White's Bodyworks provides specialist classic car welding and fabrication from our workshop in West Sussex.
We repair corrosion, damaged chassis sections, sills, floors, body panels and structural areas on classic and vintage vehicles, from localised welding repairs to extensive restoration metalwork.
Older cars often carry decades of previous repairs, filler, underseal and hidden corrosion, so the first job is usually to establish what is actually underneath before deciding how best to repair it.
Corrosion is one of the most common problems uncovered during classic car restoration.
Sills, floor sections, chassis rails, arches, mounting points and other enclosed areas can deteriorate from the inside while appearing relatively sound from the outside.
Once the affected area is exposed, weak metal is removed back to a sound edge before the repair is rebuilt.
The aim is not simply to cover the visible hole, but to restore the section properly and avoid trapping further corrosion behind a cosmetic repair.
Where wider work is required, welding can form part of a complete classic car restoration.
Many classic cars have been repaired several times during their lives, often when the vehicle was worth considerably less than it is today.
It is therefore common to uncover overlapping patches, heavy filler, poorly shaped sections or older repairs that were intended to keep the car usable rather than restore it accurately.
Some historic repairs remain perfectly serviceable. Others need to be removed and rebuilt before the surrounding structure or bodywork can be restored properly.
We assess each area on its condition rather than replacing original material unnecessarily.
This is particularly important on valuable or unusual vehicles where retaining sound original structure can be preferable to wholesale replacement.
Replacement panels are not always available for older vehicles, particularly on rarer makes and models.
Where necessary, we can fabricate repair sections to reproduce the shape, strength and function of the original area.
This can include sills, floor sections, closing panels, brackets, edges, returns and shaped body sections.
Fabrication is also useful where only part of a larger original panel is damaged and replacing the entire section would remove more sound material than necessary.
For suitable components that need cleaning before repair, our shot blasting service can also form part of the preparation process.
On larger restorations, structural repairs need to be planned alongside panel fit, body alignment and the work that follows.
Doors, wings, bonnets and other panels may need to be trial-fitted repeatedly while repairs are being carried out so the body remains aligned before paint preparation begins.
Once welding and fabrication are complete, the repaired areas can move on to corrosion protection, body preparation and refinishing.
Because White's handles bodywork, welding, fabrication and paint in-house, suitable projects can progress through these stages without being passed between several different specialists.
For modern cars, vans and motorcycles requiring more general repairs, see our automotive welding service.
View more of our recent projects.
