Rover P4 Repair Work
November 21, 2024
Mauro has not only been busy taking photos but he’s been working on perfecting our Rover P4 corrosion. The interior has been completely and the
Craig Ranson
Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars
Maserati BiTurbo – 11000 miles!
November 21, 2024
The wait is over. Our 1987 Maserati BiTurbo has been in The Hangar for some time now but work has finally begun on getting the
Plate change on our Defender
November 20, 2024
A simple plate change shouldn’t take too long right? Our Defender plates caused a bit of a headache for Jon today as the existing plates
Goodbye Bristol
November 18, 2024
Our 1956 Bristol 405 has been with us for many many years but this week we bid her a fond farewell as she heads off
Remedial repairs to our 1970 Fiat 500
November 15, 2024
Parts have arrived for our 1970 Fiat 500 so we can now continue on with the repairs. We’ve taped up the cut wiring in the
Looking bright for our Aston Martin DB2/4
November 12, 2024
Our brightwork has returned from the chromers/polishers this week. Wyatt Polishing have done an incredible job as always on our Aston chrome work. Tony has
Mercedes 500SL – cleaning up the wiring
November 12, 2024
John is tidied and cleaned up some of the wiring in the boot area. He has mounted and connected up the aerial.
1961 Austin Mini – Recommission
November 7, 2024
Having been off the road but dry stored for some time, we have started the assessment and repairs required on our 1961 Austin Mini. I
Mercedes 500SL – rebuild continued…
November 7, 2024
The John’s have been working mainly on the doors recently. They’ve cut counter sunk bolts to length, fitted and secured both door locks. The door
Preparing the new door
November 6, 2024
Chris has now prepared and painted the new/old stock Rover P5 replacement door.
Busy few days for the P5
November 5, 2024
Monday morning we saw the Rover P5 leave us to head off for some gearbox work to be done. Prior to the car leaving our
More reassembly work on Mercedes 500SL
November 4, 2024
John and Jon have done a few more hours on the Merc this weekend. Fitted new clips to all fuel pipes in the boot heading
Fitting up the SL Tank
October 31, 2024
John was expecting this to be a tougher job than it turned out to be. The tank fitted into position nicely. It’s great when a
Final stretch for the Jensen 541
October 30, 2024
Looking lovely sitting in the middle of The Atelier. The final touches are being made to the door and the car is hopefully only days
1956 Jensen 541 work continues
October 30, 2024
We secure all the bolts and tried the clutch and it feels good. Re-fit oil filter housing and new filter. Fill with oil and run
The 500 has arrived
October 30, 2024
Who doesn’t love a little Fiat 500? One of the quirkiest and most iconic of classics has now arrived at Bridge Classic Cars and we’re
2003 Rover 75 Club SE Tourer Paint
October 30, 2024
Our Rover 75 has been though paint and is now back in colour having been prepared by paint technician Mauro. Next job is to flat
A day of sorting parts for Tony
October 30, 2024
A trip to our storage facility first off to start to get our Jensen Interceptor ready for arrival into the workshops. A few boxes of
Triumph TR3A Appraisal
October 30, 2024
Today’s the day we get our 1960 TR3A on the ramp for it’s full appraisal. Jon is working on this one. He has fully greased
Thunderbirds are go…almost!
October 25, 2024
John’s still in the process of getting our Ford Thunderbird running but no luck so far. A brand new fuel pump is what we need
Cobra IVA rules…
October 25, 2024
IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) is edging closer and closer for our Cobra project. Every step of the way it is vital that the rules are
MG B Roadster Underseal
October 25, 2024
So we closed the week off with Dave having finished stripping the MG B Roadster in order for Chris to prepare the car for underseal.
