Engines, gearboxes, brakes, steering and wiring rebuilt to original specification in our Auckland workshop.
Mechanical and auto electrical, in-house
Mechanical and auto electrical, in-house Our mechanical and auto electrical teams rebuild the parts of a classic you don’t see. Engines and gearboxes, axles and differentials, brakes, suspension and steering, cooling and fuel systems, and the wiring that holds it all together. Our workshop foreman, Dave, spent years in vehicle development in the UK before joining us. He leads the mechanical side of every restoration that comes through. Our team works on cars in the workshop for a full restoration and those that just need mechanical and electrical repairs and restorations. The same technicians lead the ongoing servicing and maintenance work, so the people who did the work are the ones looking after it.
Engines and drivetrain
Engine rebuilds, cylinder head work, gearboxes and overdrives, axles and differentials, carburettors, fuel systems and cooling. Everything is stripped and measured against factory tolerances before any parts are ordered.
Recent jobs include a 1969 Porsche 911T, a 1970 Volvo P1800E, and the 1975 Toyota Celica GT that took fourth in the Masters Class at the Ellerslie Concours d’Elegance.
Brakes, suspension and steering
Drums, discs, master and wheel cylinders, hoses and lines. Bushes, springs, dampers and kingpins. Steering boxes and racks rebuilt or replaced, as part of a restoration or as its own repair.
Wiring and electrics
Old looms are the single most common cause of a classic being unreliable. We make and restore looms in-house, rewire cars completely, and sort the fuse boxes, switches, earths and instruments that go with them.
On the Toyota Celica GT we took the original outer webbing off the loom, ran new wire inside it, and put it back so it looked untouched. Dynamos, starters, alternators and ignition systems are rebuilt or replaced alongside.
Modern systems, out of sight
Where a classic is going to be driven regularly rather than looked at, we can integrate modern systems without changing how the car looks. On the 1970 Volvo P1800E, the work includes electronic fuel injection with modern engine management, a larger composite alternator, electric power steering, LED exterior lighting, and air conditioning designed into the original dash.
On a carburetted classic that’s going to be driven hard or driven far, we can fit standalone engine management and map it to the engine, with the ECU and loom kept out of sight.
Gauges and instruments keep their dials and bezels with new mechanisms behind them, and audio is integrated like it just drove off the factory floor. The 1975 Alfa Romeo GTV2000 runs a modern sound system behind its original Becker face, with the speakers hidden under a perforated leather parcel tray.
Parts, sourced or made
Original parts are the first choice, and we draw on an international network of suppliers built up over four decades. Where something genuinely isn’t available, it gets measured or scanned, drawn in CAD and machined, printed or made to spec.
Follow the work from anywhere
We document mechanical and electrical work in our workshop app with photos, notes and video as it happens, so what went into the engine and what the wiring looks like behind the dash is recorded rather than described.
- Assessment. We go over the car, run it where it runs, and tell you what we find. On a car that has been sitting, the mechanical list is usually longer than the visible one.
- Strip and measure. Engines, gearboxes and axles come apart and get measured before anything is ordered, so the plan is based on what’s actually there.
- Rebuild. Machining, new parts, and reassembly to specification, with the work recorded as it goes.
- Wiring. Looms made or repaired, fuse boxes and earths sorted, and the electrics tested circuit by circuit.
- Road test. The car is driven, adjusted and driven again before it goes anywhere near handover.
Common questions
Can you rebuild an engine for a car you’re not restoring?
Yes. Engine, gearbox and axle rebuilds come in on their own.
My classic has electrical gremlins nobody can find. Can you help?
On an old car the answer is often the loom or the earths rather than the component everyone keeps replacing. It’s a case of patiently tracing the problem and repairing it systematically.
Do you work to the original specification or will you upgrade things?
Both. Most of this work is restoring to specification, with discreet modern electronics where a car is going to be used rather than looked at. If you want the car re-engineered beyond that, with a different drivetrain, gearbox or brakes, that sits under Restomods and Bespoke Builds.
Can you rewire a car completely?
Yes, including making a loom to the original pattern where one isn’t available.
Do you work on cars from outside Auckland?
Yes, for owners throughout New Zealand and overseas. Transport can be arranged.
If your classic needs mechanical or electrical work, come and see what we do first hand.
