fast restoration companies
Discussion
Hi everybody. Does anyone know of a classic restoration company known for being able to turn around a classic restoration in a matter of weeks rather than the usual 2 or 3 years? i.e. is there anyone setup to do work for dealers or whatever where they get it in, do the job, get it out and there's no messing about? Does such a firm exist?
This ^^.
If it's a custom one off, each part takes time. If it's a factory mainstream vehicle with lots of parts availibility and the shell & chassis not requiring surgery - then much much quicker.
Although the usual "quick" restorations I see are usually just polishing the turd - they don't delve in to truly restoring the car, they just tart it up. IMVHO.
If it's a custom one off, each part takes time. If it's a factory mainstream vehicle with lots of parts availibility and the shell & chassis not requiring surgery - then much much quicker.
Although the usual "quick" restorations I see are usually just polishing the turd - they don't delve in to truly restoring the car, they just tart it up. IMVHO.
ingenieur said:
Hi everybody. Does anyone know of a classic restoration company known for being able to turn around a classic restoration in a matter of weeks rather than the usual 2 or 3 years? i.e. is there anyone setup to do work for dealers or whatever where they get it in, do the job, get it out and there's no messing about? Does such a firm exist?
It's very car dependent, and depends on what you want and can afford. You can do a nut & bolt job fairly quickly (months, not weeks) but the car needs to have excellent parts availability and the client needs to accept (and pay for) a lot of "out with the old" in the build - a new engine or wiring loom is a *hugely* more predictable installation than trying to recondition a dirty old example, sourcing/fudging/scarfing in replacement bits as you go.
They also need to bite the bullet from the get-go, accept that it's going to cost and that most, if not everything will be opened up and done. That way the restorer can properly organise the project* - ordering parts and lining up subcontractors. The longest restorations I've heard of are largely victims of mission creep; the client just wanted a visually acceptable runner, but problems got discovered, options presented, years trip by...
- I'm the first person to admit that this is hopeful; it's an industry rife with old-fashioned, unprofessional "car goes in, bills come out" types, the problem being that certain niches are only served by a handful of specialists, all as bad as each other...
Essentially the answer is 'no' - so far... maybe there will be someone on here who has had a good job done by a good garage, the job was fast and they were satisfied.
I spoke to a company who specialises in the make and they were quoting 8 to 10 month waiting list before my car would even roll through the workshop door.
Perhaps another answer would be if I stripped it down myself and got someone to do the rust and paint on the shell and then I reassemble. If they are presented with a shell and the problem areas are all exposed and easy to work on that could speed things up?
I spoke to a company who specialises in the make and they were quoting 8 to 10 month waiting list before my car would even roll through the workshop door.
Perhaps another answer would be if I stripped it down myself and got someone to do the rust and paint on the shell and then I reassemble. If they are presented with a shell and the problem areas are all exposed and easy to work on that could speed things up?
ingenieur said:
Perhaps another answer would be if I stripped it down myself and got someone to do the rust and paint on the shell and then I reassemble. If they are presented with a shell and the problem areas are all exposed and easy to work on that could speed things up?
Yes, if you can find a decent bodyshop which isn't already booked up with work.It would help if you gave an idea of the state of the car and what it is.
If it's a modern classic and just needs a general tidy up but is basically sound, you might have a chance. If it's 50+yrs old, rare, and looks like it's been dredged from a swamp then I'd say you have no chance.
If it's a modern classic and just needs a general tidy up but is basically sound, you might have a chance. If it's 50+yrs old, rare, and looks like it's been dredged from a swamp then I'd say you have no chance.
ingenieur said:
I spoke to a company who specialises in the make and they were quoting 8 to 10 month waiting list before my car would even roll through the workshop door.
Perhaps another answer would be if I stripped it down myself and got someone to do the rust and paint on the shell and then I reassemble. If they are presented with a shell and the problem areas are all exposed and easy to work on that could speed things up?
