Custom Fabrication 101
Vehicles that are brought into our Customs & Hot Rods of Andice body shop undergo a thorough, multi-phase restoration process. While we certainly provide ample maintenance and repair tasks, our primary focus is and always will be the restoration and customization of beautiful cars and one key aspect of this is custom fabrication.
The Importance of Custom Metal Fabrication & Its Methods
Our ability to do quality custom metal fabrication in our own shop enables us to replace rare yet necessary auto parts as well as provide quality restoration to antique vehicles. Such fabrication means that we can replicate parts that may be out of production and add unique, custom touches to vehicles. During this phase of restoration, we also complete key tasks like corrosion repairs, panel form corrections, and suspension adjustment. A few of the methods we will use during the custom fabrication process include:
Cutting metal. Custom fabrication begins with removing the currently corroded, worn, and otherwise ill-suited metal segments on a vehicle. Sometimes this requires heavy metal-cutting machinery like power-scissors, mechanical saw blades, and even laser beam technology. For every large piece of metal that needs to be removed, we will also have to measure, cut, and fit its appropriate replacement.
Punching. The punch-and-die tool utilizes pressure to create holes in metal materials. This is a necessary aspect for replacing things like body panels that must be fitted and screwed in at the end of the custom fabrication process.
Machining. Machining is a term used to describe the removal of material from a piece of metal either on a lathe or via fast rotation against a cutting tool. At our facility, we use both types of this process to clean up large pieces of metal, as well as for precision work on complex components. For example, vintage automobiles often have engines that lacked provisions for properly lubricating valve stems and guides, so valve stems regularly get worn and pitted. In order to restore such engines back to their proper working condition, we will need to take out these stems and use a lathe to machine them so that they are once again true, round, and without any pits or similar wear marks.
Contact CHRA & Get Started On Your Restoration Project Today
Every custom fabrication project begins with an idea and a design. When you contact our team at Customs & Hot Rods of Andice, we'll start by asking you about the status and condition of your vehicle now and where you want it to be. We will sketch out and use a computer-aided design program to showcase a 3D prototype of where we see the project going and offerregular update photos as the process is underway.
The beautiful thing about metal is that it is incredibly versatile and via different cutting, bending, machining, welding, and similar techniques, we can transform it into those beautiful and precision parts necessary to make any vehicle look and work as though it were fresh off the assembly line. Contact our team to get started today!