Autobody News: Master Painter Says Prospray Makes His Life Easier

CARLSBAD, Calif., September 19, 2017 (Newswire.com) - If you're at all familiar with the best automotive painters, fabricators and builders in the world right now, you've probably heard of John Wargo, the owner of The Custom Shop in Flanagan, Illinois.

With 50 award-winning custom vehicles presented at SEMA shows and numerous national magazines featuring his work, Wargo paints each and every car with Prospray Automotive Finishes, a paint he claims changed his professional life 12 years ago.

Prospray has simplified the process; the support is great and we can do so much cool stuff with it that I can't say enough good things about this product.

John Wargo, Owner, The Custom Shop

With a dream and the drive to achieve it, Wargo opened The Custom Shop nearly three decades ago. After graduating from high school, he began working the graveyard shift at a local printing company. After squirreling some money away, he took a chance when he negotiated a loan and purchased an old dilapidated Dodge dealership. With his parent's help, they cleaned up the old building, repainted it and opened it as The Custom Shop in 1988.

To get his business off the ground, Wargo worked during the day at his shop and at night for another shop for his first eight years. Once he started turning a modest profit, he quit his night job and concentrated all of his skills and imagination on creating amazing vehicles for a wide range of customers worldwide. It's a great success story and one that is not even close to being finished.

Business has been so good lately that Wargo is building an additional 9,000 sq. ft. facility to do more of his work in-house, he said. ”It's got a full drive-in basement, so it's ideal for us. Space is a little tight right now in our original shop, so this is going to allow us to do all of our woodworking, audio and upholstery right here.”

Wargo switched over to Prospray Automotive Finishes 12 years ago and he’s happy he did. “I saw a car at a show painted with Prospray in 2005 and that definitely got my attention. I am always looking for the next best thing to create a great product for my customers. I continually ask myself how can I make my work look better. With multiple projects in different stages, I want a product that makes my life easier and that's what Prospray does for us.”

Wargo wants a superior paint, but he also appreciates value as well. “Prospray gives us our best bang for the buck, and that’s why we changed over and didn't look back. With all the primers, sealers, hardeners and reducers that we use, it can add up, but with Prospray I am getting a real value for every sprayable pint, because we use less product overall and the coverage is amazing.”

Wargo was initially impressed by the product’s atomization and his ability to fix work later without additional drama, he said. “If everything works the way it should, the solvent evaporates in the air, so it doesn’t get trapped in the paint job, so that we don't get die-back. With the Prospray, it’s no big deal to go back and make a repair to the paint job later if needed, because it’s simple to match up and easy to blend into, which is a huge plus.”

As a painter who gets energized about new, exciting colors, Wargo was immediately attracted by Prospray’s extensive color library. “Prospray is excellent and ideal for what we’re doing here. When I saw their complete color and the finished product, I was sold.”

There is a lot of money on the line with every project Wargo starts, so he needs a product like Prospray that he can rely on with full confidence. “Our customers pay from $100,000 to $300,000 on these full restorations and approximately $10,000-$15,000 for just the paint,” Wargo said. “Big jobs can take as long as 18 months and a full paint job can take six weeks. So we have to make certain that our paint will make these people very happy, but first, it has to make me happy, because I am the one painting these vehicles.”

At The Custom Shop, the possibilities are endless with Prospray, a Valspar Automotive brand, and that’s why Wargo isn’t looking for the next best thing anymore.

“ Prospray makes my life so much easier, plus it is saving us time and money, so why would I switch?” Wargo asked. “ Everything here is all about time and materials, so we need a paint that will perform without issues. With this product, we never have any headaches, which helps us in a big way. Prospray has simplified the process; the support is great and we can do so much cool stuff with it that I can't say enough good things about this product.”

The Custom Shop
Flanagan, IL
(815) 796-2722
​thecustomshop.co

Company At A Glance...
Type: Automotive Restoration
Facility Employees: Eight
In Business Since: 1964
Number of Locations: One
DRP Programs: Two
Combined Production Space: 22,000 square feet
 

Prospray Automotive Finishes, A Valspar Automotive Brand
Massillon, OH 
(800) 321-0672
www.ProsprayFinishes.com

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Source: Autobody News