Bodywork & sheet metal
Hammering, shaping, rebuilding damaged or missing panels.
Handwork where machines can't reach. We start from the existing sheet metal, study the car's original geometry, and rebuild what is missing with hammer, dolly and patience. Every panel must agree with its frame, not just from the outside.
02 · By hand
- 01Custom reconstruction of missing panels
- 02Shaping consistent with the original frame
- 03Invisible grafts that don't alter the lines
- 04Correct preparation for paint
Bodywork is the part of restoration where the craftsman's hand matters more than any machine. It is not a matter of swapping a panel with a modern stamping: it is reading the original frame, understanding its tolerances, and beating a sheet that picks up exactly where the other one failed. No force, no compromise fillers.
"A panel must fall into place. If you have to force it, it's wrong."
- — principioGeometry first
A beautiful panel that doesn't fit the frame is a mistake. We start from the original dimensions, not aesthetics.
- — principioBeat, don't replace
Where the original exists, recover it. Where it's missing, rebuild by hand, not by stamping.
- — principioInvisible grafts
Welds are planned away from character lines, never across a visible crease.
- 01Measuring
Reference points on the frame and sound panels are measured to reconstruct correct geometry.
- 02Rough shaping
From a flat blank, the panel is shaped to approximate form with sandbag and bodywork hammer.
- 03Fine work on the dolly
Tight curves with dolly, calibrated hammers and curved file, checked constantly with templates.
- 04Grafting and welding
Tack welding, then continuous wire, placed outside character lines and ground flush.
- 05Final levelling
Filing, raking-light inspection, substrate prepared for primer coats.
- Can new reproduction panels be used?
- Only when they match period geometry and quality. When modern panels don't fit, we hand-build instead.
- How much of a compromised panel can be saved?
- Often more than expected. Only truly degraded areas are cut and rebuilt with dedicated grafts.
- Do you work in aluminium too?
- Yes. Steel and aluminium, depending on the car's original spec.