March 2020

1971 Bristol 411 Service

Ady, Bridge Classic Cars’ engine specialist has begun servicing this lovely Bristol 411. The first thing we’ve noticed is the incorrect alignment of the alternator

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1993 Rover Mini Appraisal

Paul has been appraising our Rover Mini to determine the extent of any rust and corrosion.

Upon inspection, there is substantial rust to this Mini. The vehicle would need a new rear subframe and either new subframe mounts or substantial repair.

Both side sills are heavily corroded and would need replacing or repair.

Collecting a 1993 Rover Mini

Pete has collected this lovely little Rover Mini. It’s in the workshop for a full appraisal before deciding if any restorative works will be carried out.

Sold: Austin Healey Engine

Contagrtutalions to Franke and his partner who are now the proud owners of our Austin Healey Engine. Franke drove all the way from Germany for this special motor. Pleasure to meet you both, we look forward to hearing the engine roar into life once more.

Jaguar E-Type Racecar: Fueltank Modifications

Dave has been working on rerouting the fuel pipe on our E-Type’s fuel tank. Originally located in the middle of the fuel tank on standard E-types, we’re having to relocate ours to fit our custom engine setup.

The tank is now down in the paint shop to be painted, ready to be fitted back up to the car.

1972 Peugeot 504: Rot and Rust Repairs

Scott has been hard at work on the mammoth job that is repairing the underside of our Peugeot 504. He’s cut out all the rot and rust affected areas and let in new metal where nessasary. great work, Scott!

1971 Bristol 411 Service

Ady, Bridge Classic Cars’ engine specialist has begun servicing this lovely Bristol 411. The first thing we’ve noticed is the incorrect alignment of the alternator belt. As you can see in the first image, the belt should align perfectly with the pulley. Instead, the alternator is sitting slightly too far forward which could cause uneven wear to the belt.

It’s a black bits day…

The transformation of our 1984 Suzuki GSX400 is one step further forward today as we painted the metal components in the new satin black finish.

At the same time, we resprayed the repaired dash of our 1973 Triumph TR6, ready for rebuild.

New Arrival: 1988 Nissan 300ZX

The latest addition into our Classic Car Workshop is this lovely 1988 Nissan 300ZX. We’ve been tasked with getting the vehicle up to MOT standards and tidying up the exterior paintwork.

1960 Jensen 541 S Arrives at the Showroom

Our recently purchased Jensen 541S has arrived at the showroom. An almost completed restoration, this vehicle will be available for sale soon with the option for us to restore or to restore yourself. It is chassis number 3 so really is one of the most collectable 541s’.

As you can see from the document below, our Jensen (Chassis S1003) was originally Peony Red with a Kelvin Grey roof. The interior was light mushroom.

Choosing our E-Type Racecar Specification

We’ve chosen the interior leather colour and carpet colour for our Racing E-Type.

The leather will be finished in tropic orange to compliment our exterior colour. We’ve selected a matching, darker hue for the carpeted areas. We have access to an almost limitless array of colour options for our bespoke interiors. This means we can stay as true to the original or go as wild as you can imagine with our custom made interior trimming.

1960 MGA Chrome Bumpers Fitted

Our 1960 MGA is really taking shape now. Having recently had new chrome bumpers fitted by Paul, our MG edges nearer to completion.

Chris has now painted the MGA’s wheel arch lining ready for Paul to fit up to the car now.

Bedford J Type Accident Damage

Our Bedford food truck has unfortunately been hit on the front left wheel arch. Other than some bad luck with the damage, the takeaway truck has been very successful. If you ever spot the bright turquoise Bedford J-Type, we’d throughly recommend stopping off for some authentic Indian cuisine.

Visiting a top secret E-Type

We recently went to see a stalled restoration Jaguar E-Type at secret location within Suffolk. We’re hoping to have this lovely E-Type into our workshops to complete the restoration.

Collecting our Jensen 541S

We’ve just collected our latest showroom addition, this stunning Jensen 541S. The third ever 541 S to roll of the production line, this example is 90 percent restored. If purchased, we can either supply the car in its current condition or restore the vehicle ourselves.

1967 Jaguar E-Type Race Car

Our 1967 Jaguar E-Type Race Recreation is nearing completion with around two weeks until testing can commence.

Mauro has been working through the big list of to do’s…whilst adding a few more along the way.

We have successfully completed; the brake lines, fitting up of the doors and windows, fitting the prop shaft, fitting the pedal box, brake master cylinder, clutch master cylinder, the alternator, wiper mechanism, brake fluid reservoir, front hub dust shields, anti roll bar, gear lever, brake servo, washer reservoir and jets.

Strengthening the fibreglass bonnet

Chris and Dave have joined forces for the latest Jensen task.

Within the fibreglass bonnet moulding are channels. Within these channels should be metal bars used to strengthen the structure.

These are missing on many of the Jensen’s we see so whilst Chris has been working on the fibreglass Dave has been assisting with the fabrication of new metalwork.

1967 Austin Mini 850 – new panels

Antony has been working tirelessly on fitting up the new panels this week. The new floor pans area, the new rear area and back panels are not fitted. The car is now coming together beautifully and we’ll soon be able to hand over to the paint shop for preparation.

