Photo
Album
Album
(303)237-2236
Restored
New Paint 2010
January 20, 1997
The Auto Shop
1515 Iris
Lakewood, Co 80215
Dear Gene:
Today we live in a world of chronic complainers, thankful for
nothing and never expressing appreciation for all we as a people
and nation have been blessed
I want you to know how very appreciative I was for your help
beyond the call of duty on behalf of my Cadillac problems
Your integrity obviously is without peer. How easy for you
to have done the costly job without suggesting anything else.
However, you thought I should give the computer mode change an
opportunity to succeed, which apparently it has.
I did not understand all you expressed, nevertheless. I quickly
perceived I was dealing
with a man of honorable intent
May God in a special way bless you and yours!
In special appreciation
Graydon R. Ashton
12755 Willow Lane
Lakewood, Colo 80215
September 19, 1985 Mr. Jean Southpaw
The Auto Shop
1515 Iris St
Dear Mr. Southpaw
The service which your firm offers is unusual
to-day--prompt,efficient, competent. friendly--and
very reasonably priced.
I am pleased to finally find a place I can rely on.
In the future, when my car needs anything,I shall
bring it to you. I can also recommend you to others
with confindence.
Sincerely
Phyllis S. Weller
3654 San Blas Drive
Corpus CChristi, Tezas, 78415
The Auto Shop
You might remember us, we brought our 1984
Cadillac in on June 7, and you overhauled
the transmission
Thought you might like to know we made it home
just fine seems to be running real
good.
Our thanks to you again for all your hard work
Sincerely
Allene & Richard Cline
Corpus CChristi, Tezas, 78415
The Auto Shop
You might remember us, we brought our 1984
Cadillac in on June 7, and you overhauled
the transmission
Thought you might like to know we made it home
just fine seems to be running real
good.
Our thanks to you again for all your hard work
Sincerely
Allene & Richard Cline
This Chevy Nova story dates back to July 4, 1995 the day I drove it home from the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan to Denver, Colorado. I bought this 2 door 1970 Chevy Nova coupe
from my Dad who a year earlier had purchased the car from a chap who used it for many
years in his business as a traveling salesman based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico
where my Mom and Dad wintered every year. My father knew the car had over 200,000
miles on it, but the motor (307 V8) ran great, the interior was in good shape, and the
body was straight with virtually no rust. My father, Buck Marenger, who just recently
passed away, loved to find bargain cars or pickups and restore them for a quick
turnaround sale. My Dad who usually did not waste a lot of time and energy on his new
found gems really liked this car and proceeded to paint the car from it’s original faded
gold exterior to a dark gray metallic. The car really looked great now and my Dad inquired
if I was interested in buying the Nova. I kind of was in need of a daily driver and with my
wife Rose Anne’s blessing, I said yes and hitched a ride to Michigan with a friend and
drove the car back 1,300 plus miles to Colorado. I only blew one top radiator hose on the
way back, which is a story in itself; suffice to say thanks to the Nebraska State Patrol for
helping me out. The first week I had the car in Denver it was backed into in a parking lot
cracking the fender a bit and to top it off someone keyed the new paint job. Welcome to
your new home, interesting enough nothing like the before mentioned incidents would
happen to the car in the next preceding ten years. Knock on wood.
With the Nova back in Colorado my association with the good folks at The Auto Shop,
located in Lakewood, Colorado begins and my 1970 Nova’s transformation from a very
reliable daily driver to a respectable street/strip machine evolves. My main focus in the
early stages of the Nova’s evolution was to make the car safe to drive. Gene and Rich
from The Auto Shop began with switching out all the front end suspension and handling
components, front springs, ball joints, bushings, front end alignment etc... This made a
world of difference in establishing the proper ride height and improving the car’s
handling characteristics; before this work was performed the car felt like it was literally
walking around corners. Next the manual drum brakes and brake components and shocks
also needed to be replaced. Of course I could not resist putting on new wider tires,
aluminum wheels and a dual 2 ¼ inch exhaust system.
