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Craig Ranson

Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars

First Visit For Spud985

July 28, 2021

Familiar face appeared on the First. Coffee Shop + Lifestyle social feed, @ashleyharvey985 (formerly Spud985) went for a coffee in his 1973 Triumph TR6.

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Come and say hi this Sunday at Helmingham!

July 29, 2021

This Sunday, 1st of August, will be the annual Festival of Classic and Sports Cars at Helmingham Hall in Suffolk! Having had a year off due to the pandemic, it will be fantastic to see the vast array of cars again that so many enthusiasts and owners bring.

We’ll be there of course, along with all of our current competition cars, including our maroon 1959 Jaguar MK I. This will be won on the day and the draw for it will be live from the show at 4:00 pm.

So if you’re a Jaguar fan or simply want to add to your collection of cars, come and grab a ticket on our website this very minute, for your chance to win! If we haven’t sold out online, tickets will also be available on the day, on our stand, up until 3:00 pm. So why not come and say hi to us!

Here’s a link to the competition page on our website, which gives you all the information you should need about the car and how to purchase tickets. https://www.bridgeclassiccarscompetitions.co.uk/product/mk1-jag/

Here’s a link to the Helmingham Hall website page about the day, and how to buy tickets to the show. https://www.helmingham.com/events/the-festival-of-classic-sports-cars/

Bristol gets a service!

July 29, 2021

Mauro has been finishing his work on the 1971 Bristol 411. He’s given it a full service, put new break pads on and the contact points got changed. It’s been for a test drive and is looking good!

Finishing the wing on the Riley!

July 29, 2021

James has been doing some more work on one of the wings of our 1951 yellow Riley RMB.

He’s been finishing by welding in the wire rolled edge of the left-hand wing and repairing a section at the front.

Carpet backs for the Aston!

July 29, 2021

Kath has been continuing her work on the front squab seats for the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2 4 Mark I. Now the fronts of them have been re-made, she’s moved onto the backs. These are made out of carpet!

So Kath started by cutting a piece of the new grey carpet roughly to the size she needed, using the seat frame as a template. She then laid this piece of carpet out and marked around the original front squab back with tailor’s chalk. She checked the fit of it against the seat frame. Kath then measured out a strip of the dark grey leather and cut out. The leather was sewn around the edge of the carpet and then folded under, and sewn again to create a bound edge, which completed the front squab backs!

Repair work continues on the Honda!

July 29, 2021

Pricey has been continuing his repair work on the white 1998 Honda Integra Type R.

The original floor edge was very thin, so he welded a new one in. He also welded in a new section on the nearside rear wheel housing. The quarter panel was corroded so Pricey fabricated a new one and welded it in and made it fit to the wheel housing. The nearside outer wheel arch lip needed work as well so he cut out and welded a new one.

Prep work on the E-Type continues!

July 29, 2021

Chris and Matt have been doing more paint prep work on the 1973 Series 3 Jaguar E-Type.

They put the body of the car in the paint booth and masked it up ready for polyester primer. Once primed, it was covered in guide coat and blocked and finished in 180 sanding paper. The underside of the car body was prepped in 180 and any damage that was found was repaired and primed. All metal joints around the car were sealed, like where the metal had been welded together.

Headlining panels for the Aston.

July 29, 2021

Lydia has been re-covering the headlining panels for the Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mark I.

She started by peeling off the original fabric from each of the different panels and sanding down the old glue and giving the wood and metal a clean up.

The original fabric pieces were used as patterns on the new headlining fabric, and Lydia drew around them using a fabric pencil. They were all cut out and then one by one, wrapped around tightly onto the panels and glued into place. These panels will go around the sides, front, back and middle of the headlining in the car.

Vanden Plas make-over!

July 29, 2021

Brian has been busy in the trim shop with our gold 1981 Rover SD1 Vanden Plas. The original headlining was ill-fitting, and the previous owner had placed studs into it, to create a quilted effect, which wasn’t true to the design. So Brian started by removing the headlining board, took the original fabric off, along with the aforementioned studs, and rubbed all the old foam and glue off that was underneath.

The headlining board itself was repaired with fibreboard, where it had broken at the front. This is now all ready for new headlining fabric to be glued onto it!

Don’t forget, you can enter our competition to win this very car! Here’s a link to our website page with all the information on how to do so! https://www.bridgeclassiccarscompetitions.co.uk/product/1981-rover-sd1/

Range Rover CSK – in for recommission

July 28, 2021

Our 1990 Range Rover CSK is in for storage at The Hangar with the intention of a possible full recommission.

It’s also going to get a thorough clean, which you can see is much needed from the photos. There’s also a video of Craig doing a walk-around, for your viewing pleasure.

2021 Bridge Classic Cars Show

July 28, 2021

What a day! It was so lovely to welcome you back to our workshops for the 2021 Bridge Classic Cars show. After having to cancel both our 2020 Summer show and 2021 January show, we were well in need of a good catch up. The day started at our Bentwateras Hangar, before a convoy of roughly 150 cars made the journey through Woodbridge to our Woskhops in Pettistree.