Mercedes 500 SL progress
October 25, 2024
Progress is being made on my 1987 Mercedes 500 SL. I keep hoping and wishing that there is not much longer to go but time
Land Rover Defender getting ready for new home
October 24, 2024
On Tuesday we called up Garry Smith to tell him the amazing news that he’s now the proud owner of our 2010 Land Rover Defender
Aston Martin Drophead Coupe Fabrication Work
October 24, 2024
Rob has relocated for now from the main workshops to the fabrication shop as he gets stuck in to the fabrication of the boot-lid. He
Recommissioning our 1977 Triumph 2500TC
October 24, 2024
Work continues on our 1977 Triumph 2500 TC. Jon is still busy getting the car ready for the oad. He has clean out the thermostat
Ferrari Dino – polyfan work
October 22, 2024
Chris is now finishing off the final few areas of panel levelling and preparing the car for Polyfan. Polyfan is spray polyester putty, used as
Storage…in with one, out with another
October 21, 2024
Having been in storage, within a CarCoon for almost a year, I have decided to get my 2000 Peugeot 306 Cabriolet back on the road…just
Stripping our 1973 MG B Roadster – engine, carbs, heater box, wheels
October 14, 2024
Week 1 for new guy Dave has already been a busy one as his first project is our 1973 MG B Roadster. Gordon has not
Morgan – play in the distributor
October 8, 2024
Here is a picture of old the distributor that had lots of play in the bearings causing the points to open inconsistently. We have fitted
Rover P4 Repair Work
November 21, 2024
Mauro has not only been busy taking photos but he’s been working on perfecting our Rover P4 corrosion. The interior has been completely and the welding on the bottom of the A and B pillar, along with the chassis bracket for the body mounting have all been done.
Maserati BiTurbo – 11000 miles!
November 21, 2024
The wait is over. Our 1987 Maserati BiTurbo has been in The Hangar for some time now but work has finally begun on getting the car back on the road. Although, the car has a genuine 11,000 miles on the clock it has been laid up since 1995 due to what we believed was a blown engine.
It looks as though this may NOT be the case. Coltec are currently delving into the engine issues and has so far reported to us that the engine itself is in stunning condition. At some stage of it’s life it has had water ingress but signs are looking good.
The plan is to replace the gaskets and rebuild the engine using the original componants.
As well as the engine work, the car has suffered from a little dink at the rear which will need to be addressed. The rest of the paintwork is absolutely beautiful and the underneath matches that description.
The ceiling cloth is dropping so Lydia will work on this.
Not sure what will happen with the car once the work is complete; maybe a competition car in the making. The Maserati BiTurbo’s have increased in value hugely in recent years and having an 11,000 mile example will make for a very special prize indeed…watch this space!
Plate change on our Defender
November 20, 2024
A simple plate change shouldn’t take too long right?
Our Defender plates caused a bit of a headache for Jon today as the existing plates were quite happy where they were.
Goodbye Bristol
November 18, 2024
Our 1956 Bristol 405 has been with us for many many years but this week we bid her a fond farewell as she heads off to a new home. We made the decision recently to sell the car as the queue for restorations doesn’t seem to be getting any shorter. The car is now at it’s new home and the restoration will begin very soon we believe.
Maybe we’ll see the car at a show some time in the future. We wish you all the best with the restoration journey.
Remedial repairs to our 1970 Fiat 500
November 15, 2024
Parts have arrived for our 1970 Fiat 500 so we can now continue on with the repairs.
We’ve taped up the cut wiring in the engine bay and neaten the whole area.
Adjusted the pedal heights via the stop on the clutch pedal and added a small, rubber buffer to each pedal stop.
The grommet has been refitted grommet on fuel pipe in the engine bay.
Next up, Jon has cut a piece of MDF and covered it in sticky back foam to fit behind the battery. This has helped to secure into position.
Adjusted the nearside door striker, removed the front wheels.
Remove nearside track rod. Strip and fit new track rods. We’ve found the ball pins are much smaller so won’t fit so we’ve had to leave until the correct ones arrive.
Strip and fit new front wheel bearings.
Looking bright for our Aston Martin DB2/4
November 12, 2024
Our brightwork has returned from the chromers/polishers this week. Wyatt Polishing have done an incredible job as always on our Aston chrome work. Tony has photographed and sorted through all of the pieces and stored them away safely ready for reassembly.
