★Old Post Motor Works★
Est. 1958 · Philadelphia, PA
Classic car restoration and repair in Philadelphia
Restoration, tune-ups, rebuilds and wiring for American, British, German and Japanese classics — in the garage that kept the city’s mail trucks running. Written estimates, monthly photos, and the old parts back in your trunk.
Est.1958
A 1966 convertible, back on the road after fourteen months
On the bench this month — the work orders
Frame-off · 12–24 months · by appointment
Stripped to the shell, photographed at every stage and put back together better than the factory managed. Metal, mechanicals, paint and trim under one roof, with a photo report every month while you wait.
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Points, plugs, timing · most cars same week
Points and condenser, timing set with a light, carburetors rebuilt and balanced by ear and by vacuum gauge. The everyday work that keeps an old car starting on the first turn.
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Machined · balanced · broken in on our stand
Measured, machined, balanced and broken in on the stand before it goes back in the car — with the build sheet, the clearances and the receipts in a folder that stays with the car.
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Drums, discs, kingpins, bushings
Wheel cylinders, hoses, shoes and fluid; kingpins, ball joints and bushings; steering boxes adjusted or rebuilt. An old car that stops and steers straight is a car you can actually enjoy.
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New harnesses · gauges · 6-to-12-volt
Sixty years of somebody’s splices replaced with a new harness built on our bench, every circuit labeled. Gauges brought back, charging systems sorted, and the fire risk taken out.
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Before you buy · written report in 48 hours
Two hours on the lift and a road test before you hand over a check: rust, matching numbers, compression and every place a seller hopes you won’t look.
Book this job →The bill for the week
Drop-offs and estimates
7:30 Drop-offs, keys in the box · 9:00 Every car up on the lift · 3:00 Estimates called in, with photos
Machine-shop day
7:30 Heads and blocks to the machinist · 10:00 The carburetor bench · 4:30 Calls back
The restoration bays
7:30 Metal work · 12:00 The paint booth · 4:30 Progress photos sent
Road tests
7:30 Tune-ups · 2:00 Road tests along Kelly Drive · 4:30 Calls back
Pick-ups
7:30 Final checks · 12:00 Pick-ups, old parts in the trunk · 5:00 Doors close
Cars and coffee
8:00 Cars and coffee in the lot · 10:00 Pre-purchase inspections · 1:00 Closed
Closed — go for a drive
9:00 Club drive from the lot, first Sunday of the month · 12:00 Back for lunch, and the doors stay shut
Drop-offs run Monday to Friday from 7:30; if you’re early, leave the keys in the box by the bay door. Saturday mornings are for inspections, coffee and anyone who wants to look around.
Hand-lettered every spring. Prices in dollars before tax; your estimate is written for your car before we order a part.
The crew
Owner · ASE Master Technician · at the shop since 1979
Swept the floor here at fourteen and bought the place from the man who taught him. Still sets every distributor by ear before he checks it with a light, and knows most of the cars in the lot by the sound of their starters.
Engine builder · ASE A1 · 31 years at the bench
Rebuilds engines the way they were built: measured, machined, balanced and broken in on the stand. Keeps a notebook on every engine he has ever built — and he has built a few hundred.
Brakes, steering & road tests · ASE A4 & A5
Rebuilds drum brakes and steering boxes that other shops will only replace, then takes every car along Kelly Drive before it goes home. If it pulls, rattles or wanders, it doesn’t leave.
How a restoration is built
Two days on the lift: rust, numbers, compression and wiring, written up with over a hundred photographs and an honest opinion about what the car is worth doing.
A written plan in phases, with a price range for each. You decide how far to go and how fast; nothing starts without your signature.
Every bolt bagged, tagged and photographed on the way apart, so it goes back together the way it came — or better.
Rust cut out and replaced with new steel, panels aligned, then primer, block-sanding and paint in our booth.
Engine, gearbox, brakes, suspension and a new harness, rebuilt and fitted while the paint cures.
Two hundred miles of road testing and a punch list put right, then the keys, the photo book and a 24-month / 24,000-mile warranty.
From the guest book by the bay door
1966 Ford Mustang convertible · Media, PA
My father bought this Mustang new in 1966. Old Post spent fourteen months bringing it back and sent me photos every month. When I turned the key, I cried in their parking lot.
— Diane R.
1972 Chevrolet C10 · Fishtown
Every other shop wanted to swap my carburetor for fuel injection. Ken rebuilt the original, and it starts on the first turn in January.
— Tom W.
Pre-purchase inspection · 1969 Camaro
They found the rust a seller had hidden under fresh undercoating — before I paid him. The inspection saved me twelve thousand dollars.
— Marcus J.
1971 Volkswagen Beetle · Manayunk
Rewired my Beetle from the battery to the taillights and labeled every wire. First time in thirty years the fuel gauge works.
— Ellen K.
Plans, printed on a claim check
$285per visit
The right first visit for most classics.
Book a tune-upMost owners
$495per year
For cars that live in a garage and come out to play.
Start a keeper plan$38k+by phase
Assessments are booked about six weeks out.
Book an assessmentPrices in US dollars before sales tax. Parts are listed on every invoice; you are welcome to bring your own, and you can always have the old ones back.
Asked at the bay door
Mostly cars built before 1990 — American, British, German and Japanese. If your daily driver is newer, we’ll point you to a good shop rather than learn on your car.
2.Will you keep it original?If you want it original, yes: we rebuild original parts before we replace them and record every number. If you want disc brakes, electronic ignition or air conditioning, we do that too — reversibly, where we can.
3.How long does a restoration take?A frame-off restoration is usually twelve to twenty-four months, depending on rust, parts and paint. You get a phased plan with a time for each phase, and a photo report every month.
4.Can I bring my own parts?Yes. We inspect them before they go on and tell you honestly if they aren’t good enough. Our labor is warrantied either way; the part’s warranty is the seller’s.
5.Do you store cars over the winter?We have twelve heated spaces with a battery tender and a monthly start. Book by October — they go fast.
A free safety inspection with any repair
Tell us about the car and what it’s doing — or what you’d like it to do. We’ll call back within a day to talk it over and book a time. Nothing is touched without a written estimate and your yes.
