Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

Hi all,

Are there (m)any old-car businesses in your area? This could include restorers, parts suppliers, hire companies, museums, and so on.

Off the top of my head, I know of a VW restorer a mile or so away, as the crow flies. A friend of mine builds bodies for pre-war cars out of aluminium, he's a mile or so in the opposite direction.

The garage where friends sell a few old cars is about 5 miles away. There's a paint company not far from the VW restorer, that do a large number of classic cars, while another garage - about 4 miles away - always have a few proper cars belonging to customers, parked outside.

Another chap, who I've not met, does soft-tops for old cars (although I'm told he also spends a fair bit of time doing sub-contracting at Bentley).

RJ
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[Ashley]

There are a huge number round here:

Rendcomb Airfield, there's a Bugatti specialist a mile away, my mate works there and builds P3 engines and gearboxes, there's a Lancia, Maserati, Aston, Jaguar engine builder, my son's business, there's Ian Moss whose the third or forth generation of the Moss family into classic cars, there's Ashton Keynes and Thornley Kellan, there's an alloy body and woodwork specialist up the road, a Morgan specialist on our industrial estate, a Renault Alpine specialist and many more. Gloucestershire seems to attract them.

John Chatham is only thirty miles away, Dan Howell ten less, Eric Mobley the TR man near Malmsbury, Spamspeed at Ebley, Maynards near Nailsworth.

[Calum]

I'm quite lucky in that there are quite a few good outfits locally. John Wearing, P4 specialist is around 15 miles away, a couple of LR specialists are less than 5 miles away so parts for those are very easy to get. Even better than that, about 3 miles from my house my friend runs a classic car restoration/servicing garage 'Little Garage Classics' which is great if for nothing else than a brew and look around old cars... even better is on a weekend when tinkering I can pop in if I need any bits (think second hand spares, lucas toggles, bulb holders etc etc).
Back in my hometown there's a superb local autofactors which do everything I need, open till 7 and open 7 days a week too. There's Rossendale Road Springs not so far from them, an excellent old school supplier and where I tend to get any U bolts, shackle pins etc (not to mention springs!) and there's a good local bearing supplier who have never yet failed to get any bearing or seal for me (I think they like the challenge!)

[Ellis]

Following the classic car boom in the late 1980s, 1989 and 1990 in particular there were many "classic car restoration specialists" here in North Wales.
Many professed to be MG specialists and two Jaguar "restorers".
They had all disappeared by 2000 leaving reputable body shops to correct or sort out their bodges.

There was one on the West Wales coast who had won £1 million with a Daily Express scratchcard. He paid for project cars but never collected them.

There is one long established classic and vintage specialist some 14 miles away which focuses on Rolls Royce and Bentley, sales mostly and always has a large and impressive stock.
It's called The Real Car Company and some of you may have heard of it. A former neighbour bought a Bentley S2 from them in 2003.

The Betws y Coed Motor Museum closed some years ago when the owners retired.
There is a Classic Land Rover parts supplier in Llandudno and there are several owner operated restorers which specialise largely in classic Land Rovers.
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[Wizardofaus]

We have a number near us in France:

Garage Tessier specialises in British sports cars (mainly) although he is currently doing an original Cobra as well. http://www.garage-tessier-37.com/

Auto Classique Touraine rebulid exotica http://autoclassiquetouraine.com/?page=1&ln=en Our photos of their open day are here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.200703669962042.53165.100000672327228&type=1&l=e2f30ecc4d

Dominique Tessier is another exotica rebuilder http://www.3adt.com/index.php?lg=EN We wrote about him on our blog the other day.

Even closer to home we have these people, who are always good for advice http://www.cms37.com/

Thats the great thing about having a classic in France - you never seem to be more than 25 miles away from an expert.
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1953 Citroen Traction Avant
1956 Citroen Traction Avant

[DPP]

This is something I have thought about recently, I would have thought that along with less owners carrying out their own maintenance there must also be a decreasing number of mechanics working on classics.

Im sure most young apprentices have no interest in classic cars or diagnosing faults without a code reader but would be glad to be proved wrong.

Do classic owners try to use classic specialists or are they happy using a non dealer garage that will work on all types of cars but usually moderns.

I am lucky that I can handle the mechanics and small bodywork jobs but finding good people for major welding and paintwork is not easy.
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Dave
Jensen Interceptor MK111
Princess 2

[Rootes75]

With no prior experience my Brother-in-law recently started a restoration business locally. The set up costs were huge and returns barely pay the rent on the unit.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Ashley]

My son was known for his skills when he left Alpine Eagle, but I was still very worried for a time. However he's got more customers than he can cope with now and is having to build a new factory.

Other friends who've set up on their own and struggled to find customers. It's not easy, especially if you have a family to support. It's not enough to be a mechanic IMO, you need to be able to do everything and offer the skills you don't have to re-assure customers. Rich rebuilds anything mechanical including R-R engines and old American stuff and he trims, makes hoods and more. Also he has an auto electrician, a wood framer, a skilled painter, alloy panel maker etc who he can call on. We've a friend with a rolling road too, who can fine tune anything and it gives customers confidence.

The biggest problem for customers is that there are loads of incompetent restoration people out there and rip off artists, so you have to be extremely careful not to let people down.

Like everything these days, it takes very hard graft and perseverance to succeed, more than many are willing to make these days.

[baconsdozen]

There's a place that sells imperial tools,whitworth,BSF,BA and AF, not feet from me.
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Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired).

[ajlelectronics]

I am I able to self promote?
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[Wizardofaus]

[Ashley]

I think it's changing. For years "going into sales" and getting a company car seemed like a promotion, but there aren't the jobs now and kids are beginning to realise that mending, making and rebuilding is far far more rewarding and that not everyone can do it. My son has Matt, who was desperately keen to get into restoration and is really nice. Everyone likes him and he works very hard. I reckon he'll need two more once the new building is up and assuming the council doesn't refuse or impose assenine restrictions.

[DPP]

Part of the problem seems to be that when I left school in the 80s it was seen as good for somebody like me (not very academic) to learn a trade and get an apprenticeship but in more recent years tradesmen and mechanical type manual jobs seem to have dropped out of fashion.

School kids all expect to be rich and famous or MD of a company without putting in any real effort.

My current apprentice who was 25 when he started thought that he would learn how to be an industrial electrician in a month or 2 and laughed when we told him it would take 5 -10 years to become a reasonable electrician but would still have a lot to learn.
I think he now wishes he had not invested a lot of his time and money learning a trade long after most apprentices are qualified.
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Dave
Jensen Interceptor MK111
Princess 2