Checking Over
January 11, 2024
We have recently welcomed back the 1964 Daimler 250 V8. After under going restoration/recommissioning by ourselves last year, the car was given back to its
January 11, 2024
Aston DB2/4 Nearing completion
January 11, 2024
Over the last few days, the workshop team have been completing some final checks and road testing our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 in readiness for
Separate Parts
January 11, 2024
The paint and body team at our Suffolk HQ have been methodically working on separating the body from the frame of our 1975 AC Cobra
One Last Check
January 11, 2024
Before the lucky winner of our 2002 BMW Alpina B10 V8S arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop to pick up his new car, Jonn
More Fabricating
January 11, 2024
As our 1951 Austin Devon Pickup has continued its stay in the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication bay, Chris has been fitting up the cab lower
More Progress
January 11, 2024
Classic car technician Paul has been continuing his work on our 1956 Jensen 541. He has fitted the brake pipes and rear shoes as well
Moving Forward
January 11, 2024
There’s been some incredible progress on our 1905 Riley 9hp in recent weeks. Recently, the team here at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ have been
Chassis And Body
January 11, 2024
Our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 has been getting a lot of attention lately. The stripped chassis has been sent off to the sandblasters. Before it
Ready for Colour
January 11, 2024
The paint team here at Bridge Classic Cars have been preparing the body of our 1976 Triumph Spitfire for the next phase of its restoration
Back In The Workshop
January 11, 2024
Our 1963 Bentley S3 has recently returned to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. As you can see, from the photos below, it now looks very
Repairs to MR2
January 11, 2024
The trim team have been working on repairing the drivers seat to the 1992 Toyota MR2 which is currently in our Pettistree workshops. Lydia worked
Defender Improvements
January 11, 2024
The Bridge Classic Cars Defender has been having some work completed recently. Lydia sanded off the sharp edges of the rear bench to avoid any
Amphicar Kick Panels
January 11, 2024
Lydia has been working on our 1964 Amphicar 7-70. Firstly, she made a template for the kick panels to ensure the correct shape and fit.
A Thorough Inspection
January 11, 2024
Jon has been carrying out the inspection of our 1974 Mini 850 Van. He began by topping up engine oil and screenwash in washer bottle,
Competition Repairs
January 11, 2024
Our 1963 Vauxhall Victor recently went live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website. As it is scheduled to be won very soon, Jonn has
Seat And Electric Window Repairs
January 11, 2024
Our 1992 Toyota MR2 has been in the skilled hands of classic car technician Jonn. After he removed the driver’s seat for repair, Jonn disconnected
Checking Over
January 11, 2024
We have recently welcomed back the 1964 Daimler 250 V8. After under going restoration/recommissioning by ourselves last year, the car was given back to its owner to be enjoyed and used – the car was then brought back to ourselves to be put into winter storage, something many of our customers ask us to do.
With that, we were tasked with looking into a slight leak from underneath the 1960s V8 saloon car.
Our technician James was tasked with tracking down the cause of the leak and at the same time, nut and bolt checking the underside of the car to make sure everything was all ok. During the inspection, James found several fluid leaks on the car, mainly from the power steering pump. To confirm this, the team have cleaned down the area surrounding the connections to power steering pump to allow for a clean environment to look closer and find out specifically where the leak is coming from.
Along with that, they did notice a very small weep from the back of the engine sump and have also thoroughly cleaned that down to investigate into this area further and pinpoint the area which needs attention.
Aston DB2/4 Nearing completion
January 11, 2024
Over the last few days, the workshop team have been completing some final checks and road testing our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 in readiness for completion and hand back to the customer.
The lights have been checked and set, all levels checked and topped up, and road tested with small adjustments and checks each time. Technician James fixed a small fuel leak on one of the carburettors, checked all the bolts for tightness, and removed the speedo head for calibration to ensure its accuracy.
The bump stops for the bonnet have been renewed and the brakes re-adjusted after bedding them in.