1957 Jensen 541R – chrome and panel fitting

Chris has been working on re-fitting the chrome around the windows and door tops. This exercise is done to ensure all lines and re-shaping work has been carried out perfectly and that all components will once again fit as they should when it comes to rebuilding the car after paint.

All panels around the car are now lining up beautifully so we are now very close to carrying out the paint preparation.

Lots more chrome heading off to London

A large assortment of our chrome work is now in the hands of Douglas Metal Finishing to be repaired, plated and polished. Brightwork from our Peugeot 504 cabriolet, Morris Mini Deluxe and Triumph TR6 projects are in the latest collection to be collected.

If you have chrome work that requires attention, feel free to get in touch. With regular collections leaving our workshops on a weekly basis we will be more than happy to assist you in a structured and timely fashion.

Douglas is one of the leading chrome platers and metal finishing companies in Great Britain and our management team has over 80 years experience between them. We believe that our customers have a right to the highest possible standards of quality and service. This is reflected in everything we do, from single items through to major projects from multinational companies.

Massive investment in the latest technology enables us to offer a wide range of finishes. Our up to date satin plant means we can offer satin or bright finishes in nickel, chrome or any of our four shades of Gold.

Douglas is one of the leading chrome platers and metal finishing companies in Great Britain and our management team has over 80 years experience between them. We believe that our customers have a right to the highest possible standards of quality and service. This is reflected in everything we do, from single items through to major projects from multinational companies.

Massive investment in the latest technology enables us to offer a wide range of finishes. Our up to date satin plant means we can offer satin or bright finishes in nickel, chrome or any of our four shades of Gold.

Douglas is one of the leading chrome platers and metal finishing companies in Great Britain and our management team has over 80 years experience between them. We believe that our customers have a right to the highest possible standards of quality and service. This is reflected in everything we do, from single items through to major projects from multinational companies.

Massive investment in the latest technology enables us to offer a wide range of finishes. Our up to date satin plant means we can offer satin or bright finishes in nickel, chrome or any of our four shades of Gold.

Douglas is one of the leading chrome platers and metal finishing companies in Great Britain and our management team has over 80 years experience between them. We believe that our customers have a right to the highest possible standards of quality and service. This is reflected in everything we do, from single items through to major projects from multinational companies.

Massive investment in the latest technology enables us to offer a wide range of finishes. Our up to date satin plant means we can offer satin or bright finishes in nickel, chrome or any of our four shades of Gold.

Douglas Metal Finishing is one of the leading chrome platers and metal finishing companies in Great Britain with over 80 years experience in the business.

Massive investment in the latest technology enables Douglas to offer a wide range of finishes. Their up to date satin plant means they can offer satin or bright finishes in nickel, chrome or any of their four shades of Gold.

1977 Triumph Spitfire Respray

Our 1977 Triumph Spitfire is now in colour!

Very rare to find a Spitfire finished in black but with the smooth lines and elegant shape black really does finish off the car beautifully.

Whilst in the early stages of preparation we discovered heavy corrosion in the doors. New metal had to be applied to the doors and the boot area.

The car was then prepared and treated in epoxy primer before the black top coat was applied.

Repairing our 2016 Ford Mustang GT

Due to a small mishap in the town car park our 2016 Ford mustang GT is in our paint shop for a small repair and repaint.

The front bumper had been dislodged upon impact so Darren has been busy repairing the effected area; realigning the bumper, preparing and painting to make it good as new.

We are not just about full restorations here at Bridge Classic Cars, if you have minor paint repairs, body imperfections or any mechanical defects feel free to get in touch. With a full in-house service, interior and exterior, no job is too small. Call us and we’ll be more than happy to assist.

Coming soon: Jensen 541S and Triumph TR6

Arriving to our workshops very soon we have two new additions. Firstly our 1970 Triumph TR6 restoration project.

Next we have our Jensen 541S, number 3 in the production line. The car is 90% built so we will look to complete the project before making it available to market.

Both car will be collected in the coming weeks so more information to follow soon.

1934 Riley Monaco – getting summer ready!

In our workshops currently we have our 1934 Riley Monaco. The key objective is to have the car services and mechanically check ready for a full summer of shows.

Whilst in, the bonnet is not fitting as it should so this requires some adjustment.

Car Transportation – 2020 Porsche GT4

An eventful but enjoyable day today as we were tasked with collecting a brand new 2020 Porsche GT4 in our covered transport from Porsche Centre Colchester.

A simply beautiful machine and an honour to be asked to be involved in the collection and transportation

Unfortunately, we discovered a slight imperfection in the paintwork which resulted in the car being off-loaded from the trailer and staying with the guys at Porsche to be resolved.

Only a small task needing to be undertaken so hopefully the new owner will have his car in no time.

Shine Supply UK – March 2020

We called upon the services of our good friend Mike at Shine Supply UK to help tidy up the aged Porsche Boxter headlights.

One of the earliest Porsche Boxters, this little beauty is one of the latest additions to our hangar showroom but before we can market the car it desperately needed a thorough detail.

Part of the process was to de-frost the headlights which involves a multi stage sanding process. Firstly, the top layer is removed using a wet sand. Once complete the headlights are then highly polished using a two stage polishing process. Finally, to seal the exposed surface Mike has Ceramic coated. Without the Ceramic coating the headlights are prone to fading at a much faster rate.