At Carolina Coach Crafters, every project is a testament to our passion for precision, artistry, and expert restoration. From classic car restorations to custom builds, we take pride in bringing each client’s vision to life with unmatched attention to detail. Our past and current projects showcase the skill, dedication, and craftsmanship that set us apart. Our goal is for every vehicle to receive the necessary revitalization to grace the roadways for years to come. From minor touch-ups and collision repairs to total restoration jobs, we'll treat your project as if it's our own.
See why customer's from all over the world choose us!
See why customer's from all over the world choose us!
When it comes to accidents and collisions, you never know what can happen, but Carolina Coach Crafters is here to alleviate your stress and resurrect your vintage beauty. We will go above and beyond to get it back on the road, looking and driving like new.
PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE PROJECTS
Project | 1955 Porsche Speedster
This was as extensive of a restoration project as they come, but we were excited to take on the challenge! The iconic Speedster required meticulous craftsmanship, from metalwork and body restoration to paint and mechanical refinement. Every detail was carefully restored to honor the car’s rich history and original design. We are very proud of this project and happy to share it here!
Here is a visual play-by-play of the re-body process. The body and chassis were comprehensively cleaned via soda blast to expose all rust. Once this was done we determined that (surprisingly) the front nose and dash could be reused, the rest of the inner structure and body panels needed to be fabricated. The chassis was mounted to our surface plate fixture and we began trimming and making parts. All of the inner structure pieces were fabricated in house by hand with our proprietary bucks.
We dedicated this restoration to Arti in his memory and honor!
Here is a visual play-by-play of the re-body process. The body and chassis were comprehensively cleaned via soda blast to expose all rust. Once this was done we determined that (surprisingly) the front nose and dash could be reused, the rest of the inner structure and body panels needed to be fabricated. The chassis was mounted to our surface plate fixture and we began trimming and making parts. All of the inner structure pieces were fabricated in house by hand with our proprietary bucks.
We dedicated this restoration to Arti in his memory and honor!
1938 Ford Standard Coupe | A Restoration Story
Imagine you’re out for an afternoon drive in your vintage beauty without a care in the world. Suddenly, an unidentified driver rear-ends you and disappears in a flash. Your most prized possession is battered and beaten, and to make matters worse, it’s a vintage car that requires an exceptional level of restoration, especially if it's been restored once before. You visit shop after shop but find yourself surrounded by so-called “restorers” who solely rely on plastic body-filler: a cheap, lazy, temporary method of restoration akin to putting Band-Aids all over the car. Just when you think all hope is lost, you see the light at the end of the tunnel and find yourself in great hands with the restoration experts at Carolina Coach Crafters.
This is exactly what happened to Ed and Carolyn when they were driving their 1938 Ford Standard Coupe. One of Ed's greatest strains was his search to find a new fender for his Standard Coupe, but all of the tension and stress melted away when he found us. Our team has the capability of making a buck and producing a completely new fender, if necessary. As the following pictures illustrate, his fender was hammered out and partial pieces were made, welded into place, hammered and filed. After careful, meticulous craftsmanship, it was finally metal-finished and ready for primer and paint. Our shop maintains the art form of panel-beating: a method that far outlasts the plastic body-filler that all too many restoration shops use.
This is exactly what happened to Ed and Carolyn when they were driving their 1938 Ford Standard Coupe. One of Ed's greatest strains was his search to find a new fender for his Standard Coupe, but all of the tension and stress melted away when he found us. Our team has the capability of making a buck and producing a completely new fender, if necessary. As the following pictures illustrate, his fender was hammered out and partial pieces were made, welded into place, hammered and filed. After careful, meticulous craftsmanship, it was finally metal-finished and ready for primer and paint. Our shop maintains the art form of panel-beating: a method that far outlasts the plastic body-filler that all too many restoration shops use.
The joy we see from our clients once they're reunited with their vintage beauty is our greatest motivation. Ed and Carolyn are now enjoying their precious vintage beauty as they traverse the countryside of Eastern North Carolina once more.
Rare Barn Find Revival | 1966 Porsche 911
This incredible 1966 Porsche 911 was unearthed from a storage building in Gastonia, NC, after sitting untouched for over 20 years! Fortunately, its secure shelter—complete with concrete flooring and four walls—kept rust at bay, preserving its original chassis. After a thorough inventory and cleanup, it became clear that the car had been repainted once before, as evident by the visible crazing and crow’s feet in the finish. Given its incredible originality, the owners chose to honor its legacy with a proper bare-metal refinish in its factory-correct Polo Red lacquer—completed right here at Carolina Coach Crafters. The interior, undercarriage, boot, and engine compartment remain untouched, maintaining the car’s authenticity.
