Bodyshop recomendations

[slipslide]

Hi All
I have a 1960 356 B that needs a lot of bodywork and before i take the plunge i was wondering if anyone had any recomendations. I bought the car as a part finished project with most of the chassis work done to a nice standard and the car is stripped down to bare metal with nearly all of the new panels with the car so it is mainly the body shell left. I have a few guys that i know that have looked at the car and nearly all have quoted me 400-500 hours work for bodywork (not including paint). There past work looks good but they have never done any 356's, but i do not know how important that is but it has made me nervous. I would love to take it to either Lionel or sportwagen as i know there work would be amazing but my funds just wont stretch that far.
Im in Essex and keeping it local would be ideal but not a deal breaker.
So before i take the plunge i wondered if anyone had any recomendations of shops that they have used in the past, or shops to avoid. Weirdly the choice of bodyshop stresses me out a bit, i think mainly as i am so far out of me comfort zone.
Thanks for all your help
Doug

[Ashley James]

We use Autoshop near Stroud who are Aston Martin’s official repairer. They have a really excellent panel beater and not only is the work good enough for the best concours, but rust prevention is comprehensive.

Their prices seem competitive in that we or friends have paid more for worse work as well as cars that have had awards at Pebble Beach etc. They did my son’s 1941 Ford Business Coup taildragger.

They’re doing an extensive restoration of my 356, Tim who’s the owner loves them and tells me a 346 was the first full restoration he did.

I doubt you’d get a better job, but it’s a long haul from Essex.

[roy mawbey]

Doug,

Wise to ask before jumping in. My first recommendation is look on www.abcgt.com Free 356 forum that concentrates mainly on 356 bodywork and underneath repairs. on opening click forum on the address bar then click recent topics. Now click as an example 63 356B T6 rebuild or Coupe into speedster conversion. Start from page 1 of each thread and spend some hours studying what they attempted.

There are several more extensive sites also on there and scroll through to find them.

What you will establish is nearly all repro panels need work to fit, the work on doors is complex and time consuming. The pillars both A and B require great thought on the procedures To get good panel gaps is possible without much lead but even here the factory used a lot. The procedures are probably known well by Sportwagon or Roger Bray etc etc, The pitfalls also will have been established of how to proceed. How far are going on the project. To see even holes in under the side walls under the upholstery or under the rear seats will be looked at by people who fully understand just how far rust can go.

Someone who does not know these tribulations will not find the work easy. The ABCGT site will open your eyes. These 356 cars can still look good with rust everywhere. Maybe yours was never subjected to much rain? Maybe its really good, a specialist will know inside one hour I guess on a ramp.

In the early seventies with my car just over ten years old I did mine, took me well over a year and with gas welding and leading its lasted but... my car was only 10 years old when bought and should still have been really good from a corrosion point of view.

I agree with you 500 hours at a nominal £30- per hour is £15K no wonder people talk of many times that amount for work. Figures as high as £100K I have seen mentioned for full restoration of a 356.

The cost even back then was the reason why I ended up doing it myself. Of course now I would buy Mig and Tig welders and not work from a long deep garage pit with long pipes going to my gas pipes.

I would stick to someone who can prove they have been the 356 road and show you their stage by stage photographic results. Of course thats only my opinion Doug!!

Roy

[slipslide]

Hi
Thanks for the replies. It's a tough proposition this one as I'm not a 100k restoration man, hell I'm not a 40k restoration man. I'm happy doing mechanicals but welding is just not for me, I've tried it and I'm awful at it. So my options seem to be sell it, keep it until I have that sort of money (although if I spend that a divorce would probably be included in the deal) or risk someone without the experience. I really don't want to sell it, waiting is unlikely so risking someone seems logical. I was kind of hoping someone had used a south east bodyshop before and got a good job.
The car is completely stripped of everything it's been blasted and has a lot of holes, the floors have been done as has all the nose internals and the sills. So there is still a lot of work to do. But a good base, I have new Trevor hammer works nose and wings and nearly all the other panels needed. The engine is built, gearbox built, carbs done, king and links, I have just been putting of the bodywork.
Thanks for the recommendation Ashley I wish it was a bit closer. Roy I will continue to read acbt forum lots of good info on there.
Thanks again for the help, I will keep you informed on how it goes and where we end up.
Thanks
Doug

[roy mawbey]

Phil,

With so much done on this car and also panels purchased ( I know Justin on ABCGT has been using Trevor's panels himself recently with good results ) if you do get someone involved I guess you would need fully water proof quotations. Maybe stage by stage quotations if they are prepared to accept that? You should also be the inspector to allow the work to continue.