Mercedes 500SL – cleaning up the wiring
November 12, 2024
John is tidied and cleaned up some of the wiring in the boot area. He has mounted and connected up the aerial.
1961 Austin Mini – Recommission
November 7, 2024
Having been off the road but dry stored for some time, we have started the assessment and repairs required on our 1961 Austin Mini. I very much doubt we will need much work to get the car back on the road.
We’ve stripped and fitted a new clutch slave cylinder. The new clutch slave cylinder is slightly different to the existing so we’ve had to reposition the return spring.
We’ve removed all the old fluid from the reservoir and filled up with new. Next, we’ve let the gravity feed down to cylinder and repositioned the flexi hose.
We’ve removed the fuel tank and we’ve discovered that it is not too bad at all inside.
We’ve used the petrol to swill around inside, gathering all the sedative before draining again.
The tank has been refitted and secured into position. The hose from tank to electric pump needed replacing so we’ve done that too before blowing out the old fuel line. Fitted the pipes and secured.
Next, we’ve added 4 ltrs of petrol in to the tank and checked for leaks. All is ok.
The sump has been refitted and filled with oil. We’ve run the car up and all is ok. The oil light went out and no visible leaks present so all good so far.
Switch off and top up oil. We’ve then drained the coolant, removed the heater valve, stripped, cleaned and free off before rebuilding.
New gaskets have been made and refitted with new nuts and washers.
The clutch slave cylinder has been bled but the pedal still doesn’t feel right. The clutch is not returning. We’ve traced the fault to a collapsed flexi hose.
Strip and remove the carburettor which is full of dirt inside. We’ve cleaned all parts and blown out. Fitted new jet tube and needle valve and set to basic setting.
We’ve cleaned the pistons, fitted new gaskets and refitted the carb with new air filter.
Strip and fit new spark plugs points and condenser.
Next up, we’ve drained 9 litres oil, cleaned out filter housing and fitted a new filter. Then we’ve run 1 litre of oil through the engine and left it to drain.
Removed the rocker cover and adjusted the tappets. Re-stuck the gasket and refitted rocker cover before draining the fuel tank.
Grease all points, fitted a new battery.
The boot was in desperate need of a hoover.
Then we cut off old hold down bolt, drilled out to fit 3/8unf bolt and secured.
Mercedes 500SL – rebuild continued…
November 7, 2024
The John’s have been working mainly on the doors recently. They’ve cut counter sunk bolts to length, fitted and secured both door locks. The door seals have now been fitted into the channels around the door before securing the front piece with clips.
They they’ve moved on to the boot area where they’ve fitted hose clips to the fuel pipes.
It has been a good number of years now since the engine was fully rebuilt on the SL but as it is such a complex engine that requires everything to very just so, we have decided to send the engine back off to Coltec Engineering to be checked over and tested ready for refit.
Preparing the new door
November 6, 2024
Chris has now prepared and painted the new/old stock Rover P5 replacement door.
Busy few days for the P5
November 5, 2024
Monday morning we saw the Rover P5 leave us to head off for some gearbox work to be done. Prior to the car leaving our workshops we had a replacement door to prepare and fit.
Rather than spending many hours perfecting the existing door and replacing all of the corrosion with new metal, we were supplied with new/old stock replacement doors.
These still needed to be prepared, painted and fitted. But of-course, it is never as easy as it sounds. The door didn’t fit properly so more work was required than we expected but we got there in time for collection on Monday.
Here is Mauro flattening and polishing the paintwork.
And away she goes…
The driver arrived on time, bright and early so the car leaves us now for a little while.
More reassembly work on Mercedes 500SL
November 4, 2024
John and Jon have done a few more hours on the Merc this weekend.
Fitted new clips to all fuel pipes in the boot heading to the expansion tank. At the same time, they’ve tidied up the boot area.
Route wiring around rear of boot and screw into place using original clips.
They’ve then moved on to the door strikers. Strip, cleaned and polished both before fitting back on to the car. Adjustment made to both doors are only rough approximates at the moment as no seals have been fitted as yet.
