V8 engine rebuild now complete
September 2, 2021
Ady has now finished rebuilding the engine on the 1973 MG B GT V8 and so it’s now ready to be fitted into the car.
News
Problem parts
September 2, 2021
Ady has found a problem with the Jaguar clutch release bearings that are able to be bought these days. There’s a design fault with them
Dodgy E-Type wiring
September 2, 2021
John has been investigating the wiring on the 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5 4.2. It’s clear to see that it has been tinkered about with
Fitting up the Fern Grey Jaguar
September 2, 2021
Scott has been continuing his work on the 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3. This time around he’s been fitting up the front frame onto the
Porsche 911SC gets back into shape
September 2, 2021
The work on the 1982 Porsche 911SC is now complete. The Porsche has been in the trim shop after coming into us at the end
Honda’s shiny doors
September 2, 2021
Chris has been busy polishing the paintwork on the doors of the 1998 Honda Integra Type R, while it’s sitting in the workshop having other
Ford Capri gets a new lick of paint
September 2, 2021
After huge amounts of work from Matt sanding, filling and more sanding, and then transferring it into the paint booth for priming, the 1983 Ford
Paint matching the Aston Martin
September 2, 2021
Some exciting news on the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4 project. After discovering the original paint colour on the back of the glovebox while it
Get your tickets before it’s too late
September 2, 2021
Last night was the launch of our competition to win a magenta 1974 Triumph GT6. As I write this post, over half of the tickets
The digging commences
September 1, 2021
Carrying on from yesterday’s post, showing the blueprint of our extension, the workmen began yesterday by drilling and digging up the ground for the foundations
Bentley’s black trim continues
September 1, 2021
Brian has been re-covering more panels for the 1963 Bentley S3 Continental. This time it’s been dash panels, the instrument cover, door cappings and various
Aston Martin gets another step closer to the paint shop
September 1, 2021
Lydia has been getting the bonnet of the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4 a step closer to the paint shop. The front inside edge had
More tidying-up of the TVR.
September 1, 2021
After having a new clear PVC window sewn into the original hood of the 1989 TVR SII 2.9 V6, the rest of the roof needed
The ECMC Charity Run
September 1, 2021
Last Sunday, the 29th of August, East Coast Mini Club came to visit us. The club was doing its annual charity run, raising money for
The repair process of a Riley chassis…
September 1, 2021
After coming back from the sandblasters, the chassis of the 1951 yellow Riley RMB is looking a little corroded so James is going to have
Recovering the Porsche 911 wheel
September 1, 2021
The stitching had started to pull away on our Porsche 911 SC steering wheel. Kath has stripped the wheel of the existing leather and successfully
VW Autojumble
September 1, 2021
Suffolkbugrs are bringing the Autojumble back at a great new venue, with loads of undercover trading space. Trinity Park, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8UH Entry –
New in, Vauxhall VX220!
September 1, 2021
This green 2003 Vauxhall VX220 has just arrived with us. It was actually bought from us back in 2019, so it’s back on familiar ground.
Squeaky Clean Volvo!
September 1, 2021
You might have seen from yesterday’s blog posts that we have bought a “run-around” car, a green 1998 Volvo V40. Well after getting a much-needed
Spotted in Corfu: VW Campervan!
August 31, 2021
Charlotte’s been on holiday in Corfu and while she was there, she spotted a yellow VW Campervan and a pink classic Vespa Scooter. Even when
Our Run-Around Car!
August 31, 2021
We’ve just bought this 1998 Volvo V40 to use as a run-around car for the business. It will be used a lot for filming the
A Red MGB GT V8!
August 31, 2021
Potentially arriving at our workshop is the red 1975 MGB GT V8.
Honda now in the workshop!
August 31, 2021
After last being seen in the painting bay, the 1998 Honda Integra Type R is now in the workshop! Paul is now taking care of
More evidence of Jaguar’s dirty fuel line!
August 31, 2021
You may have seen the blog post from last week about the fuel line problems that Dave discovered on the 1971 Jaguar XJ6. If not,
Repair work on the Riley.
August 31, 2021
James has been continuing his work on the yellow 1951 Riley. The air vent for the second panel was sandblasted last week, so could be
1982 Porsche 911 incoming!
August 31, 2021
This 1982 Porsche 911 has recently arrived. The list of jobs that need addressing is the following: the door-bins need fitting, the leather restraint straps
Extension work begins!
