Classic Car Restoration
Classic Cars are our passion and with 37 years experience in the body repair industry director David Sharman and his brother Andy were working on many of today’s classics when they were new!
We cater for all makes and models and have Concours and Class winning cars all over the world!
Barkston Refinishing will undertake the entire restoration project or will happily work with you the owner/enthusiast to restore the body of your classic. Projects can be broken into sections e.g. front or rear end or doors and sills, over several seasons to save capital outlay.
This Daimler DB18 Barker Sports Special is much loved by its lady owner who asked if we could re-attach the body to its chassis without her having to re-mortgage the house!
nb: Restoration pictures at the base of this text.
The side chassis outriggers and body mountings were seriously corroded and we had no pattern for the bottom two inches of sill as they had been bodged over the years with everything from bits of tin, pop riveted on, to body filler and newspaper! We had to cut away one section of inner sill at a time, support the body, and carry out the repair with the body on its chassis which was far from easy.
The project involved just about every skill required in our trade as the body is part steel, part aluminium with an ash frame and with many layers of paint and filler. Because the timber frame was crumbling away and very dry there was a great risk of setting the car on fire. You can imagine cutting away so much metal in seriously confined and awkward to get at areas was not fun.
However after two long sessions in our workshops over two winters, the car is now looking very respectable, and its owner is very happy with the work done so far.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
One of many minis we have repaired/restored over the years, everything from a new Heritage shell to flared wheel arches, sills, chequered roof etc. etc.
The photos need no explaining as we have all seen it before! What counts is how long it lasts and how original it looks!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
This car came to us with its rear and side body mountings in a poor state.
The owner supplied us with two new front wings, one a genuine RR panel the other a much poorer pattern part. Both wings were for a Bentley and had to be heightened at the front to match the taller Rolls Royce radiator grille. We faired in Mk2 Jaguar front flasher lamps which help make the car safer on todays roads and were pleased with the way they look. The pattern wing was such a poor fit and had been ground so thin that we cut out the headlamp pod from the original wing and fitted into the new one.
The owner also supplied us with new inner and outer sills and rear wing lower sections all of which were pattern bench made parts and had to be made to fit. The body mountings and other sections were all made on site at Barkston.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
We will recommend other specialists for such things as chrome plating, re-upholstery etc. based on our experience and feedback from other owners.
Where replacement panels are too expensive or no longer available we will fabricate and weld in new metal. Body lead is still used in our workshops, despite being increasingly difficult to get hold of, and the obvious health hazards to the user, but we feel that in certain situations there is no adequate substitute. Traditional forms of welding are used, i.e. oxy/acetylene, m.i.g./m.a.g. and t.i.g. though we have found that modern pulse m.i.g. brazing can also be beneficial in some circumstances, particularly when working with galvanised or coated steel. This is a perfect example of the benefits of our knowledge of old and new working methods.
When your restoration is complete we continue to look after your pride and joy with a free annual body check up. Subsequent underbody and cavity wax re-treatment carried out at preferential rates.
One of our frustrations is that restorers fail to keep a record of paint colour formulations as they often buy in ready mixed paint from a factor, whilst Barkston Refinishing mixes all its paint on site and a record is kept to avoid colour matching problems in the future.
