Can you fabricate a part that is no longer manufactured?

Usually yes, and it is a large share of this work. We take dimensions from the surviving original, from the mirrored part on the opposite side of the vehicle, or from drawings and photographs where nothing usable remains. Metal parts are formed and welded, fiberglass parts are moulded and laid up. On vehicles more than about ten years old, discontinued is the normal case rather than the exception.

How do you attach something to an RV without causing leaks or damage?

By mounting to structure rather than to skin, and by treating every penetration as a sealing detail rather than a hole. A rack bolted through a fiberglass sidewall into nothing will eventually tear the sidewall and leak on the way. We locate framing, add backing where framing is absent, spread the load across enough area to matter, and seal in layers.

Do you work in aluminium and stainless as well as steel?

Yes. Steel for strength and cost, aluminium where weight matters which on a vehicle at its rating is often, and stainless where corrosion resistance justifies the cost and the harder machining. The choice usually follows from the load and the weight budget rather than from preference, and we will explain the trade before committing.

How much does custom fabrication cost?

A simple bracket or mount is $1,000 to $2,500. A rack, carrier or bumper is $2,500 to $8,500. A full build-out for a mobile business or overland vehicle is $10,000 to $25,000 and beyond. Design time is part of the cost on anything one-off, and it is worth paying for rather than skipping.

Will fabrication work affect my weight rating?

It can, and it is worth tracking. Steel is heavy and a substantial rack, bumper and carrier package can add a couple of hundred kilograms to a vehicle that may already be close to its gross rating. We calculate added weight through the design and will suggest aluminium or a lighter design where the payload matters.

Custom RV and Fleet Vehicle Fabrication

Custom fabrication requests almost always arrive as a description of a shape. What they turn into is a question about load paths, because making the part is usually the straightforward half and attaching it to a vehicle that flexes, vibrates and is built from thin bonded panels is not.

The mounting problem

A recreational vehicle sidewall is a thin skin over a substrate over light framing. A cargo van body is a stressed skin with widely spaced ribs. Neither is a structure you can simply bolt something heavy to.

Bolt a rack through a fiberglass sidewall into nothing and three things happen in sequence: the fasteners work loose from vibration, the holes elongate, and the sidewall tears around them while water enters through every hole. This is the single most common failure we are asked to fix after somebody else's installation.

Doing it properly means locating actual framing, adding backing plates or new structure where framing is absent, spreading the load over enough area that no single point is carrying it, and treating every penetration as a sealing detail rather than a hole.

That is why a fabrication quote frequently includes more work inside the vehicle than the customer expected. The visible part is the bracket. The part that makes it last is behind the wall.

What we build

Reproduction parts. Discontinued brackets, mounts, trim, panels and hardware, taken from the surviving original or the mirrored opposite side.

Racks and carriers. Roof racks, ladder racks, bike and cargo carriers, spare tyre carriers, solar mounting frames.

Bumpers and protection. Front and rear bumpers with integrated receivers, recovery points and lighting. Covered further under storage racks and bumpers.

Storage. Underbody boxes, bay dividers, secure compartments, slide-out trays for tools and equipment.

Structural mounts. Generator mounts, tank mounts, battery trays, equipment platforms, awning rails on vehicles that never had one.

Mobile business build-outs. Food truck equipment mounting and service windows, mobile clinic fit-outs, workshop and tool vehicle interiors, retail and event vehicle structures.

Overland and expedition. Skid plates, rock sliders, drawer systems, roof platforms, water and fuel carriers.

Accessibility. Wheelchair lift mounting, ramp structures, grab rails fastened into structure rather than into panel.

Materials

Steel. Strongest per dollar, easiest to weld and repair, heaviest. The default for structural work where weight is not critical.

Aluminium. Roughly a third the weight for comparable stiffness in the right section, and on a vehicle close to its gross rating that difference decides the design. Requires the correct process and filler for the alloy, and it is less tolerant of poor welding than steel.

Stainless. Corrosion resistance where it earns its cost, typically on food service equipment, marine-adjacent applications and anything that will be pressure washed regularly.

The choice follows from the load and the weight budget rather than from preference, and we will say which and why.

Weight, tracked rather than assumed

A comprehensive steel rack, bumper and carrier package can add a couple of hundred kilograms high on a vehicle, which affects payload, handling and tyre loading.

We calculate the added weight during design and flag it when it takes a vehicle close to its rating, because the alternative is a customer discovering it at a weighbridge. Where payload is tight, aluminium or a lighter design usually gets to the same functional result.

How a project runs

Requirement, not drawing. What it needs to carry, where it needs to go, what has to stay accessible, and what the vehicle already has to work with.

Survey. Measuring the vehicle, locating framing, identifying what is behind every candidate mounting point.

Design and approval. Drawings or a mock-up, with materials, weight and mounting method stated before anything is cut.

Fabrication. Cut, formed, welded, fitted, adjusted.

Finish. Powder coat, paint or the appropriate protective treatment. Bare steel on a vehicle is a rust problem on a short timer.

Installation. Structure prepared, load spread, every penetration sealed.

Verification. Loaded, inspected, and road tested where the application warrants it.

What it costs

Project	Typical range	Hours
Simple bracket or mount	$1,000 to $2,500	5 to 12
Rack or carrier	$2,500 to $6,000	12 to 30
Custom bumper with integrated features	$3,500 to $8,500	18 to 42
Storage system	$2,500 to $9,000	12 to 45
Mobile business build-out	$10,000 to $25,000+	50 to 120+

Fabrication labor is $260 per hour. Design time is included and is worth paying for on anything one-off. See the pricing page.

Estimates are $150 and credited back against an authorized repair.

Bring us the job the other shop turned down

We work on all years, all makes and all classes, from Class A diesel pushers down to enclosed cargo trailers. Estimates are $150 and are credited back against an authorized repair, so the money goes toward the work rather than to a shop that never touches your vehicle.

23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887 | (949) 799-3387

Custom Fabrication