I'm in a similar situation with my classic Mini. I'm looking for places to just do the shell, supplied stripped (mechanically, can remove paint if it speeds things up), and waiting times are being quoted in the years not months. Happily a few have already said my budget is reasonably healthy for the work required but the one I initially decided to go with put me off when I went for a visit to discuss stuff and saw they had customer's cars outside with no paint on them while it was drizzling, a big No-No as far as I'm concerned. Still waiting on a quote/decision from one place that saw the car a few weeks ago but they're so busy they haven't had any time to spare so far. They're the place I would really like to do the work so hoping it's just that tye are busy and not that they're not interested in the job. Have had a few places that are only interested in doing the whole car, not something I can afford plus I want to do the reassembly and mechanical work myself as that's the bit a really enjoy and can do to a decent standard. Perhaps another answer would be if I stripped it down myself and got someone to do the rust and paint on the shell and then I reassemble. If they are presented with a shell and the problem areas are all exposed and easy to work on that could speed things up?
ingenieur said:
Essentially the answer is 'no' - so far... maybe there will be someone on here who has had a good job done by a good garage, the job was fast and they were satisfied.
I spoke to a company who specialises in the make and they were quoting 8 to 10 month waiting list before my car would even roll through the workshop door.
Having a waiting list is quite a separate issue from the time they take to actually carry out the work (although to the customer it's almost the same thing if the car's already off the road).I spoke to a company who specialises in the make and they were quoting 8 to 10 month waiting list before my car would even roll through the workshop door.
The problem is that the length of the waiting list is a function of how much people value having that business do the work. Companies with a long waiting list are normally ones that are known to achieve good results, and vice-versa.
The exception is when a new good business has recently started up, but that's rare and generally a short-lived phenomenon.
One thing I've learned from experience is that if there are two options to do the work, the one that's harder to get booked in with typically has a much better chance of a good result (unfortunately).
aterribleusername said:
ingenieur said:
I spoke to a company who specialises in the make and they were quoting 8 to 10 month waiting list before my car would even roll through the workshop door.
Perhaps another answer would be if I stripped it down myself and got someone to do the rust and paint on the shell and then I reassemble. If they are presented with a shell and the problem areas are all exposed and easy to work on that could speed things up?
I'm in a similar situation with my classic Mini. I'm looking for places to just do the shell, supplied stripped (mechanically, can remove paint if it speeds things up), and waiting times are being quoted in the years not months. Happily a few have already said my budget is reasonably healthy for the work required but the one I initially decided to go with put me off when I went for a visit to discuss stuff and saw they had customer's cars outside with no paint on them while it was drizzling, a big No-No as far as I'm concerned. Still waiting on a quote/decision from one place that saw the car a few weeks ago but they're so busy they haven't had any time to spare so far. They're the place I would really like to do the work so hoping it's just that tye are busy and not that they're not interested in the job. Have had a few places that are only interested in doing the whole car, not something I can afford plus I want to do the reassembly and mechanical work myself as that's the bit a really enjoy and can do to a decent standard. Perhaps another answer would be if I stripped it down myself and got someone to do the rust and paint on the shell and then I reassemble. If they are presented with a shell and the problem areas are all exposed and easy to work on that could speed things up?
I agree with your decision not to use that company keeping vulnerable cars outside in the rain. I would not stand for that either.
Are you looking only at MINI specialists or would you go to a general all-makes restorer and risk the fact that they only know generally about cars rather than having specific experience with your kind of classic?
Open to going to a non-specialist if their work is good but from my experience looking around the general restorers tend to either cut corners or underestimate the work to get the job. Marque-specific places know the problem areas well so can plan and price accordingly, saves a lot of hassle further down the line. While this is my first project personally, I have been involved in other's projects and have seen a few of the ptifalls to avoid so using this to steer my choice of restorer. One friend was told his car, a Morris Minor, would cost £11k to do fully by the garage he decided on and they massively underestimated the work and the costs involved. He ended up having to sell the car as an unfinished project after the bills got up to £18k, used a loan and a credit card to get the car back then sold it to repay the debts. The experience put him off classic cars for life sadly.
aterribleusername said:
Open to going to a non-specialist if their work is good but from my experience looking around the general restorers tend to either cut corners or underestimate the work to get the job. Marque-specific places know the problem areas well so can plan and price accordingly, saves a lot of hassle further down the line. While this is my first project personally, I have been involved in other's projects and have seen a few of the ptifalls to avoid so using this to steer my choice of restorer. One friend was told his car, a Morris Minor, would cost £11k to do fully by the garage he decided on and they massively underestimated the work and the costs involved. He ended up having to sell the car as an unfinished project after the bills got up to £18k, used a loan and a credit card to get the car back then sold it to repay the debts. The experience put him off classic cars for life sadly.
That friend had a very poor experience with the Morris Minor, I can't understand how it could have cost that much? What sort of work were they doing to make it such an expensive job? Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff