A father-daughter project turns a passion for cars into a family tradition.Andrew Johnson

Bill Miller has made a career out of restoring old vehicles—a passion that started at age seven when he built his own spray booth in his bedroom to put custom paint jobs on his model cars.

Since then, Miller has restored and sold more than 50 cars. And he’s done far more than that since opening Livermore Collision Center Inc. in 1993. The 6,000-square-foot shop in Livermore, Calif., does 75 percent collision repair and 25 percent restoration work.

Miller’s most valuable project was one he completed with his daughter, Rachel. She’d fallen in love with cars at age 16, after watching Disney’s 2006 movie, “Cars.”

“She was hooked,” Miller says, noting that he was delighted when his daughter expressed interest in his lifelong hobby. Miller jumped at the opportunity to introduce her to vehicle restoration. He searched for a project the pair could share, scouring the Internet until he came across the perfect job: a 1963 Fiat for just $1,500.

The father-daughter duo worked together on the tiny Fiat for a year. And now, the medium yellow-colored coupe with suicide doors is quite the attraction in Livermore Collision Center’s parking lot.

The Restoration

Miller says the Fiat was in decent shape when he picked it up, but there was still enough work to be done to give his daughter a sense of the entire restoration process. The car had been driven for only eight years—from 1963 to 1971. With just 46,000 miles on it, the car sat untouched for 36 years until Miller bought it in 2007.

The Fiat needed both mechanical and body work. It was filled with rust, dents and a ripped up interior. Mechanically, the suspension needed work, and the transmission and engine had to be replaced.

Miller put out $7,500 to fully restore the Fiat. The investment, he says, was well worth everything the process taught his daughter about cars. She learned how to strip a car to bare metal, repair rust and dents, replace chrome, repolish aluminum, fix the suspension and replace the transmission. She learned how to install new parts: a water pump, carburetor and hoses.

The big challenge was in finding an engine to drop in the car. Ironically, a replacement engine sat just next door—in their neighbor’s backyard. Miller’s neighbor just happened to have a similar Fiat sitting under cover.

The neighbor’s Fiat was in rough shape, Miller says. He thought about restoring that one, too, but the body was too rusted out to safely repair. There were, however, parts that could be salvaged from the car, Miller says, most notably a well-running 650 cc, 35 horsepower engine.

Finally, the Millers added a few aesthetics to the car. They installed a modern gray cloth interior and added 12-inch rims to the tiny wheels. Miller’s daughter wanted the Fiat to have a race car feel, so they installed a roll bar and racing seat belts inside as novelties.

Miller also taught his daughter that every restored classic should be given a name. She got into the spirit of it, dubbing the restored two-door, four-seater “Luigi” in honor of her favorite “Cars” character. “It was great for her to see the restoration process from beginning to end,” Miller says.

The Talk of the Town

The Fiat has become something of an icon in Livermore, and a staple in Livermore’s downtown parades.

Rachel doesn’t drive it much—the car has only 4,000 more miles on it than it did when they picked it up—but Miller says it does get recognized every time she takes it out for a spin.

And the car is an eye-catcher even when it’s just sitting in Livermore Collision Center’s parking lot. Miller says his shop has become known as “the shop with the little yellow car in the parking lot.”

“People stop to take pictures of the car,” Miller says. “We even had some people from Italy ask to buy the car so they could export it back home.”

In fact, Miller’s obvious talent for restoration earns him a second income selling his works for profit. But the Fiat is one job that’s not for sale.
The sentimental value of the time spent with his daughter, he says, is priceless.

This article appears in the September 2010 issue of FenderBender

So, why did Barney sit idle for so long? After surviving several fender-benders and other minor accidents, the little bug was put out of commission when it was side-swiped by a red light runner on a cold night in January 1988. “The insurance company only paid $750 for salvage and I knew it was going to take a lot more money to restore old Barney,” says Mueller. So he put the car in the garage and waited for the right opportunity, which finally came in 2006 after selling his house. Finding himself with some extra cash on hand, Mueller decided it was time to bring his beloved Barney back to life. He was referred to Bill Miller at Livermore Collision Center who agreed to undertake Barney’s transformation.

Mueller found Bill and Robin Miller easy to work with and was very impressed with their professionalism and high-level of customer service. “I think the character and integrity of the ownership of the shop combined with quality of the work is very important when looking for a car restoration service,” says Mueller. “Bill and Robin Miller are well knowledgeable and consistently kept me apprised of everything they were doing, as well as what I needed to do, including when it was time to get insurance or buy new plates.”
The Millers said they enjoy spending the time and effort restoring vintage cars because they take pleasure in bringing back fond memories to the original owners. “Restoring and customizing vehicles is a personal journey for both the owners and us,” says Robin. “With the production of newer vehicles such as hybrids, vintage cars today are a form of art that give us pleasant reminders of the past.”

Owners are attached to their vehicles in so many ways – be it their first car, a car the family took on vacation, or a friend’s car from high school or college. Even so, it’s rare for someone like Gerry Mueller to still own his car after 44 years and have it in like-new condition. As for Mueller, he’s simply looking forward to cruising California’s beautiful and historic highways once again with Barney the Bug.

About Livermore Collision Center:
Livermore Collision Center (LCC) is one of the last few remaining collision repair shops that do complete restoration projects, including repainting and custom work. The owners’ motto, “We Really do Meet the Nicest People by Accident!” is reflected in the way they approach every restoration project. LCC takes great pride in bringing dream cars to a reality and strives to bring value to the customer. For more information, go to www.livermorecollisioncenter.com or call 925-443-2848.
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Contact: Livermore Collision Center
Name: Bill and Robin Miller
Title: Owners
Phone: 925-443-2848
Email: livermorecollisioncenter@comcast.net
Website: www.livermorecollisioncenter.com

Livermore Collision Center’s state-of-the- art and environmentally green auto body shop has been family owned and operated since 1993. Owner Bill Miller began his career restoring classic show cars and gradually expanded his services to include quality auto and truck collision repairs.

Collisions are accidental; quality repairs are not. Livermore Collision Center’s skilled technicians restore your vehicle to pre-accident condition using the industry’s most advanced technology. Their innovative equipment includes a Snap-on Shark computerized uni-body and frame measuring system, a Chief EZ Liner frame straightener, a computerized color-matching PPG Waterborne paint system and infrared paint baking equipment. Services also include free computerized estimates, shuttle service and towing and rental car assistance.

All technicians are I-CAR Gold Class and ASE Certified, skilled in both automotive and customer service. They participate in continuing education to stay at the top of their game. All work is guaranteed and materials are backed by the manufacturers’ warranties. Visit Livermore Collision Center’s convenient downtown location and ask about their paint-less dent repair, and auto glass replacement.