Classic Customs and Hot Rods - Burnaby, British Columbia

Dominic F.

Ken and his team were able to install a hood vent & repaint the hood to perfection. Excellent service with Classic Customs & Hot Rods! I'll be back next summer for an exterior roof painting for my Mustang too. Thanks again guys!

Anton H.

Incredible service and attention to details plus excellent communication and technical knowledge with my 1977 Beetle was very impressive.
I highly recommend this business.

Braden C.

I would NEVER recommend this place to anyone. The owner, Ken, completely wasted my time and money while I waited weeks for an estimate to do some repairs to my 1970 Shelby GT350. Ken had me bring my Shelby from Chilliwack to his shop in Burnaby TWICE over a three week period for a simple estimate. Each one-way trip averaged 90 minutes, plus fuel and mileage. I also had to purchase two separate day permits from ICBC for both days I had it at his shop. The cost for each permit was $60. After the second trip, when I had to wait around for an hour, Ken told me I would have the estimate in a few days. I followed up a couple of times this week regarding the status of my estimate. Ken told me this past Wednesday I would receive it Thursday later in the day via email. When I followed up Thursday evening about the status of my estimate he demanded I etransfer him $500 for it. At no point prior was it ever discussed let alone agreed that I would pay for the estimate. Nor have I ever paid for a classic car auto body repair estimate since I bought my first one back in 1998. I used to own a vehicle inspection company in Alberta, and I've NEVER come across a situation like this before. Yesterday, I dropped by Ken's shop to discuss the matter of my estimate in-person. He wasn't in at the time. I texted him to let him know I was in town and would like to go over the estimate together in person. Ken responded via text saying that he never made one as I didn't send him the $500.00 via etransfer. In my opinion, my time, energy, money, and mileage on my Shelby, were ALL wasted by my experience with Ken whom I found no to be trustworthy. As such, I will NEVER do business with him or his shop. Nor will I recommend Classic Customs and Hot Rods (or Ken) to any classic car enthusiasts.

- F.

Took my 66 mustang to Ken, initially looking to get the 6 cylinder running again, and some wheel/ suspension issues addressed as the car hadn’t moved in years.

I contacted many many shops, Ken was fast to reach out to me and spend time to talk to me about my project, some pros and cons on my ideas and general pricing, quickly earning my business, despite it being a relatively small project at first.

The project scaled to a motor swap and Ken took care of everything, sourcing a motor and parts at a price no man could say no to… lokg story short the car is now a 302… and it’s awesome!

The car had a laundry list of issues not known to me, yet easily found by any shop, which Ken worked with me on to ensure the areas I wanted fixed were addressed and working with me on my budget and project goals.

This project far exceeded all my budgets… but Ken always made me feel in control of the path and the outcome and we appreciate everything he was able to do within our limits.

Although any large scale project is frustrating for the owner…. It’s expensive…. It takes a long time and it not always easy for a shop to answer your every call…. Working with Ken on this project was a very positive experience! He’s honest, passionate about cars, had a good grasp on my project and very enjoyable to talk to.

When the project came to an end, the car exceeded my expectations! It’s beautiful all around, inside and out. The attention to detail is amazing and equally as important, it’s a safe car once again.

I couldn’t be more happy with the car, and me and my family can’t thank Ken and his team enough for bringing it back to life and back into our lives.

Ken and his team are people I would recommend to anyone looking for their project to done right, by good people, who care and produce cars you’ll be proud to own

Thank you Ken and Classic Customs and Hot Rods, Until the next project!

Mike

UPDATE:

Nearing the end of the year, the car had some damage done to it…. Long story…but without hesitation I called Ken first, and the car was there within 2 days.

While there, the damaged hood was dealt with, with a 10/10 repair quality, along with addressing some other issues I was hoping to tackle at the same time.

Having taken my car to Ken twice now, it’s always a 5 star experience. The craftsmanship is superb, no detail is overlooked and Ken has always treated me like I’m his only customer. Everytime I called Ken he knew exactly what was going on with the car and past that is just a good guy to chat with on the phone.

If you want it done faster… go to a collision center or places similar…. But you get what you pay for. If you want true workmanship and expertise take it to Ken’s shop.

Mike

James F.

Just finalizing a purchase of a 1969 Mustang GT Convertible in the USA to export to Canada. Ken spent a lot of his time discussing the car and potential upgrades that I can do at his shop. Also gave me great advice on making sure I buy the right car at the right price.

Ken has earned my business going forward when my car arrives. Lots of modifications and fun stuff to get the car modernized and increase the “cool” factor 🤙🏻😎🤩

Nicole J.

I've done my best to hold back this review, being patient and understanding for a year, but there's just nothing for it.

The owner, Ken, has promised to return my calls, start work, give a quote for work, among many other things, non of which have materialized. I've left dozens of messages and emails over the course of this past year, and have been consistently ignored and put off. Sometimes there are reasons given (if I am lucky enough to have somebody pick the phone up or return an email), but usually I am just completely ignored. Here are some examples:

"Hi Sean,

I know you called today. Sorry for not getting back to you, its been a bit hectic here. we are getting a few vehicles ready for the BC Classic Car show in Abbotsford on the 21st.

I will call you sometime tomorrow."

Three days later, having received no calls, I emailed again and received:

"Hi Sean,

I am so sorry, its just I have been swamped and short staffed lately and I am behind on all my estimates. I just haven't had the time to put together a estimate yet. give me until the end of next week and I'll have something for you.

Thank you,
Ken Powers"

That was April 2017 and I haven't received anything yet.. my attempts at following up via email have been ignored. I called once a day for several weeks once but was unable to get through to ken. Eventually I was successful, and he again said he would get an estimate the following week. I'm sure the reader can guess whether he followed through or not.

There was a list of 12 or 13 items to be done when I dropped off the car. I was hoping for the work to be done in a month or two. It's now been a year or more and nothing on the list has been done. They did manage to break my key off in the ignition though. I left them a thousand dollars when I brought in the car as an advance. Gee, I wonder what will happen to that?

I like to think there's a possibility they will ultimately come through and do a stellar job on the car. If they do I'll update my review.

James H.

Well they seem to be a greater shop, currently working on my 61 Mercedes 220sb…. Guy’s definitely are putting magic together here and are more than capable of any project that comes through the door… Bill and Ken provide excellent customer service.

Eric H.

Fantastic shop, very welcoming staff. Techs are wildly talented and also very good at explaining what they did. I took my 62 Pontiac in and they got it running just as it should, definitely would recommend to any hot rodder or classic enthusiast.