FEATURED SHOPS/DEALERS

 

 

FEATURED SHOP

 

AUTO PLUS IN TAMPA COMPLETES 14 YEARS

 

                                                By NITISH S. RELE

                                                editor@motoringtampabay.com

 

He’s been an ASE-certified technician since 1991. After working for five years at several new car dealerships in the Tampa Bay area, Val Dusek opened Auto Plus in Tampa. The auto repair shop offers complete domestic and foreign auto repair. He touts a 12-month warranty on parts and labor. At present, Auto Plus has an oil change special (1050 Valvoline) for $17.10 plus tax. And he sells tires of all sizes and from any manufacturer.

 

“I try to be honest with customers and guarantee our work 100 percent,” says Dusek, who has two employees.

 

Auto Plus, at 8878 N. Florida Ave. in Tampa, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

 

For more information, call (813) 932-1073, e-mail severac1308@aol.com or visit http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=auto+plus+of+tampa&fb=1&gl=us&hq=auto+plus+of&hnear=tampa&cid=5275597280660424513

 

 

 

CHIMERA CUSTOMS IS A ‘ONE-STOP PLACE’

 

                                                By NITISH S. RELE

                                                editor@motoringtampabay.com

 

In Greek mythology, ‘Chimera’ implies taking the best parts of something to create one whole something. That’s what Chimera Customs in Palm Harbor has strived to accomplish since opening six years ago.

  

 

“We try to be a one-stop place,” says founder/owner PJ Davis. “I align myself with reputable person. If I cannot complete a task, I’ve someone else do it for me.”

 

Chimera specializes in customizing cars and trucks. Services offered are specialty wheels and tires as well as standard passenger car and truck tires, performance upgrades, including exhaust systems, ignition systems, complete after-market performance engines, brake and suspension systems, as well as window tint. Last year, Chimera began selling custom sound equipment by JL Audio, Alpine, Kenwood and Sony, as well as alarms and remote start systems from Viper. It also offers GPS tracking devices to help you keep tabs on your custom ride.

 

A native of Pennsylvania, PJ moved to Florida 28 years ago. He learnt to be a mechanic during a stint in the U.S. military, working on boats at Thunder Marine in St. Petersburg. His next job was at S & M Truck World in Clearwater, where several clients inquired if PJ had given thought to start his own company. That was enough to sow the seeds of entrepreneurship.

 

In the 6,000-square-foot garage, PJ admits quantity is the last thing on his mind. “We are all about detail,” he says with pride. “We custom build everything, from the design and up. As our company has matured, our builds have matured.”

 

A complete restoration job can take 4 to 6 months and, in a year, Chimera restores 6 to 8 cars. “We’ve our engines especially built for us by Scotty’s Racing Engines,” he says. “Our small blocks are between 500 and 525 horsepower and big ones are from 700 to 725. They are all dyno’d and streetable.”

 

Every car PJ builds gets a professional photo shoot with one of Chimera’s models. And he likes to name every car. His first was a 1969 Mustang called Gracie; a 1966 Mustang Fastback (Big Rig); 1964 Lincoln Continental (Lucille); 1965 Pontiac GTO (Karma); and is building a 1967 Nova (Annie) for Children’s Home Society of Florida. “We are working to have it ready for the Las Vegas Barrett-Jackson auction in September,” he says. “The build cost of the car is $160,000. Hopefully, we can raise more money than our costs to donate.” However, his immediate goal is to have a painted, half-assembled car for the Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach next month.

 

Chimera has patrons come from all over the United States. “Our clients start out as clients and end up as family,” says PJ. “And they ship their cars from New York, Texas, California, Michigan.”

 

PJ has six employees, including son AJ. His wife, Karen, is in charge of bookkeeping.

 

Chimera is at 37650 U.S. 19 in Palm Harbor. For more information, call (727) 939-1014, e-mail pj@chimeracustoms.com or visit www.chimeracustoms.com

 

 

PAY FOR QUALITY AT PROFESSIONAL TRIM & UPHOLSTERY IN SEFFNER

 

By DAVE GENDRON

 

Professional Trim & Upholstery in Seffner is owned by Tim Boyle and Ron Bryan.
 
Boyle started out by selling tools for Matco Tools. He became acquainted with the dealers and car shops in Tampa Bay. He learnt the upholstery business from a close friend. Besides, as a teenager in high school, Boyle was into working on the interiors and engines of VWs, which he loved.

For 18 years, Boyle had a thriving shop on Brandon Boulevard but unfortunate events in life turned forced a turnaround. At one time, he had some big contracts with places such as Shells restaurant and the Hyatt.

He opened Professional Trim & Upholstery in May 2009. Boyle will work on cars, hot rods, classics, boats and even household furniture.

When asked about pricing, Boyle admits that you may pay a little more but you’re paying for the quality. Those who know Boyle and his work will agree.

Professional Trim & Upholstery is at 120 Ed Scanlon Lane, Seffner. For more information, call (813) 470-0052 or (813) 900-0490.