We are proud to have been a part of such an amazing piece of Porsche history in one of the most original, well preserved 911's in the world!
We are proud to have been a part of such an amazing piece of Porsche history in one of the most original, well preserved 911's in the world!
1966 Porsche 911 | Before & After
1966 Porsche 911 | Before & After
Restored 1965 Porsche 356 C Cabriolet | Pebble Beach Bound
It’s been an incredibly busy year at Carolina Coach Crafters, and we have some exciting updates coming your way! We're proud to unveil one of our most exceptional restorations—a 1965 Porsche 356 C Cabriolet, the only one in existence finished in orange. This stunning vehicle underwent a ground-up restoration over the course of 18 months, with every aspect—metalwork, paint, upholstery, and mechanical restoration—completed in-house by our expert team. We’re honored to be showcasing this masterpiece at Pebble Beach, California!
Carolina Coach Crafters Featured in Porsche 356 Registry Magazine!
We’re thrilled to share that Carolina Coach Crafters has once again been featured in a top-tier Porsche publication! Acclaimed automotive journalist Sean Cridland has written an outstanding article highlighting Tim Lingerfelt’s journey—from his early career to the creation of Carolina Coach Crafters.
Check out the full article below and dive into the story behind the craftsmanship that defines us!
See all his other great articles on his website.
Check out the full article below and dive into the story behind the craftsmanship that defines us!
See all his other great articles on his website.
Visions of Power | Porsche 356 Magazine | Carolina Coach Crafters
Carolina Coach Crafters makes the cover of Panorama Magazine!
Carolina Coach Crafters is very excited to announce our 'Buck' has made the cover of Panorama Magazine! The article entitled 'Metal Master' was written by our friend Sean Cridland and photography provided by our other great friend, Michael Alan Ross. A BIG thank you to all who were a part of creating this excellent article chronicling the accomplishments of our dear friend Ralph 'Mutt' Brawley!
Read the full article below!
Read the full article below!
Panorama Magazine | Carolina Coach Crafters | 2016
Carolina Coach Crafters Exhibits at Hilton Head Concours
Carolina Coach Crafters was recently asked to exhibit at the 2015 Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival to celebrate 40 years of the 911 Turbo aka 930. We decided to bring down 5 cars total, all consecutive year models running from 1975 through 1979. Hilton Head Motoring Festival has become one of our favorite events to attend. The show field was full of very strong cars on Sunday and the event staff was excellent to work with! Stay tuned for next year!
Visit their website for upcoming events, tickets and more here.
Visit their website for upcoming events, tickets and more here.
Carolina Coach Crafters Exhibits at Hilton Head | Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival
1972 Porsche 911T | Rust Repair The Right Way
This car found its way to Carolina Coach Crafters after the owner was discouraged with the [lack of] progress made at another facility. Metal repair work had been completed from another business and we were hired to pick up where they left off. Unfortunately, what we uncovered was pretty alarming. Galvanized patch pieces had been pop-riveted into place, other panels were tarred over and ground smooth. Needless to say we had to dig out all of the previous repairs and start from scratch. Keep an eye out for this car...big plans in its future!
A Turbo Story | Before & After
This low-mileage 1979 Euro 930 Turbo was found hibernating in a climate-controlled garage in Virginia. It hadn't seen sunshine or a car wash in over 10 years! This is a great example of paint preservation - there was no need to repaint the car. With an incredible eye for detail, Chris carefully masked, color-sanded, and hand polished this car to an incredible finish. After 80+ hours of meticulous paint correction, she looks gorgeous!
Turbo Teardown | Refreshing a Tired 3.3
At Carolina Coach Crafters, we take pride in breathing new life into legendary machines, and this 911 Turbo 3.3, codename "930", is no exception. Known as one of the fastest production cars of its era, the Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 set the standard for high-performance engineering when it debuted in 1978. However, even icons need a refresh.
Our latest project involved a complete teardown and refresh of this tired but powerful 3.3-liter turbocharged engine, ensuring it runs as strong as it did in its prime. Every step of the process—from disassembly to precision restoration—has been documented in detail.
Look at the transformation and how we restored this legend to its former glory! What a beauty.
