Norman Sargent’s life changed forever when he was 8 years old and went to live with his stepfather. Frank E. Robinson Jr. was a mechanic, and he had a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback in which he used to bring Sargent to Salisbury Beach.
“From that day on, it has always been a passion of mine,” Sargent said of classic and muscle cars. “From early on, I was always mechanical, and I helped Dad fix neighbors’ cars, family cars. There was never a time somebody wasn’t stopping by the house to have something looked at, fixed, whatever.
“There was a time when I had 13 cars in my driveway and my father basically had to come out and say, ‘Listen, you’ve got to get rid of some of these cars. They were all Monte Carlos and Camaros.”
Sargent’s passion has morphed into his newest business venture, Grave Robbers Restoration at 8 West Main St. The Gardner resident chose the name because he brings old cars “back from the dead.”
Sargent started his adult life working as a certified welder, until he got bored with the trade and got a job at his brother-in-law’s body shop. He soon developed an automotive expertise, blending the mechanical knowledge his stepfather instilled in him with his welding know-how and some restoration tutelage. He attempted two other startup companies before cashing in his retirement savings to open his new 3,300-square-foot operation.
Sargent, 49, says he offers full-service preservation of classic and muscle cars, including welding and fabrication, all types of mechanical work, complete interior work and rust repair. His shop was most recently a gas station/convenience store.
Walk-ins are greeted by what seems like a car dealership showroom from yesteryear, with a green 1969 Plymouth Belvedere and an orange 1974 Dodge Duster catching one’s eye off to the left. Friends loaned him the vehicles for display. A 1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stringray he bought two years ago for his son sits in the garage section.
Tombstone signs on the building’s exterior play in to the shop’s theme.
Sargent told the reporter he was expecting a 1971 Plymouth Road Runner to come in for some metal work. He also said Ron’s Auto Restoration in Fitchburg plans to deliver a 1963 split-window Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, which Sargent described as “a very rare car.”
Sargent has already befriended hot rod enthusiast Matthew Connelly, who moved to town from California two years ago. Connelly said he stopped by after seeing the long-abandoned building was buzzing. He said Grave Robbers Restoration fills a need in the area.
“All of a sudden, this place showed up,” Connelly said. “It’s great to have someone like this around.”
Connelly said he had a 1923 Ford T-Bucket Roadster delivered from California in September and it is now in storage.
Sargent said he hopes to own the shop “car guys” will rally around.
“It’s a car culture up here,” he said. “If somebody wants to come through that door, like Matt here, I’m happy with that. It isn’t about dollars all the time. I need the dollars to survive, yes. But, I need to network and I need to make friends in this town and have people know that they can go somewhere where they’re going to get a decent labor rate and get the work done that they want to get done without getting hosed.
“If I could do it for free, I would do it. That’s how much passion I have for it,” he said. “I don’t want to do anything else.”
Sargent also said he will have a used car dealer’s license within the next 30 days.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext.