As a customer frequently disappointed by many businesses’ ideas of “customer service,” I realize the importance of quality “old fashioned” customer service. I am dedicated to making your experience with our business and our web site an absolutely pleasant one and hope to remind you of the good old days when “the customer is always right” policy really existed. Regardless of your gender, if you’re seeking repair or restoration of your favorite vehicle, you deserve to be treated with respect and complete honesty.
We understand that some people know what they want to accomplish with their vehicles but have no idea how to “talk the (car) talk.” We are happy to walk you through the process of repair or restoration in language you will understand.
I have conducted extensive market research and studied program management, advertising, bookkeeping, accounting, and logistics in addition to automobile restoration to bring this company together. My personal goal is to bring you professional service for a fair price with a team of employees that love their jobs and cars as much as I love mine (and you love yours).
The day you enter our facility, it means all the work we have done to get you here has been successful. Our reputation, advertising, company structure, employees, and our facilities have all come together to bring you into our business. Once you’re here, we are not going to give you any reason to leave without giving us a try.
If at any time you are dissatisfied with anything you see, hear, or feel from this business, I ask you to call or write me and give me a chance to resolve the problem. I understand that not every problem has a solution, but I’ll do everything within reason to reach a reasonable conclusion.
Sincerely, Dan Short
(757) 216-1745
Dan & all the gang at D.R.S. FantomWorks,
Your recent repair and upgrade to my 1974 VW Beetle with the 1953 MG-TD kit and body on it was completed on time and on budget. Even better then that, the performance of the car is greatly improved in reliability and dependability. The disc brake kit you modified onto the front wheels are a great improvement in safety and now the house-hold doesn’t cringe when I take it out for an afternoon drive on the weekends.
I greatly appreciate your not just doing the work I originally asked for but your inspection of the car and the great communication skills as you walked me through the process on what I could do and on the things that I came to decide that you should do. This is what makes your process of restoration and upgrade so unique.
Most amazing is your after-the-job customer support. When I discovered that the disc brake kit needed a small adjustment that was outside of my mechanical skills, you drove the 51 miles from Norfolk to Williamsburg to make the change….and on a weekend and at no further cost! I have never dealt with any service that stands behind their work like you and your guys do. You are truly a gentleman in an industry that does not always have a great reputation. I have recommended your shop to everyone I know that has a classic car and hope DRS Automotive Fantomworks continues to grow.
You can bet when I hit the lottery and find my dream car – Shelby AC Cobra- it’s being trucked directly to you for a complete restoration. Thanks again and best of luck.
The FantomWorks Team-
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dan Short, Joel, Josh, and the rest of the team for a job well done on the complete restoration of my 1969 Shelby GT-350. It was a long, hard, and sometimes painstaking situation that Dan and his entire team encountered during the 10 months that it took to complete this restoration. To see how the Shelby looked when it arrived here and to see it finally completed is a work of art and truly a dream come true that I have wanted to accomplish for a long time.
During the restoration process Dan kept informed of its progress and notified me when he and his team discovered problem areas that needed to be resolved and fixed, and he also requested that I meet with him to see these problem areas so they could be fixed. He also requested that I come by the shop at least twice a month to check on the restoration progress of which I did at every available opportunity I had.
I have taken the Shelby to several local car shows since the completion of the restoration and I have had very positive feedback and plenty of car enthusiasts taking pictures of the car. I would strongly recommend that if anyone has an antique or classic muscle car and is considering any type of restoration to their vehicle to give Dan and the FantomWorks team a call and arrange an appointment to visit the shop. I am sure that you will be 100% satisfied as I was with my restoration, and you will have something that you can drive, take to shows, and enjoy for years to come. Again, thanks Dan to you and your entire team.
-Howard Thomas Jr.
Hello Dan & Fantomworks crew,
My name is Ray, and I’m life-long gear head. I’m also proud to call myself a friend of Lee’s, owner & chief care-giver of a certain Checker Marathon.
Dan, several months ago, I STRONGLY advised Lee to NOT restore/refurbish his Checker. The reason I told him this was I knew that there was almost NO chance of getting a decent “honest” job done. After his calling me countless times on this-or-that paint shop, I never changed my mind. Then he told me about finding you, your shop, your mindset and your way of doing business. You sounded different from the others. Much different.
