About Us - Void Relic Chronos Auto Services | Classic Car Restoration Toronto

Where It All Started

Look, I'm not gonna feed you some polished corporate origin story. This whole thing started in a cramped garage back in 2011 with way more enthusiasm than sense. I'd just picked up a '67 Mustang that looked like it'd been sitting in a barn since the Carter administration - and honestly, it probably had.

Spent about two years on weekends and late nights bringing that beast back from the dead. When it finally roared to life, something clicked. Friends started asking if I could look at their projects, then friends of friends, and before I knew it, I'd quit my desk job and rented this space on Industrial Blvd.

Fast forward to today and we've restored over 200 classics. Still can't quite believe it sometimes.

The Journey Through Time

2011

The Garage Days

Started in a single-car garage with barely enough room to swing a wrench. First project was that beat-up Mustang I mentioned - learned more from that car than any manual could've taught me. Made plenty of mistakes, but that's how you figure things out.

2014

Going Legit

Finally took the plunge and opened the proper shop. 3,000 square feet felt like a mansion compared to that garage. Brought on Marcus as our first full-timer - guy's a wizard with paint and bodywork. Started specializing in American muscle but quickly realized we loved anything with history.

2018

Expanding the Dream

Doubled our space and the team grew to six full-time craftsmen. Started getting calls from all over Ontario - even had a guy ship us a Triumph from Vancouver. Won our first restoration award at the Toronto Classic Car Show. That was a pretty surreal moment, not gonna lie.

2022

Building Connections

Established solid relationships with parts suppliers across North America and even a few contacts overseas. When you're hunting down original components for a '58 Porsche, you need friends in strange places. Also started our apprenticeship program - gotta pass this knowledge along somehow.

2025

Still Rolling

Today we're working on everything from pre-war roadsters to '80s imports. Team's grown to ten people who actually give a damn about doing things right. We've got the tools, the skills, and the patience to handle pretty much anything that rolls through our doors. And yeah, we're still learning with every single project.

Before & After: The Real Deal

BEFORE

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AFTER

BEFORE

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AFTER

BEFORE

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AFTER

The People Behind the Wrenches

Dean Kowalski

Founder & Lead Restorer

The guy who started this whole thing. Still gets grease under his nails daily and wouldn't have it any other way. Specializes in engine rebuilds and tracking down impossible parts. Coffee addict, terrible at paperwork, pretty decent at bringing dead cars back to life.

Marcus Chen

Master Body & Paint

Been with us since 2014 and honestly, I've never seen anyone better with a spray gun. Can color-match paint from the '50s like it's nothing. Perfectionist to a fault - which drives deadlines crazy but the results speak for themselves. Also makes killer dim sum on shop lunch days.

Sarah Martinez

Electrical Systems Expert

Joined us in 2019 after getting fed up with dealership work. Absolute wizard when it comes to vintage wiring and electrical gremlins that nobody else can figure out. Has saved more than a few projects from the scrap heap. Plays '70s rock way too loud but we let it slide.

James "Big Jim" Patterson

Transmission & Drivetrain

Former truck mechanic who knows transmissions inside and out - manual, automatic, doesn't matter. Can rebuild a Muncie 4-speed blindfolded. Quietest guy in the shop until you get him talking about hockey, then good luck shutting him up. Solid dude to have on your team.

Tommy Russo

Custom Fabrication

Our youngest team member but don't let that fool you. Kid's got skills with a welder that take most people decades to develop. Can fabricate anything from exhaust systems to body panels. Started as an apprentice three years back, now he's teaching us new tricks.

Robert "Doc" Henderson

Vintage Parts Sourcing

Retired high school history teacher who's basically a walking encyclopedia of vintage auto parts. Knows every swap meet, every supplier, every forum where rare stuff shows up. Also great at keeping the rest of us from making historically inaccurate restoration choices.

What We're Really About

Here's the thing - anyone can slap some paint on a car and call it restored. We're not about that. Every vehicle that comes through here gets treated like it deserves respect because these machines have stories worth preserving.

We don't cut corners. We don't rush jobs to hit arbitrary deadlines. If something's not right, we do it again until it is. Yeah, that probably makes us slower than some shops, but our customers keep coming back and sending their friends our way, so we must be doing something right.

Whether it's a numbers-matching muscle car or someone's grandfather's old pickup, we approach each restoration with the same attention to detail. Because at the end of the day, these aren't just cars - they're pieces of automotive history that deserve to stick around for another generation or two.

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