Basically, with the original Nova my intention was not to take on a full restoration to
achieve a show car quality, but to simply create a reliable daily driver. Over the years, I
drove the car every day to work, took it on long vacation trips, at the same time getting
21-22 mpg on the highway and just enjoyed driving the car. By 2000 the original 307 V8
was getting tired and was now being replaced with a new GM 350 H.O. crate engine,
developing 380 ft/lbs of torque at 3800 RPM and 330 HP at 5500 RPM, a noticeable
upgrade from the 200 HP original 307 V8. Again the engine swap was performed at the
The Auto Shop, including adding new headers, a rebuilt 350 Turbo transmission
(replacing a 2 speed PowerGlide), new drive shaft, and a 4 barrel carburetor. Man I
thought this was it, what more could this car possibly need. But I was wrong.
I then replaced the rear mono leaf springs setup with a new multi leaf spring assembly
along with new bushings. Next came the installation of a complete salvaged Chevy 12
bolt rear end assembly as well as upgrading to Posi-traction with a 3.73 gear ratio setup
installed (replacing a 2.76 gear ratio) and new 31 spline Moser axles. Needless to say my
21-22 mpg days were gone after this last upgrade.
Now it was time to say goodbye to my daily driver days and say hello to my newly
discovered hobby – bracket racing. Since the 2000 Bandimere racing season began I
have
been hooked on drag racing thanks to folks like Rich at The Auto Shop, a long time
bracket racing enthusiast himself, encouraging me to give it a try. Now it’s not enough
just to go fast (speed kills), quick is even more fun and it feeds my competitive nature.
Then I started to look at different fuel management alternatives, one solution The Auto
Shop suggested was Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI). After careful consideration I
selected a Holley Commander 950 multi-port system and rest is history. The Auto Shop
installed the unit consisting of a 1000 cfm throttle body, 24 lbs fuel injectors, electric fuel
pump and regulator, Vortec-style single plane manifold with attached fuel rails, an ECU
unit with computer software to manage the whole system supplying the Nova with 21st
century automobile technology. For me this was one of the best investments I’ve made
for the car to date offering total engine management control over spark and fuel delivery
via a laptop computer. I have subsequently purchased a Holley wide band O2 sensor
along with new upgraded ECU software for the above mentioned unit for even more
air/fuel management capability and options.
On top of all this the Nova is now fitted with new Edelbrock E-Tec 200cc aluminum
heads, a Competition Cams hydraulic roller cam (224/230 duration at .050), 4.11 rear
gear ratio, a new Aeromotive sumped gas tank, traction bars, gauges, braided fuel lines,
3500 stall converter, HEI computer controlled distributor, and custom built header
cutouts for uncorking the headers all installed compliments of The Auto Shop. The one
thing left was a new paint job and accompanying body work to get rid of some rust areas
and peeling paint. I’m happy to report this to have been completed just recently, with
new body panels, moldings, trim, and new Titanium Gray Pearl paint applied throughout.
My thanks to Rich Southall and the Auto Shop for doing a fantastic job of painting and
restoring the body works to like new condition. I could not be happier with the results.
What’s next? I’m thinking maybe a gear splitter from Gear Vendors – overdrive sounds
good.
My young racing career has yielded me one first place finish and three runner-up finishes
(NHRA sportsmen class) along with several semi-final showings. My ultimate goal is to
win the Division five regional bracket racing finals with the Nova and represent
Bandimere Speedway at the national finals in California. By the way I did tell you I
drove the Nova, 3.73 gears and all, to the 2002 regional bracket racing finals held in
Topeka, KS? The funny thing was I did not pass even one car that whole trip – patience
is a virtue. We made it, but I don’t think I want to try that one again any time soon.
In summary a big thanks to everyone at The Auto Shop; Gene, Connie, Rich, Dave, Don,
and everyone else for all the great service throughout the years and when Gene say’s
“We
fix cars” he really does mean it. Until we meet again, happy motoring
Peninsula of Michigan to Denver, Colorado. I bought this 2 door 1970 Chevy Nova coupe
from my Dad who a year earlier had purchased the car from a chap who used it for many
years in his business as a traveling salesman based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico
where my Mom and Dad wintered every year. My father knew the car had over 200,000
miles on it, but the motor (307 V8) ran great, the interior was in good shape, and the
body was straight with virtually no rust. My father, Buck Marenger, who just recently
passed away, loved to find bargain cars or pickups and restore them for a quick
turnaround sale. My Dad who usually did not waste a lot of time and energy on his new
found gems really liked this car and proceeded to paint the car from it’s original faded
gold exterior to a dark gray metallic. The car really looked great now and my Dad inquired
if I was interested in buying the Nova. I kind of was in need of a daily driver and with my
wife Rose Anne’s blessing, I said yes and hitched a ride to Michigan with a friend and
drove the car back 1,300 plus miles to Colorado. I only blew one top radiator hose on the
way back, which is a story in itself; suffice to say thanks to the Nebraska State Patrol for
helping me out. The first week I had the car in Denver it was backed into in a parking lot
cracking the fender a bit and to top it off someone keyed the new paint job. Welcome to
your new home, interesting enough nothing like the before mentioned incidents would
happen to the car in the next preceding ten years. Knock on wood.
