Frequently Asked Questions

We are located at 5700 Ami Dr, Richmond, IL 60071, just behind Dog n' Suds, off of HWY 12. There are two points of entry: Ami Drive, and Commercial Drive. Our customer parking and front door are located on Ami Drive.

We perform complete restoration services, ranging from simple classic-car maintenance to full rotisserie, show-quality restorations.

We design and fabricate frames/chassis, fuel tanks, mounts, and many other components in house.

We also perform a variety of modifications to meet our customers' needs. These may include:

• Electronic fuel injection (EFI) installs
• Modern engine installs
• Air conditioning systems
• Overdrive transmissions
• Custom exhaust
• Improved braking & suspension systems
• Performance modifications
• Body fit enhancements & custom work
• Safety improvements

... and many more!

While often asked, it is impractical to predict the total cost of a restoration when considering the countless factors of a project. 

Factors which affect the final cost include:

• Condition of vehicle
• Type of vehicle
• Quality of restoration desired
• Types and amount of modifications
• Desired time-frame of project
• Availability of parts for vehicle

These and many other variables impact the total cost of your project, but we will work with you to plan your project and bring it to life.

In the restoration industry, a firm or fixed quote cannot be given.

However, a member of our team will walk through our planning check list with you to cover every possible area of your project to be touched. From there, we will build an estimate which identifies the cost of all parts discussed, common labor hours used in each area, and raw materials and consumables to be used in the project.

Expect the final total to be different from the estimate.

Our current shop rate, or labor rate, is $95 per hour. We bill based on actual work done by our staff on a weekly basis.

Other charges may vary from that, such as storage rates, and pick up or delivery costs.

We purchase all parts for a project through our distribution channels. All parts will be sold at retail cost, plus any shipping or other fees that may be incurred.

You may bring any parts you have already acquired for the project, however once it is in our shop, we will not accept customer supplied or purchased components. If these components fail, or are incorrect, the customer will be billed for any time lost replacing the component and/or finding a replacement.

• Once an estimate has been accepted, we request a down-payment to help us get started. This amount will vary for each project, but is used to help cover the initial labor and parts or material costs needed to begin the job.
• Our shop sends invoices via email to the customer every week to ensure that our shop and our customers are in constant communication and "on the same page."  We charge a shop rate for time or labor; parts and materials are additional. Parts may incur a shipping charge and other fees. 
• The invoices are generated from our Technicians' time sheets as they work, so there is some detail on our invoices. We are always happy to provide greater detail or explanation of services should the customer request it. 
• Due to our weekly invoicing structure, payment is expected upon customer receipt of invoice. If payment is not promptly received, work will be suspended and the vehicle will be placed into storage until the customer account is brought to "current" status. Pre-payment terms are available to prevent customers from accruing a balance with the shop.  
• We understand there are times when a project needs to be "put on hold", and we will gladly work with customers who let us know in advance of an upcoming pause in work. Should a customer fail to submit payment in a timely manner, we will move the vehicle to storage at the customer's cost of $50.00 / week until the balance is caught up or a solution is agreed upon. This protects the customer from incurring any additional labor charges while the vehicle is in storage. We are flexible and are always willing to work with a customer to help ensure the project is completed to their expectations. 
• Accepted payment methods include cash, checks, or credit cards. Paying by check is preferred and has no fees involved. Credit cards are convenient, but there is a service fee charged to us which we in turn add to your next invoice. The average fee is about 3%.

In short, we do.  We consider ourselves a one-stop restoration shop, and that includes parts.

Because we have agreements with manufacturers, distributors, and other vendors, we are able to access most of the components your restoration needs at competitive pricing with rapid delivery.

Please keep in mind:

• We build A LOT of cars, so we are dealers for all the major restoration and performance parts. We can offer competitive pricing on everything needed to build your dream ride.
• We KNOW the parts. Often, there are several options for restoration or performance parts, and we know the "good ones" to use. The wrong choice can equate to additional labor making something fit or work properly, where the right choice can be a huge time saver.
• When we order the parts, we can track the parts. We maintain a highly detailed spreadsheet for each car in the shop. We log all the part numbers, suppliers, date ordered, order status, shipping date, tracking numbers, and arrival date when they reach the shop. If there is ever a problem, we can track, return, or exchange the parts quickly.    
• Incorrect parts are delivered to our shop far more often than one might think. This can come from mis-labeling at the factory, a part not meeting our quality standards, a broken or damaged part, or a variety of other reasons. Depending on the supplier, returns can be quick and easy, or a drawn-out process requiring constant back-and-forth communication. Customer supplied parts can add significant time and distress to this process, especially when the crew is waiting on decisions from a customer who is unavailable. When we order the parts, we can manage these situations more efficiently while reducing headaches for the customer.
• We cannot warranty parts supplied by customers.  
• We are a retailer, not a wholesaler, so there is a markup on parts. This small fee helps to cover the research, quality control, handling, and administrative tasks associate with parts selection, ordering, and management.

• We work to formulate a comprehensive estimate and build plan for the customer, but there is a situation that some call "Might as well syndrome", where the customer adds items to a restoration purely because of an opportunity to do so. For example, if the team is restoring the front suspension, and the parts are disassembled, that's logically a good time to upgrade the stock suspension to something offering better performance. After all, the parts are already disassembled, why do the work twice?  "Might as well do it now while it's apart!" We're happy to oblige, however, the customer needs to recognize that these changes WILL add additional time and cost to the restoration of a vehicle, and will negate any original budget plan or estimate made. Change Orders will be agreed upon by the customer and J5 Speedshop when the plans change, so that everyone has the same understanding of the scope of work and costs involved.
• It's important to keep in mind that these are old cars, and they have possible crash damage, hidden rust / corrosion, or previous repairs that might present themselves during the restoration process.   As hard as we try, we cannot always "see through the paint" and know what a car might require until the job has started. We always present our findings to the customer for discussion and a repair plan and then proceed as directed, but these situations can add costs and time to a project.   
• If the customer orders a work stoppage on the car, the customer will be charged storage fees while work is stopped. This includes if the stoppage is due to a customer mandated outside service provider doing work on the car (customer mandated machine shop or other outside service, for example). However, if a delay or work stoppage is motivated by J5 Speedshop, there will be no storage fees incurred.   
• Our goal is to provide quality and efficient service, so we request that when we contact you with a question or concern, please respond as soon as possible so we may proceed with work or parts ordering without delay. As you can understand, parts production and availability is often delayed thanks to COVID, and we do not wish to add time to the process. 

Yes.

We regularly take photos of our process as a form of record keeping and to keep the customer "in the loop."

We also take photos or video throughout the project for social media, as well as featuring projects in our monthly video updates (posted to YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook).

At the end of the project, we like to give each vehicle a more formal session for our customer and our website.

If you do not wish us to share your name (first name only in most cases), we are happy to accommodate you. Sharing our work is how we're able to do this thing we love and keep building amazing machines.

Contact us as soon as you think you may have a concern, whether it's an issue with billing, progress, or the plan. We are available during business hours (9AM to 5PM CST, M-F) via phone or email: 815-678-1414, jay@j5-speedshop.com. 

We will return your message as soon as is reasonable.

If it is something more involved or complicated, we may schedule a meeting to properly discuss the issue.