August 31, 2021
We’re going to share the blueprint for our extension that’s going on the side of the workshop building. The workmen have arrived today to officially
Fully charged LIVE 2021
August 31, 2021
Source: Fully Charged LIVE online Fully Charged OUTSIDE will be taking place at Farnborough International on the 3rd, 4th & 5th September 2021. The 2021 show
Finished TVR Hood and a General Tidy-Up.
August 31, 2021
Kath has now finished repairing the hood on the 1989 TVR SII 2.9 V6. In the last blog post, we heard about how she was
Small update on the Aston Martin.
August 31, 2021
A small update on the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4. The panel that is inside the boot, where the lock is, was corroded and had
V8 engine rebuild now complete
September 2, 2021
Ady has now finished rebuilding the engine on the 1973 MG B GT V8 and so it’s now ready to be fitted into the car. As well as painting the engine beforehand, Chris also painted the rocker covers for Ady. You can read about the painting of the engine that Chris did in the paintshop here.
Problem parts
September 2, 2021
Ady has found a problem with the Jaguar clutch release bearings that are able to be bought these days. There’s a design fault with them that means they’re not working correctly on the engine rebuilds. So somehow he’s got to figure out a way of getting around this problem, or trying to find a different design.
Unfortunately, this can be a common problem when parts are re-manufactured for classic cars. They’re often not built to last as well as they originally were or they simply don’t fit right.
Dodgy E-Type wiring
September 2, 2021
John has been investigating the wiring on the 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5 4.2. It’s clear to see that it has been tinkered about with before and unfortunately, the wiring is questionable.
Because of this incorrect work on it, John has put in a new alternator and a new regulator because the alternator wasn’t charging before. He also found that the ignition switch is incorrectly wired, which meant that the amp meter burnt out as a consequence. He’s tested the ignition switch and found that there was a pair of twelve volts wired together that were causing damage to the amp meter.
Fitting up the Fern Grey Jaguar
September 2, 2021
Scott has been continuing his work on the 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3. This time around he’s been fitting up the front frame onto the body shell, rebuilding the front suspension and brakes and fitting them, with all new bushings and ball joints, fitting the front hubs with new wheel bearings, fitting the steering rack, fitting front shocks, fitting easy-bleed (to make bleeding the rear brakes easier), fitted left and right front to rear wiring loom/harnesses, fitted the front torsion bars, fitted the fuel lines under the car, new rear axle mounting/hub stops and fitted the rear axle.
Porsche 911SC gets back into shape
September 2, 2021
The work on the 1982 Porsche 911SC is now complete.
The Porsche has been in the trim shop after coming into us at the end of last week, getting its original upholstery freshened up and put back in. When it came to us, the carpets weren’t in, the door cards weren’t attached correctly, the pockets for the doors weren’t attached at all, there were a few bits of carpet panel that were loose and the stitching on the steering wheel had come undone. Kath has been busy resurrecting all of these issues over the last couple of days. As you can see, as well as creating interiors from scratch, the trim shop team are also perfectly capable of putting original ones back into good shape if customers prefer to not have a complete overhaul. If this is something you would be interested in for your classic car, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Honda’s shiny doors
September 2, 2021
Chris has been busy polishing the paintwork on the doors of the 1998 Honda Integra Type R, while it’s sitting in the workshop having other work done to it.
Ford Capri gets a new lick of paint
September 2, 2021
After huge amounts of work from Matt sanding, filling and more sanding, and then transferring it into the paint booth for priming, the 1983 Ford Capri 1.6 LS has now been painted! After turning up to us with the exterior looking a little worse for wear, it’s now back to looking fantastic. The final step will be to polish the new paintwork. Great work from Matt, I’m sure you will agree.
Paint matching the Aston Martin
September 2, 2021
Some exciting news on the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4 project. After discovering the original paint colour on the back of the glovebox while it was being stripped apart back in May, the guys in the paint shop have now managed to match it up very closely. You can see in the photos the new paint sprayed onto metal next to the original paint on the back of the glovebox. We’re looking forward to seeing the car painted now! Keep your eyes peeled for progress on that…
Get your tickets before it’s too late
September 2, 2021
Last night was the launch of our competition to win a magenta 1974 Triumph GT6. As I write this post, over half of the tickets have already sold, that’s over 3,000, leaving only under 2,000 left. So, if you want to be in with a chance of winning this stunning classic car, be sure to head over to our competitions website to get your tickets before they all go. And at £5 per ticket, that’s an absolute bargain!
If you click on the link above, you’ll also be able to find out more information about the GT6, along with more photos and a video.
The digging commences
September 1, 2021
Carrying on from yesterday’s post, showing the blueprint of our extension, the workmen began yesterday by drilling and digging up the ground for the foundations to be laid.