Separate Parts
January 11, 2024
The paint and body team at our Suffolk HQ have been methodically working on separating the body from the frame of our 1975 AC Cobra Replica.
The team have to be incredibly careful with this process on any car, but cars with fibreglass bodies take extra attention due to the nature of the material snapping/shattering if bound up on any fixings. With this in mind, our technician Mauro went through every inch of the car to make sure that nothing was still connected before a team of technicians separated the body from the frame of the famous replica roadster.
One Last Check
January 11, 2024
Before the lucky winner of our 2002 BMW Alpina B10 V8S arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop to pick up his new car, Jonn gave it one last check-over to make sure it was ready to go.
The TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system) light was on and the offside front tyre was a bit low. After inflating all of the tyres, the light was out and everything looked good.
More Fabricating
January 11, 2024
As our 1951 Austin Devon Pickup has continued its stay in the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication bay, Chris has been fitting up the cab lower corner, fabricating and welding on the brace frame to the cab mount rails. He also removed and started repairing the floor.
More Progress
January 11, 2024
Classic car technician Paul has been continuing his work on our 1956 Jensen 541. He has fitted the brake pipes and rear shoes as well as assembling parts for the heater box.
Moving Forward
January 11, 2024
There’s been some incredible progress on our 1905 Riley 9hp in recent weeks.
Recently, the team here at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ have been working full-steam ahead on the 1-of-1 antique car.
The wooden frame has returned from the team at Ashbocking Joinery ready for the trim team to continue their careful and precise work in bringing the wooden structure back to life with its handmade covering.
Meanwhile, the fabrication team have been working on recreating several pieces which needed to be re-manufactured for the hood to be fitted up properly for testing. These small hooks are part of the hood support system which needed to be made and shaped by hand to perfectly fit the 119-year-old car.
At the same time, our trimmer Lydia has been working on making a battery bag for the battery. Although its truly a safety item, she has made stylish and perfectly sized for the car. The whole purpose is to make it easier to remove the battery from the wooden box it is fitted into, but the thickness of the leather and the material itself allows for some dampening and deadening to protect the battery and prolong its life.
On the chassis itself, in the main mechanical workshop, Steve has been working on the gearbox. Before the car moves under its own power, Steve has completely flushed and cleaned up the gearbox internals due to the car being sat for long periods of time – and with this much hard work, devotion and passion poured into this very special project it made sense to do it at this time before the body is placed onto the frame for the final time.
Chassis And Body
January 11, 2024
Our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 has been getting a lot of attention lately. The stripped chassis has been sent off to the sandblasters.
Before it went, Rob stripped the last remaining parts off the shell and chassis and removed the bodyshell. He also separated the sill/bulkhead structure from the rear bodyshell. Rob went on to remove the steel inner structure from the outer ally rear body in preparation for blast cleaning.
Ready for Colour
January 11, 2024
The paint team here at Bridge Classic Cars have been preparing the body of our 1976 Triumph Spitfire for the next phase of its restoration journey.
Al has been working on getting the body ready to be finished in its bright vibrant Green colour – with the whole body having every inch poured over so it has perfect surfaces ready to have its paint laid down.
Back In The Workshop
January 11, 2024
Our 1963 Bentley S3 has recently returned to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. As you can see, from the photos below, it now looks very different to how it did a few months ago when it first arrived.
When it arrived back, Jonn had to free off the brakes. To do this, he removed the front wheels and stripped the brakes. He removed the shoes and placed them inside the car before refitting the drums and wheels.
Repairs to MR2
January 11, 2024
The trim team have been working on repairing the drivers seat to the 1992 Toyota MR2 which is currently in our Pettistree workshops.
Lydia worked her skill on the drivers side bolster of the Japanese sports car before handing the unit back over to Jon to refit back into the car.
Defender Improvements
January 11, 2024
The Bridge Classic Cars Defender has been having some work completed recently.
