Stephen Norman Talks about Our MGB Roadster Restoration
December 14, 2023
We recently had a visit from a long-term friend and customer of Bridge Classic Cars, Stephen Norman, the ex-boss of Vauxhall and a walking encyclopedia
December 14, 2023
2 Competition Cars
December 14, 2023
Two of our competition cars have been under the care of classic car technician Jonn recently. First up is our 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi, which
Suspension And Plating
December 14, 2023
Classic car technician Rob has been refitting the front suspension to our 1976 Triumph Spitfire. Rob has also cleaned, sandblasted, and replated all of the
MGB Roadster Engine Work
December 14, 2023
Classic car technician Jonn has carried out a diagnosis for number 7 valve clearance that keeps increasing on our 1970 MGB Roadster. He removed the
The Strip Down Makes Big Progress
December 14, 2023
The mechanical strip out of our 1953 Aston Martin DB2/4 has started at the rear of the car. The tailgate, lights, spare wheel carrier and
Stephen Norman Talks about Our MGB Roadster Restoration
December 14, 2023
We recently had a visit from a long-term friend and customer of Bridge Classic Cars, Stephen Norman, the ex-boss of Vauxhall and a walking encyclopedia of British automotive history.
We have been working on our 1970 MGB Roadster and, while having a closer look at the progress of his 1976 Triumph Spitfire that is currently in the workshop, Stephen spotted our MGB and had a few things to say about it.
As one of the people who actually saw the MG Midget and MGB rolling off the production lines at the Abingdon factory, Stephen’s thoughts are always amazing to hear.
Take a look at the video below and see what Stephen had to say.
2 Competition Cars
December 14, 2023
Two of our competition cars have been under the care of classic car technician Jonn recently.
First up is our 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi, which is currently live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website. Jonn has now fitted the new front and rear number plates in preparation for our classic Ferrari to be won in the new year.
Jonn has also been completing the pre-delivery inspection of our 2015 Jaguar F-Type which will soon be delivered to the lucky winner and new owner, after winning this beautiful car on Tuesday.
Suspension And Plating
December 14, 2023
Classic car technician Rob has been refitting the front suspension to our 1976 Triumph Spitfire.
Rob has also cleaned, sandblasted, and replated all of the parts for the steering and suspension that were initially plated. These are now ready for reassembly.
MGB Roadster Engine Work
December 14, 2023
Classic car technician Jonn has carried out a diagnosis for number 7 valve clearance that keeps increasing on our 1970 MGB Roadster. He removed the inlet manifold to gain better access to the engine side covers. He then removed the rear side cover.
Jonn slackened the tappets for number 7 and removed the push rod. He was unable to remove the cam follower from the block. He suspected that the follower was worn and “mushroomed”, making it impossible to remove from the top. As a result, Jonn decided to remove the engine to ease the removal of the follower from the underside of the engine. Fluids were drained and the engine was removed and mounted on an engine stand.
The sump was removed and Jonn found small fragments of metal inside. He continued to strip the engine so he was able to remove the camshaft and access the worn follower. He removed the distributor, removed the oil pump and the cam locking plate. The camshaft and number 7 follower were removed and, as Jonn suspected, the cam follower was badly worn and the number 7 cam lobe was also badly worn. New cam and followers are required.
Jonn cleaned parts ready for refitting. Due to the metal fragments in the sump, he thought it prudent to strip the oil pump and clean it. He then inspected the inside for scoring etc. The oil pump looked fine.
The engine was packed with build grease and rebuilt. The block and mating surfaces were cleaned and the cam bearings were inspected. Number 1 cam bearing was showing slight scoring. Jonn will check the tolerance when the new camshaft arrives. In the meantime, Jonn has blown out the oilways and covered the engine until the required parts arrive.
Jonn finished cleaning engine parts in preparation. He also cleaned the engine bay and inner wings/cross member. The gearbox bell housing was cleared out and Jonn visually inspected the thrust bearing, which looked ok.
The Strip Down Makes Big Progress
December 14, 2023
The mechanical strip out of our 1953 Aston Martin DB2/4 has started at the rear of the car. The tailgate, lights, spare wheel carrier and fuel tank have all been removed. Classic car technician James actually found some of the original black paint on the car too!
The dashboard and clocks have also been stripped out ready for refurbishment. James made sure that the wiring was labelled for reference and pictures were taken to aid in reassembly later on.
Brian and Lydia have also been working on the interior of our rare Aston. They removed the old covers from the front seats before going on to remove the foam and runners as well. The seats from this vehicle were in fairly bad condition and did not want to come apart easily. Lydia ended up grinding away a lot of the screw heads to be able to remove the seat back from the base. She then cleaned up the interior dash cubby boxes and the door pockets too.
Brian removed the metal runners from the base of the seats, and the base foams. He then removed the carpet from the back of the squab seat, removed the old cover & foams, removed all side wood sections, removed frames, and cut out new side wood sections & new backboards.
Perhaps the most obvious change to our DB2/4 is that the body has now been removed. This is a big step in the strip down and the whole team is excited to see this beautiful car continue to make progress.