Our latest project involved a complete teardown and refresh of this tired but powerful 3.3-liter turbocharged engine, ensuring it runs as strong as it did in its prime. Every step of the process—from disassembly to precision restoration—has been documented in detail.
Look at the transformation and how we restored this legend to its former glory! What a beauty.
The AFTER—a masterpiece that stands on its own, showcasing its full glory. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the final result come to life!
Porsche 911 Turbo (930) 3.3 Engine | The Finished Product
The car to match the engine. The 930's are definitely a favorite over here so we might be a little biased. If you're a classic car lover, you'll understand. The just don't make them like they used to! We'll take a classic over new any day.
1979 Porsche 911 Turbo
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1979 Porsche 911 Turbo
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Reversing Modification Injustices One Porsche at a Time | 1979 Porsche 930
Like many of its brothers and sisters, this 1979 930 had undergone some unfortunate cosmetic modifications throughout its life. While it featured modifications like a 930 'S' style front valance, boxed rockers, and brake vanes, it remained remarkably preserved. This car managed to only acquire 38,000 miles in the 35 years since its production. The purpose of this project was to return the car back to its stock configuration cosmetically as well as completing an engine-out reseal. The result speaks for itself! A true 38,000 mile Concours condition 3.3 turbo sporting fresh paint in its original color Silver Metallic.
Total Project Time: 3.5 months
Total Project Time: 3.5 months
Carolina Coach Crafters x Hagerty
IT'S OFFICIAL! We are excited to announce that Carolina Coach Crafters has been chosen to join Hagerty's network of Expert Repair Facilities! This means we are endorsed by Hagerty as one of their top-tier repair facilities, it feels great to have the support of the BEST collector car insurance company in the world! Be sure to visit their website to learn more and tell them we sent you!
Carolina Coach Crafters Joins Hagerty Insurance Expert Repair Network
Special Project | "Speedline" Chandelier
Another amazing Special Projects effort! We 3D scanned a Ferrari "Speedline" wheel center then designed an 8' mold so that we could hand-lay fiberglass to build this monster! It features recessed LED puck light 'rivets' and aim-able/dim-able recessed LED puck light 'lug nuts'.
Custom Project | Car Bed
Another one-of-a-kind project our team completed. We had the pleasure of building this custom car bad for Tim's son, who's the owner here at Carolina Coach Crafters! How many other kids get to sleep on an all aluminum Porsche Speedster bed?! Just another example of our ability to build anything you can dream up! We'd love to help you with your special project.
Going The Extra Mile to Preserve Paint | 1972 Porsche 911
This fantastic 1972 911 was brought to us for rust repair and consequently paint work. The owner's number one priority was to retain as much original paint and its wonderful patina on the car as possible. Despite the affected rust areas this was an extremely nice, original car. We pride ourselves on our ability to repair the low points of a car while preserving the high points. Once the rust repairs were complete, the original paint on the areas that were not affected was polished out to a wonderful luster to ensure a perfect paint match. Keeping the scope of damage repair within reason is what we do best. This car came to us on September 26th, and was painted and ready for re-assembly by November 3rd–what a difference 2 months makes!
What's Under Your Paint | 1965 Porsche 356
This driver quality 1965 356 came into the shop with tired, albeit shiny red paint. It was a seemingly nice car but not up to its new owner's standards. He brought the car to us for a bare-metal, glass-out repaint. Once we began stripping the paint, it was immediately apparent that the car had some serious issues. What's under your paint?! Modern body fillers can hide some pretty nasty surprises. Here we chronicle the car's metal work from start to finish. The car was brought into the metal shaping shop on September 9th and was in primer on October 13th– just over a month! Not bad.
Carolina Coach Crafters Hosts Charlotte Area Porsche Club
Carolina Coach Crafters often holds the Charlotte Region and Lake Norman PCA club meetings. Thousands of club members have attended various events, where we have had metal shaping demonstrations and many beautiful cars on display. We want to thank everyone who attends and your generosity for the various charities we support.
"The "Buck"
Carolina Coach Crafters is SO proud to have designed and built the worlds FIRST and ONLY all-steel CnC machined body buck for the Porsche 356/Speedster. Traditional wooden bucks have larger skeletal structures, our CnC machined thin skeletal structure allows for more light and visibility when checking tolerances. This buck allows us to hand shape external body panels for nearly any flavor of Porsche 356 with extreme precision. We feel extremely grateful to have such a skilled team who makes this possible!
Watch the video below to see the process of creating the 356 nose panel!