December 15, 2021

Out & About – Charlotte’s New York Car Spotting at MoMA

Charlotte, our Bridge Classic Cars Competitions presenter, has been off on holiday but she’ll always manage to find something cool and classic for us back home. This time, she found a familiar friend in the Big Apple.

Whilst in New York, Charlotte went to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) and one of the exhibitions was to do with AutoMania and what better way to sum that up than with a gorgeous early E Type Droptop. A car we here at Bridge Classic Cars have an undeniable soft spot for and definitely deserves its place in a museum dedicated to modern works of art.

Hope you had an amazing time Charlotte! but you’ll all be able to see her tomorrow night for the live draw of the Mustang and the Mercedes 250SE. There is still time to get your tickets!

Click the link below for your chance to win your very own dream classic.

www.bridgeclassiccarscompetitions.co.uk

Small Adjustments – Adjusting the Doors of the 1954 MG TF

Jon, one of the in-house restoration experts here at Bridge Classic Cars has spent some time working to get the doors on the 1954 MG TF to fit and close properly.

Firstly, Jon removed the door card from the classic sports car where it was then given over to one of our in-house trim experts, Kath, to repair. Whilst this was being done, Jon got to work on the doors. The first thing Jon noticed was that the spot welds that attach the door skin to the frame had popped and allowed the door to not sit level. So, Jon quickly spot welded the door skin back on before beginning work on the hinges.

Jon, upon inspection, noted that the lower hinge of the door had too much movement. So, Jon made up a spacer to sit between the door and hinge allowing a much tighter fit and better alignment between the door striker and the hinge.

Whilst Kath in the trim shop had the door card, it was decided to create a new check strap for the door in as close of a match as possible to the existing leather.

While waiting for the door card and check strap, Jon began work on adjusting the strikers and hinges so the door would shut evenly and level. With some small modifications needed to one of the latches, everything was eventually right in place to line up perfectly for the little sports car.

Behind the Scenes – Photoshoot with the 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV

The bright winters sun fell across the small, brightly coloured sports car as it sat on the south loop. The harsh highlights bounced off every surface that happened to get in the way of its rays. But, it couldn’t have looked much better.

As the car warmed up outside of The Hangar, it was in incredible condition. Having been obviously adored by its previous owner, the Spitfire’s large and vintage dials began to swing their way towards the middle which gave Freddie the signal that this classic sports car was ready to head down the runway towards its photoshoot. The paintwork was vibrant and shimmering in the December sun, just adding to the magic of this stunning car.

This is the 1972 Triumph Spitfire and it is the latest in the line of prizes from Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. And it could be all yours! Bridge Classic Cars Competitions gives everyone the chance to own their dream classic car just by buying a ticket.

And that is exactly what you could enjoy with this amazing classic Triumph.

Head over to the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions now and enter for your chance to win this stunning 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV.

Click here to enter now!

Diving Deeper – Finding a Rotten Heater Hose on the 1954 MG TF

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house restoration teams have been inspecting and assessing the 1954 MG TF after getting the car started.

Our technician Jon had a look at each component within the engine bay, and that includes all the hoses. Upon inspection, Jon found one of the heater hoses had become very deteriorated over time and for the sake of safety will need to be replaced. The condition of the hoses is crucial for the longevity of any classic car’s engine so this is a must-do job.

New Set of Shoes – New Tyres for the 1968 Jaguar MkII 2.4

As work continues of the 1968 Jaguar MkII 2.4 in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, our friends over at Tyre Assist in Ipswich have been out to do their part on the project.

Previously, our in-house paint expert Alan had worked his magic on the wheels of the MkII to match the colour of the wheels to the car. Now, with the paint dry and cured, they could be handed over to Graham to fit them up with new rubber.

Thanks to Tyre Assist being mobile, they come out with their state of the art equipment to mount, balance and test the new tyres we have fitted to our classics. So, our customers can be safe in the knowledge that even the specialists we use work to the same exacting standards that our in-house technicians work to on our projects.

Building Update – Cladding Finished and Doors Going Into the Workshop Extension

There’s been a hive of activity in recent weeks around the new extension on the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in Pettistree, Suffolk.

The new ramps and edging have had their concrete laid and cured by the builders meaning we will be able to get any car into the extension regardless of its ride height and if it needs pushing, the angle isn’t too bad for our technicians!

The cladding has also been finished all the way around the building, and seamlessly blends into our existing workshop just next door. It’s our first purpose-built, from scratch building so we are very proud and excited about this project.

The other big change is that the doors have started to go into the building. Our colour-matched brown fire door is securely put into the building to the exacting building codes it must meet and the large roller doors have begun to be installed into the building this week.

It’s all coming together on the Workshop Extension and we’re very excited to show you more on the build as it progresses.

Get Up and Go – Starting Issue on the 1954 MG TF

This absolutely stunning 1954 MG TF has got a bit of a starting issue. So, it has been bought in for the amazing Bridge Classic Cars in-house restoration technicians to get to the bottom of it.

The job of looking into why the TF wouldn’t start was given to Jon, one of the amazing in-house technicians who has a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to the overall health of a classic car. After troubleshooting and checking the various systems responsible for starting this plucky little sports car and putting the car on a deep cycle charge, Jon found the start solenoid had an internal fault. He also found the cable that controls the solenoid needed adjusting as well.

While adjusting the starter cables, Jon noted the dash would actually move with the cable so to make sure the adjustment was correct and working as it should he resecured the dash into the car and retested. After this, the MG TF started every time with little effort from this nearly 70 year old sports car.

Got Your Back – Working on the Seats of the 1956 Jensen 541

Our in-house trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars are well versed with the interiors of the majestic Jensen 541. So, with the fronts of the 1956 Jensen 541 seats complete, it was time for Kath to turn her attention to the back of the other seat.

Using the other completed seat for reference, Kath began by carefully making a template of the back of the seat. Each of the seat buckets was made by hand back in the 1950s so they are slightly different from one to the next, so to ensure the best fit and finish Kath makes each template by hand. Once this was complete, she could begin to transfer the template onto the lining and the hide that would envelop the fibreglass seat.

After this had been carefully glued and set to the backs and bottom of the seat, Kath began to work on the seat base and cushion. Again, every single piece of the seat is handmade by our in-house trim shop so even the cushions are bespoke to this car. Millimetre by millimetre, Kath perfected the fit and shape of the foam and once that was fair and even, she attached it to the seat base. Then, in the matching hide, Kath retrimmed the cushion and seat base ready to put into the seat.

With this complete, both seats are now ready for when the rest of the car is finished and handed over to the trim shop for fitting.