San Francisco Bay Area mechanic

[Lhoppercad]

Hi, I'm new to the club and forum, should have joined before, but... well, no excuses.  My '55 is a daily driver that I have worked on myself for years, plus I had a good mechanic for the more complicated stuff, but we have both reached into our 70's, and he quit, and my back quit.  So for about a year now, been looking for a reliable mechanic in the East Bay, Oakland area, to help with basic stuff.  Like right now, need to change oil and a replace a leaky valve cover gasket.  Any help out there? Copula pics attached.  Thanks!!

[dinhnguyen57]

What city are living in? 

[Lhoppercad]

Berkeley

[dinhnguyen57]

I live in Dublin.  I used to take my car to Greg Allen, from Allen's Automotive, from Campbell.  He specializes in Cadillacs, but he has retired.  He still does some work through another shop.  If you are interested, PM me and I can give you his information. 


I was going to give this place a try:

Early Years and Exotics, in Livermore.  He came recommended, although I have not worked with him yet.

http://www.earlyyearsandexotics.com/

[Lhoppercad]

'Hi, Yes, I would like info on Greg Allen.  I'm sorry, but I don;t know how to PM you.  My email is hopperarch@yahoo.com.  Thanks, Logan

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

Logan,
I know Greg Allen very well. He is REALLY trying to retire. I would suggest you try the shop that Dinh suggested.
Bob

[Lhoppercad]

Yes, would love to have him look at my '55.  Just don't know what shop it is.

[dinhnguyen57]

I texted Greg but haven't gotten a reply.

-Dinh

[David Greenburg]

If you can’t find someone satisfactory that is closer, there is a great guy in Novato who works only on pre-‘79 domestic cars and has tons of Cadillac experience.

[Lhoppercad]

I would love to get his name and contact info.  It's not in my area, but that's why we make sure we have AAA road service that covers tows, right?  Thanks!

[David Greenburg]

PM sent

[Lhoppercad]

Got it!  Thanks, David

[tuukkahess]

If you can’t find someone satisfactory that is closer, there is a great guy in Novato who works only on pre-‘79 domestic cars and has tons of Cadillac experience.

I live in Castro Valley, and am looking for a mechanic for a 1940 LaSalle.  Would love any suggestions, even as far away as Novato.

[Lhoppercad]

I called the guy in Novato that was recommended, but it didn't pan out for me.  Nothing bad to say about him, but (1) the estimate quoted was way too pricey for my blood for what I though (and turned out to be) was a pretty simple task, and (2) I like to talk to the mechanic about working on an old car, not a receptionist.  I ended up going to just a local mechanic in Berkeley who doesn't specialize in old cars, but did a fantastic job for a very reasonable price.  He showed me pictures of a 50 Buick he rebuilt, and I think he is very savvy.  But a 40 LaSalle would likely be a challenge for him.  If you PM me (not sure how you do that from this site, hopefully you know), I'll give you his name.  BTW, the advice given on this site was extremely valuable; I even copied some of the advice and diagrams for the mechanic to use. although I think he would have figured it out.  Another BTW, the oil filter canister was exactly the way it was described and the tophat and spring were there, just like it was original.  Thanks again to all.

[David Greenburg]

PM sent.  FYI, there’s a tab at the top of the page, where it shows Forum Home etc., for “My Messages” where you can send/read messages.  Biggest drawback is that you can’t attach pictures.