About Auto Restoration and Classics

Auto Restoration & Classics began as a one-man shop and has expanded into a larger facility in Sandpoint, Idaho where both restoration and collision work are now offered. Richard Oliver, the owner, continues to perform the restoration work, while at the same time, supervises a crew of collision repair specialists, ensuring the same quality of collision repair that he provides to his personal, ongoing restoration customers.

Very few facilities offer this caliber of work, and even fewer are interested in restoration. At ARC, we have the talent and skills to do both, and do them well. Another difference is we do everything from small projects like installing electric windows, to an entire ground up restoration. And, it's still your project, performed to your specifications, and we will even let you help!

The procedure for restoration projects is a little different than it is for collision repair. Richard personally takes the car in, takes it apart, chases down all the parts, performs all the modifications and repairs, reassembles and paints it. Monthly, unless otherwise arranged, you receive a packet in the mail containing the labor hour work log and ARC invoice for that month, payable upon receipt. Photos of the month’s work are either emailed or included in the packet. A month-end conversation is held with the customer regarding progress made and the plan for the next month’s work is discussed.

Transportation of vehicles can be provided or arranged.

How did Richard get into this line of work?

I was a 10 year old kid with a bicycle in need of a paint job. I wanted the latest greatest big flake metallic paint - the stuff you couldn’t get in a spray can. I had saved money from mowing lawns and rode all over town to body shops asking to get my bike painted, but no one would take me seriously. Tom McCallister, owner of a one-man body shop, told me that if I took it apart he’d paint it. I was to mow his yard twice and help him clean up his body shop a couple of times as payment. In Tom’s shop, at the time, was a fairly new Mustang 350GT, a Jaguar E-type coupe, and a Model A coupe with a massive Oldsmobile engine in it - his Sunday-go-to-the-drag-strip car.

My older brother was a gear head and had a ‘63 Split Window Corvette. My Father bought new cars with really big engines, and in those days, big engines were really big engines! I was bitten by the big cubic inch bug at a tender age and infected for life. But the minute I stepped into Tom’s shop, I fell in love for the first time - with that Jaguar. This was the start of my love of the British automobile. The British cars have little engines that perform as well as big American engines in the style of body I like.

Tom’s word of mouth reputation afforded him the option of working on select automobiles. I worked for Tom from the time I was 10 years old until after high school. He taught me welding, lead and metal finishing, frame damage diagnosis and repair, and painting. He trained 3-4 people during my apprenticeship, most were a little older to begin with - young men with a love of the automobile and needing work on their hot rods. It seems I have come full circle and am now in my own one-man shop working on select automobiles.

Over the 30+ years Richard has been in the auto repair business he has worked in many different facilities ranging from building totals for resale, street rod customization, building limosines, specialty restoration facilities, industry leading high end collision repair facilities. He set up, developed, consulted, managed, owned and sold several production body shops, as well as continuing to work from his own shop on various exclusive restoration and custom projects.