Story posted Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Niles OK Makes Way For Hot Rod Shop
Windy City Rods and Restoration is hoping to move into Niles by the end of February or early March, according to one of the company's owners.
The Niles Board of Trustees approved the business during their meeting Tuesday, Jan. 26.
That opened the door for Windy City to move out of Chicago's Northwest side, where it has been since 1904 when it operated as a horse and buggy repair shop.
However, the move to 6143 W. Howard St. is still being finalized and part owner Rich Dulido said it might happen later than March.
The new location will allow Windy City to work on more vehicles each year. Dulido said they currently restore about eight cars annually, but will be able to restore between 20 and 25 cars at the 35,000 sq. ft. facility.
Dulido said Windy City was in talks with several other restoration businesses that specialize in components such as engines and exhaust to bring them into the same location. He called the concept a "hot rod mall" where separate businesses would all be located under the same roof.
Part of that hot rod mall will be a free museum area to showcase restored vehicles. Dulido said between one and 50 cars might be showcased at a time.
Windy City is also planning cruise nights were car owners can park their car at the facility and talk about hot rods.
He said the idea is to cater to all of a restored car owner's needs.
"People who have these cars, who love these cars, will have these cars forever," Dulido said. "It's better to fix them than crush them. We're actually green if you think about it that way."
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