"My hobby turned into a storage problem, then a business," Altschuler admitted.  "I bought these cars and then asked myself: 'What was I going to do with them?'"

The couple purchased two buildings that formerly housed racecars at 7111 Julian St. and shortly thereafter began performing more restorations and custom builds under the guidance of "Big John" Giannandrea, a custom car builder from Long Beach, Calif., who serves as the business' general manager.

You won't see any trailer queens in Colorado Classic's showroom, since the shop focuses on highway-worthy customs and classics, Altschuler said.

"We want to get guys out there driving them," Altschuler said.  "Most cars don't have great documentation.  You need a really rare car to make a complete restoration worthwhile.  If you don't take a car back to stock specs, you've customized it."

The credo of the crew at Colorado Custom is to build cars that are affordable and drivable, Altschuler said.  That is evident in a showroom that houses everything from a two-cylinder French-made Citroen to a custom Chevy Bel Air with blacked-out chrome. Giannandrea said the first thing they focus on with a new build is safety items, which include tie rods, ball joints, shocks, brakes, and tires.  Paying attention to those parts gets the car drivable, he added.  The parts are purchased through a variety of traditional distributors and specialty warehouses, he said.

"We have a great relationship with CARQUEST and AutoZone," Altschuler said, adding that he purchases basic things from them such as oil and maintenance parts.  He said he mainly does business with them to support and strengthen the local economy.

The type of build dictates which specialty parts supplier is chosen, Giannandrea said, adding that they do a lot of business with Denver-based Streamline Inc., Original Parts Group (OPG) of Huntington Beach, Calif., Classic Industries also of Huntington Beach, and Danchuck Manufacturing Inc. in Santa Ana, Calif.

As for the bodywork, Altschuler said they media-blast the bodies down to bare metal to get rid of any Bondo and really find out what they're working with.  Nearby Speedway Auto Paint, who also supplies the shop with Matrix automotive finishes, performs the blasting to rid the car of paint and rust.  Painter Robert Weaver sprays Matrix in the shop's newly installed paint booth, he added.

The cost for most rebuilding projects will start around $30,000 if you're doing it right, Giannandrea said, adding that typically, the job won't exceed $45,000.

Since Colorado Classic doesn't perform restorations or custom builds for individuals, the choice of vehicles and direction of the builds falls on the shoulders of Giannandrea, who said he doesn't worry too much about vehicle salability, rather that he builds cars that satisfy his changing tastes.

"I look at cars a little differently than others," Giannandrea said, illustrating his point with his build plan for a rare 1987 Callaway Corvette.  Because he doesn't like the body style, he said he's going to take it off and replace it with a '63 split-window Corvette body.

"When you build a custom car, the goal is to build something that nobody has," Giannandrea said.  "We do a lot of different things because we think outside the box."

"John is big on aesthetics," Altschuler said.  "Kids want nice wheels and stereo systems."

In addition to performing custom builds and restorations, Perre said she's currently working on an "Eco Classic" build, which involves customizing a '65 Ford Mustang convertible to achieve 30 MPG.

"My vision is to do things that have the least amount of impact on the environment," Perre said, adding that she is considering outfitting the vehicle with a smaller engine.  The interior of the "green" Mustang will be done with environmentally friendly materials, such as soy and hemp, she said.

"I figure this car will appeal to baby boomers," she said, adding that she plans on repeating the affordable build.  "There's an environmental consciousness with this group."

"It all works, but the hard part is that you have to find a buyer," he said.  "There's a butt for every seat; you have to find them, but they're out there.

"The hard part about this business is that you have to be known," Altschuler said, adding that he's been working on building a solid reputation and credibility, which means selling cars in the condition that he claims they are.

The word about the shop is apparently getting out since Cali Dimes Entertainment out of Los Angeles has chosen to use five of Giannandrea's custom builds in an upcoming movie it's working on.  Those vehicles include a '57 Chevy, '70 Chevelle, '50 Mercury, '55 Cadillac, and '63 Impala, he said.

Altschuler said he frequently purchases and sells cars on eBay Motors but does so with caution, assuming that most sellers are hiding something or being untruthful in their description.  "Once you take a car down to the frame, the real problems show up."

For example, he said he purchased a Chevelle that was described as an original car, but was actually two welded together, with one of the doors rotted, which couldn't be detected under the paint.

Unlike some classic restoration shops and dealers who specialize in high-end vehicles, Altschuler said his dealership is welcoming to the public.

"We let people come in check out the cars and sit in them," Giannandrea added.