Rusty Moose Garage

Rusty Moose Garage is an MG restoration and repair shop at 12777 N Cedar Dr in Grand Haven, Michigan. It works on MG T-types, MGAs and MGBs and is run by owner Forrest Johnson.

Who they are and their history

The shop grew out of University Motors, a long-running MG specialist whose owner John Twist retired in November 2016 after nearly 42 years. Forrest Johnson, who had worked there for about five years, took over the restoration workload, first from the original Patterson Avenue location and then in Grand Haven. The shop says it carries on what it learned at University Motors and keeps a focus on restorations over small repairs.

What they restore

The specialty is British MGs: T-types such as the TD, the MGA and the MGB. The site shows a full restoration of a 1967 British Racing Green MGB roadster, an MGB with a dual carburetor conversion and fresh drivetrain and interior, an MGA build and a TD restoration.

Work done in the shop

Per the shop's website, in-house work includes:

• Complete MG restoration and mechanical repair
• Engine rebuilding and customization
• Drivetrain work
• Interior restoration
• Dual carburetor conversions
• Color-matched engine bays

The shop says it keeps cars to original specification while adding modern reliability upgrades where they make sense. Whether paint is done on site is not stated.

The team

Besides Forrest, the site names an office manager and two technicians. A third-party account of the University Motors handover names Curt Saunier as lead restoration technician. The shop also posts restoration videos online.

Working with the shop

The site says the shop personally evaluates a vehicle before quoting work, road tests extensively, and arranges long-distance pickup and delivery, including across state lines. Deposit terms and billing method are not published. Our list of questions to ask a restoration shop is a good checklist before you commit. For a starting car, see classic cars for sale in Michigan.

Visiting and contact

The phone number is 616-301-2888 and the public email is [email protected]. No hours are published, so call first. We did not verify a review rating with at least ten reviews, so none is quoted. Classic Cars Arena has no business relationship with this shop and does not endorse it.