With so many cars in our workshop being between 30 and 60 years old, one can easily appreciate that corrosion is the biggest variable factor to budget for in any Aston Martin, Ferrari or Jaguar restoration and often uncovering historical accident damage too that's been botched up over the years through times of relatively low value.
We can correct all of these areas in our designated metalwork department including panel alignment issues, fabrication and replacement of obsolete parts using age old coachbuilding techniques such as English Wheeling and with sandbag/mallets etc, techniques that are slowly becoming a lost art. This stage of the process can be the single most time consuming part of a restoration and if not carried out correctly and methodically can and will be detrimental to the finished restoration and ultimately the end value of the car. Naturally our aim to retain as much integrity of the original car as possible but the rule is, If it's rotten, it's cut out... We fabricate everything ourselves in the metalwork department, whether that's a small patch repair, structural suspension point or a complete panel. All major panel work that involves suspension point reconstruction will be carried out with the vehicle loaded onto our Globaljig, this is a body straightening and alignment jig with an overhead measuring attachment for both alignment information and data retrieval. We can have the car or chassis mounted on the jig to keep it square and true while fabricating and replacing integral sections or we can use it for straightening after heavy impact accident damage to ensure everything is millimetre perfect and symmetrical. Chassis realignment is also sometimes an issue with older cars and is made easier to correct on the Globaljig with it being a universal bracket system style alignment jig. This means all mounting fixtures can be assembled from a selection of towers/brackets/collars/spacers in a configuration to suit virtually any vehicle. A far more versatile option than a jig such as a Cellette where one has to have specific brackets either rented for the duration of the repairs or fabricated to suit each car. We really do take care of it all when it comes to alignment, fabrication and replacement etc. The Globaljig is an essential piece of equipment and is the same body Jig used by Aston Martin Works and a few other specialist repairers. We are one of a few specialists that can take care of all body and paint requirements all under one roof and to concours standards. If you have any questions about a restoration you may have please get in contact via email or by telephone. |
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