Restoration - Bodywork & Chassis
Final Testing Interior Trim Mechanical
The process begins by stripping the donor vehicle to a completely bare shell. The shell is then mounted on to a purpose-built jig to check chassis member alignment. This jig revolves through 360ยบ to provide easy access to all parts of the body. The doors, bonnet and boot lid are taken off the car and the exterior panels are brought back to bare metal with paint stripper. The body is then shot-blasted with some one-and-a-half tons of shot, removing all paint and underseal from the underside, luggage compartment, door apertures, engine bay and interior of the car.
This process takes the whole shell back to clean steel and removes all corrosion. The whole shell is then treated with an epoxy resin primer, which affords excellent protection against rust. The process of replacing any corroded areas then begins using brand new handmade panels produced to the highest standards from the same gauge steel as originally used by Jaguar.
Repaired areas are then lead-loaded and the shell prepared for painting. The engine bay and underside of the shell are treated with seam sealer and undercoated with stone chip which is a modern development of the traditional underseal and provides better protection. The rest of the shell is then treated with a two-pack acrylic primer and sprayed to concours standard and polished by hand.
Painting the body shell is an art in itself. Each coat is sprayed by hand in the chosen colour to ensure a perfectly smooth finish. The doors, bonnet and boot lid are sprayed separately to ensure complete coverage and protection. All chassis sections, including the inside of the doors and sills are thoroughly injected with cavity wax to make absolutely certain that corrosion cannot start in these inaccessible areas.
The process begins by stripping the donor vehicle to a completely bare shell. The shell is then mounted on to a purpose-built jig to check chassis member alignment. This jig revolves through 360ยบ to provide easy access to all parts of the body. The doors, bonnet and boot lid are taken off the car and the exterior panels are brought back to bare metal with paint stripper. The body is then shot-blasted with some one-and-a-half tons of shot, removing all paint and underseal from the underside, luggage compartment, door apertures, engine bay and interior of the car.
This process takes the whole shell back to clean steel and removes all corrosion. The whole shell is then treated with an epoxy resin primer, which affords excellent protection against rust. The process of replacing any corroded areas then begins using brand new handmade panels produced to the highest standards from the same gauge steel as originally used by Jaguar.
Repaired areas are then lead-loaded and the shell prepared for painting. The engine bay and underside of the shell are treated with seam sealer and undercoated with stone chip which is a modern development of the traditional underseal and provides better protection. The rest of the shell is then treated with a two-pack acrylic primer and sprayed to concours standard and polished by hand.
Painting the body shell is an art in itself. Each coat is sprayed by hand in the chosen colour to ensure a perfectly smooth finish. The doors, bonnet and boot lid are sprayed separately to ensure complete coverage and protection. All chassis sections, including the inside of the doors and sills are thoroughly injected with cavity wax to make absolutely certain that corrosion cannot start in these inaccessible areas.