About PoppedHood
A directory built by a classic car owner, for classic car owners.
Why we built this
Finding a mechanic for a modern car is easy. Finding one who actually understands a classic — the carburetor, the drum brakes, the 70-year-old wiring harness, the irreplaceable trim — is something else entirely.
PoppedHood was built by Corbin Clawson, a lifelong classic car enthusiast. His introduction to the hobby started young, helping his older brother work on a 914 Porsche. Over the years he's owned a 1948 Plymouth Deluxe, a 1953 Buick Special, a vintage BMW, classic Vespa scooters, and others. He enjoys wrenching himself, but there are jobs that need a specialist — and finding the right one has never been easy.
The wrong shop can do real damage: stripped threads on irreplaceable hardware, incorrect fluids, sourced-wrong parts, or simply a technician who doesn't know what they don't know about your car. PoppedHood exists to make finding the right specialist faster and less of a gamble.
What we list
PoppedHood covers five categories of classic car service providers across the United States.
- Repair Shops
General classic car service, mechanical work, and maintenance.
- Machine Shops
Cylinder boring, honing, crankshaft grinding, and engine rebuilds.
- Restoration Shops
Frame-off restorations, bodywork, custom paint, and hot rod builds.
- Detailers
Paint correction, ceramic coating, show prep, and interior care.
- Appraisers
Insurance, pre-purchase, and estate valuations.
Classic car is defined as any vehicle 25 or more years old that is collector-owned or restoration-oriented — muscle cars, hot rods, European classics, vintage trucks, custom builds. Motorcycles are not included.
Our approach
Listings are free. We don't rank providers by who pays more, and we don't hide legitimate businesses behind a paywall. Every shop, machine shop, or specialist we can find gets a listing, regardless of whether they know about us.
PoppedHood is funded through display advertising — standard, non-deceptive ads that keep the lights on without compromising the directory's integrity. Our goal is to be the most useful, most trusted place on the internet to find a classic car specialist near you.
Is your shop in here?
If your business works on classic cars, you should be listed. You can claim an existing listing or submit a new one — it's free, and it takes a few minutes.