Fitting up the SL Tank
October 31, 2024
John was expecting this to be a tougher job than it turned out to be. The tank fitted into position nicely. It’s great when a plan comes together!
Final stretch for the Jensen 541
October 30, 2024
Looking lovely sitting in the middle of The Atelier. The final touches are being made to the door and the car is hopefully only days away from the testing stage.
1956 Jensen 541 work continues
October 30, 2024
We secure all the bolts and tried the clutch and it feels good. Re-fit oil filter housing and new filter. Fill with oil and run up. We’ve then topped up the oil.
Tested clutch bite point on the ramp before refitting interior and the bite point seems a little high. We’ve adjusted the arm to the thrust bearing, re-test and all is now ok.
Refit tunnel, carpet and both front seats.
Then we’ve back on to the service items. Stripped and fitted new points and condenser but can’t get them to spark.
Removed and isolated the base plate with fibre washer and tested but still not insulated.
Remove contacts and isolate with fibre washer and test. All is now ok so we’ve set the points to 0.016″ and refitted cap and rotor before retesting. Starts and runs ok.
Fitted a new inline fuel filter underneath. Remove and blow out air filters and clean casing. Refit and secure.
The 500 has arrived
October 30, 2024
Who doesn’t love a little Fiat 500? One of the quirkiest and most iconic of classics has now arrived at Bridge Classic Cars and we’re not keeping this one a secret…of course it’s a future competition.
We’ve been looking for a nice one for some time and when this little gem was offered to us as an original RHD example, beautifully restored we couldn’t say no!
2003 Rover 75 Club SE Tourer Paint
October 30, 2024
Our Rover 75 has been though paint and is now back in colour having been prepared by paint technician Mauro.
Next job is to flat and polish the car before reassembly in the coming weeks.
A day of sorting parts for Tony
October 30, 2024
A trip to our storage facility first off to start to get our Jensen Interceptor ready for arrival into the workshops. A few boxes of parts and the windscreen are now back in the workshops and on the shelves.
Then on to Orwell Precision to collect some parts for our SS100 that need to be de-greased.
Triumph TR3A Appraisal
October 30, 2024
Today’s the day we get our 1960 TR3A on the ramp for it’s full appraisal.
Jon is working on this one. He has fully greased all points, adjust the nearside front wheel bearing, stripped, cleaned and checked brakes. The drums, wheels have been refitted and knocked up tight.
All tyres required a little air.
Next job was to attend to the very poor and noisy exhaust system. We’ve remove the centre and rear where we found the rear silencer split and in bad condition.
Back on with the exhaust system. We have resealed and secured the centre pipes. A new silencer has had to be ordered.
Jon has addressed the issue with it hitting chassis.
Then on to unblocking the offside washer jet before re-test. The front fog lights are not working and the issues has been traced back to the wiring not being connected and nowhere to connect it too. We have used a power probe to test lights. Powered them up and the lights work fine.
We have a switch on the dash which we are unaware of it’s use. Jon has traced the wiring out through bulkhead but wire terminates at another connector. What makes this one particularly difficult is that the wiring has been done in a previous life by using any colour they could get their hands on and is a bit confusing to follow but we’ll get there and sort it out properly. They’ve used the same colours as the indicator and main beam wiring.
Cut cable tie securing the relay under the dash to ease tracing of the wires.
Work out how they’ve wired it and trace wire across dash to nearside.
Turn on lights and check power to relay. There is no power at present. Turn on ignition and main beam now has power.
Trace wire from nearside under dash and into engine bay.
Disconnect from current connector and connect to fog light connector to test. It is now working when main beam in and switch activated. Time to tidy up under the dash. Re-secure relay, wires and re-crimp earth terminal. Recheck all lights and now all is working ok.
Thunderbirds are go…almost!
