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Craig Ranson

Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars

Container Makeover

July 20, 2021

Our 40 foot container has had a quick makeover with a fresh coat of paint, ready for this weekend’s Classic and Sports Car and Bike

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Lotus Cars – July 2021

July 18, 2021

Special thank you to Lotus Cars for sharing our beautiful Elise Sport 240 Final Edition competition to their equally impression 800,000+ audience. Norwich City Football

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MiniWorld – May 2021

July 14, 2021

The world’s best selling Mini magazine since 1991, MiniWorld features a fantastic article on the restoration works involved in our 1967 Austin Mini 850. Thanks

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Ongoing Honda prep!

July 14, 2021

Lydia has been continuing her prep work on the 1998 white Honda Integra Type R. She unclipped one of the rubber seals on the underneath

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Sand Blasting for the Aston Martin!

July 20, 2021

Lydia has been sand blasting the internal bonnet and hinge assemblies for the Aston Martin DB2/4 in order to get rid of any substances such as old paint that have been left behind.

Bonnet work for the Aston Martin!

July 20, 2021

Clinton has been busy fabricating for the bonnet of the Aston Martin DB 2 / 4.

He’s fabricated new hinge supports for the front, repaired various cracks with welding, fabricated a new part onto the wheel arch, straightened out the front because it was all bent in, and pulled a dent out of one of the wings!

Chevron B20 – a new adventure

July 20, 2021

The day has come where we wave goodbye to our incredible Chevron B20-72-2.

The car is now on it’s way to it’s new owner who has already made the necessary plans to have her restored and prepared for the track.

The new owner is very well known in the motoring scene and this will be added to a collection of race cars that he already owns.

We hope to see the progress and results in due course. For now, it’s been fun…

Our Piaggio Ape TM P50 Arrives

July 19, 2021

Bridge Classic Cars technician Mauro, originally from Portugal told us that his grandfather owned a Piaggio Ape and had used it as his everyday car for many years. He recently decided that the car needed to be sold.

We don’t know for what reason but we thought it would be a great idea to own the little Ape, possibly to make into an advertising and promotional tool for the company or to sell on to somebody as they are used for many different applications…pizza, coffee shop etc. She has now arrived safely from Lisbon and we look forward to registering her in the next few weeks and to have some fun.

Volkswagen Golf GTI 285bhp Mk1 Madness!

July 19, 2021

Arriving in with us this morning is our monstrous Mk1 Golf GTI. A very special car with an impressive restoration history too.

In simple terms, here’s the story:

  • Apx 20 valve turbo with 3 stage boost
  • Emerald ECU
  • 6 speed 02S gearbox
  • Peloquin Limited Slip Diff
  • 800kg corner weight
  • 384nm torque
  • Bhp/tonne 356
  • AVO GTX performance suspension kit
  • Motorsport spec triangulated rear beam
  • Pro race 1.2’s with R88
  • Wilwood four pots on 280mm discs
  • Electric power steering
  • Brake comp brake bias/pedal box
  • Techedge 2j9 wideband lambda
  • Porsche grey black 7A1
  • Yoko ad08R

Featured in Performance VW, the world’s best-selling VW tuning magazine. November 2016.

Article written and photographed by Jimbo Wallace.

285bhp in a Mk1 that weighs about the same as an empty packet of Quavers is anything but cheesy…

Engine: APX 20v, custom stainless downpipe and exhaust system, Emerald ECU (mapped by Emerald) and custom wiring loom with three map settings: 200bhp, 265bhp, 285bhp (various torque settings). Custome engine ounts, hydraulic (with braided hoses), twin paddle Helix clutch, lightened/balanced flywheel, new fuel system including pump and stainless basket to hold filter/pump etc, braided fuel lines with custom swirl pots setup, Mocal oil cooler with stainless hoses and alloy fittings run inside front wing with cover plate over hoses, Forge intercooler, Mk2 Golf diesel radiator with twin 10″ fans, SFS hoses, custom induction filter, baffled alloy sump, Mocal oil catch tank, Audi 02S six-speed gearbox, Peloquin limited-slip diff, cable shifter on custom raised allow tower inside car, new 100mm driveshafts, Mk2 wiper motor, washer bottle and oil catch tank moved further back for better weight distributions.

