1996 Nissan Patrol: Uncovering The Rust

September 18, 2020

Antony has been working on the first stage of our our 1996 Nissan Patrol restoration, getting on top of the rust!

He’s been cutting out any rotten or rusted metal and been welding in fresh steel. Frustratingly, the further inside the car we look, the more rust we’ve found. There is unfortunately quite a lot of rust within the sills and around all four arches.

Anything but mellow…

September 18, 2020

Our eye-catching bright yellow 1971 Lotus Europa arrived with us at Bridge Classic Cars HQ this morning and is anything but mellow.

Designed as the optimal Grand Prix sports car, the Europa has a lightweight fibreglass body and super responsive throttle making it great fun to drive.

Our little beauty has been in the same family since new, passed down through generations and spent the last ten years or so in a barn in Suffolk.

Her latest owner, Dan Dew of Demand Engineering in Stonham Aspal, inherited the rare sports car from his Grandfather Lawrence Dew back in 2010. “It’s been mine inherently for some years now, but still stored in my Grandfathers barn” Dan tells us. “As he’s got older, I felt it was the right time to take her off his hands and get her restored.”

There was a real buzz in the workshop today as Bridge Classic Car owners, father and son, Gordon and Craig, gushed over their latest purchase.

“It’s not often I get excited” Gordon expressed, “but today, I’m excited. You can’t take the smile off my face.”

The team at Bridge Classic Cars plan get her cleaned up and the engine recommissioned, then plan what the future holds for this little sports car from there.

We’re excited to see the progress made on our idyllic Lotus Europa, we’re sure you are too!

Chrome & Away

September 18, 2020

A variety of chrome parts are being sent away this week. Our good friends at Douglas Metal Findings are going to bring them back to life.

These parts belong to our 1957 Jensen 541R and our 1961 Morris Mini. See if you can you match which parts belong to which car!

Live Draw: 2003 Mercedes SL55

September 17, 2020

Congratulations to Robin Yates, winner of the 2003 Mercedes SL55 AMG with ticket number 4995

https://www.facebook.com/248607891929098/videos/800003140827357

For your chance to win your dream classic, head to bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/competitions

The Spitfire’s Spitting Oil

September 17, 2020

Our lovely little 1971 Triumph Spitfire is back with us to repair various leaks she’s developed over the last few months.

Her owner Mary has been bringing her jolly Spitfire to us for years, and we just love keeping her in tip top condition.

This time around, our expert classic car technicians had to completely remove the engine to locate several oil leaks.

Pete, one of our specialists, tells us about the work; “There were leaks from the engine and gearbox” he explains “it turned out a baring had gone in the alternator so we’ve replaced it.”

There’s still some further investigation to do on some strange noises coming from the engine. We’ll keep you posted with our findings…

The perfect morning – Classic car chat over a cuppa…

September 17, 2020

Our gorgeous little 1990 TVR S2 was bought into us this week for a consultation by her owner Andrew Henry, of the TVR Car Club.

We chatted with Andrew about all things TVR, classics and restorations, over a cuppa of course.

On the face of it, our lovely little convertible looks in great condition. But Andrew is exploring options for an interior upgrade and we are more than happy to oblige!

Tip Top Trim Shop

September 17, 2020

Our interior trim expert Brian has been spending time with our stunning 1973 Triumph TR6 this week.

The eye-catching magenta classic is undergoing a full restoration with us and currently is getting some special treatment in our in-house trim shop.

Brian begins with the underlay. “Starting with the rear section,” he explains “I mapped out all the underlay sections then positioned and glued them into place.”

He then began on the wheel arches, “I glued foam onto the wheel arch sections” Brian explains “then glued vinyl onto them, glued the rear bulk head carpet into place and fitted the wheel arch panels over the top”.

After fixing the cockpit panel, Brian turned his attention to the side panels of the car. “I added material to the inside posts and glued in these triangular panels.”

Brian then fitted the carpet sections for both the sills and rear foot wells. Finishing off by fitting the front foot well carpets.

We are obsessed with this colour combination, magenta paint with a biscuit interior. Our customer selected these colours, as the car arrived with us totally different! It’s one of the many exciting parts of bespoke classic car restoration.

What colour combination would you choose?

Fill ‘er up!

September 17, 2020

Our specialist classic car technician Paul has built a bespoke filler neck component for our black 1960 Jensen 541R.

The customer wanted the iconic chrome Monza fuel cap. Therefore, we needed to get creative and manufacture a new filler neck to accommodate this modification.

Even though not part of the original Jensen, the Monza cap looks right at home. We love making our customers visions come to life. They do indeed have great taste!

Dave’s Diagnosed Our Poorly Jensen 541R’s Gearbox Issue

September 17, 2020

Having come into the Bridge Classic Cars Workshop with severe running issues, Dave was tasked with taking a look at exactly what was causing the fault in this beautiful Jensen.

