Every car is different. The way we go about it isn’t. Here’s how a restoration or a build usually runs, from the first conversation to handover.
Start with a workshop visit
We often suggest that the best place to start is a workshop visit to see how we work first hand. Meet the team, see what projects we’re working on, and talk through your classic and what you want from it. If you’re not local, we can arrange a phone or video call to discuss the project and your brief.
Initial assessment
Once the car arrives, the first thing we do is get our team to assess the vehicle to get an initial view of what’s sound, what’s worn, and what’s been done to it before. It’s the honest starting point for everything that follows, and it goes into the car’s record. The initial assessment enables us to bring together your brief with what the vehicle needs to create an initial build plan.
I can’t rate Trevor and the team at the Toy Shop highly enough. I have had 12 cars go through them, everything from early 1950’s English cars to various of my beach buggies, and a few unusual ones in between (such as the NZ built Taipan). They did a major reno on my decrepit Riley RMB and produced a master piece, with an extraordinarily high level of craftsmanship. The Morris Minor ute project is a collaborative set of ideas to produce another standout. Their problem solving on the Taipan has been super creative. Communication, craftsmanship, and creativity are all 5 stars.
Ken Cambie
The build begins
With the initial plan agreed, the car is stripped and we find out what’s happening underneath. Cars reveal things as they come apart, so the plan is something we revisit together as we go. You’ll see it as it happens, and we’ll go through what we’ve found with you, and discuss how to phase the work to suit you.
The work
Your car moves through the disciplines it needs, all in our workshop, so the same people see it through from start to finish. Panel, paint, coachbuilding, fabrication, mechanical, electrical and trim. Where certification is needed, we manage that throughout the build rather than leaving it to the end.
Follow the build from anywhere
Every car we take on gets its own record in our workshop app. Photos, notes and video go in as the work happens, so you can see what we found, what we did about it, and where the car is up to today.
It’s also where most of the conversation happens. You can ask questions about the work and we’ll answer them there. When you’d rather talk, we’re on the phone, or happy to show you what’s happening in the workshop.
Handover, and after
Before the car comes back to you, it goes through a pre-delivery inspection. The team reviews the finished work with fresh eyes, checking and rechecking what’s been done.
Then you get the keys, and the record of everything that was done stays with the car. The same team is there to look after it moving forward, so nobody has to work out what’s underneath.
Common Questions
Do I have to visit the workshop?
No, but most people want to, and it’s the quickest way to work out whether we’re the right workshop for your car.
Can I change my mind partway through?
Yes, and most people do. Plans move as cars come apart and as owners see the work developing.
Do you take on every car?
No. We take on a small number of projects each year so each one gets the workshop time it needs, which sometimes means a wait.
If you have a car in mind, book a workshop visit and see what we do first hand.