Chassis: 15″ Team Dynamics wheels with Toyo 888 205/15 tyres, Wilwood four-pot calipers and 280mm front brake kit, brand new copper lines and braided hoses throughout, lines to rear brakes run through the inside of the car, rear disc conversion with Mk4 calipers, larger Mk2 16v brake servo/master cylinder, adjustable Tilton bias valve, AVO GTX adjustable coilover suspension valved and built to custom spec with higher lb spring rates (front and rear), fully polybushed, seam welded wishbones with ball joint extenders, lower strut brace, rear motorsport derived traingulated axle inc, adjustable rose joints to reduce beam flex under load and CDS tube roll bar fixed in place of original anti-roll bar to increase oversteer and reduce understeer, 15mm wider track on the front, 10mm wider track on rear, stud and alloy wheel nut kit, Ground Control fully adjustable front top mounts with new bearings, adjustable rose-jointed track rod ends, Quaife quick steering rack in original Mk1 housing, currently running new rack with original ratios, strengthened steering rack mounting points.

Exterior: Bare metal respray including underside, new front panel, rear panel, front wings and parts of sill, lower rear panel cut to allow air flow as existing design acts as an air scoop, new grille and spoiler, full weld in roll cage to front suspension turrets, part seam welded shell, lightened shell throughout (inc. removal of spare wheel well), original seat belt points, excess metal in rear quarters and doors, rain tray in engine bay, carbon bonnet, fibreglass tailgate, polycarb windows, lightened metal doors, tubed rare arches, pulled arches all-round, new windscreen, lower swage line deleted, tinted genuine Helix rear lights, cold air ports in front panel.

Interior: Carbon door cards, flocked dash with Stack gauges (mph/rev counter 0-60 timer, lap timer), electric power steering with adjustable resistance control, Cobra Suzuka Pro bucket seats with Luke four-point harnesses, fibreglass wheel well cover, carbon trim in dash, OMP steering wheel, fire extinguisher, custom ECU port and fuse board inside glovebox, raised shifter tower, battery relocated to boot.

Lotus Cars – July 2021

July 18, 2021

Special thank you to Lotus Cars for sharing our beautiful Elise Sport 240 Final Edition competition to their equally impression 800,000+ audience.

Norwich City Football Club’s Principal Partner, Lotus Cars, has generously donated a Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition for a competition to support the Community Sports Foundation.

Production of the iconic Lotus Elise is ending after 25 years and the competition prize is the first car to be built from the Final Edition range.

It comes with a customised Certificate of Provenance pack from Lotus and will be provided with a new bespoke Lotus Elise car cover.

The competition winner will also have an exclusive handover day at Lotus HQ in Hethel, which includes a private factory tour and test track experience.

#DrivingInclusion for people with disabilities

All proceeds from the competition will help the Foundation to continue our work to provide inclusive environments for people with disabilities in Norfolk.

Jake Humphrey, TV presenter and trustee of the Foundation, was on hand to unveil the car and further explain the significance of the competition.

“This is an incredible prize; all of the Elise Final Edition cars have been snapped up, so this is the only way to get your hands on one.

“As a trustee of the charity, I have seen first-hand the importance of its work and the impact it has on people in Norfolk.

“Without vital fundraising this work would stop, and many across Norfolk would be deprived of our support.

“We want to thank Lotus Cars for this incredible opportunity to boost our fundraising this year.”

Matt Windle, Managing Director, Lotus Cars, said:

“At Lotus, we are great supporters of the power of sport, not only for mental and physical wellbeing, but also how it can help inclusiveness amongst the community. Providing this unique version of the Lotus Elise, a sports car that is so admired around the world, will enable even more people in the region from around the county to benefit from the wonderful work of the Community Sports Foundation.

Shaping up the Jaguar E-Type

July 16, 2021

Chris and Matt are continuing the work on shaping up the body of the Jaguar E-Type roadster in the paint shop.

Once the shell was back from the sand blasting, it was re-assembled, making sure all the panels lined up. From that, Chris and Matt were able to assess what condition the shell was in. It was then given a coat of epoxy primer to protect the metal and a thin layer of body filler to perfect the shape of the car and allow them to give each panel an equal gap around all the edges.

Greasing up the Jaguar!

July 16, 2021

Scott has finished the welding on the Jaguar E-Type 1.5, so he sealed and sprayed Schultz underseal on the underside of the car. He wrapped paper around the gearbox and exhaust to prevent any damage from the spray. He changed the engine oil and filter, greased up and lubricated all joints on the front end and replaced a snapped off grease nipple on the near side lower ballpoint. The interior has started to be put back in.

Repairs for the wings of the Riley!

July 16, 2021

James has been repairing the left-hand front wing on our 1951 yellow Riley. There were sections of corrosion, so he fabricated new sections where these were present. It was more efficient for James to replace large sections than lots of small sections.

He’ll be doing exactly the same method for the right-hand front wing next.

Refurbish for the Bristol.

