Body frames repaired, rebuilt or built from nothing. Timber and tubular steel framed, panelled by hand in steel and aluminium, to an original pattern or to a new design. The unseen work matters as much as the visible.
Timber and Ash Framing
Timber frames fail out of sight. A body can look repairable while the frame under it has gone, and putting it right takes joinery as much as panel skills.
Our joinery and coachbuilding team repairs and rebuilds timber body frames to the original pattern. Sometimes that’s one rotten section, sometimes it’s the whole frame. We work in the appropriate timber for the job, jointed the way it was originally, using traditional techniques alongside modern tooling to deliver the best result. The body is then refitted and re-gapped over the new frame.
Timber framing isn’t only a pre-war problem. Both the 1952 Riley RMB and the 1950 Jowett Bradford came to us for extensive coachwork. Not many workshops take frame work on, so if you have been told a car isn’t worth saving because of its frame, it is worth a second opinion.
Recreating and creating bodies
Where the original body survives, we repair it. Where it doesn’t, we rebuild it from original drawings, factory records or photographs. Where there is no original to work to, we design one to your brief and resolve it on paper and in CAD before any metal is formed.
Panels, fittings and hardware
We shape panels over a buck and fit them by hand to that car’s frame, then hang the doors, bonnet and boot lid and adjust them until the gaps are even.
Hardware that is missing or beyond repair like window frames, brackets, catches and winder mechanisms are assessed and repaired where possible or made new. We measure or 3D scan an original, draw it in CAD, then machine, print or hand-form the part to spec.
Follow the work from anywhere
Every stage is documented in our workshop app through photos, notes and video as the work happens. You can see what was found and what was done, and engage with each step of the process, whether you are across town or overseas. The record stays with the car.
How the process works
Coachwork begins with the car and the drawings, not a spec sheet. What is left, what is missing, and what it needs to become.
- Workshop visit. Come in, see our work first hand, meet the team and talk through the brief for your project. Not local? We can discuss your build on a phone or video call instead.
- Initial assessment. Our team reviews the body and frame and puts together a condition report, stored in the app so you can refer back to it at any point.
- Design and pattern. The original where it survives, drawings and photographs where it doesn’t, and a new design where there is nothing to work to.
- Plan and estimate. We outline the work in phases and provide an indicative estimate or ballpark. If it suits you better, we can pace the work to match a weekly or monthly budget.
- Strip and assess. One of the most critical steps in the process, the team carefully strips and assesses the vehicle. Everything is documented and photographed to ensure the plan matches the reality.
- Frame. Timber or tubular steel, repaired to the original pattern or built new, and set up square before anything is panelled over it.
- Panel and fit. Panels hand-formed in steel or aluminium, fitted to the frame, and doors, bonnets and boot lids hung and gapped by hand.
- Finishing. Through to paint, with the surface prepared properly rather than quickly..
- Pre-delivery inspection. Before the car goes back to you, our team reviews the work with fresh eyes, checking and rechecking the finished body.
- Handover. We hand the keys back and the record of the work stays with the car.
COMMON QUESTIONS
- Do you work on timber-framed cars? Yes, in-house. If a car has been turned away elsewhere because of its frame, talk to us.
- Can you build a body that no longer exists? Yes, from original drawings, factory records or good photographs. Where none survive, a body can be designed to a brief instead.
- How long does coachwork take? It depends on what is left of the car. Once we assess the project and understand your brief, we will provide you with a phased approach to help guide the build.
If you have a car with a frame or body problem, book a workshop visit and see what we do first hand.
