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Nick Skinner

Marketing Executive/Photographer

Fuel Tank Brackets

May 8, 2024

The paint team here at Bridge Classic Cars have been working alongside the workshop team to get the next batch of pieces painted for our

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Diving Deeper Into our 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe

May 8, 2024

Our technician Jon has been diving deeper into the 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe currently in our care for its new owner.

As part of the appraisal process, he has drained the engine of oil and all fluids along with removing the oil filter to inspect. As part of removing the fluids, the team remove drain the fuel tank to inspect the fueling side of the car.

Because of the car being sat for an extended period of time (multiple decades it would appear by the paperwork) the corrosive nature of the fuel left in the tank has wreaked havoc. When Jon removed the sediment filter, which also allows the fuel tank to drive, it became apparent that the fuel had spoiled whilst in there. In Jon’s own words ”Fuel more like paraffin”. With the tank drained, it could then be removed and allow Jon to strip down the tank of its sender unit and pump. After inspecting these components, his opinion is that these components will need complete replacement and cannot be recommissioned, as he reports ”All fuel system items require replacement”.

Then, Jon could go under the bonnet to remove the fuel sight glass and blow through the fuel lines with compressed air to clean through any sediment or debris which could be lurking inside the fuel system.

Jon then began work on tearing down the carburettors on the Jaguar’s straight-six. Beginning with cleaning out the float bowls and then could clean out all of the jets and bridges to make sure that again, no sediment or debris had found their way into the carburettors.

Jon then went through his check lists of resealing the engine with all its various sumps and bungs before cleaning down and continuing on with the carburettor rebuilds.

Once completely stripped down and cleaned, Jon then used vernier gauges to set the static depths of the carbs to their base specifications, and reusing components where possible, in preparation for the team to begin testing ignition and compression once the fueling system has been resolved.

Fixing the Lights and Transporting Our C-Type

May 8, 2024

With our C-Type getting closer and closer to being completed every day, the team have had a few jobs to do before the car was due to be transported to a local specialist to protect the Seafoam Green paintwork for many years to come.

First up, the team had some repairs to do on the headlights of the Le Mans homage. Jon, one of our restoration technicians, had swap over some of the wiring for the car on the offside before refitting the covers back on. In putting the covers back on for the final team, the team head up the perspex covers and then fix them into place with the tapped holes with the shape also taped to the car to ensure they fit perfectly.

After that, the car was loaded into our enclosed trailer to be transported to a local paint protection company for the next phase of its journey.

Mille Miglia Prep for our 1939 Jaguar SS100

May 8, 2024

As part of our stewardship of the 1939 Jaguar SS100, our transport team have been to pickup a very important crate.

This crate contains all of the spare parts and sundries needed for our vintage Jaguar to take part and charge on in the Mille Miglia. Even though the event is now more of a formality, the mileage and weather takes its toll on the priceless classics that take part, so a wealth of specific and known extras are an essential part of being involved.

Our workshop manager John will be meticulously going through every item to double check its condition and its usability on the car.

1960 MGA in Epoxy

May 8, 2024

With the exterior panels such as the front and rear wings being worked on in the prep area of our Suffolk HQ, the body shell of our 1960 MGA has been into the paint booth for its date with the spray gun.

Our technician Mauro, who has been working on this project, has laid down the first coats of Epoxy primer onto the classic British sports car in the next step of getting this car to look the best it possibly can.

Repairs on our 1989 Daimler Double Six

May 8, 2024

The workshop team are continuing their work on recommissioning our 1989 Daimler Double Six to get back on the road.

Jon, one of our amazing restoration technicians has been working on the car to get through the list of jobs needed to bring this car back to its former glory.

One of the first jobs was to adjust the handbrake on the car. In doing this, Jon found that the original handbrake had partially seized. This led to him having to drill out some of the rivets from the cover and heat up the pivot bolt to remove it from the car, after that he could completely clean up the original mechanism and repaint it before reassembling and putting back into the car, whilst adding a return spring to help with the action.

Next, Jon had a few electrical jobs to cover on the car such as investigating why the horn didn’t work. After diving deep, Jon discovered that their were wires broken to the relay, so after some repairs he could continue to test and troubleshoot. This led him to freeing the engine bay loom to trace the harness further and found a connective issue alongside a faulty relay. With all of these either repaired or replaced, Jon could then work on some of the other electrical jobs on the car such as fixing the window switches.

Inspecting Our 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe

May 8, 2024

Since arriving at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ, this stunning 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe has been waiting its turn on the ramps in the workshop.

Well, over the last couple of days the classic Jaguar has been under the careful eye of our restoration technician Jon.

Jon will be carrying out a full and detailed inspection of the car, which according to paperwork has been stood for the better part of 2 decades, and reporting back with his findings for the cars new owner.

