Passion is the secret to small Timaru company's car restoration success story (Video)

In 2006, after managing a smash repair shop for more than three years, Hadleigh Oudemans took a leap of faith to go out on his own.

Today business literally walks through the door of HBomb Customs and Classics near Temuka in South Canterbury and its place as one of the top vehicle restoration shops in New Zealand was confirmed with an invitation to show work at the Ellerslie Concours D'Elegance, the country's premier classic car show.

His success in the highly competitive business has come through hard work, attention to detail and being passionate about what he does.

"I've seen plenty of hard times, being skint and having to borrow money.

"Business is (now) booming. It is a tough industry to get into, and typically not many survive.

"However, we set a bar when we began just over 10 years ago and so we will humbly continue to meet the demands of the market."

Oudemans said it was a fresh, exciting and busy industry for those who did things right.  

The boss doesn't take all the credit, easily passing it on to his fastidious team of six.

"It's a collaboration really, but it focuses on quality."

He says he and his team use "old-school" techniques passed on to him by various talented tradesmen, throughout his early years in panelbeating.

As HBomb's reputation grew, things started to change.

You can no longer just walk in - there is a waiting list of up to 12 months - but queue jumpers are welcome.

"Sometimes a specific project is far too good to turn down so a little juggling has to go down to make things happen sooner."

Oudemans' philosophy is every car or truck gets the same careful treatment, whether an E-Type Jaguar or old Vauxhall.

When asked about how the HBomb business name came about, the owner somewhat surprisingly revealed he actually doesn't like it.

Oudemans said it was a hangover from his band days when the Tom Jones hit "Sex Bomb" was wildly popular.

"Everyone in the band got bomb treatment."

"For some reason HBomb stuck to me longer than the others and I was in a hurry to register the company and thought 'that will do'."

Vehicles are not the only thing he is asked to fix these days - vintage fridges, gas pump bowsers, phones and radios have also come through the door.

Oudemans' eye for detail is a key.

The full strip-down of vehicles is a detailed operation.

It requires the categorisation and storage of parts until the assembly process begins.

Oudemans said what can't be supplied will instead be rebuilt, restored or remade.

Light mechanical work is carried out in-house and the same goes for electrical work and upholstery.

Quality "outsourced" companies come on board to become part of the project when needed, he said.

He believed the key to the success of the business was his passion.

"I love to do the work."

At Auckland show Concours D'Elegance, HBomb was one of a dozen top restoration shops in New Zealand to be recognised.

​Oudemans said it reflected their award-winning skill level, quality, and the sheer quantity of projects produced.

"We were approached by Classic Car magazine and the organisers.

"More than 5000 people took a look at what our business can present in the flesh."

They also got to mingle with "other leaders in the restoration industry".

The two restoration projects from the Arowhenua Rd shed on show were a 1961 E-Type Jaguar and a 1956 Ford F100 pick-up.

"The E-Type won Concours after its completion last year at the 2016 biannual Jaguar nationals in Rotorua."

Oudemans said the E-Type had a bit of interesting history, which made it extremely desirable and quite rare.

"It has a certificate of authenticity for being the actual E-Type that was displayed on the New York Motor Show's showroom floor in 1961.

"The owners of the Jaguar are Auckland-based clients, and collectors."

The Ford F100 was also fastidiously restored back to its full original specifications and put on the market.

"It also gained much notoriety at the show, and was purchased prior to the show by another avid car collector in Auckland who loves to dabble with classic cars."

Oudemans attended the show with his wife, Kylie Anisy.

"We found it an unbelievable and surreal experience … something we are very proud of."

Over time Oudemans said his favourite restoration had been a 1953 MG-TD.

"It arrived as an absolute basket case and left near perfect.

"Not a single screw or piece of wiring was left untouched."

While Oudemans will not discuss how much cars are worth, there have been a couple that are valued well into the "hundreds of thousands."

"The E-Type Jaguar, a Jaguar XK120 drop-head coupe and a 1954 Cadillac convertible we are currently into also.

Other vehicles under restoration include a rare 1936 Ford 3 window coupe, a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air, a 1937 Brockway truck, a 1956 Commer Karrier truck, and a 1970 HT Holden V8.

Oudemans' team has also recently completed full restoration on a 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 and 1970 VW Beetle to show finish levels.

Not all cars undergoing work are worth big money.

Oudemans said a 1962 PASX Vauxhall was for a gentlemen whose grandfather owned it from new.

"When we received it, it had the original owner's manual with service records and the original ownership papers in immaculate condition with the one family name written on them in 1962.

"That was very special."

As for his personal collection, Oudemans joked that would be telling.

"We have a 1956 Ford Fairlane Country sedan nine-seater wagon that we use often to cart our seven kids around….yup, seven, so it doesn't really leave much room for more.

"I also have a very tidy 1954 Cadillac 60 series Fleetwood and a very tidy 1955 Pontiac Chieftain. Both are rust-free Arizona cars. I also have a 70s Chev El Camino. "

Oudemans also really enjoys hearing the back stories of the cars.

"When you live it and breathe it, that's actually what drives you. You need them stories to feed the drive.

"If it was just wake up and go to work, our shop in particular wouldn't exist.

"The 1956 Ford wagon we drive gives me a sense of what it was like to travel in the 1950s.

"I can almost feel the past life and stories it tells that have come through the fabric of time."

Oudemans' eye for detail, and his passion, have also seen him get other opportunities.

"I have also been invited to join with a committee of professionals in the industry around the country to help reinvent a 'standard' of restoration."

That would enable the younger generation to complete unit standards in a restoration trade, he said.

A person is spending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars would expect to get a high quality, reputable restoration, he said.

Restoration is also turning into acquisitions for HBomb.

"We have also been building a venture within the business which is sourcing reliable, and clean, classic cars and parts from around the United States, which has proved to be very successful.

It was sourcing classic automobiles of sorts that would "appreciate in value", while owners could "let their hair down" and drive them.

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