Ducks in a Row
It takes over 40 years to gather a G Clamp collection like this
Adjustment
Just a tap….but it takes years to learn ‘Where’ & “How Hard’. More than 40 years experience between them…Lawrence passing on the skills to Grace
RACING
AC Cobra NSF Wheel Arch
Behind The Mask
Lawrence TIG welds a DB5 door
Handmade
Traditional panel beating craftsmanship.. Lawrence working the metal by hand using hammer & dolly
If Carlsberg did ‘Workshops’ …
L-R, AC Cobra, Mk1 Escort RS1600, AC Cobra, Aston Martin DB5, Aston Martin DB5
Shaping
Craftsmanship in action at G&A Fabrications. Lawrence then hammers the curve against an anvil
Precision
To The Millimetre
LK
Tools that fit like a glove…
Attention to Detail
Millimetre details make precision craftsmanship stand out
New Panels
2 freshly made panels
Dollies
Panel Beating Dollies
In His Element
Lawrence beats a panel by hand surrounded by essential machinery… English Wheel, Flanging Wheel, Guillotine
One Job
A drawer full of Chisels & Drifts, many handmade with just one particular job in mind… one made from an engine valve because it was just the right shape!!
Gas 2
Concentration ….
Buck
A forming Buck to check the shape of panels around
Gas 3
Love the metal rule holding the panel from curling with the heat…
Power Hammer
The Power Hammer just gets certain jobs done quicker
Heat -Shape – Repeat
Sheet Aluminium being heated before being worked
Metal Finished
Adjustment markings during restoration panel work Aston Martin DB5
Wall Art
Doesn’t everybody have the front end of an AC Cobra hanging on their wall??
Restoration Project
This car had been bought as ‘fully restored’ as soon as the paint was removed it was clear it wasn’t quite the same craftsmanship as it was about to receive!
Trimming
Tin Snips and new panel for AC Cobra
Tunnel Vision
Handmade Transmission Tunnel by G&A Fabrications
English Wheel
Metalworking tool that enables a craftsperson to form compound (double curvature) curves from flat sheets of metal
New Arch
Handmade AC Cobra rear wheel arch by G&A Fabrications
WELD
Adjustment Notes written directly on to the panels … WELDing going on behind
Teamwork
Craftsmanship at G&A Fabrications is all about teamwork. Lawrence & Grace working together on an AC Cobra rear panel
G&A Fabrications – Craftsmanship Series
G&A Fabrications are a small team of dedicated and enthusiastic auto engineers, headed by the wizard that is Lawrence Kett. The company has particular skills in restoring damaged coachwork of historic road and race cars. For historic vehicles, the preservation of original panels is paramount to many owners and the company takes pride in its ability to manipulate the panelling and support structure in most cases.
Lawrence Kett, the proprietor of G&A Fabrications, started out as an apprentice in panel beating and sheet metal work with British Aerospace but soon, realising his vocation was with cars. Lawrence moved to Autokraft, based at Brooklands. Autokraft were an AC Cobra restorations shop, parts supplier and replica manufacturer. During the next 12 years Lawrence developed many skills and became aware of the growth in specialist restoration of historic road and race cars.
Fuelled by passion and hunger to expand his skills, Lawrence decided to open his own workshop. In September 1990, G&A Fabrications opened their roller shutter to their first job, aptly, a 1963 AC Cobra race car.
Since opening their doors, G&A Fabrications have undertaken work on some of the rarest and most beautiful cars ever to have graced the road or track and the projects have been as interesting as they are varied. From overnight rebuilds in time to make the starting grid the morning after… to extensive, delicate and sympathetic restorations on some of the world’s most famous and valuable cars.
Now Lawrence is passing on more than 40 years experience to Grace (incidentally not the G in G&A). For the last 5 years she has been absorbing the skills & knowledge of this truest form of craftsmanship. To take a flat sheet of metal & form it by hand into some of the most beautiful cars in the world.