Sussex County Customs takes care of auto bodies

When car owners find good automotive service shops, they usually stick with them. Sussex County Customs plans to develop a loyal customer base by quickly repairing dings, dents and major auto-body damage.

Shop owner Garry Tilton worked in the construction industry since 1996, but he said the slow economy forced him to change careers.

“The construction industry got so bad around here that I just needed to do something. I went back to school and retrained myself,” he said.

Tilton completed a nine-month training program at Wyoming Technical Institute in Blairsville, Pa.

During his training, he earned more than a dozen awards including ones from the National Honor Society and I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to collision-repair training. “Basically, I won every award you could win while I was there. I was Most Outstanding Student, which is the highest award I could get. I made the most of it,” said Tilton who also made deans list.

The shop has a semi-downdraft paint booth where Tilton bakes paints and clear coats onto a vehicle’s surface. It is also equipped with a state-of-the-art air compressor, which Tilton uses to power tools.

The shop is “green,” using paints and chemicals that are significantly less harmful to the environment than older paints. Exhaust from the paint booth goes through filters that trap the smallest of particles.

“I’m using a waterborne paint system. It’s going to be mandatory in January 2012, but I’m starting with it now,” Tilton said.

He said the paint contains a low level of solvents and is thinned and cleaned up using water.

“It’s not tap water, but it is a water-based product,” he said.

Tilton said restoring and working on cars was once a hobby and is now his business. “I’ve done it all my life,” he said.

He said he expects collision damage repair will be most of his business, but he’s looking forward to doing restorations.

“At a lot of shops, the vehicles will come in and set. They work on them when they can. I’m going to focus on producing a good product in a timely fashion so vehicles are not setting,” he said.

But he said it’s not a problem if a customer wants to restore a vehicle and have him work on the job piece by piece.

The cost for all collision damage repairs will be based on insurance company allowances. He said the shop would use the Mitchell Estimating System to determine how much repairs cost.

“The system is widely used throughout the collision industry, so it’s standardized,” Tilton said.

Restoration job costs will be charged by the hour, but he said the rate hasn’t been determined yet.

“I’m not looking to charge $80 to $100 an hour for restoration work because I want people like me who have old cars to be able to afford to get them done and drive them,” he said.

He said he the shop would handle aftermarket products such as low-rider lowering and lift kits, hoods, spoilers, ground effects and other specialized accessories.

“Customers can come in, tell me what they want done to their car and we’ll make it happen,” Tilton said.

He said John Minka, owner of Bewitched Tattoos in Rehoboth Beach, would come in as needed to paint custom artwork on vehicles.

“He’s an excellent airbrush artist and pinstriper. He’s really excited about coming in and doing that,” Tilton said.

As for his own car, Tilton sold his 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible to buy a limited-edition 2003 Mustang Cobra. “I wanted something a little newer and a little faster,” he said.

Cheryl Tilton, Garry’s wife, is handling the company’s administration. “Once Garry gets going, I’ll be able to get my vehicle for him to restore,” she said. She’s looking for a ’57 Chevy Bel Air.

The shop is at 17507 Nassau Commons Blvd., Lewes. There will be an open house at the shop from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 18.

The entrance is on the service road behind the complex.

For additional information, call 302-827-2786.