Deep in the heart of Southeast Portland stands a somewhat bland building, located, appropriately, on 122nd Avenue. From the outside, it looks like a big plain square structure with few windows. Only the pair of Amazons resting under a pine tree outside indicate that anything interesting might take place inside.

You may recall a couple mentions of PAR, Professional Amazon Repair, in past issues. This is the shop that all of us locals dreamed of starting up, but only Teague Oviatt and Shayne Green had the gumption to actually get off the couch and do something about. Fortunately, they've made this space available to pretty much anyone who's interested in working on their own relic Volvos in a heated, well-lit and clean space.

The shop is roughly 4000 square feet of smooth, flat cement; smooth enough to lend itself nicely to roller derbies or games of marbles, cased in white-painted drywall and surrounded by smaller rooms; once offices, these are now populated with marvelous Volvo bits and pieces usually impossible to find.

Initially, this was to be a place for Teague, Shayne and other locals to fiddle with their own Volvos. As Portland suffers an enormous lack of facilities for repairing these old cars, new folks ("customers") began emerging from the woodwork, seeking competent mechanics. Lucky for them, no one in the area knows the round-bodied Volvos better than these two and they've developed a regular client base.

ProAmazon offers repair services unique in two ways: first, they'll take on projects that other shops in the area either won't touch, or won't offer an equitable rate to touch. One of the other local shops has a fixed rate for installing sway bars into a 122 for $600 labor (!) and few will work on brakes at all. Welcome PAR, where these and other projects are welcomed instead of shunned.

Secondly, this isn't a shop that's in the biz to make big dollars. (If that's your goal, an old Volvo business is not the place to be looking). This is a shop run by devotees; by two guys who can do this stuff as well as anyone else in the area; by gentlemen who do what they do because it has to be done and because it has to be done with integrity, efficiency and skill. This is the shop that, simply, offers what no other shop in Portland offers: correct repairs and reliable upgrades.

Of course, word travels fast and the initial 122 client base has now grown to include 1800 and PV series Volvos; some are daily drivers still hanging on while others are concours-ready examples. Teague and Shayne are known to regularly fix "that nagging problem that's been bugging me for years." This, in conjunction with their enthusiastic welcome of the relic Volvos ("the older, the better") has made PAR unique within the circle of already exclusive independent Volvo shops.

The downside to fixing a Volvo is that once it's running correctly, it doesn't come back again for a while, and though business is steady, it isn't always frequent. There's also that "can't you fix this for free" element, which doesn't much help to pay the rent. Teague and Shayne are fast learning that talking someone through a problem over the phone doesn't really get much done around the shop.

Slack times allow for work on the proprietors' own project cars. Shayne has made several upgrades to his red wagon, the Radio Flyer, in the comfortable surroundings there; and has recently finished the mechanical restorative work on a more recently acquired '65 two-door sedan. Teague's own '68 project is currently in the middle of a complete D-Jet rewiring now that substantial suspension upgrades are complete. We won't bore you with photos of the welded stainless steel floor panels, the flawless custom interiors nor the reinforced and powder coated suspension components just yet, but do stay tuned for more on each of these local cars in future issues.

Should you become bored with any of the whole cars inside, the storage rooms contain rare treasures too, holdouts from the era before the era before a one piece intake and exhaust with downdraft carb for the B4 sits on one corner amid bits and pieces from the bygone days of Volvo Competion Service (later known as R-Sport). In one corner are several overdrives; on the shelves are stacked ancient Cibie, Hella and Marchal driving, fog and head lights. Turn signal lamps, lenses, wiring harnesses are packed into corners and D-Jet fuel injection systems are separated into "condition unknown" and "known good" locations. Engines, heads and parts to assemble them are in yet another room.

So when you next find yourself near the intersection of 122nd and Boise, bang loudly on the sliding door; if anyone's there (the hours are famously irregular -- best to call for an appointment), they'll welcome you in for a tour, some conversation, or some of the very finest repairs and upgrades anyone with an old Volvo could hope for.

If I were to write their slogan, it would be simple: "We're the guys we couldn't find."