Built to Outlast the Ordinary
The Origin
Headwaters Customs was born out of a friendship that started fourteen years ago. Clay and his best friend moved to Ennis looking for a place to start a mechanic shop. A mutual friend made the introduction, asked Mike if he knew of anywhere they could rent and if he could help them get settled. He liked both of them right away. The rest, as Mike puts it, is kind of history.
The shop officially opened in January 2025, with a grand opening in May of that same year. What started as a shared passion for vintage iron and a belief that classic vehicles deserve more than a standard restoration became something bigger — a full-service custom shop in the heart of Southwest Montana.
The name is a nod to where they live. Ennis sits on the banks of the Madison River — one of the world's most famous Blue Ribbon trout streams, and one of the three headwater tributaries that form the Missouri River. Everybody in the area names their business "Madison something." Mike and Clay wanted to pay homage to the river in a different way — recognizing it as a headwater, something unique to where they are. It fit.
What We Stand For
Cars these days lack character. They lack soul. Sure, a new truck might cost enough to demand exclusivity — but at the end of the day, what you have is an expensive payment and the same thing your neighbor has. The one thing that old classic vintage vehicles always had was character. They had soul. Every one of them had a story.
Headwaters is the place where we take that character and soul and turn it into something exclusive. Something special. Something that is hardly ordinary. Each build is a work of art — artistry forged through steel, built to outlast the ordinary.
We started this shop because of our passion for vintage cars, horsepower, and speed. It's also a way for us to release our creativity. We want to offer access to our skills because of our love for these American icons. We don't believe in milking your wallet dry. Quality craftsmanship at a premium yet honest price. No BS, no padded bills — straight-up honesty. The only marriage you'll have to commit to when we build your car is the one between you, your vehicle, and the way it makes you fall in love with the road.
We specialize in all makes and models, but our hearts are in classic American street iron — the kind of vehicle that everyone has some story about from growing up. If we had to pick a sweet spot, it's the Chevy square body, the GM muscle car, restomods, and LS swaps. Those get us excited.
The Difference
One of the things that sets Headwaters apart is that we are building toward a true one-stop restoration shop. When you bring your vehicle to us, it doesn't leave until the project is complete. No coordinating between three or four different companies, no chasing down subcontractors, no gaps in accountability. Everything — fabrication, bodywork, paint, mechanical, sandblasting, coatings, and more — happens under one roof, managed by the same team from day one to delivery.
We offer complete frame-off restorations, ground-up restomod builds, performance upgrades, sandblasting, commercial-grade performance coatings, metal fabrication (from automotive frames and chassis to architectural trusses, staircases, balconies, railings, and custom gates), paint correction, auto refurbishment, sprayable PPF by Peel Clear, 3D printing and modeling, custom paint work, and used auto parts sales. Metal Art by MichaelJ — welded metal art on commission — rounds out the creative side of what comes out of this shop.
The People
Co-Founder / Co-Owner
Mike was born into this trade. His dad did it. His dad's dad did it. He started working professionally at 18 and hasn't stopped — thirty years in the industry, with his primary expertise on the paint and body side of things. Painting is his lane, but metal art and fabrication are where his creativity lives outside the shop.
Under the name Metal Art by MichaelJ, he creates high-end welded metal sculptures on commission — work that feeds directly back into the artistry he brings to every build at Headwaters. The car that got away? A 1972 Chevelle SS. The one that shaped everything that came after.
When he's not in the shop, he's with Jax — his two-year-old working line German Shepherd.
Co-Founder / Co-Owner
Clay's full story will be here soon — he's a little harder to pin down than Mike, which anyone who knows them will find completely unsurprising.
What's clear from the work: his expertise in fabrication and mechanical systems is the backbone of every build that comes out of this shop. The two of them push each other, challenge each other, and by Mike's own admission, complement each other incredibly well. Two alpha males, one shared standard of quality.
Clay's full bio coming soon.
Journeyman — Production Manager
Alex keeps the shop moving. As our journeyman technician and production manager, he coordinates workflow across both departments and ensures every build stays on schedule without cutting corners. The kind of person a shop like this can't function without.
Apprentice Technicians
Our four apprentices are learning this trade the right way — hands-on, under direct mentorship from the owners and Alex. Each one is developing the skills and the standards that define a Headwaters Customs build. This is how the craft gets passed on.
Where We Are
We're located at 5088 US Highway 287 North — 1.5 miles north of Ennis, in the heart of the Madison Valley in Southwest Montana. The Gallatin, the Jefferson, and the Madison converge about 40 miles from here to form the Missouri River. The Madison is one of the most famous Blue Ribbon trout streams in the world. This is where we work, where we live, and where every build leaves from.
Montana doesn't tolerate ordinary. Neither do we.
Whether you have a clear vision or just a spark of an idea, we're here to help bring it to life. Let's talk about your project.