Lydia sanded off the sharp edges of the rear bench to avoid any future injury to passengers. She then sprayed the bare metal with black paint to finish.
While Lydia did this, Mauro primed the roof ready for paint.
Amphicar Kick Panels
January 11, 2024
Lydia has been working on our 1964 Amphicar 7-70. Firstly, she made a template for the kick panels to ensure the correct shape and fit. Then she cut the panels out of plywood and cut a hole on the passenger side to allow airflow out of the vent tube.
Lydia then applied a thin layer of scrim foam and used grey vinyl to match the seats and door cards. She then fixed them into the car and used a screw and cup washer to ensure they didn’t fall out whilst driving.
A Thorough Inspection
January 11, 2024
Jon has been carrying out the inspection of our 1974 Mini 850 Van.
He began by topping up engine oil and screenwash in washer bottle, aling with checking all other necessary fluids. Next step was a full strip, clean and inspection of all brakes and then refitting the drums and adjusting till just right. Following that, he fefit all wheels and torque to 60nm before inflating all tyres to 26psi. One of the final stages of maintenance was to put 5 liters petrol in and attempt to start. The Mini started ok, but the petrol gauge showed no moment. After manually wiring the fuel sender the gauge began to work. Jon drained the fuel and remove the sender unit from the tank. He found sender seized and rusted so proceeded to strip and clean/free off.
Jon cleaned the contacts and re-assembled before fitting back into the car and test through range – He reported back it is working fine now, refitting the unit back to the tank and put the fuel back in. After checking the guage, it now reads half a tank.
Finally he secured the battery, lubricated the sliding windows and then carried out road test.
After the road test and finishing the inspection, Jon carried out road test before returning to the workshop. On returning, he adjusted the passengers door lock, adjusted the idle speed and then road tested again with our trimmer Lydia in the back on the classic Mini van to pin point rattles which was traced to the rear door lock. Returning to the workshop, Jon removed the lock mechanism from rear door to strip and inspect. Using double sided tape with backing left on to remove any play from the mechanism rods. After opening up the mechanism, he found not a single ounce of grease inside mechanism – So thoroughly lubricate with grease and reassemble. Refit to door and test. No rattles now.
Competition Repairs
January 11, 2024
Our 1963 Vauxhall Victor recently went live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website. As it is scheduled to be won very soon, Jonn has been making some repairs to make sure it is ready to go to the lucky winner.
He has removed the inline fuel filter, cleaned it out, blew it through, and refitted it to the car.
Jonn then stripped and removed the nearside front upper ball joint rubber. This was cleaned, and a new rubber boot was fitted and secured. After refitting the top arm to the hub and tightening using a new split pin, Jonn refitted the wheel and repeated the process for the offside front upper too.
The radiator was drained. and Jonn removed the top hose and ran water through the radiator and engine to flush out rusty brown water. Antifreeze and water were mixed to make a 50/50 mix. The pipe connections to the radiator were cleaned and a vacuum pressure filling machine was used to refill the system.
Jonn topped the antifreeze mix up with a small amount when he had finished before cleaning up and checking the anti-freeze content. Protection down to minus 18 degrees Celsius is now covered, as shown in the last photo of the refractometer sight glass.
A new washer pump was also fitted. To do this, Jonn had to re-drill the fixings as the new pump wouldn’t align with the old holes. He then cut and fitted the washer pipes and tested them. The washer jet aim was adjusted appropriately before all tyre pressures were adjusted to 26psi.
Seat And Electric Window Repairs
January 11, 2024
Our 1992 Toyota MR2 has been in the skilled hands of classic car technician Jonn. After he removed the driver’s seat for repair, Jonn disconnected the wiring under the seat before hoovering the space out ready for the seat to go back in once the repair is complete.
A new plastic weather shield was made for the door before the door panel was refitted. New screws were used at the bottom edge as the old ones were missing when the car arrived. Once the switch pack was reconnected, the window was tested and found to be working fine.
