Shop Tour: Unique Performance (Part 1: Body Shop)
By Chuck CageThey also use portable hydraulic rams for a variety of tasks, most commonly jacking the body into position or moving it slightly before applying jig components. As you can see in the photo galleries, the ones they have in the shop are Napa branded.
As they’re replacing so much of the car, they also do their fair share of welding, all most all of which is done with MIG units. We saw Lincoln’s SP-135+ and PowerMig 215, as well as Miller’s Millermatic 135, all medium-duty MIG welders loaded with smaller .025-0.30 wire for thin metal work. Remember, there’s no reason for a larger unit as most of the tasks performed at this station are quite thin.
On the subject of sheet metal welding, Brandon Dodson, Unique’s second-in-charge at the body shop, offered the following advice: Don’t put more heat in – use less. Sheet metal welding requires less heat and longer weld times than most novices expect. He also said that it’s been his experience that it’s easier to learn sheet metal welding first as opposed to learning thick-metal-fabrication then adding sheet metal later because the (bad) habits learned in fabrication have to be unlearned.
After sheet metal, the cars move on to the “heavy body” section of the shop where they apply filler, prime them, and sand them down. Additionally, this section adds the “Eleanor” bodywork that makes the cars so popular. Finally, the cars move on to “light body” where they receive final pre-paint finishing work.
One tool the light body crew raved about was a flexible block-sanding kit from Eastwood Co., which they use extensively. These flexible sanders bend to fit the specific contours of the car, yet can be stiffened with an insertable rod to act as standard block sanders. According to the workers at Unique, they hold up well, too. (On a side note, if you look closely at the thermometer on the wall behind Brandon in the photo at right, you’ll notice that the shop was at a oh-so-cool 90 degrees F inside on the day we were there. Like we said, these guys are tough.)
At this point, the ’stangs are ready to make their way to the main shop where final assembly takes place.
Look for part two of our shop tour in the next few days where we take you through the main shop and all of the amazing tool and automotive eye-candy found therein.
Unique Performance [Corporate Website]
Pages: 1 2
August 31st, 2006 at 10:48 am
I like the part about using up lots of inexpensive air tools instead of higher quality, more expensive units. It’s my opinion that much of the success of setting up a home shop comes from knowing when you can and can’t skimp on your tools and supplies. Some categories deserve more quality than others. Thank goodness for Harbor Freight for all the low end stuff.
September 17th, 2006 at 7:34 am
That is a fantastic article! I have only recently come accross the unique performance company and i am loving every single car they have produced. I would just like to thank you guys for such a change in the automotive industry and also for having such a great taste in the classics, keep it up guys!
January 10th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
[...] Shop Tour: Unique Performance’s Body Shop [...]
January 13th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
I understand that Unique Performance is suffering financially. I can not confirm the following but I have heard from greater that four very reliable sources that Unique Performance has accepted deposits without performing any work. I drove by their offices and it’s a reflection of “Bad Times”. Apparently they layed off nearly 20 employees in their production staff. The place is like a grave yard. No more vehicles sitting around like they are in business. This past summer (06), production was shut down for around roughly 30 days to fix problems with cars they sold customers. The cars have a constant over heating issue(s). Additionally the paint is cracking a bubbling in multiple areas. The cars carry about 12 gallons of bondo. If you were are SEMA, you would have seen it for yourself-The bubbling and cracking of paint.
February 23rd, 2007 at 10:49 pm
California Special has it right. I have a friend who used to work in the fabrication department of Unique, and he says that the cars aren’t made the way they should be. He told me that while he was cutting a section of the tailpan out to make an exhaust pass-through (the section right below where the filler neck is, for those not in the know), he had to cut through an inch of filler. An Inch! ALL manufacturers of plastic body filler (Bondo being the most recognized name brand) as well as every body man I know recommends no more that 1/8″. I did a restoration on a 65 Cadillac hearse, a 16 foot boat of a car, and I was upset about using a gallon and a half. My friend said that when he asked one of the body shop guys about the filler, he was told ‘well, we were using about 20 gallons, but now we’re down to 15′. Ridiculous. The only cars they’ve put out that have weathered the year or so they’ve been out were the ones that Foose was involved in. Says alot about the shop, and the man.
August 16th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
[...] We toured Unique Performance’s body shop — the heart of their Gone-In-60-Seconds-clone Mustang assembly line. Take a look at more Bondo then you’ve ever seen in one place, and some pretty cool Mustangs, too. [...]
March 18th, 2008 at 9:48 am
this is a really bad ass car it is my favorite car in the world and i woud die for it!!!!!