- A Chinese factory is stamping fresh steel bodies for popular classic cars.
- Each new panel starts with a hand-finished die carved on a CNC machine.
- The Porsche 964 and 300 SL Gullwing shells are arriving on the line next.
Not everything worth your attention coming out of Chinese factories these days is a brand new EV. In Baoying, a little-known company has built a business stamping fresh body shells for enthusiast classics like the Toyota AE86 and the original Ford Bronco, the kind of metal that keeps these cars on the road long after the original maker has walked away.
The company is Jiangsu Juncheng Vehicle Industry Co., located about three hours north of Shanghai. Inside a sizeable facility, it stamps fresh steel panels for some of the most loved enthusiast cars on the road. Toyota stopped supplying AE86 parts in bulk years ago, and while it has started reproducing a handful lately, the job of keeping these cars breathing still falls to specialists like this one.
Read: Toyota Electrifies Classic AE86 With EV And Hydrogen Restomod Concepts
When the firm first begins manufacturing parts for a new car, it must develop the die used in the stamping process. It does this by using a CNC machine to carve out high-tensile steel, and an expert craftsman then sands and polishes the die. When finished, the die can be placed in the stamping area, allowing it to quickly stamp and mold each component.
Even The Smallest Parts Are Being Produced
Larry Chen from Hagerty recently visited the facility and saw the company stamping out parts such as the AE86’s hood and door skins. It’s not just large body parts it produces, either. Juncheng also cuts dies and stamps for the small brackets and fittings needed to recreate each car properly.
See: You’d Never Guess These Toyota And Aston Classics Are 100% Handmade From Scratch
Not too long ago, a body built by Juncheng for the Ford Bronco was featured in a restomod in the US and sold for $400,000. In addition to the Bronco and AE86, it is also building body parts and shells for the Datsun 240Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, 1967 Ford Mustang, and soon, the 964-gen Porsche 911. They will also soon start producing shells of the iconic Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing.
