RJ CARS knows its niche, and how to work it.
Photos by Darren Ohara
Author’s note:
Way back in 2008, before
THE SHOP magazine merged an early predecessor with
Hot Rod & Restoration
magazine, Russell Jacobs, owner of RJ CARS Inc., was featured in an
HR&R article discussing his first 20 years in business. Now that he’s passed the 30-year mark, we thought we’d check back in to see how far the shop’s come and the lessons learned along the way.
Russell Jacobs first opened his own restoration shop when he turned 21, after spending five years at an auto body shop developing his skills and passion for the industry.
“I started working out of an old cow barn at my mother’s family farm, and since then the company just started to evolve,”
Jacobs says of RJ CARS.
Russell Jacobs opened his own restoration shop in New York when he turned 21, after spending five years at an auto body shop developing his skills and passion for the industry.
Being his own boss, Jacobs was able to build his business from a one-man show into the successful shop it is today. How? By focusing on delivering customer service to a clientele that appreciates restoration work done the right way—and is happy to pay for it.
Word soon spread about the shop’s skills and dedication to the craft. The company started to expand, and Jacobs needed to hire more staff to keep up with demand. Within a few years, he ultimately made the move to his own facility in Arkport, New York, in order to offer a better service to his customers.
The shop now operates with a team of six employees, which will soon grow to seven. Occupying 7,000 square feet—including two buildings with offices, seven bays, an auto body shop, a paint shop, an assembly shop and a barn for storage—it can keep multiple projects moving at each stage.
Primarily focused on auto restoration work, parts and component installation, and performance tuning, RJ CARS also offers services related to car shows such as detailing, chrome polishing, stainless steel trim repair and restoration done in-house and on location.
To fill in the gaps between projects, Jacobs also takes in auto repair, collision and auto body repair work. On the retail side, the shop sells and uses Wizards Products on its show cars and restorations.
DOWN TO BUSINESS
With so many shops out there doing high-quality restorations, how does Jacobs make his company stand out from the competition?
“Our clients come first in everything we do,” he explains.
That means every member of the team makes sure the client they’re working with gets exactly what they signed on for—and is treated with respect and complete professionalism throughout the entire restoration process.
“A typical job always starts with getting to know the client. The more I know them, the easier it is to work alongside them and deliver what they want,” Jacobs notes.
ALL SHAPES & SIZES
Every project at RJ CARS (rjcars.com) is unique, with its own demands and issues. And most of those projects come from baby boomers.
As Jacobs puts it, “their kids are gone, their house is paid for. They’re sitting there looking at their retirement account. That’s pretty boring. Looking at them you ask, ‘what are we going to do with those retirement funds? Let’s spend them and build a muscle car or classic.’”
It’s not unusual for customers to express interest in projects of the Concours-award caliber, but Jacobs finds they don’t often follow through once they get what they asked for.
“It’s funny because I build these cars and people say they want a Concours car like a Shelby, so I build it. And then the owner may never take it and show it anywhere!”
The team at RJ CARS has restored and worked on numerous top brands and classic muscle cars over the years, from a 1917 Locomobile, to a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, to a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. The most common builds are Mopars, with more than 50 complete restorations performed, Jacobs estimates.
Among them are three full-blown Superbird restoration projects, including a six-pack original, a 440 four-speed Dana original and another completely restored original. Related jobs have included Hemi builds, a special-order Petty Blue 1972 ’Cuda and a ’70 T/A Challenger dealer demonstrator owned by Jacobs himself.
LIFE AT THE SHOP
The key to a great shop is having a talented team. Finding and keeping that talent takes keen eyes and ears to understand what motivates them.
How does management at RJ CARS find new employees? By word of mouth, sometimes from colleges (a past employee is now a teacher himself), via social media and even through email campaigns.
Jacobs tries to keep his employees interested in their work by bringing in great projects.
“My guys are here because they want to work on cool cars,” he explains.
Sometimes, however, other jobs need to be taken on to pay the bills and fill gaps between projects.
As a small company, RJ CARS provides paid holidays and paid time off, bonuses and SIMPLE IRA accounts. The group also celebrates special occasions together. It’s the little things—and a great amount of respect—that matter the most, Jacobs believes.
