My friend Donny @ FRSport recommended me to this body shop since he had his sileighty done here, as well as the rest of his family’s cars. They did an excellent job on Donny’s car, so I knew they’d take good care of me as well.

Original estimate was 1.5-2 weeks. Of course, from the get go, I knew there would be no way they could get my car & all the special requests I had done in that amount of time (lots of special requests – the entire car was basically being restored, body wise). Max & Jesse over at Rite Way body shop took care of me during this time. They were extremely patient and helpful. They even picked out a really nice orange for me – I had given them a picture of the approximate orange I wanted, and they got really close.

I felt bad for dropping in and “checking up” on the car every few days. I felt almost like I was harassing them (I really just wanted to snap progress pictures for my blog & review), but both Jesse & Max were nice and understanding. I even interrupted them during a lunch period one time, since that was the only time I was available that week to check on the S13. Jesse took time off his lunch to walk me through what they’ve done with the car so far and where everything was currently standing.

There were a couple small bumps along the way, as I posted earlier, due to some miscommunication on my part and not clarifying more – i.e. hood was painted black & stock bumpers were not fully prepped. However, a quick 5 minute conversation, and we were back on track.

I came in today to check on her progress; the 1 month wait was TOTALLY worth it. My baby is looking GORGEOUSSSSSS.

The old saying “good things come to those who wait” comes to mind when I first saw Candy with her final coat of paint. They painted areas I didn’t think shops would paint for the amount I paid: under the hood, under the trunk lid, the inside of the doors (which are not visible once the door panels are reinstalled).

The bodywork guys at Rite Way also did a spectacular job prepping the car and fixing the dents. The passenger rear quarter panel & doors look great now. The rear bumper was warped from old age/neglect of the previous owner(s). I had inquired about fixing this at other local body shops, and they all told me I’d be better off changing out the bumper rather than repairing it. The guys at Rite Way fixed it without complaint.

I’ve only dealt with a handful of body shops around So Cal, but Rite Way ranks number one in my mind in terms of quality, customer service, and reasonable cost. I already have a few more pieces lined up to get painted at Rite Way, hee hee.

Good thing I rolled by because there was a bit of miscommunication between us when I was going over the parts I want painted. I had given Jesse a sheet with a picture of a 240sx hatchback, which was orange w/ a black hood. They had thought I wanted my hood black, so painted it that color. OH NOES!

Also, they didn’t prep the bumpers as much since they figured I was going to use the aftermarket body kit I brought in for paint as well. I had to explain that I was going to be using both (stock bumpers being backups or vice versa).

However, Jesse & Max were both extremely understanding and patient; they will be making sure the hood gets redone & the bumpers reprepped. I feel kind of bad since they did a really nice job on the hood – looks very smooth and nicely done.

They also found the PERFECT orange for Candy. Hopefully it will turn out as good as the swatch sample. Estimated finish time is late next week. It is taking a week or two longer than expected, but it is understandable since there were a couple mix-ups and they are waiting on the paint supplier to bring in the new orange.