July 16, 2021

Mauro has been refurbishing the front set up of the Bristol and applying new grease onto the front wheel bearings. The break disks got changed as well, and the sump gasket was leaking oil so he’s been fitting a new one.

The rocker cover gaskets have also been replaced due to an oil leak.

Testing the Morris Minor!

July 16, 2021

Dave has given the 1960 Morris Minor a final once over.

The fuel pump gaskets have been replaced. He removed the fuel tank sender unit to check it was in good working condition, which it was after cleaning. The fuel tank sender unit was re-installed with new gaskets. Dave also put in a new top hose and topped up with water and antifreeze.

The Morris Minor was test-driven after all this was done and all was fine, with the temperature gauge being checked in the process. The trafficator and temperature gauge are working perfectly now!

Triumph TR6 initial observations

July 16, 2021

Our beautiful 1975 Triumph TR6 is in the workshops right now having some remedial works carried out. Whilst on the road Paul has taken some observational photographs to discuss with the current owner for possible areas to watch out for at a later date.

Jensen 541S Air Box Bolt

July 16, 2021

Paul has re-produced an air box bolt for our 1960 Jensen 541S air box. It is now complete and ready to fit.

Riley Gathering At Ufford Park Woodbridge

July 16, 2021

6am this morning and a lovely collection of classics welcomed Craig to Ufford Park Woodbridge.

Assuming the owner’s were enjoying an overnight stay and unless an amazing coincidence probably all knew each other.

Not sure whether the classics belong to a club or just a group of friends out for a road trip but lovely to on this early summer’s morning.

We can’t neglect our fleet

July 15, 2021

Question is; should a car cleaner have a dirty car, should a gardener’s garden need trimming, should a fuel tanker ever run out of fuel?

Of course they should…life whizzes past so fast that sometimes we don’t stop to think of ourselves.

Our Mercedes Vito is, without a doubt, the best van we’ve ever owned. Out on the roads everyday, it’s our work horse and it’s amazing. We stick to a very strict maintenance schedule to ensure that all mechanical works are kept up to date but of course, over time, she can look tired.

Having recently undergone a full respray the van is looking lovely now…until we had a run in with a bird!

The new grille has now been primed, painted and fitted so off we go once again!

Recommission after recent restoration

July 14, 2021

Having recently completed a full restoration elsewhere our beautiful 1975 Triumph TR6 has arrived in with us for a final check and recommission.

The list includes:

Wheel alignment and tracking
Lighting alignment
Brakes efficiency checks
Clutch operation
Engine timing and running
Fit new ignition lock and switch
Suspension geometric check
General safety check
MOT
Refit speedo and rev counter
Re-stick front number plate

New parts for the silver Jaguar!

July 14, 2021

Scott has been fitting new parts into the silver Jaguar V12.

It now has new lower door seals and chrome trims on the sills (the original ones were missing). Also to be replaced were the cooling fan and the thermostatic switch, because the original switch was faulty and was heating up too high of a temperature, before the cooling fans would come on.

The original interior has also now been fitted back in by Scott.

Prep work continues for the Honda Integra!

July 14, 2021

Lydia has been continuing with the prep work for the 1998 Honda Integra Type R.

She’s been block sanding one of the doors to get rid of as many imperfections in the paint surface as possible. There was a “rippled” effect in it when you looked at different angles, so we’re wanting a much smoother finish! After Lydia had finished sanding, a skim of filler was applied to the surfaces, and then that got sanded down until it was smooth and not a lot of filler was left behind!

Ongoing Honda prep!

July 14, 2021

Lydia has been continuing her prep work on the 1998 white Honda Integra Type R.

She unclipped one of the rubber seals on the underneath of the door she’d been sanding down and filling, before cleaning off old glue and dirt with panel wipe solution. The paint on the inside of the door then got sanded down lightly with a red scotch pad to get rid of any shine.

Once that was all done, Lydia moved onto the front wings of the car. These went through the same process as the door, of sanding with a small block sander to map out the imperfections in the surfaces, then filling with a skim of filler, and finally sanding over again to level out the filler.

Bespoke Jensen book bag!

July 14, 2021

We call it the Jensen bible and in order to protect it Kath has made a bespoke leather book bag.

Jensen Genome Richard Calver July 2019 Edition

She started the process by drawing, measuring and working out the dimensions and design for the bag. Black leather was cut out to the required shapes and measurements and then mounted onto 3mm foam. She then sewed around the edges of the mounted pieces to make sure they were secure.