Suspecting the fault to be within the gearbox, dave lowered the gearbox out of the car. Upon closer inspection, it was clear to see the issue. The drive plate splines were not the correct size and specification for the Jensen’s gearbox.

A drive plate is a plate that fits onto the flywheel, which in turn is mated to the gearbox. The splines within the drive plate are machined to perfectly fit the flywheel. It appears that an incorrect drive plate has been fitted.

The next step will be to source a correct Clutch assembly. There is wear on the pressure plate so John has advised to replace this while the gearbox is out.

The Midget has a Pit-Stop

September 15, 2020

Our 1972 MG Midget has come to us this week for a very quick pit-stop to change her tyres. Her owner bought her new tyres from our good friends at vintage tyres who got in touch with us to fit them.

Classic cars will often require more specialist equipment to change their tyres, which we at Bridge are happy to source.

Our engine expert Ady also checked the carburettors and found that one side was sucking harder than the other, causing an imbalance.

So after a quick pit-stop and a cup of tea – she’s off! Back on the road again. Happy driving little MG!

Shut The Front Door!

September 15, 2020

Dave, one of our incredible classic car experts has built a custom-made adjustable door lock for the 1960 Jensen 541R.

These parts never look much, and often on cars of this age they’re impossible to obtain. Therefore, our talented team of mechanics and classic car restoration experts often manufacture their own components.

Struggling to find a component for your classic car? Have a chat with the team to see how we can help – 01473 742038

The Trim Team Tackle The TR6

September 15, 2020

Our super-star trim shop duo Kath and Brian continue work on the exciting 1973 Triumph TR6.

Now all the interior leather seat covers and panels are complete, they’re ready to be fitted into the car.

The team have also added the bespoke biscuit leather door panels. Now they’re fitted in place, the final additions are added like door handles and window crank.

It’s so exciting seeing a colour combination coming together, what do you think to this colour scheme?

Bits ‘n’ Bobs on the Jensen’s

September 14, 2020

Scott, one of our classic car technicians has been tinkering with several more intricate parts of both the 1957 and 1960 Jensens. “I stripped down and modified the windscreen wiper mechanism,” Scott tells us, “re-greased it, put it back together then fitted it back onto the car.”

Scott also stripped down the motor for the wipers, then cleaned the grease out, prepped and repainted it, repacked the grease then re-fitted it to the car.

Scott has also made and fitted new number plate surrounds for both Jensens. “I had to fabricate a tiny joiner or ‘mount’ as it were, for the top.”

Scott has also modified the boot lid handle as it didn’t fit. Along with sorting out the bonnet guides and rest plates and fitted the glass for the 1/4 windows and fitted them to the car too. Scott also refurbished the courtesy lights too.

“I then made a boot-prop,” Scott described. “I’ve fitted that, along with the boot catch and striker plate, then adjusted the boot so it would close.” He also then fitted the return spring to the throttle pedal.

All these little additions contribute toward what will be two fantastic cars, both looking and working. Super work Scott!

Bumper Refresh

September 14, 2020

Our 1966 Reliant Scimitar was given a bumper refresh this week. After some minor damage to the rear bumper, Darren in our paint shop has been at work getting it sorted.

“It’s a pretty unique bumper in a way” Darren tells us. “As it’s fiberglass, but it’s painted to look chrome.”

Darren sorted out the small chips and scratches then blended the colour so the bumper looks as good as new!

medwards_90 – September 2020

September 13, 2020

The winner of our 1995 Mazda Efini RX-7 Type-R Bathurst shared this gorgeous photo today.

Unsure of if he’s heading away on holiday, arriving back or perhaps just daydreaming of a time when we could freely jump on planes and travel the world… We still love this view.

Transporter Road Trip

September 13, 2020

Our trusty transporter hit the road again this weekend to delivery our fantastic 1971 Rover P5B back to her owner.

Soon to be used as the bridal carriage for his daughters wedding, the Rover has had some much needed TLC from the team at Bridge including a full service to ensure she’s immaculate for the big day.

We then did a straight swap for this gorgeous red MG TD, also coming to Bridge Classic Cars for some restoration work. We’re looking forward to having this beauty in the workshop. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates!

Our covered transporter is a super secure way to transport valuable classics, especially open top cars as it protects them en route from all the elements. Get in touch if you need your pride and joy taken from A to B in style!

Welcome To The Workshop

September 12, 2020

The Bridge Classic Cars team welcomed this incredible 1972 Mercedes 280SE into the workshop this weekend.

Due to begin restorative work in October, we’ll mostly be focused on welding work around the wheel arches on the underside of the car. As you can see from the pictures, there’s a good amount of rust and damage to rectify.

