Complete builds.
Start to finish.
VW and Porsche only. We scope it in writing, document it in photos, and hand it back when it's right.
Honest conversation first.
Work starts second.
Every build starts with a walkthrough — the car, the goal, the budget, and what's realistic. We scope it in writing so there are no surprises, and milestone the work so you can follow along.
VW and Porsche only. We don't do everything, which is why we do this well.
Four kinds of work.
All of it air-cooled.
Factory-correct rebuilds of Beetles, Buses, Ghias, and air-cooled 356, 911, and 912. OEM geometry, correct materials, no shortcuts.
Modern Running Gear
Keep the character. Add disc brakes, updated suspension geometry, and reliability that won't strand you on the highway.
Dune Buggy
Shortened-chassis builds on purpose-built pans. Meyers Manx clones, 356 kit cars, sand rails, and anything that starts with a blank pan.
Purpose-built race chassis with correct cage geometry, safety provisions, and sheet metal built to handle real power.
Cars that left the shop.
Grouped by model.
Four steps.
No surprises.
Walk through the car, the goal, the budget, and the timeline. We'll tell you what's realistic and what isn't.
Clear phases, clear cost, signed before cutting starts. No verbal agreements, no moving targets.
Chassis → sheet metal → paint prep → assembly. Photos at every milestone so you know where your car is.
Test-driven, sorted, and handed off with full documentation of what was done and why.
Pricing, straight
What it costs and how long it takes
- Every build is priced from a written scope. We walk through the car, the goal and the budget first, then write up clear phases and clear cost that are signed before cutting starts. There is no one-size price for a whole car.
- No published timeline for a full build. It depends on the car and the scope, and the phases (chassis, sheet metal, paint prep, assembly) are laid out in the written scope so you can follow along.
- Chassis work is the one job with published prices. Flat rates run from $2,350 for a 1955–1972 Type 1 pan to $4,050 for a shortened Manx, 356 kit car or dune buggy pan (powder coat optional, $550). Once a chassis build starts it is finished within 30 days; chassis are built in the order received. See the flat-rate scope or price your options in the estimate calculator.
- Want an answer before you commit? A paid consulting session with a journeyman tech is $80 for 30 minutes, $160 for 60 minutes, or from $240 for 90 minutes.
In-progress photos go up on Instagram (@washburnsmetal) and the chassis account throughout every build.
