By NATALIE WINTERS

209 Living reporter

Some say Bill Preuss was born in the wrong generation due to his love for restoring old cars and bringing back the history they entail. He takes what was lost from an earlier generation, memories and all, and restores it for the enjoyment of generations to come.

Preuss does all of this and more at his shop in Turlock, Fins Customs & Classics. He restores classic cars, builds them from the ground up and takes care of whatever the customer needs to be done on their hot rod.

“I love working on old cars, but we get some new ones, too,” he said. “It’s something different every day, and there’s something special about renewing a car that was falling apart.”

The cost of restoration for the cars varies depending on what the customer needs done.

“Sometimes they’ll just need the body paint done, other times the customer will drop off their car and we’ll just take care of everything,” Preuss said.

A graduate of Wyoming Tech, Preuss is an expert for his passion of restoring cars and had worked for other shops for about 10 years before opening Fins Customs & Classics.

“It was always a dream of mine to open up my own shop,” he said. “I get to do what I love every day.”

Preuss said that the difference between a franchise business and one like his is not only the attention to detail but also the relationships formed throughout the community.

“We keep track of our quality better and form relationships with customers,” he said. “Most of them stop in from time to time—even after their car is done.”

Preuss says it’s not uncommon for the customers to come back with another car to restore because “it easily turns into a hobby for some.”

Preuss restores much more than metal and chrome, from WWII Willey’s Jeeps to Grandpa's battered peach truck--and his customers are happy with the work he does.

To see more work from Preuss and his staff, visit FinsCustom.com, or call for more information at 634-1600.