February 28, 2022

Breathing New Life – Retrimming the Headliner for the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo

The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on refurbishing the headliner from the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo.

The original headliner had begun to sag quite badly as well as having some marks on the material. After carefully stripping the old material from the foam base, the trim shop could then begin to recover the base in a new fabric covering closely matching the original.

Now with this completed, it can be put into storage for when the body and other pieces on the car are finished.

Stripped Back – Stripping the Carburettor of the 1986 Ford Capri

The restoration technicians at Bridge Classic Cars have stripped down the carburettor of the 1986 Ford Capri to get the classic Ford running just right.

Our technician Jon completely dismantled the aftermarket carburettor on the Capri due to the car running slightly off. He carefully and methodically cleaned out every port and duct on the carburettor to remove any form of sediment or dirt which may have built up over time inside the part.

With the carburettor taken apart, Jon could inspect all the necessary pieces before putting it back together with a clean bill of health and get it back onto the car. Once back on the car, Jon had to perform a small wiring repair before setting the carburettor up to get the Capri running perfectly.

Mirror Finish – Machine Polishing the 1959 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite

At Bridge Classic Cars, we have a phrase called ”Dead in Red”. This is what we’ve found to be the best description of red paint after years of oxidization and exposure to the elements.

So, while we have this stunning 1959 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite in our workshop we thought it was time to bring back the paint to its beautiful glossy and deep finish. The car has been both machine and hand polished to not only bring back the depth of the red paint but also protect it for years to come and allow its paint more longevity.

As you’ll agree, it looks absolutely wonderful now the paint is bright and vibrant.

Remove and Inspect – Removing Interior Pieces from the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo

The Bridge Classic Cars trim shop have been working on stripping parts of the interior on the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo for restoration.

Along with the paint and body team assessing the exterior of the car to come up with a plan for the body and panels, our trim shop have been removing and assessing pieces from the interior of the classic Saab. Each piece is individually inspected for condition and any marks or tears. The main piece which needed attention of the interior, which is in relatively good condition, is the headliner.

The team pulled the headliner from the car which will be taken up to the trim shop, stripped and recovered.

Cut and Finish – Reworking the Dashboard of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona

The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on reworking and finishing the dashboard on the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona in preparation for getting the switchgear test fitted.

The team have been remoulding parts of the dashboard and structure to make it as close to an original Daytona as possible, using reference photos Scott has been laying new layers of fibreglass in different areas to recreate the original shape.

After that, he could then begin to do the bodywork preparations on the dash to smooth out areas and joins in the panel which included glassing over new mounting bolts to fix it into the structure behind the piece securely. After that, the new openings for some of the switchgear could be cut and test fitted into the interior, again using reference photos to scale the spacings between each piece.

Better than New – New Chassis and Bulkhead for the 1956 Jensen 541

A brand new chassis for the 1956 Jensen 541 is under construction. Part of this also involves a very special bulkhead to covert the car to left-hand drive.

The estimated completion of the chassis is about 4 weeks. We will then be into reassembly. The car will be finished Deep Carriage Green with Burgundy upholstery.

After completing numerous restorations and recommissions of the Jensen 541, this will be the first left-hand drive car to be completed by our workshop.