I knew what he was going to get back was shiny Bondo. Pretty now, but give it two years and… well, you know. I told him, “This guy Dan sounds good, why don’t you visit the shop again and look around to see what kinda stuff he’s working on. If there are several (or “any”) high-dollar cars there, that would be a good sign.
In short, I advised against a refurb because I doubted Lee (a non-gear head) would EVER find a guy like you, with a crew like yours, in a shop like yours. You were the guy who made me reveal to Lee WHY I’d advised against this project, and you also caused me to tell him, “Lee, this is your man. Proceed!”
Work as hard as you can for Lee and you can be sure that,
1) You’ll have a life-long friend, and
2) Everyone who corners him at the gas station is going to hear the words “Dan & Fantomworks” within the first few syllables out of his mouth. You can’t buy that sort of advertisement, you have to earn it.
I hope you continue to find joy in your good work because, when we lay down to take our final breath, there will be no joy in thinking back on our lives and our final thought being, “Boy, I sure scr*wed THAT guy to wall!”
Best to you and the crew there, Dan,
jrc in SC
PS: I’m visiting up there soon, so I’ll get to meet you guys.
Dan,
Just wanted to send you a few lines of praise, and a word of thanks.
In only a few months of customizing my project, your talented team has earned my respect and gratitude, for a job beautifully done. One of the hardest things to do in a project like this is to find the right shop, to perform the level of customizing that I would need. Usually, people go with a recommendation from someone else and then trust in “their” judgment. So, with that info, I checked out all those shops, but I didn’t know which one was to perform what work. Still, it ended with no plan after 3 ½ years.
I remember coming across your web site and it sounded interesting. I stopped by to see you and your business and was immediately put at ease. Because, I was worried that the level of work I saw being performed in you shop, would be well over my needs, and my pocket. A quick, open discussion and my car was in your shop for review. Finally, a plan and an understanding of the desired work I wanted, and still be within my modest budget.
Your assembled team always was very courteous and helpful. The new ideas I was receiving from them, was actually fun to conceptualize. What soon developed as an idea, became a true demonstration of craftsmanship, always encompassing safety, equipment interaction, and feasibility. What a difference, from my original designs of fabrications needed, (that just wouldn’t be correct or even worked), to something well thought out and many cases, innovative.
Sure, I was able to stuff a SBC into an Egg carton, but you had the expertise and fabrication capabilities to design and customize my visions, to become functional realities. It simply had to be “made” and then, where do we put it!!!
I just want to thank you for all the work your team performed, and your own personal business ethics applied to our working endeavor and ever changing contract. A true professional to your word, you have just gained another recommending person to your ever growing list.
Gratefully,
T.W.Lord
Hello, fellow antique car enthusiasts!
I love vintage cars. Not that I don’t respect the modern automobiles. Many of them are very reliable, very fuel-efficient and comfortable. But I just don’t see them as real cars; they’re more like appliances. You don’t fall in love with an appliance; you just use it until it wears out. Same with these new-fangled motor vehicles. Sufficient substance, but no style. Lots of engineering, but no soul. I have trouble with the whole concept of “planned obsolescence” — I just don’t like it when, before the car’s even assembled, the engineers have already calculated the number of years before the junkyard beckons. It just seems wrong. I prefer cars that are modern enough to perform well and be comfortable, but simple enough to be fixed and sturdy enough to last.
After many years of using my beloved 1982 Checker Marathon as a daily driver, it really began to show some serious age: faded paint; leaky windshield; holes behind the rear window; crummy carpet; bent hood; dreary, delapidated headliner. It’s hard watching your “loved ones” get old.
I wanted to consider restoring the Checker, and interviewed several people who were in that line of work. They seemed nice enough, and all of them could probably have sold me a half-decent paint job. But then all I would have is a thirty-year-old car with fresh paint — and who knows, underneath the new, glossy paint, how much of the car would consist of body putty instead of welded metal? Or even how long the paint job would continue to look glossy and new?