With the Nova back in Colorado my association with the good folks at The Auto Shop,
located in Lakewood, Colorado begins and my 1970 Nova’s transformation from a very
reliable daily driver to a respectable street/strip machine evolves. My main focus in the
early stages of the Nova’s evolution was to make the car safe to drive. Gene and Rich
from The Auto Shop began with switching out all the front end suspension and handling
components, front springs, ball joints, bushings, front end alignment etc... This made a
world of difference in establishing the proper ride height and improving the car’s
handling characteristics; before this work was performed the car felt like it was literally
walking around corners. Next the manual drum brakes and brake components and shocks
also needed to be replaced. Of course I could not resist putting on new wider tires,
aluminum wheels and a dual 2 ¼ inch exhaust system.
Basically, with the original Nova my intention was not to take on a full restoration to
achieve a show car quality, but to simply create a reliable daily driver. Over the years, I
drove the car every day to work, took it on long vacation trips, at the same time getting
21-22 mpg on the highway and just enjoyed driving the car. By 2000 the original 307 V8
was getting tired and was now being replaced with a new GM 350 H.O. crate engine,
developing 380 ft/lbs of torque at 3800 RPM and 330 HP at 5500 RPM, a noticeable
upgrade from the 200 HP original 307 V8. Again the engine swap was performed at the
The Auto Shop, including adding new headers, a rebuilt 350 Turbo transmission
(replacing a 2 speed PowerGlide), new drive shaft, and a 4 barrel carburetor. Man I
thought this was it, what more could this car possibly need. But I was wrong.
I then replaced the rear mono leaf springs setup with a new multi leaf spring assembly
along with new bushings. Next came the installation of a complete salvaged Chevy 12
bolt rear end assembly as well as upgrading to Posi-traction with a 3.73 gear ratio setup
installed (replacing a 2.76 gear ratio) and new 31 spline Moser axles. Needless to say my
21-22 mpg days were gone after this last upgrade.
Now it was time to say goodbye to my daily driver days and say hello to my newly
discovered hobby – bracket racing. Since the 2000 Bandimere racing season began I
have
been hooked on drag racing thanks to folks like Rich at The Auto Shop, a long time
bracket racing enthusiast himself, encouraging me to give it a try. Now it’s not enough
just to go fast (speed kills), quick is even more fun and it feeds my competitive nature.
Then I started to look at different fuel management alternatives, one solution The Auto
Shop suggested was Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI). After careful consideration I
selected a Holley Commander 950 multi-port system and rest is history. The Auto Shop
installed the unit consisting of a 1000 cfm throttle body, 24 lbs fuel injectors, electric fuel
pump and regulator, Vortec-style single plane manifold with attached fuel rails, an ECU
unit with computer software to manage the whole system supplying the Nova with 21st
century automobile technology. For me this was one of the best investments I’ve made
for the car to date offering total engine management control over spark and fuel delivery
via a laptop computer. I have subsequently purchased a Holley wide band O2 sensor
along with new upgraded ECU software for the above mentioned unit for even more
air/fuel management capability and options.
On top of all this the Nova is now fitted with new Edelbrock E-Tec 200cc aluminum
heads, a Competition Cams hydraulic roller cam (224/230 duration at .050), 4.11 rear
gear ratio, a new Aeromotive sumped gas tank, traction bars, gauges, braided fuel lines,
3500 stall converter, HEI computer controlled distributor, and custom built header
cutouts for uncorking the headers all installed compliments of The Auto Shop. The one
thing left was a new paint job and accompanying body work to get rid of some rust areas
and peeling paint. I’m happy to report this to have been completed just recently, with
new body panels, moldings, trim, and new Titanium Gray Pearl paint applied throughout.
