reconditioned shells

isn't it about time someone started reconditioning gti shells to sell on, surely there is money to be made?

prob is the time and money in doing one would far outstrip the price you could sell them for!!!  If it could be done cost effectively so the shell was re-cond with a v5 for around 1500-2k then it might be viable.

It isn't like mini's where rover actually sold the moulds/dies to third party companies so they could produce shells.  I believe they were all sent to south africa who are still using them!!!!

Jon

With so many people out of work I'm sure that mass production renovated shells would cost less than 1k? I suppose sandblasting the shells would cut down on a lot on labour.

I would certainly buy a reconditioned hell for 1k.

hell i'd love to do it. be one of the most rewarding jobs in the universe!!! saving mk1 shells.

Really would. kinda be hope someone decides to.

If i knew people wpould buy them i'd look into it
could do other cars too

Jon.

I think tsr used to offer this service a few years, as already stated to restore a shell properly takes time which equals money and the panels to do this have to be available, A rusty plate over a rusty hole is a mot bodge not a restoration.

if you have the right tools creating panels doesn't take long.  and if you've got a rotating jig and a couple of good welders most shells could be done in a day or so.

I mean your average mk1 needs regular panels, which are available! mk2's would need less in theory, mebbe a scuttle repair or 2, arches and maybe a sill.

Media blast first, and then crack on.

you'd only take those that weren't too bad. you'd make a fair bit back off the spares from the strip down. buy a car, gut it, sell the bits and fix the shell.

Shells could come zinc primed and probs with a 5 yr no-rust guarantee?

not a bad thought, especially not just doing vw, ford, vauxhall etc!

why not instead of stripping the car and selling off all the bits, restore that car instead :dontknow:

Crowson_punk said

I mean your average mk1 needs regular panels, which are available! quote]


Really?  Where?

(and I'm not talking about nasty fitting Italian Stampings)

You can't even get genuine wings anymore

Restore a shell in a day or so? that would not be a restoration.

I've had similar thoughts about the heritage shells for Mini, Sprite, Midget, etc…

With a growing interest in Western countries for restorations and reshelling, and a vast Chinese expansion…

Why aren't we getting shells made in China? Okay, the home-grown car market is making some pretty lethal machinery, but that's because they're doing it the old-fashioned way, without varying thicknesses/controlled glue/welds - making a Golf or similar shell would suit the current industry well.

People pay ?4-8000 for reshells for MGs and the like…

Do you not think though the mg market owners are perhaps a bit older (me excluded) and have more money to spend, i have been into golfs for years but 4 to 8,000 ( your figures), how many on here would be prepared/able to spend that.

For a brand new VW shell, made of the right steel and thickness, rust-prepared and painted? Quite a few I imagine - look at the cost and hours people put into their projects.

I'd look into variations… pre-configured mounts for alternative engines, for example. Even, for a laugh, the modifications to put the Syncro running gear in…

What about shells from SA I wonder what cost these would be shipped to UK/Europe for?

Like i said if you have the machinary a cheap panel will not be an issue. it is for us at home/workshops coz we don't all have press-brakes, benders and flanging machinery etc but a proper tooled up panel shop does.

I'm only saying a mk2 shell in a day as theres a lot less work. mk would be more, say 2 or 3 days.

cost it out on a basic level,

donor car= 250-500 depending on model, maybe more
profit from selling off interior, running gear etc = probs about 5-700 depending on what it is and condition.
so thats money in already. if it takes 3 days at 100/day for 2 guys thats 600
then obv theres the paint and sheet metal which wont cost a lot. so in theory they could retail at not much over a grand. even less if theres an exchange shell?

you give them your rotten shell and say 900 quid and you get one ready to paint and fit up??

this is blatantly a rough idea of values, not exact lol but it's food for thought

Jon.

My old man has a midget and ive had a nose at the catalogue he has, you could litteraly build a new car from scratch..

Ive just left the Corraod scene and parts are readily available but no one has begun doing remakes of carpets etc, no specialist companies who brake the cars and stock a variety of new and second hand parts. In that respect the Mk1 is already going the way of MGs. I wonder whether it will go all the way and someone would produce decent shells..

I know, like many others id be keen..

i'm toying with the idea of doing a bit of market research here.

but my big prob is they cant be new shells. That would mean a new vin number as the shell is the chassis on a golf.

beetles and mg's and stuff have the vin on the chassis, not the shell so a new shell isn't an issue.

the mini shells are "not for road use" as they don't have numbers. doesn't stop peeps cloning them and using them, but to make a golf you need the vw dies which would cost millions and make thousands. which is the prroblem!

Buzzin said

Crowson_punk said

I mean your average mk1 needs regular panels, which are available! quote]


Really?  Where?

(and I'm not talking about nasty fitting Italian Stampings)

You can't even get genuine wings anymore

Volkswagen Classic Parts

155821021A  = left wing
155821022A  = right wing

Crowson_punk said

beetles and mg's and stuff have the vin on the chassis, not the shell so a new shell isn't an issue.

Heritage shells for the MGB, MG/A-H Spriget, Mini are all for unitary construction cars - only the Triumphs retained a separate chassis.

The heritage shells are so good, when Rover wanted to relaunch the MG brand and distance it from the warmed-over Maestro/Montego products they bought shells from Heritage with modified wide arches and Bentley tail lights, and stuck V8 engines in them - and the MG R V8 was born.

All the shells are for road use. You may end up needing to get an age related plate via the points system if your donor car wasn't properly registered or documented, but the DVLA has always had the facility to reshell a car with accident damage as long as it's done properly - my Golf 16v was a reshell, it had a prefix applied to the chassis number that was a marker IIRC.

i stand corrected and didn't know that!!!

Even more reason then!

JOn.

If I was out of work I would certainly start off restoring shells and selling them on. I'm certain that afte a time the repairing of shells would become easier. I'm sure that there is money to be made for someone out there. When I owned a TR5 in the 1990's second hand shells where available for 2k. I think they were available from a TR specialist in Winton Bournemouth. All he did was buy mot failed cars, strip them, blast the shell, repair them and sell them on.