About

Hi, I’m Richard Ellefson, the sole owner and operator of Rodders Choice, and I’ve been in the auto body business since 1968. I’ve mostly done custom work on older cars, but also have a wide variety of experience from doing collision work, as well as 5 years as a collision damage estimator for Toyota. Being more of a hands on person, I kept coming back to the older cars. In 2005 I moved to Santee, CA near San Diego, and served as the lead body tech and fabricator at a local hot rod body shop. Finally, in August of 2007, I decided to open Rodders Choice on my own.

I pride myself on being extremely meticulous in my work, see for yourself by viewing some photos of my repairs on various cars. I will bring the same quality of workmanship to your car as I do to my own. Currently, Rodders Choice is a one man shop, which means you’re getting the attention of the highest quality technician working on your car. As my business grows, the team surely will as well, but I never want to get so big that quality control gets lost and the overhead so high that rates have to be raised. I understand that the average car buff isn’t a millionaire and has to work for a living, just as I do.

Rodders Choice uses only the highest quality materials. My philosophy will remain: If it’s worth doing at all, do it right the first time. So please, give me a call, or stop by for an estimate and take a look at what I’m currently working on. Even if you’re just looking for some free advice, feel free to stop by!