Fuel Tank Brackets

May 8, 2024

The paint team here at Bridge Classic Cars have been working alongside the workshop team to get the next batch of pieces painted for our Ford Transit Mk2 Tipper project.

Whilst the fuel tank is being prepared for installation, our paint technician Mauro has had the brackets in the paint booth to be finished in deep black.

New Arrival – 1971 MGB Roadster

May 7, 2024

The Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ welcomed a fair few cars last week! The last one to arrive just before the bank holiday was this stunning 1971 MGB Roadster.

The car will soon be making its way into the workshop for the teams to carry out a complete assessment on the car and start to formulate a plan of getting this stunning British sports car back to its full potential.

Valance Repairs on the 1960 MGA

May 2, 2024

The fabrication shop have been working their skills on the rear valance and wing of the 1960 MGA.

Chris, one of our fabricators, has been working on getting the new rear valance to fit onto the car. After the original had been removed from the car, and the new piece test fitted, Chris discovered a conflict between the rear valance and the right-hand rear wing.

The right hand rear wing shows signs of previous repairs and this had distorted the panel, making the finish of the new panel challenging. Chris used his skills to manipulate and gently reshape the panels to work together and a new flange area on the valance to work with the wing and make the cars profile flow perfectly.

Recommissioning our 1958 Austin-Healey 100/6

May 1, 2024

Julian has been hard at work recommissioning our 1958 Austin-Healey 100/6 for the road.

The 100/6 is on the ramp at our Suffolk HQ after being off the road for several years. To begin with, Julian carried out a full service on the classic sports car which involved a full fluid, filter and plug change along with several new hoses which had deteriorated whilst the car had stood. Whilst the hoses were off the car, it was the perfect opportunity to flush out both the radiator and engine block before fitting the hoses and then renewing the antifreeze.

After that, Julian could turn his attention to the underside of the car. New front brake pads were fitted and then the rear brakes were cleaned and adjusted after the fluid had been flushed and changed. Whilst the car was up on the ramp, the team could take the opportunity to replace perished bushes in several areas such as the front anti-roll bar and the rear panhard bar, whilst also replacing the inner and out track rod boots.

We could also then go through the process of draining any old fuel out of the petrol tank before inspecting and refilling with a few fresh litres and then begin the process of waking the car back up before beginning to remove and align parts of the bodywork and trim ahead of its transfer to the body shop.

Workshop Walkaround – A Few Projects

May 1, 2024

With the team here at Bridge Classic Cars always working on something, whether that be the restorations technicians in the various departments, the marketing team or the leadership teams, we are all focused around our incredible workshop.

We’re all incredibly lucky to be able to be surrounded by these cars on a daily basis and every day is different as each project is unique and individual.

For example, the cars which are currently in the workshop – span nearly 115 years between them. From our 1905 Riley 9HP which Steve has been preparing ahead of its first drive all the way up to our 2022 Bridge C-Type which is also being readied for its maiden voyage in its period-correct trim. In between those extremes, is our 1939 Jaguar SS100 which Julian has been working on reassembling after a spring change and our 1958 Austin-Healey 100/6 (which was recently removed from a local barn) is being recommissioned and shown a bit of TLC.

Front End Repairs – Fibreglass Repairs on our 1960 Jensen 541R

May 1, 2024

The paint and body team have been working full steam ahead on our 1960 Jensen 541R formerly known as ‘Lilac’.

Alan, one of our incredible technicians here at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ, has been working on getting the bonnet of this fibreglass GT car back into one piece… Over years of use, and the material itself, the bonnets of these cars can become very fragile and are prone to cracking in certain areas. Thankfully, with over a dozen of these fantastic cars having been restored by the team we know where they need to be reinforced and strengthened which is exactly what Alan has been working on. As well as strengthening known weak spots, he has also been building up layers in certain areas to give the entire panel a uniform thickness on the top side and also to build up areas in order to give it the correct panel gaps when the car goes back together.

New Arrival – 1971 Triumph GT6

May 1, 2024

Another recent arrival at the workshop, is this beautiful 1971 Triumph GT6!

Another car which we came across at the recent auction at H&H Auctions, but this one we just couldn’t let get away… so we’ve bought it. This GT6 Mk3 will be a future Bridge Classic Cars Competitions car so keep an eye out for news very very soon about how you could win this classic Triumph sports car for just a few pounds.

New Arrival – 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe

May 1, 2024

We’ve just had several new arrivals at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ, one of them is this truly stunning 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe.

This one has a funny connection to us! We recently were at H & H Auctions for there most recent auction and actually saw this car. As it went across the block, it had been bought by an enthusiast overseas. Well, the very next day when the team got in the office – the owner had contacted us to recommission the car ready for road use.

It’s always a pleasure to work on these automotive icons, and we’ve recently been doing a lot of them but thankfully with our world class restoration teams – we’ll have this early back on the road in no time!

