Process · Standards · Method
How we build.
Frame-off means exactly what it sounds like. The body comes off the frame. Everything is separated, stripped, and assessed before any work begins. There is no other way to know what you're actually dealing with.
Most vehicles that come to us for a frame-off have had previous repairs — some of them good, most of them not. Filler over rust. Paint over filler. Problems buried under problems. Taking the body off the frame is the only way to find them all.
From there, the frame gets stripped, cleaned, repaired where needed, and refinished before anything goes back on it. Axles, suspension, brakes, and drivetrain are addressed while the body is off — because that's when access is easiest and the work can be done correctly.
The body goes through its own process — rust repair, panel work, metal fabrication where needed — before it ever sees primer. Paint is the last thing that happens. Not the first.
The GM LS engine family is the most sensible modern powertrain choice for a classic restomod — reliable, powerful, well-supported, and serviceable anywhere in the country. But swapping one into a 50-year-old vehicle is not a parts-bin exercise.
Adding power to an aged platform changes everything downstream. Brakes that were adequate for the original engine are not adequate for an LS. Suspension geometry built for a lighter powertrain needs to be reconsidered. Wiring that was never designed to handle modern electronics needs to be replaced, not spliced.
We address all of it. An LS swap at CRG is not just an engine swap — it's a drivability conversion. The vehicle gets rebuilt around the new powertrain so that the driving experience matches the power being produced.
We also do original engine rebuilds for customers who want to keep the vehicle period-correct. The process is different, the goal is the same: an engine that runs right and will continue to run right.
Paint is the last thing that happens. Every time. The reason most paint jobs fail — bubbling, cracking, adhesion loss — is that the substrate underneath wasn't right before the paint went on.
We do our own body work in-house. Metal first, primer second, paint last. Rust is cut out and replaced with new metal — we do not skim over structural problems with filler. Filler has a place in bodywork. Covering rust is not it.
Every vehicle gets a full panel-by-panel assessment before body work begins. We document existing damage, previous repairs, and structural concerns. Then we make a plan — and we stick to it.
Color selection, finish type, two-tone options, and custom work are all discussed with the customer before any paint goes on. We will tell you what will and won't work on a given vehicle honestly.
