Retro Car Restoration of this beautiful Mustang GT 350. A proper Yorkshire car restoration.

Overview

What does it take to make an excellent car restoration? Well, it is a number of factors. The first and foremost is to understand the brief and work closely with the client. Hopefully, he will be very understanding, as the road less travelled is filled with potholes. Sorry, I could not resist saying that. No, but honestly, a very good understanding client is essential as you try to realise their dream.

In this case, it was really great to work with the client. It is almost like a partnership, and I have to say I will miss him. I digress.

It is that adage ” what lies beneath”; in this case, it was surprise after surprise. This is where the understanding bit comes in. The result is fantastic, and I credit everyone who worked on her.

Please consider us if you want to restore your Retro or Classic car or need straightforward service, such as SMART repair. Paul, our general manager, will be more than happy to help you, and you know what? He is rather good.

Body

We first stripped the car to its bare bones and carefully bagged and tagged each part so that nothing usable was thrown away or misplaced/damaged. So often, parts that are difficult to find are lost or broken because care was not taken in cataloguing them. We also took photos of how we dismantled the car with the iPad to have a visual record.

Paint Preparation

The paint was stripped so we could see what lies beneath, and in this case, several body panels had to be replaced as they had deteriorated too far, and rust had settled in. We are often asked how to solve the problem with rust. The only way to solve the issue with rust is to cut it out. Lee, our fabulous welder and panel beater, made some smaller panels so that we saved valuable cost of money for the client.

Lee also shaped the car, ensuring the correct gaps between the doors, boot, and bonnet.

When Lee is happy with all the panels, the car is sent to the paint booth to get an epoxy primer coating once it has been decreased.

Epoxy primer helps prevent rust, and once it is hardened, it provides a firm, durable surface.

Paint

After flatting the epoxy primer, it is onto a light coat of filler on the car as we try to pull the metal out as far as we can and create a vehicle that requires very little filler.

Premier is applied next to the car. This process is very long as it is flattened and painted with primer several times to achieve the perfect finish. This process is often referred to as removing the high and low spots.

When we are happy with the primer and all high and low spots have disappeared, the first light coat of paint is applied. When this area is semi-dried, more coats and a final coat of lacquer are applied.

When all the paint is dry, any imperfections are taken care of. A sanding-down process is then applied to the paint along with several methods of bufing the car.

Reassembly

After the car is painted, it must be reassembled. In this case, many of the original parts that had been removed were refitted. With our excellent way of cataloguing and photographing everything, it was a relatively straightforward process.

This is a fabulous Yorkshire retro car restoration at Classic Car Lab. We are the best classic car restoration company in Yorkshire, if not the United Kingdom. We are an affordable company that specialises in everything that you may need for your Classic, Retro, or modern car.

Remember, if you have a mishap with your car, we have an accident repair centre. We can help you navigate the minefield of dealing with insurance companies. Our services are under one roof so that all car issues can be handled efficiently within one place.

We will even have baby-changing facilities soon.

Please consider us not only for just restoration’s but also servicing, general maintenance, SMART repairs , MOT work and even car resprays. All our services that we offer are all under one roof and you can be reassured all our work is guaranteed. We now offer all our garage services for any modern car so please give us a call or pop in to see us. We are based in Yorkshire but we cover all of the country.Yorkshires finest classic car restoration and general maintenance  workshop for Classic, Retro and Modern cars. The best classic and modern car garage, well we think so but don’t take our word come and see and make your own mind up.