Fit Up – Wiring Up and Checking the Fitment of the Bonnet on our C-Type Replica

April 3, 2024

The workshop and paint team have been working on getting the bonnet of our C-Type replica fitted up onto the car and adjusted along with the wiring beginning to take shape underneath this homage to the glory years of Le Mans.

Along with the wiring, the paint team have also gone through and marked small blemishes in the paintwork only found once under new lighting which will be address once the bonnet is removed for final fitment.

Along with the work under the bonnet, the team have been working on getting underneath the dash wired up with the new timing equipment and odometer in place for the project to move forward along with starting to reinstall the switchgear,

John then went on to make the brackets for the Brantz before fitting and writing up the fog light in the grille.

Tracing – Looking Into an Indicator Issue on the 1939 Jaguar SS100

March 20, 2024

Workshop Manager John has been working on getting to the bottom of an issue with the indicators on the 1939 Jaguar SS100.

For this, John has been tracing the wiring back through the car to get to the bottom of why the nearside indicators won’t cancel. For this, he has had to remove certain sections and panels in the rare cars interior to gain access to the harness and test as it winds its way through the cabin and the car.

Final Checks – Checking our 1976 MG Midget Before Delivery

March 20, 2024

Our 1976 MG Midget is off to its new home! But before that, our technician Jon carried out the final checks on the classic sports car.

After a couple of adjustments and reworking the choke system, he got the classic sports car to idle perfectly from a cold start and repeated this test multiple times to ensure perfect running.

Finish Touches – Final 1905 Riley 9HP Parts Painted

March 20, 2024

The final parts of our 1905 Riley 9HP restoration project have been in the booth under the gun of our paint technician Mauro.

Mauro has been working on finishing these handmade parts in thick, gloss black for the workshop team to get back on the car ahead of the car’s unveiling at the Practical Classic Restoration Show at the Birmingham NEC this weekend.

On Top – Repairing the Roof of the 1951 Austin Devon Pickup

March 20, 2024

Chris, from the fabrication team, has been working on repairing the metalwork in the roof of the 1951 Austin Devon Pickup at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ.

After carefully removing the piece from the top of the vintage truck, he has carefully remade the part in order to get it to fit back flush and properly. With it being such a crucial piece, he has taken extra care to make sure every surface is as close to perfect before he begins to reattach the part to the truck.

Delicate Touch – Repairing the Rear Valance on the 1963 Bentley S3 Continental Coupe

March 20, 2024

Fabricator Chris has been working his magic on the valance of our 1963 Bentley S3 Continental Coupe.

With such an impressive and handmade car, adjustments sometimes have to be made in order to get the best fitting parts and ultimately the best end result, so the valance was handed over to our fabrication team to get delicately persuaded back into shape for this beautiful 1960s luxury coupe.

Back in Place – Refitting the speedometer of the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk1

March 20, 2024

Our technician Julian has been working on getting some of the final bits and pieces finished on our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk1.

We previously had found that the speedometer had an internal fault and had to be sent back to our gauge specialist for repairs but now, it can be fit back into the car and final testing can begin soon.

Moving Along – Our 1976 Triumph Spitfire Project is Progressing

March 20, 2024

Our technician Rob has been working on our 1976 Triumph Spitfire restoration project and getting it closer and closer to handing over to its excited owner.

With various pieces of trim both inside and out have found their way onto the Java Green 1970s sports car to take those steps towards the project being completed.

Coming Together – Trim team work on the interior of the 1905 Riley 9hp

March 20, 2024

Ahead of its unveiling at the Practical Classics Restoration Show at the Birmingham NEC this weekend, our restorations teams have been working flat out to get our 1905 Riley 9HP ready for its first public appearance in what is thought to be nearly 70 years.

The trim team have worked on getting the bench seat in place and the moldings secured ahead of the fabrication team coming in to put on some of the beautiful bronze accent pieces alongside the mechanical team getting all of the final pieces into place before systems checks.

Welcome Home – Our ‘New’ 1991 Jaguar XJS Le Mans V12 Arrives

March 20, 2024

To celebrate their win at the 1990 24 hours of Le Mans, Jaguar would take their flagship coupe and create a very special car to pay tribute to their illustrious racing history – the XJS Le Mans V12.

And this, is our one! Recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ, the 12-cylinder GT car will find its way into our workshops very soon for our restoration technicians to check over.

Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page very soon for more on our 1991 Jaguar XJS Le Mans V12.

A New Arrival – 2006 Nissan Micra

March 20, 2024

We’ve welcomed a few new arrivals this week at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ!

One of them being this 2006 Nissan Micra for the team to take a look at. Although not a classic, its adored and enjoyed by its owner who wants to keep the car in the best condition possible so has bought it over to our Pettistree workshops for the team to take a look at.

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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