The Car Specialist
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The white 1936 Cadillac, plates CADY 36, parked in front of the hand painted The Car Specialist sign on the workshop

The 1936 Cadillac

Werribee · VIC · 40 years

Forty yearsof otherpeople’s cars

From classic car restorations, rust repairs and precision panel work to engine conversions, brakes, steering and suspension, Paul Bezzina brings decades of automotive experience and a passion for quality workmanship to every vehicle.

Whether it’s restoring a treasured classic or keeping your everyday car running at its best, you can trust Paul and his team to get the job done right.

Call Paul0419 372 206See the work

40 years

On the tools, in his own words

4.5 on Google

From 22 reviews in Werribee

Werribee

5 Riverside Ave, VIC 3030

Classics and dailies

Rat rods, Camaros, Broncos and the family Honda

Five things, one workshop

What comes through the roller door

A shell on the hoist with the floor out, a blown V8 going into a ute, a set of brakes that have to stop a car somebody made faster, and the work Hilux that needs a service on Thursday. Often in the same week.

A teal Ford F100 pickup with a white canopy over the tray, parked on wet concrete outside the workshop

Servicing, Whatever you drive every day

01And inspections before you buy

Servicing

Whatever you drive every day

Full car inspections prior to purchase are on his own list, and half the reviews are ordinary servicing done properly. One customer moved off a Honda dealership after Paul showed her the filter it had charged her to change and never changed.

Restoration, Classic, vintage and custom

A first generation Mustang convertible part way through a restoration, one guard in grey primer, the boot lid off and a fresh V8 fitted
02Shell up

Restoration

Classic, vintage and custom

A car comes in as a car and goes out as a car, but in between it is a shell on a hoist with the floor out. Mustangs, rat rods, Willys coupes, a 1936 Cadillac. The long jobs are the reason the shop is called what it is called.

The inside of a car shell stripped back, floor pan bare with new sound deadening laid in and the dash shell in primer
Stripped back to the floor pan
A 1930s sedan hot rod up on the four post heavy duty hoist, satin black with hand pinstriped spiderwebs on the guards
On the four posts, heavy duty hoist
The Car Specialist Hotrod Bus, matt black with a blown engine standing out of the bonnet and the Garage signwriting on its side, parked on the grass at a show

Rust Repairs, Cut Out & Replaced

03Metal, not filler

Rust Repairs

Cut Out & Replaced

Rust often runs deeper than it appears, especially in classic cars. Paul’s team specialises in cutting out corrosion and replacing damaged metal to restore strength, safety and durability.

Honest assessments, quality workmanship and no shortcuts.

Engine Conversions & Performance Upgrades

A blown V8 in a bright blue engine bay, the supercharger and scoop standing up through the bonnet opening
04Blown or otherwise

Engine Conversions

& Performance Upgrades

From engine swaps to custom high-performance builds and supercharged setups, Paul Bezzina brings over 40 years of experience to every project.

More than just an engine swap. Power, performance and precision workmanship.

A blown V8 sitting in the teal engine bay of a Ford F100, with braided lines and a polished blower drive
The F100, same treatment
The interior of a Falcon GT with black vinyl bucket seats, a wood rim steering wheel and the original gauges
And it still has to be a car you can sit in
A blue Ford Falcon GT ute side on with the bonnet up, sitting on polished five spoke wheels

Brakes, Steering & Suspension Upgrades

05Stop it and turn it

Brakes, Steering

& Suspension Upgrades

From brake upgrades and power steering conversions to suspension improvements, Paul Bezzina delivers expert workmanship to improve your vehicle’s safety, handling and driving comfort.

Classic looks with modern performance and effortless driving.

Talk to Paul

Tell him what the car is and what you want out of it

You will get a straight answer about what it actually needs and whether this is the shop that should be doing it. Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. By appointment on weekends.

Call Paul0419 372 206
A Ford Crown Victoria in hot pink and cream with full chrome trim, standing on the workshop floor

Nobody talks him out of the colour

Out the front

The one with the plates

There is a 1936 Cadillac that lives at the front of the shop. White over red steel wheels, whitewalls, the chrome grille standing up like a radiator was meant to, and Victorian plates reading CADY 36.

It is parked under the signwriting in one photograph and out at a show at sunset in the next, which is about as good a summary of the place as you are going to get. Old cars are not the sideline here. They are what the shop is for.

  • CADY 36

    Victoria, on the move

  • Werribee

    And whatever show it gets driven to

A white 1936 Cadillac with red steel wheels and whitewall tyres parked at a car show at sunset, beside a two tone American wagon
Out at a show, late in the day
The Car Specialist shopfront, hand painted signwriting on rusted cladding, with the white 1936 Cadillac parked in front of it
And at home, under the signwriting

What comes in

The work

0419 372 206Book a service

Not on the list? It is a short list of categories, not a short list of jobs. Ring and describe it.

  • 01

    Brake upgrades

    His own first line. An old car that has been made to go faster has to be made to stop, and disc conversions and boosted setups are a standing part of the work.

  • 02

    Power steering conversions

    Fitted to cars that never had it. A 67 Camaro went through and its owner’s review is about how easy it is to drive now.