Thank you to Matt Woods Photography for the imagery below.

Meet head of security, Rosie

July 28, 2021

Without a belly-rub or a dog treat, nobody makes it past ✋

Kath, one of our talented Interior Trim Specialists has made Rosie her very own Bridge neckerchief.

Classic Car Display at Woodbridge Methodist Church

July 28, 2021

East Anglian Practical Classics are helping Woodbridge Methodist Church celebrate its 150th anniversary. This is particularly apt as, in the same year that the was founded, Dr John Wesley Carhart, an American Methodist Minister, began constructing a steam-powered cart that laid the foundations of early mechanised personal transport. His machine, named ‘The Spark’, was so successful it earned its inventor the title ‘Father of the Automobile’.

In recognition of this ‘double event’, East Anglian Practical Classics will be displaying a selection of heritage vehicles that would have common in 1971 at the Church, marking 100 years since the beginnings of both the Woodbridge Methodist Church in 1871 and the car as we know it today.

This unique display will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, 30th August, on the forecourt of the church in St John’s Street, Woodbridge.

On display, we hope to include two extremely rare cars, a 1966 Gordon Keeble (no. 94 of the 99 made) and a 1950’s Paramount, one of only 72 examples originally made, of which less that half a dozen still exist.

There will also be a Toyota Carin, which was a brand new in 1971, a 1950’s Vauxhall Cresta, to show off the time periods fashion for fins, and, from the 1930’s, there is a venerable Austin Seven Ruby, which were still being used daily in 1971.

A visit from a gold Mercedes!

July 28, 2021

We had the pleasure of looking at this 1981 gold Mercedes-Benz 230 CE yesterday. It came to us for an insurance assessment for vehicle valuation. If you’re in need of this service, please do get in contact with us and we’d be happy to help!

Flutes galore on the Aston Martin!

July 28, 2021

Kath has been continuing her interior work on the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2 4 Mark I’s seats. This time she has moved onto the front squabs.

She started by marking notches and important places to remember when sewing, with a pen on the original covers, before taking them apart carefully. She didn’t unpick the flutes, but instead, measured them to work out how to create the new flutes on the new leather. Once calculated, Kath measured and marked out flute lines on the back of the new leather and a piece of scrim foam, cut to size. This acts as a backing and will create the same effect as the original, whereas they had used calico as a backing and stuffed the flutes with lengths of foam instead.

Once the flutes were all sewn, Kath used the original fluted face as a pattern to mark the edges. Pieces of leather cut to shape were sewn onto the sides of the fluted face. The sidebands were then cut out and piped in the dark grey leather around the curved edge. These sidebands were sewn onto the plain leather sides that were just attached.

Preparing for auction!

July 27, 2021

Are you new to the world of classic car auctions? We can take care of this for you. Here at Bridge Classic Cars we offer a complete auction preparation service. Today we have been preparing our gold 1973 Rolls Royce Corniche for auction!

The Rolls Royce will be at The Classic Sale at Silverstone, this Sunday, the 1st of August. Bids can be placed in the auction room, by phone, online or via commission.

Spare wheel cover for the Corniche.

July 27, 2021

Kath has been busy in the trim shop making a cover for the spare tyre for our gold 1973 Rolls Royce Corniche.

She started by cutting out black carpet in a circular shape for the top, and a long piece for the sides. Strips of black vinyl were then measured and cut. Kath sewed one of the vinyl strips around the outside edge of the circle of carpet. The vinyl was then folded under and sewn again along the edge of the carpet. This created a bound edge. She then created a bound edge on the long piece of black carpet, along one of the long edges and both the short ends. This long piece of carpet was then sewn onto the round piece of carpet, along the unbound edge, overlapping the two short ends. Pieces of velcro were sewn onto the underneath of the short ends, to make sure it stays together while wrapped around the tyre.

This car is being sold via The Classic sale at Silverstone 2021, by auction. Here’s a link to our website page with all the information needed. https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/product/1973-rolls-royce-corniche/ And her’s a link to the auction website page! https://www.silverstoneauctions.com/sa076-lot-16586-1973-rolls-royce-corniche-coupe?el=16586&pn=1&pp=100 You can choose to bid in various ways, either in the actual auction room, over the phone, live online or via commission!

Work on the blaze orange MG Midget.

July 27, 2021

A classic car wouldn’t be a classic car without a story! Last night we announced the winner of our 1979 MG Midget, congratulations to Coby Morton with ticket number 241.

Today, having put her on the ramp to carry out the necessary checks and pre delivery inspection we were greeted by a couple of small areas of corrosion that’ll need to be cut out and weld repairs carried out.

Paul and Scott have been working on repairing some corroded areas on our blaze orange 1979 MG Midget. The areas that needed attention were both the front inner arches, the nearside middle inner arch and the offside outer rear sill.

Paul also had to re-position and re-adjust the rear brake shoes and put a new rubber gaiter on the track rod end.

New owner for our 1960 Jensen 541S!

