KAYTON COUGHEY — REAL RIDES
So, you’ve decided to build a car! After no doubt several conversations, emails, and meetings, we are ready to get underway. I have an idea of what you think you want, and am ready to turn some spanners.
Assuming that the car is rolling and complete, we will first check bumpers, all chrome and stainless trim and mouldings, and panel gaps for alignment and damage. Is the glass in, and are the regulators working, is the glass chipped or scratched? Is the interior staying stock and being retrimmed or is it custom? Do we need to make anything prior to upholstery, dash fascias and simple stuff, through to full-length centre consoles? What gauges do we need and what type are we using? Are we having air conditioning?
Once all of these points are crossed or crossed off, we can disassemble the vehicle, including removing panels, running gear, interior, trims, bumpers, glass, then media blast. We have a dustless blasting set-up, which uses recycled bottle glass, and runs through a machine with water and a flash rust/antioxidant agent. The water keeps temps down and eliminates warping.
Once the car is back to bare metal, we clean up the mess and etch all bare metal with an epoxy surfacer primer.
If the vehicle is not currently registered in New Zealand, a repair certifier is called at this stage. The certifier will come and take his preliminary pictures of all the damage and rust that needs repairing, and write his report on the scope of work required to pass inspection. Now the real work begins. From this point, we have several people able to work on the car, rust repairs get underway, the drivetrain will
go off to be rebuilt, or purchased as necessary, and suspension and chassis work is done. This includes any mounts and cross members, all brake systems, brake lines, fuel lines, as well as ride heights being worked out and physically fitted. Usually, at this stage, we like to have the actual wheels that the car will be running on, so that diff width, guard, and chassis clearance, and, importantly, the final stance can be achieved. We like to basically have the car’s mechanicals finished then fill all unnecessary holes and disassemble for paint. The Low Volume Vehicle Certifier will be called in by this point to start preliminary checks and give their approval or disapproval on changes being made.
Once rust repairs are complete, we can make any custom changes to the bodywork like flared guards, spoilers, splitters, diffusers, shaved door handles — any of the steel work can be done. This includes seat fitment and seat-belt mounts, if required, and around this time the panels will all be refitted and gapped, ready for fairing. The repair certifier will now be called back in for a progress visit and more photos.
When we are at the fairing stage, we like the car to be on its feet or supported as if it were on its feet, so that fairing is accurate to how the car will be once finished. While fairing is being done, other aspects will be carrying on in the background, like chrome work and trims being repaired and refinished. We will be purchasing parts left, right, and centre for all sorts of jobs to be done. Underbody and engine bays are seamsealed, painted, and texture-coated as required. Any custom interior parts should be fitted and completed before removing again. Once fairing is finished, the car goes into a 2K high-fill primer. We leave the primer for two–three weeks before any more sanding is done; this allows the solvents to evaporate and everything to shrink and settle. Now that the body is basically together and in primer, the underfloor is finished and the engine bay painted, we can put our chassis back together and underneath the car for the final time. The car’s primered body is blocked in an assembled position, meaning we can sand through the swages and body lines to get everything super straight. It will then need a re-prime, not as heavy as the first prime, but there are always rub throughs that need to be re-covered.
After blocking the second stage of primer, with a finer grit than before, we now remove all the panels from the car again, in preparation for paint. It will get guide-coated and then finish-sanded.
Lots of cleaning and masking follows, and when everything is ready to paint, we seam-seal all gutter joins and door-skin joins and any other joins that are exposed to the air. All parts will be painted in the way they sit on the vehicle, e.g., the doors will be vertical and the bonnet and boot will be horizontal, even if they are painted at different times. This is unless it is a candy or three-stage pearl job in which we will paint all the jambs and undersides and insides of everything, then reassemble and re-gap all the panels, then mask the crap out of everything and paint the whole outside of the car in one go.
After painting, assembly can start, glass and trims go back in and get adjusted, new weather seals are fitted, interior headliner is fitted, exterior door handles and trim are fitted, dash and gauges are fitted and wired, then sound deadener, carpets, seats and seat belts, quarter and door trims, centre consoles, shifters, stereo, speakers all get their final spot on the vehicle. Bumpers are refitted and adjusted, headlights and tail lights go on. Engine and drivetrain placement, wiring and plumbing can be finished and all accessories fitted, brakes bled and wheels refitted, then, once everything’s together, it’s testing and tuning everything, then certs and road legalities.