October 25, 2024
John’s still in the process of getting our Ford Thunderbird running but no luck so far. A brand new fuel pump is what we need so we have removing the existing to make sure we order up the correct replacement. Now we wait for the arrival…
Cobra IVA rules…
October 25, 2024
IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) is edging closer and closer for our Cobra project. Every step of the way it is vital that the rules are met in order for the car to pass. The front part of the wiring loom was very untidy and too long so we have now cut it down to length, run inside the conduit, taped and ‘P’ clipped every 25cm or less to meet with the IVA guidelines..
We’ve also made and fitted the side repeater indicator mounts to fit in wing vents to meet with IVA regulations.
The DVSA Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) test is a UK requirement for particular vehicles to ensure they meet necessary safety and environmental standards before being registered for road use.
Vehicles requiring an IVA test include:
- Kit cars and amateur-built vehicles
- Imported vehicles
- Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and trailers
- Buses and coaches
- Taxis and private hire vehicles
During the IVA test, a certified inspector thoroughly examines the vehicle to confirm compliance with UK regulations. The inspection usually covers:
- Structural integrity
- Lighting and signaling
- Emissions and noise levels
- Braking and suspension systems
- Additional checks depending on vehicle type
Once a vehicle passes the IVA test, it receives an IVA certificate, which allows it to be registered and used on UK roads.
MG B Roadster Underseal
October 25, 2024
So we closed the week off with Dave having finished stripping the MG B Roadster in order for Chris to prepare the car for underseal.
All of this took place over the weekend which meant that Chris could successfully seal the underside with Schutz and let it settle through to the Tuesday when the technicians return from their weekend breaks.
Mercedes 500 SL progress
October 25, 2024
Progress is being made on my 1987 Mercedes 500 SL. I keep hoping and wishing that there is not much longer to go but time seems to be forever running away.
Both John’s/Jon’s are working on the car on Saturdays so as to not affect the scheduling in the busy Bridge Classic Cars workshops but that does mean it is taking it’s time. And both being avid Ipswich Town fans means I can only benefit from their expertise on a Saturday morning as they have ‘more important’ things to be doing now on a Saturday afternoon…haha!
However, the wiring is really taking shape now. They have been working on the boot area and hope to have the fuel tank in my close of play today. They’ve rubbed down the boot floor, exposed the areas and painted in matt black.
Remove broken lug from body for fuel expansion tank, cleaned, drilled and spot welded lug back onto tank and paint gloss black.
The heater box is now in, wiring has been laid out in the bonnet area and the wing mirrors are now back on.
Next thing to do is install a large TV with Sky Sports on so that the John’s/Jon’s would sooner work than be anywhere else!!
Land Rover Defender getting ready for new home
October 24, 2024
On Tuesday we called up Garry Smith to tell him the amazing news that he’s now the proud owner of our 2010 Land Rover Defender 90. Having been with us here at Bridge Classic Cars for a number of years this car was an exciting but emotional give away for us…especially me! This has been my daily now for a few years and I’ve loved it. I’ve been on many adventures in the Defender…camping, road trips. It even got me through the mud at this year’s Goodwood Revival.
But all good things have to come to an end and now it’s time for Garry to enjoy the car.
The pre delivery inspection has been completed and as I write this post, the car is currently on it’s way to Garry in the back of our trailer.
Aston Martin Drophead Coupe Fabrication Work
October 24, 2024
Rob has relocated for now from the main workshops to the fabrication shop as he gets stuck in to the fabrication of the boot-lid. He has cut off the lower half of existing boot lid, remove the lower section due to corrosion. He has then started work on fabricating new panels and welded the lower half back into position. The height has been adjusted so that the boot lid fits correctly. He has then gone on to strip the boot catch assembly and sandblast all of the parts but has decided to make a new one as this will be the best option.
The paint has been stripped off the boot lid skin. The left hand door hinge bushes brazed in and the door hung to check alignment. New boot lock mechanism made and fitted.
Recommissioning our 1977 Triumph 2500TC
October 24, 2024
Work continues on our 1977 Triumph 2500 TC. Jon is still busy getting the car ready for the oad.