We can’t wait to get her into our in-house body shop to begin work restoring her back to her former glory. Keep an eye on our project blog to see her transformation.

TR6 Is Ready For Trim

September 12, 2020

Our 1973 TR6 is ready and waiting to enter our in-house trim shop. She’s had a ton of restoration work done on the engine and body, so now it’s time to restore her interior.

Her owner has opted for a gorgeous biscuit leather for the interior. We think it’ll set the magenta paintwork off a treat! We’re looking forward to seeing the colour scheme come together over the next few weeks.

Hello Again E-Type!

September 11, 2020

The wonderful 1971 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3 has been taken on a lovely little road trip this week.

Her owner, who lives overseas, came to collect her from our workshop to spend a short trip away. With the sun shining, the roof down, and some lovely long empty roads – it looks like absolute heaven!

The Jag has since been returned to us to be kept snug in our secure storage facility, eagerly awaiting her next road trip. We look forward to seeing her next adventure!

Freddie’s In The Fast Lane

September 11, 2020

Our superstar marketeer Freddie put his ‘out of office’ on today and headed up to Norfolk for a track day.

Hosted by Car Chase Heroes, Freddie is spending the day in some exceptional company with a Porsche 911, a Lotus Cortina, a Ford MK1 Escort, a Jaguar E-Type, a Chevrolet Corvette, a Ford Mustang GT500, a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Ferrari 348.

Freddie’s having a great day, we can’t wait for him to get back to Bridge HQ and tell us all about it. Enjoy Freddie!

Happy 100th Anniversary Mazda!

September 11, 2020

Mazda are celebrating their 100 year anniversary so we thought we’d share a couple of our favourite Mazda’s we’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years.

This exciting and incredibly rare 1995 Mazda Efini RX-7 Type R Bathurst was won by one lucky winner through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

We pride ourselves on sourcing exceptional vehicles for our competitions, and this Mazda Efini was certainly no exception. The Mazda Efini RX-7 Type R Bathurst’s were limited to 500 units purely for the Japanese domestic market. This car is believed to be the only one in the UK and is thought to be one of the very best, rarest, low mileage RX-7’s in the world.

Our winner Mark was certainly overjoyed with his win! We would be too!

This 2003 Mazda MX-5 came to us with rusty sills so we replaced the parts and gave her a fresh respray. We absolutely love to see before and after pictures of our restorations.

Check out Mazda’s 100th Anniversary virtual tour for a good look through many other iconic Mazda’s through the decades.

What’s on the agenda?

September 11, 2020

Here’s a sneak peak into a couple of classic cars we’ve been chatting about this week.

First up, it’s this incredible 1990 BMW Alpina. A very rare car indeed, Alpina are a Baverian based manufacturer in Germany who specifically develop high performance BMW’s.

We’ve been chatting about this beauty this week as the owner is looking for a buyer and we’re all ears for it.

We’ve also been chatting about about this lovely little sports car- a 1961 MGA 1600 MK1 ‘Deluxe’. Acclaimed to be one of only nine other genuine RHD cars left.

Whilst much of the MGA is sound, other parts are in need of some attention. So we hope to be welcoming this little beauty into our workshop soon to give her some well earned TLC.

Stripping The SL500

September 11, 2020

Our soon-to-be stunning 1987 Mercedes SL500 is being prepped for a complete paint re-spray.

She’s been with us for over a year where we’ve worked tirelessly on repairing her body from an incredible amount of rust and damage. All the welding work is now complete though, so- it’s onto our precious paint shop!

First things first, all the old body paint has to be stripped so the entire shell can be prepped and primed ready for her final paint job.

We’ve used a highly erosive acidic paint stripper to remove all the old paint from the body work. If you look closely you can see the bubbles getting to work!

Raising the Roof!

September 11, 2020

Brian in our trusty trim shop has been busy with our 1961 Morris Mini this week. “I laid the restored frame over the headliner material,” explains Brain, “cutting flaps at the edge and stapling around the crossbars.”

Brian then glued the corners, front and rear pulling the fabric tight to stick it to the frame.

“I’ve then trimmed off all the excess” says Brian, “then added the clips and it’s done!” Brian’s followed the same process for both the front and rear roof liners, both of which are now read to be fitted.

Seamless work Brian!

Power Steering The Jensen 541R

September 11, 2020

Both our 1957 and 1960 Jensen 541R’s had an upgrade in steering system this week.

John, our classic car workshop manager explained, “It’s a like-for-like exchange really. We take the old steering column out and replace with power steering.”

In some other cars this process can be much more complex, but for the Jensen’s it’s a case of replace and rewire.

“I then make sure it’s all fitted nicely away,” explains John, “so you can’t see it.”

We love the concept of transforming classic cars by upgrading things like power steering, aircon and installing modern technology including sound systems, Bluetooth and GPS.

