March 10, 2022

Covered – Retrimming the Window Trim, Headliner and Sunroof of the 1987 Daimler Double Six

The sunroof, headliner and window trim from the 1987 Daimler Double Six are in the Bridge Classic Cars trim shop to be recovered in matching beige material.

Brian has been working on getting each individual piece cut out and perfectly retrimmed after being carefully stripped back and prepared for this stage. Each individual piece has been hand-worked to give the best fit and finish for the classic Daimler.

Getting to the Root – Fixing the Rust Areas on the 1987 Mercedes 500SL

The 1987 Mercedes 500SL has been transferred from our body shop to the fabrication shop at the Bridge Classic Cars workshops.

During the preparation of the body for paint, our body shop noticed some areas of corrosion in some key places. These are being cut out and addressed by our fabricators so the classic Mercedes R107 is in perfect condition to go back into the body shop to have those areas prepared again for paint.

Safe and Secure – Working on Fitting Up the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona

The restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on getting several crucial pieces of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona restoration completed.

Scott has been working on carefully routing the various coolant hoses from the V12 to the new radiator set up for the car. Part of that radiator/cooling set-up involves the installation of not only a set of electric fans but also the new AC condenser. He has made up a beautiful set of custom brackets to hold these pieces to the radiator shroud.

The other pieces that have been completed on the Daytona are the installation of various key pieces to the engine such as the oil filter housing, the new exhaust bracket/mounts which has allowed Scott to begin fitting the exhaust to the V12. And with the new fans and other parts fitted to the car, he could begin working out the coolant hoses for any interference that may occur.

The Next Stage – First Colour on the 1965 Porsche 912

The body panels of the 1965 Porsche 912 have gone into the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop to have the first layers of colour laid onto the meticulously prepared pieces.

The car is being finished in a period-correct Porsche colour Polo Red.

Alan, one of our incredible painters, has been working on preparing the panels and pieces of the classic Porsche in preparation for this stage of the car’s bodywork. Each panel was perfectly sanded, cleaned and positioned inside the booth before he walked into our in-house spray booth/oven.

The first layer was light and delicate on the panels. Creating almost a pink covering before being allowed to set up and let the next coats adhere perfectly to the piece. Then, over time each layer was built up and allowed to flash off before the next round of Polo Red was laid onto and inside each of the pieces.

With these pieces curing in the ovens overnight, the next step is to prepare the body for the booth.

Changes – Modifying the Dash Surround of the 1970 Bristol 411 Left Hand Drive Conversion

The trim shop at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ in Suffolk have been working alongside the restoration workshop to convert the 1970 Bristol 411 to left-hand drive.

Part of that is modifying the dashboard of the car to the correct orientation in the cabin. With everything on the dash being moved from right to left, the instrument cluster needed to be reworked to line up with the existing woodwork and supports.

Referencing the car and the original dash pieces, Brian could make the precise and crucial cuts in the cluster to not only allow the wooden panel to sit in place but so that the existing material could be fitted back into the new cut with a perfect fit.

Top Work – Rust Repairs to the Sunroof of the 1987 Daimler Double Six

The fabrication team in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ are hard at work repairing the rust issues in the sunroof of the 1987 Daimler Double Six.

Monty has been working his way methodically through the entirety of the classic Daimler. This time he has turned his attention to the sunroof and sunroof opening of the car, which is showing some noticeable signs of corrosion both on the interior and exterior of the car. Firstly, the sunroof panel was removed and stripped back to best assess the piece.

With everything cleaned back, the level of corrosion could be seen and assessed. Monty began handmaking the various patch panels and pieces needed for both the roof panel and the sunroof rails. With all of these pieces carefully templated and made, the process of welding them into the car could begin.

Because of the tolerances in the sunroof mechanism, the welding process has to be precise and accurate as to not warp any of the pieces with the heat generated by welding.

Trimmed – Trimming the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona Dash and Transmission Tunnel

With all of the preparations made by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop, the dashboard and transmission tunnel for the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona has been retrimmed in all-new Alcantara.

Lydia has worked on creating a beautifully fitting and clean template for the new Alcantara covering for the pieces of the classic Ferrari replica. Now, it was time to begin the process of securing the material to the reshaped fibreglass panels.

Using specialist adhesives, the material was carefully stretched and glued down before being pinned in place to let the adhesives cure and strengthen.

Once the material was in place, Lydia could then begin trimming out the openings for things such as the dash vents, switchgear etc. and then proceeded to methodically glue down the tags and get the best finished possible for when the trim pieces were fitted back on to the car.

Coming Soon – 1985 Jaguar Double Six

Coming soon to Bridge Classic Cars is this stunning 1985 Jaguar Double Six.

The classic 4 door saloon will be arriving at our Pettistree workshops very soon to go through its full inspection and assessment by the restoration teams.

Expect to see more on the 1985 Jaguar Double Six very soon on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.

This Just In – Team C Racing Classic Mini

The newest arrival to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Pettistree HQ is the first of the 3 classic Mini shells that the restoration teams will be working on for our friends at Team C Racing.

This car will be worked on by our paint and body teams to be transformed into a brown body/white roof classic Mini for Team C.

Keep a lookout on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates very soon on this classic Mini.