A restoration is a series of decisions made with the vehicle in front of you. The process below exists to make those decisions in the right order, so you know what you are committing to before the money and the metal are on the line.
Enquiry
You tell us the vehicle, its current condition and what you want it to become. The enquiry form does most of this for us.
Workshop inspection
Serious projects start with a paid inspection at the workshop. We put the vehicle in front of us and look properly. This is not a formality, it is where the real information comes from.
Condition assessment
We tell you what you actually have, not what you hoped you had. Chassis, driveline, corrosion, previous work and the state of the systems underneath.
Objective and scope
We agree what the vehicle should become and how it will be used. A daily-driven restomod and a hardcore off-road build are different jobs, and the scope has to match the goal.
Staged planning
The build is broken into stages so the important foundations come first and the work is manageable and clear. More on stages below.
Estimate
Only once we understand the job do we put numbers to it. An estimate built on a real assessment is worth something. A number pulled out of the air is not.
Deposit and scheduling
With the plan agreed, a deposit books the vehicle into the bench and the work is scheduled around our current builds.
Disassembly and further assessment
Once we start pulling the vehicle apart, it tells the truth. Old vehicles hide their problems, and the final scope can change after teardown. We flag this early because it is the norm, not the exception.
Build execution
The actual work. Chassis, driveline, fabrication, wiring, engine, suspension, cooling, brakes, interior. Documented as it goes.
Testing, commissioning and handover
It gets tested, sorted and commissioned properly before it goes anywhere. Then it goes home, and we tell you exactly what was done.
Why the scope can change after teardown
This is the part most workshops avoid saying out loud. When a vehicle is thirty or forty years old, some of the worst problems are hidden under paint, filler and previous repairs. A proper build finds them, and finding them sometimes changes the plan and the cost. We would rather tell you that up front than surprise you halfway through, or worse, bury the problem and hand it back to you.
The staged approach
Most builds run in stages. We build from the bottom up: the drivetrain and suspension the vehicle actually rides and drives on come first, then the engine and mechanical work, then the body and finishing. It keeps the foundations solid before the finishing and the spend structured rather than one enormous unknown. The exact order flexes to suit the vehicle, but the logic is usually this.
Drivetrain & suspension
Drivetrain, axle ratios, lockers and suspension, matched to how the vehicle is actually used. The foundation it rides on, sorted first.
Mechanical foundation
Engine, cooling and the essential mechanical work, built onto a driveline that is already right.
Body, interior & finishing
Bodywork, interior, electrical systems and the finishing that makes it whole.
Before you enquire
Understand that we build a limited number of vehicles at a time and we are selective. An enquiry is the start of a conversation, not a booking, and it is not a quote. If the build makes sense, the paid inspection is the real first step. If it does not, we will tell you honestly and early.