Automotive Body Prepper / Body Surfacer - Classic Vehicle Restoration
Finch Restorations was established in 1965 and is Australia's longest-established specialist vehicle restoration business.
We undertake comprehensive restorations of vehicles spanning more than a century of motoring, from rare European marques and Australian classics to vintage trucks and other significant vehicles.
Our new flagship workshop in Hindmarsh, housed within a c1940 historic industrial building just minutes from the Adelaide CBD, is becoming the centre of our expanding restoration operations. We are now strengthening our Body & Paint capability and are seeking an experienced tradesperson who takes pride in achieving exceptionally high standards of body surfacing and preparation.
Why Join Finch?
- Restoration-level work: Work on rare classic cars, vintage trucks and other significant vehicles rather than high-volume crash repair.
- Quality over production speed: Our work allows considerably more time and care for long-board blocking, body surfacing and preparation than is normally practical in a production repair environment.
- Craft-driven environment: Work alongside experienced coachbuilders, panel beaters, painters, mechanics and other specialist restoration trades.
- Varied projects: Every vehicle presents different materials, contours, construction methods and finishing requirements.
- Central Hindmarsh facility: Work from our expanding flagship workshop approximately five minutes from the Adelaide CBD.
- Balanced work patterns: A nine-day fortnight option is available.
- Long-term stability: Join an established South Australian restoration business with a diverse project pipeline.
About the Role
This is a hands-on workshop role focused primarily on automotive body surfacing, long-board blocking and precision preparation. The precise balance of duties can be tailored to the successful applicant's skills and experience.
Our immediate priority is to find someone with excellent long-boarding skills and the ability to see and feel subtle surface imperfections. We need someone who understands how to develop accurate panel contours, smooth transitions and consistent body shapes through careful application of surfacing materials, guide coating and progressive blocking.
You may come from a panel beating, body preparation, spray painting, body finishing or restoration background. What matters most is your ability to achieve restoration-quality surfaces, rather than simply prepare panels for paint application.
For applicants with additional refinishing skills, the role may also include priming, colour preparation, spray painting, polishing and final finishing. However, final spray painting capability is not essential.
You will work closely with our panel beaters, coachbuilders and paint team to take restored vehicle bodies from completed metalwork through to surfaces ready for premium refinishing.
Typical duties may include:
- Assessing body surfaces and identifying contour, alignment and preparation requirements.
- Undertaking extensive long-board sanding and blocking to develop accurate body contours, curves and panel transitions.
- Applying and shaping appropriate body fillers, surfacing materials and high-build primers.
- Carrying out repeated guide coating, blocking and inspection processes to progressively refine body surfaces.
- Identifying and correcting highs, lows, ripples, flat spots and other surface imperfections.
- Checking panel profiles, symmetry and continuity across adjoining panels.
- Working with panel beaters and coachbuilders where further metal correction is required.
- Assisting with panel alignment, gap-setting and final fitment where appropriate.
- Preparing restored panels and complete vehicle bodies for premium paint finishes.
- Undertaking masking, priming, sealing and final surface preparation.
- Mixing and matching colours where appropriately skilled and experienced.
- Applying basecoat, solid colour and clearcoat paint systems where appropriately skilled.
- Wet sanding, polishing and final finishing of painted surfaces.
- Inspecting completed work and maintaining a consistently high standard of finish.
- Maintaining photographic and written records of work undertaken.
- Contributing to project planning, progress reporting and quality control.
- Maintaining equipment and a clean, orderly and professional work area.
An exceptional Body Prepper / Body Surfacer who does little or no final spray painting may be exactly the person we are looking for.
About You
We are interested in hearing from applicants who can demonstrate:
- Substantial practical experience in automotive body preparation, panel beating, body surfacing or a closely related trade.
- Strong long-board sanding and blocking skills, including experience developing accurate panel contours and achieving smooth, consistent surfaces.
- An exceptional eye and feel for contour, symmetry, surface quality and subtle imperfections.
- Experience using guide coats, body fillers, high-build primers and progressive sanding techniques.
- An understanding of the relationship between metal finishing, body surfacing and final paint quality.
- The patience and persistence required to achieve restoration-quality results rather than production repair outcomes.
- Strong attention to detail and pride in the quality of finished work.
- The ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with other specialist trades.
- Experience working on classic, vintage, prestige or high-value vehicles is highly regarded but is not essential.
- A Certificate III in Automotive Body Repair Technology, Automotive Refinishing Technology, an equivalent relevant qualification, or substantial proven industry experience.
- Australian work rights.
Skills of Particular Interest
We would especially like to hear from experienced Panel Beaters, Body Preppers and automotive finishing tradespeople who have developed strong skills in one or more of the following areas:
- Long-board surfacing, guide coating and precision blocking.
- Developing and correcting complex body contours and transitions.
- Restoration body preparation and finishing.
- Traditional panel finishing and the ability to assess surfaces by sight and touch.
- Show-quality or prestige vehicle preparation and refinishing.
- High-level panel fit, alignment and gap consistency.
- Traditional metal finishing or lead loading.
- Colour matching, blending and premium paint application.
- Wet sanding, polishing and final paint finishing.
You do not need to possess every one of these skills. We are particularly interested in finding people with exceptional body-surfacing and preparation abilities who value craftsmanship over production volume.
To Apply
Please email your resume to
We encourage applicants to include photographs or links showing examples of previous body surfacing, long-board blocking, panel preparation or restoration work. We are particularly interested in seeing examples of work in progress, including guide-coated and blocked panels, rather than simply photographs of completed painted vehicles.
A short note explaining the areas in which you have the strongest experience would also be helpful.
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted confidentially.
