Shop Tour

Wide view of the Washburn's Metal shop floor in Orange, California, with two technicians working on a Beetle body on stands

Visit us

Shop Tour.Where your parts come from.

When you order a part from us, this is where it comes from. Not a warehouse and not a drop-shipper — a working metal shop in Orange, California, where the same hands that pack your order also weld frame heads, shape body panels and make the parts we sell under our own name.

2,100+
Parts in the catalog
Air-cooled VW and Porsche, listed and searchable
252
Washburn's Originals
Designed and made here, not bought in
1946–1989
Years we cover
Air-cooled VW 1946–79 · Porsche 1950–89
Orange
California, USA
One shop, one address, walk-ins welcome

The floor

What's here.

The fabrication bay

The back of the shop is where the metalwork happens. Two metal brakes, a shrinker-stretcher, a planishing hammer and a TIG setup we use for everything from chassis repair to one-off brackets. This is where the Washburn's Originals get made — tunnel access plates, frame head repair sections, and the engine bay access panels from our videos.

The chassis bay

Two lifts and a rotisserie. This is where customer builds happen — pan-off restorations, shortened-pan buggy work and full chassis rebuilds. If your project is in here, come by and check on it whenever you like. We'd rather you saw it in person than only got photos.

The parts floor

Most of the Washburn's Originals catalog lives here, on shelves we built ourselves out of the same square tube we use for chassis bracing. If you're local you can collect in person — call ahead and we'll have it pulled and waiting before you arrive.

The front office

Where the phones get answered, the orders get packed and the coffee gets drunk. Walk-ins are welcome during shop hours. If you've got a part on your bench at home and you can't tell whether to rebuild it or replace it, bring it in — we'd rather look at it than guess over email.

Two Washburn's Metal technicians working on a Beetle body supported on stands in the Orange, California shop

Process

How we work.

Anything that needs fabrication — custom brackets, one-off panels, frame head sections cut to fit — gets a turnaround quoted when you call, because no two of those jobs are the same.

Restoration and build projects are scheduled well in advance so each one gets the time it deserves. We don't take on more than the shop can finish properly, which sometimes means telling you we can't start for a while. We'd rather say that up front than run late on you.

Everything we sell is something we'd put on a build in our own shop. If we don't trust it, we don't carry it — and if we've had a bad experience with a brand, we'll tell you when you ask. That's the whole deal.

A wall rack of body hammers and dollies in the Washburn's Metal shop

The tools

Most of what we sell started as a tool we needed and couldn't buy, so we made it and then made a few more.

Come see it

Come by the shop.

If you're in the area or passing through Southern California, swing by. Walk-ins are welcome during shop hours; if you want to talk through a build, call ahead so we can give you proper time.

Address 811 W Barkley Ave
Orange, CA 92868
Get directions
Phone (657) 438-7002
Parts, orders and fitment. For chassis, fabrication and builds, call Brian direct on (816) 806-9160.
Hours Monday – Friday: 8am – 5pm Pacific
Saturday: by appointment
Sunday: closed
Best time Mornings are quieter. Afternoons are when most of the welding happens — louder, but a lot more interesting to watch.