Faces of Resto: Tim Bartrop

Q1. How long have you been in the business and what lead you to it?

I’ve been working in the area of automotive engineering for 35 years. It was the combination of building cars myself, studying engineering and getting requests from friends and others to modify their cars that took me down this path. From there, I became accredited with the Department of Transport to formally approve modifications to vehicles, and I haven’t looked back since.

Q2. What are some of the major differences between NTI’s current Jailbar resto project and the previous resto - NTI’s Jailbar Promo Truck? E.g. Chassis, Steering Column, Front Suspension, Body type?

NTI’s latest truck resto is built on a new replica Ford chassis with the Isuzu suspension and drivetrain adapted into it, mostly by bolted fitment.

By comparison, the previous Jailbar (ie. NTI’s promo truck) used an original chassis with the Isuzu front suspension and chassis grafted onto the Ford unit by welding with the remaining drivetrain bolted into place using adaptor bracketry.

Q3. What build codes has this one been built to?

The current Ford Jailbar is being built under the National Code of Practice for Modified Vehicles. It is commonly referred to as Vehicle Standards Bulletin 14 (VSB14).

Q4. What is one of the most important tasks in building/customizing a vehicle that people slip up or get caught out on?

The most common error made is not to get good advice from the start of the project. This means that the early stage of such a project can be off the track until the right technical support is engaged. The result is frustration and wasted time & money.