Old fashioned panel beater with a Car-o-liner jig?

[Jezza86]

This has been an on-going saga for far too long. Back in November, I hit a curb in my AE86, the damage is a little bit worse than it initially looked and the front end needs a new chassis leg (I have one from a donor car in my possession). I had trouble finding someone to do the work and then people said to me that if no one could do it, I might as well re-shell the car, but this has brought around it's own kind of issues, since there's a lot of prep work and welding to be done on the shell I have found in order to bring it up to the standard of my crash damaged car. So, I've reverted to fixing the old car and have gone to great lengths to do research on what needs to be done and what is needed for the job.

I have spoken with several jig manufacturers (celette, car bench) with fixture brackets for a multitude of cars and the only manufacturer that seems capable of providing the correct measurements and fixtures (as they're modular) is Car-o-liner.

Going back to knowing that this is what I need for the work to be carried out, I've tried a few garages, but the ones I have tried seem to be inclined to either want to take me for a ride, be really arrogant or have not come back to me with an answer. Also, some of them aren't old fashioned in a sense, as they would rather do insurance work on modern cars or don't want to work with donor parts.

So, my question is, can anyone here recommend anyone to do the work that isn't going to shy away from it, with the right kit for the job and not going to try and rip me off by replacing parts that don't need replacing? I don't mind how far the car has to go, so long as I know that they have a car-o-liner, the capabilities to replace a chassis leg and they're respectable.

Thanks in advance

[Old Merc]

My old mate Jim Wigmore has been restoring body shells for over 40 years and could be your man ?.
He`s honest old school,does a perfect job and has a jig.Give him a call on 01189744670 he will soon tell you if he can do this job.

[Jezza86]

Thanks for that fella, I might just give him a shout. I have made some good contact today with Russell Parry in Chessington. I had a good chat with John Parry and he seems like a really sound guy with a good understanding of the problem. He's coming to look at the car over the weekend and seems enthusiastic about being able to help. fingers crossed he has something positive to say.