Recently, we stopped in to take a tour of Noel Automotive, a shop in West Branch, Iowa that specializes in Mopar restorations. If you have never heard of Noel Automotive, maybe you are familiar with “Mopar Keith” who is popular across many social media platforms.

That is how Keith Noel, the owner, first appeared on our radar. Videos of him drifting around and enjoying a 1968 Dodge Charger named “General Lou” in the snow banks caught our attention. And yes, Keith does similar things in his 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T.

Above Left: Keith’s 1968 Dodge Charger named General Lou. Above Right: Keith’s newest toy, a 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T. Cool fact, this car has rubber bumpers. 

Following Keith on social media, we learned about his skills and the quality of work that he puts out from his shop, along with helpful tips. How good is the work coming out of this shop? Well, two cars that the shop recently restored stood out at the MCACN show (Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals) a short time ago — an event that only allows the best cars to participate.

Those cars included a survivor 1969 Plymouth Road Runner A12 and a perfectly restored 1970 black-with-white-interior AAR ‘Cuda. Some other cars we have seen the shop restore consist of a 1970 Dodge Super Bee and 1969 GTX.

Above: This 1970 AAR ‘Cuda was restored using a lot of NOS parts. This car is an original black car with white interior. 

Keith, like many kids, started out fixing lawnmowers and bicycles then tinkering with vehicles in his high school auto shop. With a love for Mopars, Keith bought his first car, a 1971 Barracuda Gran Coupe. Keith worked in a gas station and at a repair shop in Iowa City before moving to West Branch in 1993.

Working at a local one-stop shop until 1997 unit it closed, Keith opened his own repair shop just two weeks later. His skills have been honed through personal experience, attending every car show he could, and learning from others’ successes and failures.

Above: This 1968 Dodge Charger had all of its metal replaced due to rust.  The body is just about ready for paint.

He has judged cars at the MCACN show, where he gained information from some of the most knowledgeable people in the industry. This experience helped him set the bar for restorations.

As we walked through the shop, we quickly realized there is no job that is too big or too small for them. Although this shop is geared more toward Mopars, they will work on anything; from oil changes and everyday repairs to painting a K-10 Chevy truck or restoring a Ford Torino.

Above: 1968 Dodge Dart that came into Noel Automotive for a paint job.

On the Mopar side of things, there were two Dodge Chargers (a 1968 and a 1969) nearing the final stages of bodywork before paint. The 1969 Charger was a crashed R/T that had a lot of metal replaced with parts from Auto Metal Direct.

The 1968 Charger also had all of the sheet metal replaced – but this time due to rust. In a separate room, the team carefully assembles the cars. During our visit, we watched as they worked together to restore the interior of a beautiful blue Dodge Challenger survivor car.

Above: Keith goes over this 1969 Dodge Charger R/T that was crashed. We go over how much of a difference repairing a crashed car is to a rusty one. 

The paint booth is located in a separate building, which is the key to flawless paint jobs. This setup eliminates the possibility of contamination and debris entering the paint booth. PPG products are used to spray the cars. Keith is the main painter, with very impressive body and metal working skills, along with extensive knowledge of the cars in the shop.

A 1968 Dart convertible came into the shop solely for a paint job and was perfectly straight with zero flaws that we could see. A new project they are starting in the shop is restoring a pink 1970 Challenger T/A.

Above: Before and after photos of a 1970 Dodge Superbee that was restored & modified at Noel Automotive.

Keith and his team are glad to handle any type of repair or restoration. The team includes Jerome, a wiring magician; Wyatt, who handles everything mechanical; Chris, who is a metal, body, and paint technician; Drevon, a young man just starting out, representing the next generation in the trade.

These guys work together during assembly, united by their passion for what they do. Keith trains his team to reach their potential, even taking night classes to learn new techniques himself. Social media has also played a big role in spreading tech tips and learning innovative methods.

Above: This beautiful Dodge Challenger was in the shop for interior work. Also in the back was a flawless Ford Torino they restored.

Noel Automotive’s future plans include showing high-end restorations at various events across the country. They have plans to attend the Music City Mopar Show in Lebanon, Tennessee and the Chryslers at Carlisle event in Pennsylvania.

Keith has also been invited to judge at the Mopar Nationals and hopes to attend the MoParty show in Bowling Green, Kentucky at some point. With that, Mopar Connection Magazine wants to extend its thanks to Keith and his crew for a tour of the shop!

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