He has clean out the thermostat housing and fitted a new thermostat. The top rad hose and temp sender bulb have been fitted. We have noticed the vacuum system has a slight pressure loss so Jon has tightened all the hose clips and re-vacuumed the system. We still have a slight loss and are unable to trace it so we fill system with new coolant.
The carbs have been removed and stripped so we can clean each one in turn and fit new wax stat type jet tubes and new needle valves. We have then gone on to rebuild and refit both carbs.
Drain lift pump and cleaned out the sight glass and filter before fitting a new inline fuel filter.
The tank requires draining.
Jon has cut to length and fitted new carb breather pipes. He has remove fuel pipe from the clips and disconnected from the fuel filter. Drain fuel tank into drum and reconnect pipe.
The repairs continue as we strip and fit new off-side front bottom ball joint rubber.
Strip and fit new front pads.
Jon has adjusted both front wheel bearings and refitted wheels. We have had to investigate why the reverse lights are not working. In order to do this, we have turned ignition on and short out wiring at switch on gearbox but the lights still not working. Check power supply at switch and all is ok. Check bulbs. Replace nearside rear bulb and tighten connections to offside rear bulb and all is working ok now.
Investigate indicators not flashing and nearside front not working. Found wires to nearside light not connected so we have reconnected and tested. All ok, flashing now.
Strip and fit new points and condenser. Wire to coil to short so make an extension wire and solder ends. Fit new spark plugs. Suck out old brake fluid from reservoir and clean out.
We have removed the rear wheels and stripped the rear brakes. Cut off old brake pipe. Clean all components to be reused. Paint backplate black. Fit new cylinder and make new pipe. Swap automatic adjusters to new shoes and fit. Free off handbrake adjuster and clean. Re-adjust handbrake and fit drum. Strip nearside and start to repeat process.
Ferrari Dino – polyfan work
October 22, 2024
Chris is now finishing off the final few areas of panel levelling and preparing the car for Polyfan.
Polyfan is spray polyester putty, used as a levelling primer with high filling properties. t is very easy to work with a great for sanding.
The parts and shell are now all in Polyfan.
Storage…in with one, out with another
October 21, 2024
Having been in storage, within a CarCoon for almost a year, I have decided to get my 2000 Peugeot 306 Cabriolet back on the road…just in time for the WINTER!!
Sure, it maybe isn’t the best time for the convertible to come out of hibernation but due to the fact that we are making a few large changes to our storage facilities, it kinda made sense fore the car to come out for a check over.
We’ll give it a once over in preparation for the MOT which is scheduled for a few weeks time. Jon has carried out a full check over and road test. We’ve topped up the levels, inflated the tyres, torqued up the wheel nuts and put 5ltrs of clean fuel in. Everything seems ok and she’s ready for the MOT.
As we bring our Peugeot 306 Cabriolet out of storage, we welcome our 1952 Fiat 1900A in. It’ll only be for a few weeks until we can make some space in The Classic Lounge.
Stripping our 1973 MG B Roadster – engine, carbs, heater box, wheels
October 14, 2024
Week 1 for new guy Dave has already been a busy one as his first project is our 1973 MG B Roadster. Gordon has not started Dave off lightly. The MG B is needing a serious amount of attention but that hasn’t seemed to phase Dave so far. The engine and gearbox have been removed. The radiator and surrounding panels and hoses are all now out. We have removed the heater box, bulkhead parts, blanking plates and covers. The body is now stripped ready for welding, the windscreen, door glass, all chrome and trims, soft top and rear trims are all removed.
The suspension has been removed and will be completely rebuilt. The engine is out and work has begun on stripping down to component level.
The heater box has been stripped down to component level and will be prepared for rebuild.
Stripped down carburettors, cleaned manifold gasket surfaces, cleaned carburettors, polished dash pots and rebuilt carburettors new jets and fuel line’s replaced gaskets.
Wheel refurb
Morgan – play in the distributor
October 8, 2024
Here is a picture of old the distributor that had lots of play in the bearings causing the points to open inconsistently. We have fitted a replacement distributor and cap.
