & beyond EVERY SINGLE TIME!!
I run a Vintage & Exotic Car Rental Company. Our entire business depends on our cars performing optimally at every single wedding, event or movie shoot.
We service our entire fleet of vintage cars at TJ Auto and go to them for all maintenance and repairs.
I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone looking for Highly Skilled, Knowledgable, Expert Mechanic, Detail Oriented & Friendly Service.
I cannot say enough great things about them and look forward to using their service for many years to come!
ps. 5 stars isn’t nearly
I run a Vintage & Exotic Car Rental Company. Our entire business depends on our cars performing optimally at every single wedding, event or movie shoot.
We service our entire fleet of vintage cars at TJ Auto and go to them for all maintenance and repairs.
I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone looking for Highly Skilled, Knowledgable, Expert Mechanic, Detail Oriented & Friendly Service.
I cannot say enough great things about them and look forward to using their service for many years to come!
ps. 5 stars isn’t nearly
Thomas Bass
Jul 19, 2020
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I was introduced to Tom about a year ago through an ad that I saw about his business on Raleigh craigslist. I contacted him about an MG that I have that had been sitting in a field for over ten years. The tires were flat and dry rotten, the convertible top was torn in several places, the engine would not start, the lights were not working, the brakes were not working, the gas tank contained trash, the front bumper was barely connected to the car, along with other repairs that needed to be done as well. After sending pictures of the car over to Tom he instructed me to get the car to him so that
Todd Travis
Jul 12, 2020
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TJ Auto is a well run classic car shop with a very knowledgeable staff and all of the resources to fully restore your car. Lately he has been restoring some 1950’s era Porsches back to original condition. In my case, I had a 1972 Corvette ‘driver car” that was in need of quite extensive mechanical repairs and some cosmetic work. He sat down and recorded my desires for the car and then got to work. Because of his rebuild of the complicated headlight and wiper vacuum system, the fuel system, a thorough cleaning of the chassis, and a paint wet sand and polish, I was able to sell the Corvette
Mike Ruck
Aug 10, 2019
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TJ Automotive Review
Tom is a rare find. He’s a craftsman in the old school way. He is patient, kind, a great listener and does superior work. There are several shops in Raleigh that I had visited and/or called to get some work done on my 1964 Imperial. One shop I stopped at had a sign discouraging walk ins. It stated that walk-ins are welcome as long as they bring a good bottle of whiskey or are wanting to clean the shops toilets. This was not someone I would ever consider doing business with ket alone touch my car. One of the other shops simply told me to check back in 18 months. Ugh. The
Tom is a rare find. He’s a craftsman in the old school way. He is patient, kind, a great listener and does superior work. There are several shops in Raleigh that I had visited and/or called to get some work done on my 1964 Imperial. One shop I stopped at had a sign discouraging walk ins. It stated that walk-ins are welcome as long as they bring a good bottle of whiskey or are wanting to clean the shops toilets. This was not someone I would ever consider doing business with ket alone touch my car. One of the other shops simply told me to check back in 18 months. Ugh. The
