About Us
Since October 1992
From an 1,140 square foot double garage to a full restoration shop.
Finn's Auto FX was started in October 1992 out of an 1,140 square foot double garage and car port. Out of this small shop we restored former Top Fuel driver Cristen Powell's 1967 Camaro, which appeared in the July 1998 issue of Chevy High Performance.
Within a few years we were growing quickly and expanded the building by another 5,100 square feet. In 2001, our workload and reputation grew to the point where we had to find a commercial building, and we established the business in a facility of nearly 12,000 square feet in downtown Molalla, incorporating everyday collision repair work into the restoration business.
The shop is in Salem now, on Claxter Road, with more room and more capability than the place it moved out of. That has been the pattern from the start: outgrow the building, find a bigger one, take on the work the bigger one makes possible.
Denny
In his early years, Denny worked in collision shops developing his skills as a journeyman, and spent his evenings and weekends restoring classics. He had the opportunity to work on several great cars (a 1955 Gullwing Mercedes, a 1971 Ferrari Daytona, a 1974 Ferrari Dino), and that drove his passion for restoring classic vehicles even further.
Today Finn's is back to its roots and its passion, which is restoring classic cars. Collision work still comes through the door and we are glad of it, but the cars that keep the lights on late are the ones on the rotisserie.
The work that got noticed
Building friendships in the automotive world has given us the chance to get to know several top executives in the industry. We were featured in the October 2007 issue of Hot Rod Magazine for our work on a 1971 Challenger, and we've won many awards at the Portland Roadster Show and the Rod & Custom Show, including a sweepstakes award for a 1967 Corvette concours-quality car.