 

 

FRANKLAND WELDING OWNER SHARES LOVE FOR STOCK CAR RACING

By DAVE GENDRON

 

Meet Jamie Frankland of Frankland Welding in Balm. His first love (besides his wife Rose, of course) is stock car racing.

                                                                                        Auto Body Shop Auction on Feb 21

     

When he was a young boy, Frankland began working for his father and grandfather’s business, Frankland Racing Equipment, which was founded in 1948. The business specialized in and built the famous “Frankland Quick Change Rear Ends.” He remembers manufacturing more than 2,000 in a year. The products were used by racing enthusiasts all over the world, but in those days, a lot were sold to the Northeast. Some of the big names in racing, such as Don Garlits, have either worked along side Frankland or had their custom rear ends built by him.

 

Frankland’s primary business now (Frankland Welding) is custom rear end modifications. He will do rear end assembly out of car only.

 

The Balm resident has been running a 1934 Ford since the 1980s. It has a 296 cubic inch Ford Flathead V-8 and Ford carb kit (397). It has a Harvey Crane Cam (1 off), an early V-8 Frankland Quick Change Rear End (one of only 200 made that was built in the 1950s) and Buick brakes.

 
Frankland is working to put together a museum of old parts, cars and memorabilia from his younger days of growing up in the business and his racing days in Florida. That’s back in the ’30s and ’40s when Tampa was the “hub” of racing.

If you want to know anything about “roundy round racing” (oval track racing), drive down to Balm (15064 Balm Road) and pay Frankland a visit.

 

He can be reached at (813) 634-9556.

 

 

CAR STEREO BUG BIT 813 CUSTOMS OWNER AT YOUNG AGE

 

By NITISH S. RELE

editor@motoringtampabay.com

  

 

 

When just 13 years old, Joe Barravecchio installed the first stereo in his brother’s Jeep Wrangler. “Car stereo is a bug that bites you,” recalls the owner of 813 Customs in Tampa, which specializes in custom car/marine audio, speaker enclosures, fiberglass work, custom wheels and tires, mobile entertainment, vehicle security, interior/exterior styling, custom suspension/lifts, window tint, auto accessories, custom paint/body work, home theater and even vehicle sales.

 

“There’s no bigger feeling than installing the system, pushing the power button and watching it all come on. It’s a feeling of accomplishment,” says the New York native.

 

Right after his senior year in high school, he began a one-year course for Mobile Electronics Certified Professional (MECP) at a college in Pennsylvania. “In my second month of school, I earned a 98 in a home test. That turned out to be my final exam. I went on to teach the other kids in the course then,” he says.

 

Upon graduation, Barravecchio opened a store called Bumper to Bumper in association with Palace Entertainment in the New York/New Jersey area. A couple of years later, he took up a job offer from Mike Mineo at Brooklyn’s Best Audio, “where I helped him build a car,” he says. “We were International Auto Sound Challenge Association (IASCA) World Champions of Sound Quality for seven years.”

 

Afterward, he returned to Bumper to Bumper for two years and then left the car audio business for a decade. “I wasn’t making money I should have been making,” he reasons. “I ended up becoming an executive recruiter for Ernst & Young.”

 

Another three years and he quit to run a police tow yard in New Jersey. Then it was on to Tampa where his brother lives. In 2004, he opened 813 Customs. “I always wanted to have my own shop,” says Barravecchio.

 

The store is essentially two buildings: one is 1,800 square feet and the other (for car restoration) is 3,000 square feet. “So much of our business used to be car stereos but nowadays its paint and body work,” he says.

 

Open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 813 Customs is at 8701 N. Nebraska Ave. in Tampa. For more information, call Barravecchio at (813) 933-4300, e-mail customs813@hotmail.com or visit http://www.dencities.com/813customs.html

 

 

MEET JIM NEWBERRY OF NEWBERRY FABRICATIONS IN RUSKIN
                                               

                                                                        By DAVE GENDRON

                                                                        advertising@motoringtampabay.com

Since he was 16 years old, Jim Newberry of Newberry Fabrications in Ruskin has dabbled in a passion – building hot rods.

 
Before he began building hot rods, he raced cars. He had an idea one day to build a pickup but didn't know where to start. Well, he had a race car, which soon became a 1953 Chevrolet pickup with a glass-bottom bed.

Newberry’s truck was featured in the September 1999 issue of Classic Trucks Magazine. It's quite a truck and has plenty of trophies to show for the hard work he put into it. We asked Newberry how he got so good at what he does, to which he replied, “I just learned it on my own.”

At present, he is working on building a 1961 Chevrolet. We can't wait to see what it will look like when it's finished. Would you believe that the car was brought to him with absolutely no rust on it?

Newberry is a specialist in independent front suspension, chassis and tubular A-arms.

Oh yeah, and how about that 41 Willys he's got parked next to the ’53 Chevy? Newberry says it's for sale. You have to see the ride to appreciate it.  
 