Well, after agonizing over the decision for a few months, a buddy of mine turned me on to DRS Automotive FantomWorks. I met with Dan Short, owner/manager, and he took me on a tour of his facilities. My first impression was how clean and well-organized his shop is — it’s very reassuring to take your car to a shop that does not reflect chaos and a crisis-management style. I knew within five minutes of talking to Dan that I could trust him to do a great job on my Checker. Dan is very well-educated and extremely smart. He understands, apparently, everything about cars — historically, mechanically, and stylistically. He understands systems — which impressed my inner computer geek very much. Best of all, Dan understands the needs of the customer (me), and assured me that I would be driving (so to speak) this entire process myself, from beginning to end. Dan would make recommendations and provide enough information for me to make well-informed decisions, in my personal search for the best trade-off between the ideal restoration and the limitations of the pocketbook.
Dan told me the job would be finished in about six weeks to two months. I harbored some doubts about that because one of the restoration shops I had interviewed gave me an estimate of seven months. (!) But Dan was as good as his word. I was able to visit the car each week during the process and witness the progress myself, every step of the way — from disassembly, to sanding it down to bare metal, to priming and painting, and re-assembly. Dan also gave me a guided tour of my own car — more of a lecture, really — showing the good and maybe some of the not-so-good features in its engineering, and making recommendations on mechanical repairs. Not that Dan is the type of guy who sells unnecessary repairs — far from it! On two or three occasions, I even pointed out something extra he might want to do while the car was disassembled; his usual response was, “There’s no advantage to doing that now, just wait until you need that done.” Dan does not waste his time, or your money, on things that aren’t necessary or desirable.
I also found Dan’s staff to be very helpful, pleasant, and knowledgeable. Everyone seemed to be enjoying his work, and were forthcoming about the parts of the restoration that fell within their own area of expertise. Dan himself is a whirling dervish of purposeful activity — working on a car, on the phone, ordering parts, helping you with your color selection, explaining the latest engineering feature he noticed in your car, taking people for test drives. Best of all, Dan is honest — unfashionably, ridiculously, even shoot-himself-in-the-foot honest. If Dan gives you two or three alternatives and asks you to decide, you simply have to ask him, “If this were your car, what would you do?” He will tell you, even if you just know he would have made more money by telling you something else.
It’s not just a living to these guys: they love what they do.
And what they do is very much worth doing: they make the world a less humdrum, more lovely place. They resurrect old cars and make them young and beautiful again. And they want you to love the results. I certainly have. In a world of four-wheeled rolling jellybeans, I have a car that stands out and says, “I’m not a throwaway appliance; I’m a real car! I’m history!” Everywhere I drive, people turn, stare, smile, and give me the thumbs-up. FantomWorks deserves all the credit for that. Anyone who has an older car that he would love to see restored to its former glory desperately needs to take it to FantomWorks. Give Dan and the gang an opportunity to perform their special magic on your car.
Sincerely,
Lee
I have a ’75 FJ-40 – Looking to get working on it….what yoru your rates for a power steering conversion? Also Can you Soda Blast…looking to clean up the frame and get it prep’d for a engine swap…later….want to work the body a little….plan I want to get estimate for..what could or would a cost to have the body soda blasted? I will probably get new fenders for the front…but just thinking the cowling, Tub for the est. Just trying to get a rough idea of services…
I’ll probably drop in sooner or later….. thanks
doesn’t drive at the moment.
Kevin
The guys at Fantomworks were nothing shy of awesome. They were great to work with and the work they did was great. We got three estimates before choosing Dan and Fantomworks and they were in the middle. What I particularly liked about Dan was how he made sure I met the people who worked on the car at different stages. Giving credit where credit was due showed me he was proud of his team and the work they did. I also met with Joel on several occasions to see how the car was coming along and he was informative, polite, and -again- someone who took pride in his work. This company has a great business model and I would not hesitate to go to them again. The quality of their work, the cost for their services, and their integrity were exceptional. I highly recommend them.
The guys at FantomWorks were nothing shy of awesome. They were great to work with and the work they did was great. We got three estimates before choosing Dan and FantomWorks and they were in the middle. What I particularly liked about Dan was how he made sure I met the people who worked on the car at different stages. Giving credit where credit was due showed me he was proud of his team and the work they did. I also met with Joel on several occasions to see how the car was coming along and he was informative, polite, and -again- someone who took pride in his work. This company has a great business model and I would not hesitate to go to them again. The quality of their work, the cost for their services, and their integrity were exceptional. I highly recommend them.
Do you sell door skins for a 73 Camaro?
