The Straka family has been in the auto body repair business for over 65 years. The family got it start when John Straka Sr. returned home from the army in 1947. He attended Valetec Institute to learn auto body repair through the GI Bill. He worked as an auto body repairman for the local Ford dealership for 14 years. He then went into business for himself in 1964. All three of his sons learned about auto body business early in life. Terry (a partner) still operates the family business, Straka Auto Body. John, retired after 30 years in the coal mining business opened Highlander Hot Rods with his brother, Terry.  Although John Sr. is semi-retired at 81 years old, he can still be seen at Highlander using his talents to fabricate metal for patches for those “hard to buy” body parts. The auto body business is a passion which he loves and he claims that’s what keeps him going. The Straka family’s decades of experience in the auto body industry make them the premier hot rod restoration company in the Laurel Highlands.

Highlander Hot Rods offers a variety of auto body repair services to take care of major collisions or minor fender benders. Whether you need custom body work or collision repair done on your car, we can handle all your needs. We take pride in every job we do and our work is guaranteed.

Highlander Hot Rods offers a full spectrum of custom painting. We paint acrylic enamel, base coat, clear coat, three-stage and four-stage paints all within our shop. At Highlander Hot Rods we can also do a wide variety of graphics, stripes, and fades. We are confident that our experienced staff can meet all of your custom painting needs.