Built on a Lifelong Passion
Family owned. American made. Restoration driven.
Restoration Specialties was founded by Dave Mihalko, who had a lifelong passion for cars. At 13, he bought is first car, a 1929 Model A sport coupe – a car he never sold. He continued to work on cars as a teenager and young adult, and married his high school sweetheart, MaryAlice, in 1961.
In the summer of 1979 Dave seized an opportunity to buy an established antique auto supply business – and the Mihalko family, which by this time included teenage boys Jeff and Dave Jr., began going to 26 to 30 car shows a year, learning the business from the ground up.
In the beginning, clips, fasteners, window channels, belt strips, and door weatherstrips were the majority of the business, but Dave began to expand into manufacturing.
In 1986, the business moved into a 12,000 square foot warehouse that provided room to grow. Restoration Specialties acquired several small businesses and manufacturers as it continued to diversify its offerings and capabilities.
Mail orders and internet orders became an increasingly large part of the business, even as Dave expanded his personal collection. He was always ready to help others with their car projects or to find that special part, and loved to talk about his business, hobbies, and grandchildren.
Dave Mihalko never retired from his passion. Many of his family members
worked for Restoration Specialties somewhere along the line.
Dave Sr. passed away in his sleep on April 10, 2016, after a full weekend
at the Charlotte Auto Fair, where he and MaryAlice had driven his
meticulously restored 1973 Eagle motor coach.
Today, Jeff Mihalko carries on his dad’s legacy at Restoration Specialties,
making sure to have something for everyone and to treat everyone fairly.
As Dave’s granddaughter, Sarah, said at his memorial service, the
Mihalkos will always have a guardian angel watching –
he’ll be the one with grease on his wings.
“He’ll be the one
with grease
on his wings.”
— Sarah Mihalko
50 +
Years of Manufacturing Excellence
Thousands
of parts manufactured in-house
We Ship
to all 50
states and
20+ countries
still
a family owned and operated business
Meet Our Team
Get to know the people who keep Restoration Specialties running and share Dave’s passion for classic cars.
Same Passion. New Generations.
Request Our free print catalog
Over 300 pages of parts, applications, disgrams and technical information. Printed, not just another PDF.
Need help finding a hard-to-find part?
If you can’t find it anywhere else, there’s a good chance we can make it. Call our team – know people who know these cars.
814-467-9842
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm est