Walt's Hot Rod Shop

From pro-touring to street rods to daily driven rides we can cater to all your needs.

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am - 12:00 pm and by appointment

WALT’S HOT ROD SHOP HISTORY

Walt Herr, the owner of Walt’s Hot Rod Shop in Brownsburg, Indiana, came to the Indianapolis suburb by way of Tucson, Arizona, where, as a youth, he developed his love of racing and automotive maintenance and repair.

When Herr was young, he assisted his uncle, then a drag racer, on doing performance upgrades and vehicle maintenance. As a teenager, Herr participated in Vocational Industrial Clubs of America and Advanced Automotive Club, and he represented Amphitheatre High School with a second-place finish in the Plymouth Troubleshooting Contest for the state of Arizona. After graduation, Herr worked in various automotive shops before building his own race car in his spare time.

In 1991, Herr opened Walt’s Auto Service, which catered to both the performance racing crowd and general automotive population. Eventually, Herr became ASE Master Certified, and, by 1996 the opportunity to put his experience and training to work for a professional race team presented itself.

Herr spent a year working with Doug Herbert Racing as an engine specialist, cylinder head specialist, and bottom end tech before moving to Don Prudhomme Racing, where he worked for the next 10 years as a clutch specialist for Larry Dixon’s Miller Lite team, based out of Brownsburg. During Herr’s tenure with Don Prudhomme Racing, the team won two NHRA Championships and 35 National event trophies.

But Herr was starting to feel like settling down in one location, rather than continuing life on the road as a racing team specialist. In 2008, Walt opened up Walt's Hot Rod Shop, a full-service shop in Brownsburg, where he could serve the Central Indiana population with repairs and performance upgrades of all types. While he worked on his first two projects, a pair of second-generation Camaros for customers from Denmark, news of the new hot rod shop spread. A few performance and street rod owners heard about Herr, and they wanted work done on their cars. Herr’s outstanding reputation for his mechanical abilities and installation techniques quickly made its way through the local street rod community. Despite the tough economy, business at Walt’s Hot Rod Shop blossomed.

On June 1 of 2009, Walt's Hot Rod Shop moved from a 1,600-square-foot shop on Johnson Lane in Brownsburg to a 5,800-square-foot space on Mardale Drive. In the new shop, Walt continues to plant roots by fulfilling his customers’ repair and performance upgrade needs—regardless of size or difficulty. Walt’s Hot Rod Shop specializes in mechanical upgrades and repairs, drivetrain, suspension, and brake service, metal fabrication, electrical work, air conditioning installation, and more. A one-stop shop for customers who don’t want to take their vehicles from specialty shop to specialty shop, Walt’s Hot Rod Shop pairs its services with several local associates in the automotive industry to tackle all your vehicle’s needs.