Classic car restoration, stage by stage.

Heritage Motorworks is a three-bay workshop on Alabama Road in Blenheim. We take on four ground-up restorations a year and track each one through five visible stages so you always know where your car is. No black-box quotes, no surprises.

See the stages

01 · Restoration stages

Five stages, same order, every car.

Every restoration follows the same sequence. We photograph each stage and share a private gallery with you so you can follow along from anywhere.

  1. 01

    Assessment & strip

    Full inspection, photographic record, removal of all trim, glass, wiring and mechanical components. Every bolt is bagged, tagged and catalogued. We produce a written scope document with a firm quote before anything else happens. Duration: 2–4 weeks.

  2. 02

    Chassis & body

    Media blasting to bare metal, structural repair, rust replacement panels, chassis straightening on our jig. If the floor pans are gone, we fabricate new ones from 1.2mm steel. Soda blasting for aluminium bodies. Duration: 6–12 weeks depending on rust.

  3. 03

    Mechanical

    Engine rebuild or replacement, gearbox, diff, brakes, suspension, fuel system, cooling. We use NOS parts where available and quality reproductions where not. Every mechanical system is bench-tested before it goes back in the car. Duration: 4–8 weeks.

  4. 04

    Paint & trim

    Glasurit 90-Line basecoat/clearcoat in our downdraft booth. Colour matching to factory codes or custom. Full interior retrim — seats, door cards, headlining, carpet — by our in-house trimmer. Wiring loom rebuilt or replaced. Chrome sent to Nelson Chrome for replating. Duration: 6–10 weeks.

  5. 05

    Assembly & commission

    Final assembly, alignment, tuning, road test (200 km minimum on Marlborough roads including the Wairau Valley and Taylor Pass). WoF and registration. A final detail and a professional photo set before handover. Duration: 2–4 weeks.

02 · Current builds

On the floor right now.

These three cars are in the workshop as of this month. Each progress bar shows where the car is in the five-stage sequence.

Bay 1

1967 Ford Mustang Fastback

289 V8, Highland Green. Owner: Pete and Angela, Christchurch. Full rotisserie restoration. Currently in the paint booth — second coat of basecoat went on yesterday.

Stage 4 of 5: Paint & trim

Bay 2

1972 Holden HQ Monaro GTS

350 Chev, Lettuce Alone Green. Owner: Ray, Nelson. Engine is on the stand being rebuilt — new cam, lifters, and timing chain. Original Turbo 400 is serviceable.

Stage 3 of 5: Mechanical

Bay 3

1958 Austin-Healey 100/6

BN4, Ice Blue over Ivory. Owner: Margaret, Blenheim. Arrived last week on a trailer. Floors are through, sills are crumbling, but the frame is straight. Stripping starts Monday.

Stage 1 of 5: Assessment & strip

03 · Past projects

Completed restorations.

  • Before & After

    1965 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Roadster

    Opalescent Silver Blue. 18-month ground-up. New floor pans, complete engine rebuild (4.2L inline-six), interior retrimmed in Suede Green leather. Owner drove it to the Omaka Classic Fighters show the week after handover. Completed March 2025.

  • Before & After

    1970 Ford Falcon XW GT

    Candy Apple Red. 14-month build. Imported from Australia as a rolling shell — we sourced a correct 351 Cleveland and C6 auto from a wrecked car in Melbourne. Won Best Ford at the Marlborough Car Show 2024. Completed October 2024.

  • Before & After

    1956 Chevrolet Bel Air

    Onyx Black and India Ivory two-tone. 20-month project — the most rust we have ever seen in a car that was still worth saving. Full frame-off, new quarters, new trunk floor. Upgraded to disc brakes and power steering. Completed January 2024.

  • Before & After

    1973 Datsun 240Z

    Burnt Orange (918). Quick 10-month build — the body was solid, just tired paint and a blown motor. Rebuilt L24 with triple Webers. Interior left original apart from new carpet. Completed June 2023.

04 · Credentials

Qualifications and affiliations.

  • ICAR certified

    International Centre for Automotive Research certification for structural repair and media blasting. Renewed 2025.

  • Glasurit-approved paint facility

    Downdraft booth running Glasurit 90-Line. We are one of three approved classic-car paint facilities in the South Island.

  • Vintage Car Club of NZ

    Workshop member since 2009. We attend the Marlborough branch rally every January and the national Easter rally when the diary allows.

  • MTA member

    Motor Trade Association membership guarantees our workshop standards and provides dispute resolution for customers.

  • WoF issuing authority

    We issue Warrants of Fitness on-site so your car can drive home the day it is finished.

05 · What owners say

From the people who trusted us with their cars.

"I checked in on the Mustang every three weeks. Each time there was a new photo set and a clear explanation of what had been done and what was next. No other shop I talked to offered that level of transparency."
— Pete M., Christchurch, 1967 Mustang Fastback (in progress)
"The 240Z came back looking better than it did in 1973. The triple Webers were my idea and they talked me through the fuel system changes honestly — no upselling, just engineering."
— Daniel F., Nelson, 1973 Datsun 240Z (completed 2023)
"I am 74 and this E-Type is the car I always wanted. They treated it like their own. When I picked it up, the engine was warm, the tyres were cold-checked, and there was a card from the whole team. Proper people."
— Margaret and Colin T., Blenheim, 1965 Jaguar E-Type (completed 2025)

06 · Prepare for drop-off

Get your car ready for the workshop.

Before you deliver your car (or we collect it), tick off everything below. Once the list is complete, you are ready.

Drop-off preparation checklist

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