The first step in putting it all together was to sew a zip between two pieces of mounted leather with a zipper foot. Red topstitching went down either side of the zip as a finishing touch. Kath attached the zip and sidebands with clips onto the front of the book bag, to make sure it all fitted together, before sewing in place. She checked the book fitted inside, before sewing the back of the bag on. Red topstitching running around the outside edges of the front and back matched the zipper.

Door interior work continues for the Bentley!

July 14, 2021

Brian has been continuing his work on the interior for the Continental Bentley.

He began off by taking the original leather and foam off the door cappings, and then cleaned up the wood. New 3mm foam was cut to shape and glued into place. New leather was then cut out, using the original pieces as patterns. The new leather was glued on top of the 3mm foam and trimmed to shape for each capping.

Meanwhile, Kath has made the carpet that attaches to the door panels. The new carpet was cut to the correct shape and then bound with leather around the outside edge. These finished carpets were then glued onto the bottom edge of each door panel by Brian.

Winning the Jackpot! 2021, the year of the campervan

July 14, 2021

Huge congratulations to Peter Atchison, winner of our 1976 Volkswagen T2 Westfalia Camper with ticket number 1473.

Mauro delivered early this morning with the sun shining!

Interesting article written by Debbi Kirkham for Forbes on the popularity of camping:

“It’s easy to see how camping has developed such widespread appeal over the centuries – leaving modern society and its headaches behind to bask in the immutable ambiance of the natural world is a lifelong dream for many people. In the wake of this turbulent pandemic, the full effects of cabin fever have begin to set in, and it would seem that camping is shaping up to be the perfect antidote. Combining safe social practices with the opportunity to surrender oneself to the pristine beauty of the earth, the activity is uniquely equipped to reach unprecedented heights in popularity.

Camping has actually undergone a massive spike in activity due to current circumstances – just ask Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, an outdoor accommodation booking website offering placement at over three thousands campgrounds across five continents. “Bookings are up 350% over the last two weeks, compared to the period immediately before,” says Yates. “With campgrounds in 67 countries, we first began seeing signs of a resurgence in Italy with an annual growth of 135% in campgrounds joining Pitchup since lockdown began there on March 9th. Since then, other countries such as the USA and the UK have begun to recover as lockdowns have started to ease or a phased approach to lifting restrictions has been announced.”

For those who are wary about leaving home in the midst of this pandemic, one aspect of camping should be particularly appealing: the distance. “As the most outdoorsy type of accommodation, camping offers more space per party: campsites are often already tens of feet apart and owners are even reducing capacity further. Campgrounds are spread over tens of hundreds of acres. Travelers are also not confined to enclosed indoor spaces, reducing the risk of transmission by touch and ventilation system.” While more conventional dwellings such as hotels and resorts involve constant human interaction, the average campsite provides ample space to keep one’s mind at ease.

One of the ultimate benefits of camping is the ability to fully immerse oneself in the aura of the natural world, breathe in the fresh air, and catch glimpses of some of the earth’s most elusive creatures – and thanks to current circumstances, the conditions in which to do so have never been better. As air pollution plummets amidst many of the world’s cities, camping becomes a more viable option for those reluctant to venture far from home. In years past, families may have needed to drive or even fly long distances to fill their lungs with fresh air, and now there are suitable campsites located just outside their city’s urban core.

For those with little experience when it comes to the great outdoors, it may be somewhat intimidating trying to narrow down the perfect destination. For amateurs, the best option may be a nation that’s well-equipped with campsites.

Yates explains. “It’s hard to imagine a travel sector better positioned post-pandemic. Truly accessible to all, with the space to socially distance and the novelty of nature after months of isolation indoors, camping is the perfect way to re-acclimate to life after lockdown.”

Ford Mustang up and running!

July 13, 2021

The electronic ignition was the issue with the Mustang not starting upon collection. John has worked his magic and now she’s all fired up!

We still can’t go anywhere as we have no brakes…well we can go places, we just can’t stop!

New front carpets for the Jaguar.

July 13, 2021

The Jaguar E-Type series 1.5 has been getting new front carpets made by Kath, in the trim shop.

The original ones were marked out with “notches”, which help when putting the new versions together, then taken apart and were used as patterns on a roll of new carpet. Leather strips were cut out for the binding. Kath first bound round the outer carpet section, then the bottom edge of the inner carpet section. Before sewing the two carpet sections together to complete.

Jensen 541S engine running up

July 13, 2021

Please to show our Jensen 541S bursting into life and sounding beautiful.

Next job will be to set the gearbox up.

Bridge Classic Cars are award winning Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance specialists. Your pride and joy is in safe hands with our expert Classic Car Technicians. Take a look at our awards here.

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