Rust, panel work, fabrication and refinishing for British and European classics.
Panel and paint, in-house
Traditional panel beating, body and paintwork, and panel fabrication, all done by our team. They handle the bodywork on our restorations, and take on rust, accident damage and resprays as standalone jobs for classic owners.
The team works alongside our mechanical, coachbuilding and trim teams, so a car moves between them without leaving the building. Our split-level workshop has the space to strip a car right back and store it until the job is done.
Rust Work
Rust is what brings most classics to us. We cut it out and replace it with new metal: sills, floors, inner structure and outer panels. Where a repair section isn’t made any more, we make it here.
Panels repaired, or made
We save a panel wherever we can. Original metal is worth keeping, and a repaired panel that fits is better than a reproduction one that doesn’t.
When it can’t be saved, we make one. We fabricate repair sections in-house, shrinking and stretching steel, bead rolling and folding as the panel needs, and reproducing factory spot welds where the original had them.
We hand-form panels in steel and aluminium, then hang and adjust the doors, bonnet and boot lid until the gaps are just as they should be.
Preperation
We get the shape and the body lines right in bare metal first, then build up primer and block it back by hand until the surface is flat. It’s the part of the job nobody sees, and the part that decides how the car looks in five years.
Colour
Our painters have spent years matching colours on British and European classics, working from factory codes and from what is left of the original paint. After fifty years of sun the two are rarely the same, so we’ll talk you through which one suits the car.
A full bare-metal respray gives the best result, because every panel goes on at once and there is nothing to match against. If you want to change the colour, we’ll talk through what that does to originality first. Some cars are worth keeping as they are.
The rest of the process, from your first workshop visit through to handover, is set out on our How We Work page.
Follow the work from anywhere
We document panel and paint work in our workshop app with photos, notes and video as it happens, so the metalwork and the preparation are recorded before they go under paint.
Common Questions
Can rust be repaired, or does the whole panel have to go?
Usually repaired. We cut out the rusted section and weld new metal in. We’ll tell you when a panel is too far gone.
Do I have to do the whole car?
Not always. Rust and section work we will take on their own. Smaller paint repairs depend on the car and result you’re trying to achieve.
Can you match my car’s original colour?
Yes. We’ll go through whether to match the original code or match the car as it is now, because after this long they are rarely the same.
Will you take on panel and paint on its own?
Yes. Owners bring us panel, rust and paint work on British and European classics as a standalone job.
If you have a British or European classic that needs metal work or a respray, come and see what we do first hand.
