Our client is in the process of converting his classic1926 Bentley tourer into a racer – a really exciting project.

Once the car was completely stripped, we were asked to look at the chassis as it was showing signs of some historic damage. Our client advised that during 1933 the vehicle was involved in an accident and sustained significant damage to its rear off-side. Our client suspected the chassis might be compromised due to the earlier incident.

The customer requested that the chassis be strengthened for racing purposes. This involved welding many of the original non-essential bolt holes in the chassis. A delicate operation that had to be carefully undertaken without further distorting the frame or compromising its original shape (no easy job!) The frame also had to be sympathetically re-riveted and the previous historic welds had to be re-welded. After completion the chassis was checked with dye penetrant testing equipment.

We acquired a detailed set of drawings for the Bentley and once we studied them, we realised the chassis was bowed longitudinally and the back member was twisted. We had to carefully manipulate the frame using a Hydraulic G-Clamp and delicately shrink it using an oxy acetylene torch to warm the outer edges. A real labour of love!