July 27, 2021

We have recently sold our 1960 Jensen 541S. It was being sold with the option of either; the buyer could buy the car as-is, or buy the car and have us restore it to its former glory or customise to their heart’s content. The buyer decided to buy it as-is and will be restoring it themselves! Here’s a website link to the original showroom page on our website, which gives you more information and photos.

https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/product/1960-jensen-541s/

And if you want to see what else we have for sale, click here

Engine bay re-spray for the Jaguar!

July 27, 2021

The 1963 Jaguar MK II has been in the paint shop recently.

All the original paint and underseal was stripped from the engine bay of the car. It was then cleaned to remove any excess residues that would get in the way of the new paint. All the wires were masked up to prevent any paint from spraying onto them. Paper was then stuffed into any gaps. The final bit of prep was to cover the rest of the car in plastic sheeting. The engine bay was then finally ready for the new paint to be applied.

1985 Citroen 2CV for sale!

July 27, 2021

If you’ve always liked the thought of owning a unique classic van, then now might be your chance! Coming up for sale is this fun 1985 Citroen 2CV Van in a vivid shade of green! So, if you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information on the vehicle. Here’s also a link to our showroom page on our website, which gives a little more information.

https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/product/1985-citroen-2cv-van/

And here’s a link to the eBay selling page for it!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174860185182

Inner rear arch work continues on the Honda!

July 27, 2021

Pricey has been continuing his work on the corroded inner rear arches of the 1998 Honda Integra Type R.

The inner arch section was fabricated and welded into position. The metal was ground down and dressed up. The nearside lower inner rear wheel housing was found to be corroded, so Pricey fabricated the nearside lower rear wheel housing section.

Jensen Journaal – July 2021

July 27, 2021

It is lovely to receive a copy of the Zomer 2021 Jensen Journaal in the post this week.

Several of our Jensens that we have restored have been featured in this month’s copy of the Dutch magazine, Jensen Journaal! https://jensenholland.nl/ It’s an absolute privilege, so thank you.

The magazine talks about our 1957 Jensen 541R, the 1958 Jensen 541R, the 1960 Jensen 541R and the 1960 Jensen 541S (The Prototype).

Here are our website links to the cars that were featured to find out more information on each of the restoration projects.

https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/category/projects/completed/1958-jensen-541r-navy/

https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/category/projects/completed/1957-jensen-541r/

https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/category/projects/completed/1960-jensen-541r-01/

https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/category/projects/completed/1960-jensen-541s/

Amazing day by all at Bridge Classic Cars show

July 26, 2021

Yesterday saw the return of the Bridge Classic Cars Classic and Sports Car and Bike Show and what an amazing return it was!

The two part event started off at The Hangar, home to Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and our showroom. Located in the beautiful RAF Bentwaters, Rendlesham, IP12 2TZ we saw hundred’s of cars turn up to get ready for one of Suffolk’s biggest classic car convoys!

From 10am we all set off together through the town of Woodbridge up to the Bridge Classic Cars Workshops, Main Road, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 OHH for drinks and lunch! 

The event was completely FREE to attend and as weather was on our side we welcomed a huge array of cars to both sites.

Jake from The Original Friendly Classic Car Group and Suffolk Vehicle Enthusiast Club shared a fantastic assortment of photos from the day to his social platforms. 

@bloomers_flying_shadow shared an image of the Shadow arriving home after the show.

@jasondale1980 attended with his lovely little Mini. We love a Mini here at Bridge Classic Cars.

Andy James posted a picture of his 1954 Ford Popular with the caption “the weather was much kinder than expected, the long slog from the Fens was definitely worth the effort. Thanks chaps”

Thank you for coming, was lovely to see so many cars and a lot of you travelled from far and wide so thank you even more!

Tony from Wyatt Polishing was present at both sites to enjoy and experience the convoy with us in his classic Rover.

Jay Baggott liked the look of our 1983 VW Golf Mk1

Local classic car enthusiasts Gary Farrow and John English shared some pictures to their feeds from our Bentwater’s site on the day.

Keep the images coming in. Was lovely to see lots of locals coming out of their homes to watch, video and photograph the convoy head through Rendlesham and Woodbridge.

Check out Craig and Freddie having a looking around the main workshops on the day!

New in – green 1966 Austin Healey Sprite!

July 26, 2021

New in the workshop is our 1966 Austin Healey Sprite. It’s list of jobs that need doing are; the carburettors need refurbishing, a clean up will happen as part of the rebuild, and the carbs may need some work.

New in – red Triumph Stag!

July 26, 2021

New in the workshop today we have our 1974 red Triumph Stag. The work that needs doing to it includes a full service to be carried out. Because it has only been driven 1200 miles since the engine was rebuilt the owner would like us to look over the car. The exhaust needs replacing, an MOT needs to be carried out, two small oil leaks need to be investigated, the cubby light on the driver’s side doesn’t work, the electrical aerial doesn’t work, the seat runners are difficult to move and the hood cover keeps catching on the driver’s side, so it won’t shut.

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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