Ray Wall, master craftsman and owner, earned his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Automotive Body and Paint from Oklahoma State University Technical Branch in Okmulgee, Oklahoma in 1988. Graduating on the Director’s Honor Roll, he received the first ever awarded Most Outstanding Student Award, as well as winning first place in both district and state VICA Auto Body Contests in 1988. His outstanding academic record assured him a top spot in the industry from the time he entered the field. In 1989 he began doing complex paint and body work for Bob Smith Coachworks in Gainesville, Texas where he assumed responsibility for metal fabrication and welding, as well as priming, blocking, and painting.
For over two decades Ray helped build world-class show cars. He worked on rare and valuable cars like vintage Ferraris, Mercedes, Bugattis, Jaguars, Packards, Triumph Dolomites and Alpha Romeos. His work was showcased in competitions held in the United States, Canada and Europe, including the illustrious Pebble Beach Concourse D’elegance Show at Pebble Beach, California.
In September of 2009 Ray opened his own shop called Auto Restoration & Customs with his wife and business partner Dharla Wall. Dharla earned her bachelor’s degree in government from Texas Woman’s University in 1997 with high honors. She worked as a legal assistant and as a financial advisor for over 15 years. Her experience working with people in these fields allowed her to gain excellent communication skills. Dharla manages the office and ensures customers’ goals are met at ARC.
Tory Wall, Ray and Dharla’s son and part owner, works as head mechanic. He’s a US Army veteran who, during his seven years of service, earned two Army Achievement Medals, two Good Conduct Medals and Army Reserve Component Achievement Award. During his years in the Army, Tory received extensive training in numerous aspects of engine repair and maintenance and was recognized for his outstanding achievements in the field.
In 2005 he was awarded a challenge coin from a two-star general for being the top mechanic on his air base in Iraq. His maintenance team won first place in his Battalion’s Maintenance Competition in the fall of 2009. His responsibilities included diagnosis, repair and maintenance of such military vehicles as High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV), Palletized Load Systems (PLS), HEMTT Load Handling Systems (LHS), Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP) and Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), as well as all sizes of forklifts, cranes, generators, tractors, and even Polaris Rangers and John Deere Gators. After completing his time in the Army he joined ARC and earned his ASE certifications. Today he draws on his varied mechanical skills to complete projects for customers.
Colton Wall, the youngest member of the Wall family, graduated number 5 from Callisburg High School in June 2016. He then began attending the University of California San Diego Fall of 2016. After attending UCSD for one month, he traveled to Los Angeles to compete in a Clash Royale gaming tournament just for fun where he placed second and won $10,000.00. This jump started his professional career as a gamer. He continued at UCSD for a year and a half while traveling to Europe multiple times to compete in Clash Royale. He was then offered a gaming contract playing for a Spanish team in Madrid, which would require him to live in a gaming house there. Ultimately, Colton decided to take a break from school and move to Madrid, Spain. After living in Madrid for a couple of months, a new league was formed for Clash Royale and Colton was presented with the opportunity to play for a North American team, Complexity based in Frisco, Texas. Complexity is owned by Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and John Goff. Colton played for Complexity until January 2020. When his contract ended with Complexity, he decided to return to college. He obtained his Associate of Arts degree in Business from North Central Texas College here in Gainesville in May 2021. He will be attending University of North Texas beginning September 2021 to obtain his Bachelor’s degree in Business.
Colton has competed in tournaments in the US and Europe. His accomplishments include 2nd Place Kings Cup 2016, CRNAO Finalist 2016, 1st Place Gamergy Masters 2017 in Madrid, Spain, Top-10 CCGS NA 2017, 1st Place CCGS Invitational 2017, Top-16 CCGS World Finals 2017 in London, England, 2nd Place Complexity CRL NA Fall 2018, 4th Place Complexity CRL West Spring 2019 and 3rd Place No Tilt Worlds 2020. As an important member of our team, he helps with our invoicing, payroll, Facebook page and our website if time permits.
Ray applies the same values and techniques used to create Pebble Beach quality show cars to each project the shop takes on. Clients can rest assured that no matter what challenges their projects present, our team’s ingenuity and excellent craftsmanship can handle. Our professionalism and attention to detail are what sets our builds apart from others. An emphasis on quality throughout the build process yields exceptional results which our numerous awards attest to.