Now you really can have the look and feel of a classic car, but with the luxury extras you’d find on a newer model. To find out how we can improve your classic car driving experience, give us a call – 01473 724038

The Morris Is Prepped And Ready

September 11, 2020

Chris in our paintshop has continued work on the 1963 Morris Minor this week. “I’ve coated the inside of the car and the engine bay with raptor satin black,” Chris describes.

“I also temporarily fitted the wing rubbers,” he continues, “to make sure they fit nicely before spraying.”

Chris has completed the high build primer on the Morris Minor, below are the full before and after shots of his progress.

The Minor’s now ready to be rubbed down and have her final direct gloss paint job. Looking good so far… Great work Chris!

Fond Farewell’s

September 10, 2020

Today we bid adieu to some fantastic classics we’ve had the pleasure of working with over the last few weeks.

A regular visitor of ours is this exciting 1981 Triumph TR7 V8. We’ve always enjoy maintaining this stunner, this time though, she was in for a slightly different request…

We updated the steering to power steering, a service we pride ourselves on – converting classic cars into more usable, modern versions of themselves.

The TR7 is now ready and raring to go home and will now be a much easier drive with her new power steering system.

Another fond regular of ours is this iconic 1947 MG TC. We love having ‘proper’ classics here, and our MG TC is no exception.

The MG was in for a big job, a complete differential rebuild. Working with our MG specialist we were able to complete the rebuild, perform a successful test drive and send her on her merry way.

Our 1973 Triumph Stag left the workshop too this week. A new customer of ours was in for an accident repair after hitting a deer. We had to let out a little chuckle of the irony of a Stag hitting a dear, but we do hope the deer is alright!

Here’s the MG TC again, alongside two other classics that left our workshop this weekend.

Our 1966 Mercedes 250SE was reunited with her owner after having a full report to see what work could be carried out on her in the future.

Also saying her goodbyes is our 1975 MGB Roadster, who is a frequent visitor here at Bridge. We’ve been servicing this beauty for some time since her full restoration with us last year.

Bridge Classic Cars works on any classic car make or model. We love to invite new customers and their pride and joys into our workshop for anything from touch-ups to full restorations, diagnostics to repairs, and anything in between.

Get in touch today if there’s any advice you need on your precious classics – 01473 742038.

Farewell friends, and happy driving!

New Arrivals!

September 10, 2020

We’re always excited to see fresh classics arrive at our workshop here at Bridge Classic Cars. So, here’s a first look at the new arrivals joining us this week.

First up, it’s our 1996 Nissan Patrol. In for a paint job, re-chroming and body preparation.

Our 1958 Jensen 541R has arrived with us with gearbox issues. The specialist technical team are on hand to diagnose the faults and get her back up and running.

These Ford Escorts are both sitting comfortably at the Hanger in Bentwaters.

The light blue Ford Escort RS Turbo belongs to a customer, she’s being kept with us in our secure storage facility where we watch over many of our customers prized possessions.

The other is our very popular 1979 Ford Escort RS2000 that believe it or not, is a competition prize where one lucky winner will be handed the keys to this beauty! For more information on our competitions click here.

Lastly, this stunning 1971 Triumph Spitfire has come to us to sort a couple of problems out. Firstly, to investigate a strange noise coming from the engine along with fixing some oil leaks.

It’s great to follow a classic cars journey from their first day with us, to when we say goodbye.

Make sure you check back on our current projects page for all the latest updates on everything we’re working on at Bridge Classic Cars.

Heckflosse Hits The Road

September 10, 2020

Our lovely 1966 Mercedes 250SE W111 Heckflosse Coupe has been reunited with her owner Chris this week. Bridge Classic Cars have carried out a full report on this stunning classic, to help decide what work to have done in future to keep her in pristine condition.

Chris’ eagerly joined our good friends and fellow classic car lovers over at Vint-Tro to introduce his beautiful motor. In a former life, the car was owned by Britain’s Got Talent Judge David Walliams as well as Fifty Shades of Grey author EL James.

We’re looking forward to the next time we get to welcome the Mercedes 250SE back into our workshop. Until then though, happy driving Chris!

Coming Soon…

September 10, 2020

These two beauties will soon be joining us here at Bridge Classic Cars.

On the left we have our speedy 1967 Trident Venturer and on the right, it’s our lovely 1951 MG TD.

The trident is coming to us for a sympathetic restoration. It’s going to have a respray and although we’re not fibreglass experts here, because we’ve dealt with lots of Jensens over the years, we’ve become quite accustomed to paintwork on fibreglass.

The MG TD is coming to us for a full service, so we can iron out any issues and ensure she’s good to continue her travels.

We’re looking forward to welcoming them both, but which of these red classics would you choose?