  • 03

    Full car inspections prior to purchase

    Before you hand over the money, not after. Forty years of looking at old cars is exactly the thing worth borrowing for an hour.

  • 04

    Rust repairs

    Cut out and replaced. On a car this old the rust you can see is usually the smaller half of the job, and you get told that up front.

  • 05

    Suspension upgrades

    Springs, shocks and bushes, and the geometry to go with them. The four post heavy duty hoist in the workshop is there for a reason.

  • 06

    Engine conversions

    Bigger motors into older cars, including blown V8s with the drive standing through the bonnet. Two of them are sitting in his own photographs.

  • 07

    Servicing and repairs

    Modern cars, daily drivers and work utes. Four separate reviews are about a service done thoroughly on an ordinary car.

  • 08

    Full rebuilds

    Dion Ganino’s words: serviced, fixed or fully rebuilt, Paul and his team get the job every time.

  • 09

    Panel and body work

    Lesya Rowe came in for body work and left saying it was thorough, time efficient and competitively priced.

  • 10

    The small faults nobody else will chase

    Central locking that has stopped working, a tail light letting water in. Fixed alongside the main job rather than written off as not worth it.

4.5 from 22 reviews

What they say

  • Paul and his team always look after me and my 77 Fairlane. From RWC to custom bits. They handle it all with great pride.

    Tipene Christensen

  • Attention to detail was impressive! My instructions to Paul were “when I bring the car in I want it to leave better than than it was” and he met the brief perfectly. Fixed a few niggling little issues (central locking, tail light weather seals) that I would normally never expect a basic mechanic to take care of. Major repairs done, service done and even sourced new original parts. Will be my go to service and custom works shop from now on.

    shaunyp81

  • Found My Mechanic! I recently took my car to The Car Specialist for a major service and couldn’t be happier with the experience.

    Tissma

  • Paul knows exactly how to deal with anyone’s classic car. My 67 Camaro is so easy to drive now with fresh power steering and other upgrades. Highly recommend talking to Paul if you need work done on your classic vehicle.

    Grayson Wanda

  • I have been going to Paul for about eight months now with my 82 bronco, And I’ve never had someone look after us so well, As a young female in the classic car industry, its nerve wracking and it’s pretty easy to get taken advantage of and not looked after. I would recommend paul to anyone, for any car. You won’t meet anyone better.

    caitlin jeffrey

  • Had my Honda serviced here, outstanding work as I use to take my car to Honda dealership, the owner Paul showed me they had never changed my filter & charged me for it, would highly recommend Paul & the boys at the car specialist

    amanda price

  • I don’t have time to waste, so when I need my cars serviced, fixed or fully rebuilt, Paul and his team get the job EVERY time. Without fail, my cars come back better than when they went in.

    Dion Ganino

  • I can’t recommend Paul and his team of mechanics enough for the speedy, honest and trustworthy service they provide. Being female it’s important for me to have a mechanic that I can trust.

    Michele

  • These Guys know there stuff, Great Service and Paul and the crew are looking after my truck as if it was theirs, Very impressive

    Rikka Atkinson

  • Best car mechanic in the world. Never usually trust mechanics but Paul is fantastic.

    Oliver Kirkham

  • Great place, had paul and his team work on my bf ford falcon, and was great service, i had money troubles and he let me keep the car there untill i payed it off, he didnt even charge me for a warehouse (storage) fee, cheers boys, ill bring it back if i have ever had a problem. Highly recommended.

    Leiofi

  • Took my Ute earlier in the year to get a full service and a couple issues fixed as it was not running well, got it back better than it has ever been.

    karlo3777

  • I cannot recommend Paul highly enough. The service he performed on my car was absolutely outstanding.

    Milica Robertson

  • Fast, reliable and best of all no BS.

    Emir B

Real Google reviews, word for word, names as the reviewers wrote them. The rating is his real 4.5 and not a rounded up 5.

The shop

5 Riverside Ave, Werribee

The Car Specialist works out of a big workshop on Riverside Ave in Werribee, in Melbourne’s west. Two post hoists, a four post heavy duty hoist, racking to the roof and a floor that will usually have a rat rod, a Falcon and somebody’s work ute on it at the same time.

The name is painted straight onto the rusted cladding out the front, in a brush script with a hard drop shadow and AUTOMOTIVE REPAIRS and RESTORATION underneath it. It is not a sign somebody bought. It is the shop telling you what it does before you get out of the car.

Where
5 Riverside Ave
Werribee VIC 3030
Phone and hours
0419 372 206
Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. By appointment on weekends.
Hand painted signwriting reading The Car Specialist, Automotive Repairs, Restoration on rusted cladding above the workshop, with a white 1936 Cadillac parked in front
Painted on, not bought

Start here

Ring Paul

A phone call is the quickest way to get a straight answer. Tell him what the car is, what it is doing and what you want out of it, and he will tell you whether this is the shop that should be doing it.

Call Paul0419 372 206
Workshop
5 Riverside Ave
Werribee VIC 3030
Open in Google Maps
Opening hours
Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. By appointment on weekends.

Or send it through

What the car is, what it is doing, and what you want out of it at the end.

If it is easier to write it down, this comes through to the workshop. A photo helps more than a paragraph, so send one to the email address if you have got one.

Call Paul0419 372 206Enquire