Builder's Profile: Khaos Kustoms
COMPANY: Khaos Kustoms
MANAGERS: Lisa and Stephen Grundke
ADDRESS: 17A Granite Drive, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada
TEL: 780-968-5004
WEBSITE: www.khaoskustoms.ca
WHAT THEY DO: From full restoration to regular maintenance of classic automobiles
Background: Like so many children of gearheads or mechanics, Stephen and Lisa Grundke got into the automotive business through their love of cars developed by their father. When an influx of high-end muscle cars starting filling up their dad’s shop, Stephen and his sister Lisa decided to create Khaos Kustoms to cater to the building, restoration and general maintenance of custom automobiles. We sat down with the brother and sister duo to talk about the custom car business.
PP: First of all, Khaos Kustoms is a very unique name; there must be a story behind this.
LG: Yeah, the reason it’s called Khaos is because when dad comes into the shop, it’s absolute chaos. When you work with family, you really can’t avoid it.
PP: Obviously, your father was a big influence. How does he factor into the creation of Khaos?
SG: Absolutely. He ran a general repair shop for twenty-five years, so we have been immersed in everything to do with cars since day one. I started working for him, and when more and more customers started showing up with their classic cars, we all got together and decided to open up Khaos. He helped us get a building and bay to work out of, and now that he has sold off his shop, he comes in and helps us out a couple of hours each day.
PP: So what would you say Khaos specializes in?
LG: We specialize in pre-1980s customs. We do everything from full car builds to simple maintenance, but I would say restoration is what we do best.
PP: Do you find there is a large market for regular maintenance in the custom car market?
SG: Well, just because you built it, doesn’t mean the car isn’t going to break down or need parts. Points need adjusting once a year, oil needs changing and we know these cars well, and are able to spot possible problems that could arise in the future.
LG: That’s what we’ve found. People prefer to take their baby to someone they know well and who’s familiar with their vehicle, and that’s what we bring to the table.
PP: What part of the business do you pride yourself most on?
SG: That would have to be our attention to detail. Whether it’s something that’s hidden or noticeable, we want to make sure we not only find it, but also make the customer fully aware of every inch of their car so they can make an informed decision. It gives the customer confidence in our abilities and it’s just the way we do business.
PP: If there was one project that you are particularly proud of, what car would that be?
SG: Ah, just over the winter we had a great project come in, a 1970 Dodge Super Bee. The car was an all-original 383 with only about 40,000 original miles on it. I’ve never seen a car as clean as that in a long time, it was absolutely mint! The brothers who owned it loved the look of the car, but just wanted to modernize it a bit. So we built them a 470 stroker big block, and put fuel injection on it. We were careful to ensure the factory ram air hood fit over everything and made sure you couldn’t tell it was anything but stock. We hid the computer and all the wiring and put in frame connectors with disc brakes all around. It was a fun car to do, and everything worked out perfectly in the end.
PP: Sounds like it was a style you like.
SG: Yeah, I really like the sleeper look on the outside with hidden mechanical modernizations. Coil-overs, fuel injection and disc brake upgrades on a vintage-looking car really works for me.
PP: What would be your dream project to build in the shop?
LG: Well, I don’t think we would agree on anything, but I know my dream would be to build a ‘71 Cuda.
SG: Well, the shop truck was definitely what I like doing. We took a ‘94 Dakota with an aging engine and transplanted a 4BT Cummins into it. It’s just a really cool conversion that makes for a great sleeper, until the black smoke starts billowing out the back and I disappear.
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