Newberry Fabrications is at 1821 Seventh St. S.W., Ruskin or call (813) 293-1970 or (813) 645-3600 or e-mail sue0700se@msn.com

 

 

 

GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING WITH NORB’S AUTOMOTIVE IN SEFFNER

 

                                                            By NITISH S. RELE

                                                            editor@motoringtampabay.com

 

On Jan. 3, Norb Moertle felt the chest pains. When his wife sensed something wasn’t right, she immediately had him admitted to the hospital. The owner of Norb’s Automotive in Seffner had suffered a major heart attack. Norb, as he is affectionately called, underwent a triple bypass and also had two stents put in during the course of the year. But he is back at work now, part time.

 

Work is specializing in mechanical repairs. That’s pretty much everything to do with engines and transmissions such as oil change, transmission service, tune-up, brakes, clutch, exhaust systems, timing belts, batteries, heating and air-conditioning service, power steering service, tire rotation and alignments, etc.

 

The auto shop is at 403 Wense Ave. in Seffner (near Wense and Lakeview avenues). For more information, call Norb at (813) 684-3820.

 

 

CUSTOM WORK IS A PASSION FOR RONNIE SETSER

 

                                                            By NITISH S. RELE

                                                            editor@motoringtampabay.com

  

 

As a kid, he liked to take apart a model car, plane, anything mechanical. He doesn’t remember “not” doodling in art class at school. “God gave me a talent, I found it and used it,” says Tampa native Ronnie Setser, who likes to describe himself as a painter, an airbrush artist and pin stripper. He also runs a body shop and hosts car shows regularly. And oh yes, he loves to hula hoop.

 

When he was just 16 years of age, Setser took up a job at a paint and body shop. Three years later, he quit and began Ronnie Setser’s Customs at 732½ N. Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. Over the last 30 years, he figures he has averaged two cars daily for custom paint jobs. “The body work pays you because you fix the car and deliver,” he says. “But custom work is my passion. There isn’t money in it but you put your soul into it. You get recognition for it.”

 

And credit he has had plenty. He’s been featured in nearly every automotive magazine in the late 1980s and 1990s. He specifically mentions Tony Stewart’s Indy car he painted, as well as several television giveaway vehicles and promotion cars for radio stations such as Q105, 98 Rock, Power Pig, U92 and 95YNF. Now, he can afford to pick jobs. “I try to work when I want to, not because I have to,” he says.

 

Then there are the car shows he holds – “The Best of the Best” Car & Truck Show on the first Saturday of the month at Days Inn, 2522 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; Car & Truck Show the first Tuesday of the month at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 612 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; annual Labor Day Extravaganza; Bradenton Southern Nostalgic & Muscle Car Shootout coming up on Nov. 8; the Ribfest Car & Truck Show set for Nov. 14 at the Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg; and, of course, his presence Oct. 23-25 inside (for the first time) the Tampa Convention Center at the Tampa Bay International Auto Show. “Car shows have been a success because we build and show custom cars,” he reasons. “We delve into every aspect of the automobile – building it from ground up to racing and showing.”

 

Naturally, his extra hobby is radio-controlled cars on dirt and asphalt racetracks across from his Tampa custom shop. The races are held Fridays and Saturdays.

 

Looking into the future, Setser would like for his six children ranging from 6 to 29 years of age to take over the business. “The kids are interested. My wife Kim is my backbone, the power that makes me shine,” he says proudly. “We have lived, showed, worked together for the last 16 years.”

 

Setser owes it to his mother, grandmother and two grandfathers. “They allowed me to learn from my mistakes,” he says with sincerity. “And I would have nothing without the talent I was given by God. I still struggle financially but I do not want more than what I need.”

 

Ronnie Setser can be reached at (813) 879-1616, e-mail ssrods1@yahoo.com or visit www.ronniesetser.com

 

 

RUNNING GREAT AUTOMOTIVE KEEPS YOUR RIDE ‘RUNNING GREAT’!

 

                                                                        By NITISH S. RELE

                                                                        editor@motoringtampabay.com

 

For well over 11 years, Running Great Automotive has been serving the Tampa Bay area with ASE-certified technicians boasting 100 years of auto-repair experience and more.

Owner Glen Yudman has been in the automotive repair business for more than 25 years. Apart from its renowned custom exhaust service, the shop also handles wheel alignments for cars and trucks, transmissions, clutches, brakes, radiators, CV joints and struts, fuel injection/carbs, a/c, tires, mufflers/exhaust, 4X4s and RVs, etc.

And yes, Yudman proudly refurbish the beloved old or muscle cars to their glory days. “We'll help you restore the suspension, complete with control arm bushings, ball joints, trailing arm bushings, springs, shocks, and axle bearings,” he says. “We'll also restore the engine, transmission, cooling system and electrical systems.”

Running Great Automotive at 14513 Nebraska Ave. in Tampa is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call (813) 971-0642 or visit www.runninggreatautomotive.com