My thanks to Rich Southall and the Auto Shop for doing a fantastic job of painting and
restoring the body works to like new condition. I could not be happier with the results.
What’s next? I’m thinking maybe a gear splitter from Gear Vendors – overdrive sounds
good.
My young racing career has yielded me one first place finish and three runner-up finishes
(NHRA sportsmen class) along with several semi-final showings. My ultimate goal is to
win the Division five regional bracket racing finals with the Nova and represent
Bandimere Speedway at the national finals in California. By the way I did tell you I
drove the Nova, 3.73 gears and all, to the 2002 regional bracket racing finals held in
Topeka, KS? The funny thing was I did not pass even one car that whole trip – patience
is a virtue. We made it, but I don’t think I want to try that one again any time soon.
In summary a big thanks to everyone at The Auto Shop; Gene, Connie, Rich, Dave, Don,
and everyone else for all the great service throughout the years and when Gene say’s
“We
fix cars” he really does mean it. Until we meet again, happy motoring
Customers Testimony
The Auto Shop
1515 Iris St
Dear Mr. Southpaw
The service which your firm offers is unusual
to-day--prompt,efficient, competent. friendly--and
very reasonably priced.
I am pleased to finally find a place I can rely on.
In the future, when my car needs anything,I shall
bring it to you. I can also recommend you to others
with confindence.
Sincerely
Phyllis S. Weller
1515 Iris St
Dear Mr. Southpaw
The service which your firm offers is unusual
to-day--prompt,efficient, competent. friendly--and
very reasonably priced.
I am pleased to finally find a place I can rely on.
In the future, when my car needs anything,I shall
bring it to you. I can also recommend you to others
with confindence.
Sincerely
Phyllis S. Weller
58 TBird
1515 Iris Street
Lakewood, Colo 80215
(303) 237-2236
Lakewood, Colo 80215
(303) 237-2236
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Ken and Kriss Siler via LinkedIn to me
show details Apr 4 (2 days ago)
LinkedIn Recommendations
Ken and Kriss Siler has endorsed your work as Owner at The Auto Shop Inc.
Dear Gene,
I've written this recommendation of your work to share with other LinkedIn users.
Details of the Recommendation: "Gene knows the mechanics of a vehicle like no
one we've ever known. He is the most trustworthy and honest mechanic we've ever
had, and his prices are extremely reasonable. We highly recommend Gene and his
Auto Shop to everyone with a vehicle that needs checkups and/or repairs. An
exemplary mechanic is hard to find, so you need look no further than Gene! You'll
simply love him and his shop!"
Service Category: Auto Mechanic
Year first hired: 2009 (hired more than once)
Top Qualities: Expert, Good Value, High Integrity
This recommendation is not yet displayed on your profile.
Display Ken and Kriss Siler's recommendation
show details Apr 4 (2 days ago)
LinkedIn Recommendations
Ken and Kriss Siler has endorsed your work as Owner at The Auto Shop Inc.
Dear Gene,
I've written this recommendation of your work to share with other LinkedIn users.
Details of the Recommendation: "Gene knows the mechanics of a vehicle like no
one we've ever known. He is the most trustworthy and honest mechanic we've ever
had, and his prices are extremely reasonable. We highly recommend Gene and his
Auto Shop to everyone with a vehicle that needs checkups and/or repairs. An
exemplary mechanic is hard to find, so you need look no further than Gene! You'll
simply love him and his shop!"
Service Category: Auto Mechanic
Year first hired: 2009 (hired more than once)
Top Qualities: Expert, Good Value, High Integrity
This recommendation is not yet displayed on your profile.
Display Ken and Kriss Siler's recommendation
Gene
We can even put your vehicle on a
"No Carb Diet" with an EFI System
Give us a call (303)237-2236
"No Carb Diet" with an EFI System
Give us a call (303)237-2236
Tim McMans
1957 Mark11
1957 Mark11
Tim McMans
1957Chry 300
1957Chry 300
Jonathan's
1947 Chry Town & Country
1947 Chry Town & Country
Jims 67 Camero
Steve's 1967
SS Camero
SS Camero
1957 MK8
Jag
Jag