I still think the hours will mount up as will the cost. If only they were bolt on wings etc, The torsion bar areas at the back are they perfect?

You seem to have everything in hand apart from the panel fitment Is the interior usable or otherwise more money. People on here have had work like this carried out wonder if they could advise their ideas of cost.
Why don't you join ABCGT and post a full range of pictures to describe where you are a the moment. Loading pics on their site is easy and you can take them direct from your document file.

Don't make a decision till you make more searches. I know someone down in Devon who could do the work, and still does.I knew his father, we lived in the same road in London and his boy really knows 356.

Roy

[neilbardsley]

Speak to Angus at Greatworth Classics. They have a good bodyshop and paint room. They have lots of experience with 356s. They have one in now and another 2 coming in for resto soon

Sent from my X5pro using Tapatalk

[Winston Teague]

I shall put my tin hat on before saying: Surely if your shell is dipped and blasted, and you've bought the panels, if a fettler can fix up a Minor 1000 or a MK1 Cortina,or a MGBGT shell then they can sort a 356 Coupe. It isn't a particularly complex structure. It will have started rusting again before the car is back on the road anyway. Fettle it to enjoy,and then enjoy it. Good luck, W

[Hendrik Moulds]

You are absolutely right Winston, any decent body guy will have the skills to do it, (I use someone with these skills who's not a specialist in 356s).

One issue is that if they have not worked on a 356 before, they won't know how it should look when done correctly. There are many subtleties in the curvature of the body etc which will be obvious when the car is next to others. Also if the car is to be sold later, this could be seen as a negative. This isn't my personal opinion, just what I have seen and experienced when cars are for sale.

[Ignatzcatz]

Before you part with lots of money have you considered a welding evening class? Obviously you seem to be quite clued up on the mechanical side of things and welding really isn't that hard to master. Although I have mig and tig I only gas welded my 356. I'm a bit old skool and the variance you can obtain with gas welding made it so much more suitable for the tasks in hand. It's also dead handy for leading which was a complete new deal for me. You can get acetylene and oxygen from Hobbyweld through car parts shops. You don't need an annual contract which you do with BOC. Just take a week of evenings practice and I'm sure you will pick it up and when you can run a sweet bead of weld it is very satisfying. DIY Doug, and do you really have a Phil Edwards?

[neilbardsley]

DIY bodywork without a jig or paint shop? The pros say 500 hours so lets say 1,000 hours for a new guy. 10 hours a week for at least 2 years = divorce?

[roy mawbey]

Neil,

Element of truth there. In my 30's back when I did it I had no idea on just how many welding clamps you need of all styles I only had mole grips as then no idea the long reach styles even existed. No cleco's no swaging tools no experience either, just thought as a toolmaker I can do anything. Wrong! I have note in my workshop (home garage! ) for all the work carried out and it states 500 hours taken then as mentioned before on a car less than 16 years old for fabricating and welding the underneath.

Then the body and the process of learning how to lead. More time and my wife was so understanding.
I remember once well after midnight close to tears on a door repair. Then the spray work. Now its all 2 pack something you can't manage like cellulose.

Then I worked from my full length pit car up at a crazy angle never heard of a rotisserie !!

On reflection now in my mid 70's though, the experience was wonderful, I am proud of my work. Its not perfect at all, but its safe, it looks good and I am happy to drive it all year round if its not raining! To finally succeed is great even better on your bank balance,but take my word for it, its not easy.

I will try on the next mail to attach a photo of my car tipped up for welding and my pit.

Roy

[roy mawbey]

A pic as promised of my 356 in the process of welding.



Roy

[Ignatzcatz]

Neil, it's not that bad. Although I really wanted a rotisserie, I knocked up a jig with new steel and casters for under a hundred and it's still being used under my pal's 911. And clamps and all manor of bodywork tools are so readily available it does make life much easier. Divorce? I don't think so, get her a pair of overalls and a set of spanners and get her working too!

[neilbardsley]

get her a pair of overalls and a set of spanners and get her working too!

I wish Family members groan if I ask them to sit in the car and rev it so I can sync the carbs!

[slipslide]

Ha ha. I'm not sure I could get the wife and kids working on the cars with me. Aparantly it's easier just to buy a car on forza, never goes wrong on there. Welding honestly just isn't for me, I did have a few lessons at night school but tbh I just didn't enjoy it. I used to shape surfboards so was happy with fibreglass and wood but steel not so easy. I'm going to go and visit a couple of bodyshops and get a feel for what they do and take a punt (or possibly an educated decision). It really is a nice car with a truck load of potential so fingers crossed.
Nice work restoring yours Roy, but I definitely think neals right 500 hours would bring a divorce and after all that work I would have to cut the car in half to give half to the wife.