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January 18, 2017

Repairing the Jaguar E-Type bonnet

January 18, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With the replacement panels now Laura has started work on repairing the bonnet of our 1967 Jaguar E-Type.

The rotten front under-pan has now been removed and the arches have been cut away where necessary. The pair of replacement arch panel repair kits have now been tacked up ready to be secured.

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Bleeding the Merak LHM system

January 18, 2017

  1. Assuming entire system to be dry but connected and engine ready to run, add fresh LHM fluid to the reservoir.
  2. Also, prime the LHM pump by pouring LHM down the return pipe or filling prior to installation.
  3. Start the engine and allo fluid to circulate around the system for 10 to 20 seconds. Keep the engine running throughout the bleeding procedure to maintain hydraulic pressure.
  4. Keep checking and topping up the level of LHM in the reservoir throughout the following procedure.
  5. Firstly bleed the regulator. To do this, locate the 12mm a/f bolt on the side of the regulator that is the bleed screw. Loosen this and you will hear air whistle out. Keep this open until the noise stops and then repeat three to four times. lock the bleed screw.
  6. Next bleed the brakes. Start with the rear calipers and assemble a bleed bottle on the nipple in the normal way. Open the nipple and push the brake pedal. You will only need to gently push the pedal as the LHM will come out quite quickly. After a few seconds, close the nipple, release the pedal and start again. Due to the high pressure nature of the system, it is impossible to check for air bubbles in the bleed tube. Just repeat the procedure as below.
  7. Bleed each of the four brake calipers in turn at least twice.
  8. Next bleed the clutch; to do this, assemble the bleed bottle on the nipple on the slave cylinder. With the engine running, open the nipple and push the pedal down to the floor and keep depressed. At the same time, operate the headlamp pod raising and lowering switch up and down continuously and also pump the brake pedal. This is because although the headlamp pod system is self bleeding, it is possible for air in this system to be drawn into the clutch circuit. After a few seconds, close the nipple and then repeat the procedure.
  9. By now you should have brakes and clutch action. However, we recommend repeating the entire procedure starting with the regulator.
  10. Having completed to this point, check operation of brakes and clutch.
  11. To check the clutch, just depress the pedal and check that the clutch fork moves throughout its range. keep pedal depressed and check that the fork does not ‘slip’ back. Check again the next day after running the engine. If the clutch pressure has disappeared, there is still air in the system. Therefore try bleeding once again.
  12. To check the brakes, push the pedal and listen for rasping noise. if there is noise, bleed the system once again. Then drive the car and check for delay in braking action when pressing the pedal. If there is delay then there is still air in the system and it should be bled again. If not, then the system is ready for use.

This information has been provided to us from the Maserati Club.

Replacing the rear cross members and leaf hangers

January 18, 2017

The corroded rear cross members and leaf hangers have now been cut away from the chassis of our Jensen 541S to be replaced with new. The new components will be fabricated and refitted in our Ipswich workshops.

A new component has now been manufactured and fitted to replace the rear cross member and leaf hangers.

Asa has now turned his attention to the arches, having already cut out the offside arch, again, he is having to fabricate them from nothing…in house.

Creating and re-manufacturing body panels is never a problem but it is often good to check whether panels are readily available before attempting to do this, for no other reason than time.

Time costs money and if it can be saved then everyone is happy. It’s always beneficial to explore the options.


 

Re-Re-Furbishing the Maserati Merak wheels was a success

January 18, 2017

Our next attempt on the 1976 Maserati Merak wheels have been a success.

Having stripped them all back we have managed to further improve the magnesium finish to the wheels before applying a new coat of light gloss wheel paint.

It was a lot of effort and intricate detailing but the results on this attempt have very much improved.

Work continues on the roadster body

January 18, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s been a solid task for Tommy since returning from his Christmas break but what a fantastic job he is doing.

He’s managing to transform the body of our 1971 Jaguar E-Type roadster from a drag car back into the beautiful iconic classic it should be.

The arches have now been cut out ready for the new arches to be reshaped. The new floor pan is fitted and this afternoon he will be tackling the front air duct area…which is a big area to tackle.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”9378,9383,9382,9381,9380,9379,9389,9384,9385,9386,9387,9388″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Work on the bonnet repairs are now underway.

January 18, 2017

Work has started today on our 1967 Jaguar E-Type 2+2 body shell.

We are hoping to reveal some exciting news very soon on this 2017 project but until we have our plans confirmed, all of our I’s dotted and our T’s crossed then work must still commence on the body-shell.

The bonnet is the first and probably the most time consuming area to cover so we’ve enlisted a little help from our friends at Hutson Motor Company.

World renowned Jaguar specialist, the Hutson Motor Company are one of the foremost manufacturers of ‘E’ -Type spares.

Rather than the Bridge technicians having to build the panels required we thought it was best to see if Hutson had them on the shelf and luckily they did.

Typically the panels we required were probably the most expensive panels on the bonnet but nevertheless, the cost in parts and labour for us to build would have been greater.

Here we have the front under-pan which, as you can see, makes up a huge portion of the front nose. This is a very important piece.

And then we have right-hand and left-hand wing repair panels. This saves having to buy or replace an entire wing.

 

Photos found from 1998

January 18, 2017

When clearing out the glove box of our 1972 Jaguar E-Type we came across some old photographs taken of the car in 1998.

It’s great to keep old documentation of the vehicle, however minor you feel it is at the time it all helps to build the history of the car.

We love taking lots of photographs here at Bridge Classic Cars.

These were taken over 18 years ago, here is our 1972 Jaguar E-Type sitting proudly on someone’s driveway, looking lovely!

© Bridge Classic Cars Holdings Ltd, T/ as Bridge Classic Cars. Registered in England and Wales with company number 5047706.