Thank You,
Greg Winn
I have a holley 4100 on a 351W (stroked to 408) in my 1970 Mach1 mustang. I would like to have the carb rebuilt/restored. can you tell me the what you would do and give me a price and a time frame for doing this . Look forward to hearing from you. RICH BRION
I have a 1969 mach 1 that needs a little electrical work that seems to have jumped past my skills. The Fuel/temp guage does not work while the rest of the panel works perfectly also the sail panel lights are inop. I would also like to have the paint which is in pretty good shape rubbed down to look a little more show worthy. let me know if you can help.
Mach One in Yorktown.
For over twenty years I have been searching for a competent auto repair shop that could take care of all my repair, maintenance, and vehicle improvement needs. Having lived in many different states and had dealings with many different “so called” repair shops, I can tell you that DRS Automotive FantomWorks is in a class by itself. At one point I literally spent thousands of dollars, visiting several repair shops, enduring weeks without transportation trying to get a lack of power issue fixed, I was having with my truck. No one was able to repair it and I finally gave up all hope and decided it would just always run this way. Dan and the guys fixed it pretty much for free when the truck was in his shop having some other work done and now at almost 200,000 miles it runs like new. The owner Dan Short literally spends hours with his customers getting to know them so he can best advise them on how the shop can meet there needs on whatever budget they have to work with. The shop is literally capable of building you a car from nothing but a pile of old parts to completing basic repair so you can get to work the next day. On top of all that when you visit the shop you can tell that everyone working there is proud not only of the work they are doing but of the shop as a whole. Having spent time there waiting to pick up my vehicle I can tell you that every customer no matter how much money they have to spend is treated as if they were the most important customer they have. Most importantly the prices are very fair and the entire team seems to have a vested interest fixing your vehicle right the first time. Speaking from personal experience I know for a fact that if something leaves the shop and is not exactly how it should be the entire team takes it very personally.
Charles A. Wilkins
To the Fantom Works team:
I just pickup my car, 1978 trans ams and I want to tell you guys how pleased I am with results. I had two problems when I brought the car in for repairs. It had been involved in a car accident and I had to have my engine rebuilt. The result of your work is beyond my best expectations. Not only does my car look better than before the accident it run great. I want thank each person on your team for a JOB WELL DONE. By the way, the final bill for the engine work was well below the estimate, thank you, thank you and thank you.
John
Meghan J
Bottom line, up front: This shop is AWESOME! My car has more power than ever, and I don’t usually get surprised when my car lights up the tires! FW’s knows older vehicles and fixed my car right, the first time. Thanks to them, I feel confident driving my older vehicle as a daily driver. I took my ‘84 in for a mechanical problem. I thought it was the carburetor and despite my back-yard mechanic diagnosis, they found the ACTUAL problem and fixed it. It runs better than it ever has. They fixed things that I hadn’t even told them about; choke stuck open during warm-up, transmission shifting rough. They found multiple, complex mechanical failures that I had given up on having fixed at other shops. This is the place to take any older vehicle. They don’t just work on high-end collectible classics. Many thanks to FantomWorks! (OBTW, somebody wiped down the interior too!!!?? Can you believe it? They had me at “we fixed your car”)
Dan and his crew did an overhaual on the interior of my Suburban after a mishap including 5 gallons of exterior brown paint. This included complete carpet replacement, leather cleaning, etc. There attention to detail and customer service was amazing. This place is the real deal. Highly recommend the shop for any repair or restoration project. Also a great place to look at a multitude of classics and collectables. Think the owner may have an obsession with collecting antiques, but they are interesting to look at.
Kevin Brooks
Dan,
Please thank all of those having to do with researching, installing, and necessary paperwork for that new front window of mine. It looks real nice!
You have a very professional group of folks whom you have surrounded yourself with. Everyone I dealt with took time out to explain, when needed, and treated me as if I were their number one customer.
Again, pass along my sincere appreciation and thanks….great job!
John Kerr
DRS FantomWorks worked on my vehicle, and did a great job. They installed a new engine, along with all new AC parts and new carpet. They were professional and very timely. The service was wonderful as well as the quality of the work, since then they are now the only shop that works on my vehicle. I recommend DRS FantomWorks to all of my friends especially my female friends, because FantomWorks team took the time to explain the issues with my vehicle to me and made sure that I felt comfortable with the work being done. As a female that is extremely important to me, the FantomWorks experience is definitely one of a kind, thank you FantomWorks.