Mobile Panelbeater in Auckland

[ryanstev]

Hi all,

I have a 1979 Ford Falcon XC and I'm looking to get some work performed on it and I'm looking for a panelbeater who can make a house call. I've contacted Mobile Rust Surgeon twice via email, but had no reply, so I'm not sure who else to try.

There are three main areas that I need repaired, one is the driver's A-pillar, it was rusted out and needs a patch welded in, it's rust free now, but I'd feel better having this professionally welded in, rather than doing it myself.
I understand a shim can and maybe should be inserted into the A-pillar for this type of repair.

The other two areas are the C-pillars. They're rust free, but have dents on them and wouldn't pass a WOF.

A picture of the left C-pillar can be viewed here: https://kaitaia.com/Project/Pictures/filler-left-c-pillar-4.jpg this is from back in 2010, when I painted this with POR15. It's bare metal now, but this shows off the warping quite well. A previous owner already had the dent pulled out and bogged over.

A picture of the right C-pillar can be viewed here: https://kaitaia.com/Project/Pictures/2023/oil2.jpg this is from a couple months ago, I think it's a relatively simple dent to work on, but I couldn't pop it out from the back. Just above that dent is a square patch, this was a pretty poor repair, so I'd like that cut out and a new piece welded in, it'll be a good way to work on the dent while its open.


There's a twist to all of this work though, which is, I want to keep the car bare metal. It's treated with boiled Linseed oil and white spirits to stop any rust. That second picture is how I want to keep the car's look.

This means I need the dents on the C-pillars fixed as best as they can be and filled with either lead or solder, I'm obviously not a panelbeater, but I understand that this will add to the structural strength by doing it this way.
If there's another way to do this that'll add structural strength, then I'm OK with a silver body filler that looks like steel and which doesn't need to be painted and can just be coated in the boiled Linseed, but I'd need a panelbeater who can make up a report stating that this repair is structurally sound.

The repair doesn't need to look pretty, there are a few panels here and there that I and previous owners have replaced and I'm happy to keep the scars exposed, not covering them with filler. I just want the repairs to be able to pass a WOF check.

 

I'm in Massey, West Auckland, just off Don Buck road, I have a steepish driveway, so a panelbeater with a caravan to work from wouldn't work, someone with a van of tools would be fine, I have a double bay garage with lots of room to work in and the car's on positioning dollies.

[Sungai Sungai]

if you want a guy who works only in bare metal give Graeme Pope of Straight Line Restorations a call - 0211493333.

He usually works weekends from his home workshop but you might be able to twist his arm to come tackle your pillar if its a single day job.