Cash flow and parts availability can mean delays when dealing with high-end restorations. Keeping the team busy between those projects are more run-of-the-mill jobs including collision repair, detailing and engine tune-ups.
There’s never any doubt, however, of the highest-ranking priority placed on restorations.
“You know, a lot of body shops will do a restoration, but typically that restoration is going to sit in the corner and collect dust. It’s not at their forefront. My forefront is the restoration work. My background is doing collision work” Jacobs explains.
And every once in a while, a filler project takes an interesting turn—often involving the shop’s paint booth. Among the oddball requests the shop has tackled are restorations of pedal cars, gas pumps, antique and cast iron furniture, horse buggy parts, light posts and signposts. Other fun jobs included a remote-control jet and dragsters with candy finishes.
One of the most memorable paint projects was a rally car that had traveled around the world. Since the owner was from Aruba, Jacobs had one of his vendors come in and airbrush the Aruban flag on the hood.
ABOVE THE CROWD
Not only has RJ CARS established itself as a standout shop over the last 30 years, but it’s also expanded business by embracing the opportunities available in the online world.
Jacobs originally advertised in local and national magazines, including
Hemmings Motor News. The ads were supplemented with occasional social media posts sharing project photos and updates, helping clients to connect with parts or buyers, or offering parts for sale on a Garage Sale page.
Referral business from clients and their networks has always been significant, and over the years the shop has gained exposure by being featured on the covers of magazines such as
Mopar Muscle, Mopar Collector’s Guide and Muscle Car Review. Its vehicles have won numerous awards and accolades, and Jacobs has been invited to participate on expert panel discussions at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals, where a number of his projects have been featured alongside other top restorations.
RJ CARS’ partnership with Motorhead Digital began back in 2007, when Jacobs realized that he needed to up his game with a new website that matched the quality work the RJ CARS team produces.
Since that first site build, Motorhead Digital has created a mobile-ready website that helps the shop attract higher-dollar projects. The company also has a professional, consistent online digital footprint that’s helped build RJ CARS’ reputation and created an inclusive community for clients and employees.
A very special event that took place online in the early days of the pandemic was a marketing campaign to promote not the business, but a celebration of music and hope. Jacobs reached out to the team of country music singer Drake White to express his interest in sponsoring one of the livestreamed Wednesday Night Therapy shows White and his band were putting on.
With Motorhead Digital onboard, the plans were made, the website was updated, and a social media and email marketing campaign was designed to spread hope and cheer in the form of a musical event.
Focusing on attracting both local and national car enthusiasts through innovative online advertising, email campaigns and local SEO campaigns, the RJ CARS’ project pipeline has been continually filled.
“Thanks to our consistent online presence and the digital marketing that we’ve engaged in, our shop is now fully booked for 2021 and filling up fast for 2022,” Jacobs reports.
THE ROAD TRAVELED
When talking about the future, Jacobs expresses confidence the business will last for generations and his legacy will live on.
“I think it’ll live longer than I do! We’re still going strong after 30 years, and I’d like my son (Matthew) to take over to keep the business running.”
Jacobs never loses sight of what needs to be done next to help his business, including adopting the latest technology and marketing techniques.
From a family farm barn to a well-respected figure in the industry, he and his crew have grown the business through talent and determination over three decades.
“I’ve done way above and beyond what I ever dreamed of with this business, which is pretty cool,” he notes. “How many people get to do that in their lifetime?”
A 1970 Plymouth Barracuda 340 with a 4-speed transmission.
The Vermont car was built to the owner's specs with a six-pack that fits under the hood.
A 1972 Dodge Challenger Rallye 340, 4-speed complete restoration.
A 1972 Dodge Challenger Rallye 340, 4-speed complete restoration.
A 1933 Dodge street rod on a Viper Chassis. Highlights include a Hemi engine, pushbutton automatic transmission and A/C. The shop did the body, paint and some detailing.
This 1970 Plymouth Road Runner from Pennsylvania has a modified 383-ci engine and an automatic transmission.
Barry Alt and his team at Motorhead Digital offer DONE-FOR-YOU Location, Site, and Marketing Maximizer™ programs that will supercharge your site, your social media and your online presence so you attract better leads. You can reach us at (585) 766-9785,
balt@motorheaddigital.com or online at
MotorheadDigital.com.