Bentley’s black trim continues
September 1, 2021
Brian has been re-covering more panels for the 1963 Bentley S3 Continental. This time it’s been dash panels, the instrument cover, door cappings and various other panels. The process for all of them involved taking the original black leather off, followed by any foam that was on the panels, and then sanding off the old glue left behind on the wood and metal forms. Brian used the original leather pieces as patterns to mark out around on the new black leather. He replaced the original foam with new 3mm foam. The foam was glued on first and then the leather wrapped over it. Some of the panels, as you can see, just have leather covering them.
Aston Martin gets another step closer to the paint shop
September 1, 2021
Lydia has been getting the bonnet of the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4 a step closer to the paint shop. The front inside edge had a lot of red oxide left on it so Lydia went about removing as much as she possibly could with thinners and a red scotch pad. There are some parts that aren’t budging so James will look at grinding those out.
More tidying-up of the TVR.
September 1, 2021
After having a new clear PVC window sewn into the original hood of the 1989 TVR SII 2.9 V6, the rest of the roof needed a bit of attention. The two panels that create the roof in front of the hood has black vinyl covering the underneath. This had various cracks running throughout due to age and wear and it was coming unstuck at the edges. The first decision made was to try and re-glue the edges down, clean off the dirt below the edges of the vinyl, try and glue the cracks together and paint any non-black edges, to take a sympathetic approach so it fitted in with the wear and tear of the rest of the car. However, after Lydia started to try this approach, she wasn’t happy with the results so decided to take the old worn-out vinyl off and start again. Before the vinyl was taken off, the rubbers were peeled off very carefully and with a blade where it was tricky to do by hand. Any remaining glue that was left on the fibreglass was sanded off and cracks in the fibreglass were filled. 3mm foam was cut out and glued on first, making sure to press into the edges and corners to get the shaping right. New black vinyl was then cut out, using the original pieces as patterns. The vinyl was glued over the 3mm foam and pressed into the edges and corners again. You can see in the photos below where the original vinyl was coming away from these edges, which is why it was so important to make those edges as sharp as possible. Lydia went around the sides of the panels to make sure the exposed edges of vinyl looked neat, trimming along the way with a blade. The last step was to re-glue the rubbers on.
The ECMC Charity Run
September 1, 2021
Last Sunday, the 29th of August, East Coast Mini Club came to visit us. The club was doing its annual charity run, raising money for the charity, Mind Suffolk. They managed to raise a grand total of £1,200 for the mental health charity. What an awesome achievement, well done everyone! The run started at 9:30 am at the Ram Meadow car park and was open to both members and non-members, and finished at Bridge Classic Cars. Take a look at our photos from the day. Did you come along on the day? If so, you may spot yourself or your Mini in one or two of the photos.
Well done to Chairman Tom and the entire team behind the event. It was a pleasure to have the club at our workshop.
If you run a car club and are looking for a location to hold an event or have a similar charity run coming up, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us!
The repair process of a Riley chassis…
September 1, 2021
After coming back from the sandblasters, the chassis of the 1951 yellow Riley RMB is looking a little corroded so James is going to have to repair these sections. Lydia has begun the process by making cardboard templates of these parts, cutting where necessary to get the shaping right. These templates will be used by James to mark out around on the new metal. The original corroded metal will be removed and the new will be welded into place.
Recovering the Porsche 911 wheel
September 1, 2021
The stitching had started to pull away on our Porsche 911 SC steering wheel.
Kath has stripped the wheel of the existing leather and successfully managed to re-stitch it back in to position.
We fully expected to have to recover with new leather but once off the wheel we could see that the integrity of the leather was still beautiful so decided to keep with the originality.
VW Autojumble
September 1, 2021
Suffolkbugrs are bringing the Autojumble back at a great new venue, with loads of undercover trading space.
Trinity Park, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8UH
Entry – Adults (£2), Kids (Free) – Show & Shine (£1 Charity Donation – raising money for Marie Curie Cancer Care)
Camp – £9.50 per plot, EHU £15 per plot -arrive from 3pm on Saturday
Undercover Trading Space – Autojumble (£20), Craft Plot (£12), Trade Plot (£25)
New in, Vauxhall VX220!
September 1, 2021
This green 2003 Vauxhall VX220 has just arrived with us. It was actually bought from us back in 2019, so it’s back on familiar ground. It’s only in for a small number of reasons: there’s a squeaking noise when it goes over bumps, which could be down to suspension issues, the customer wants it serviced and put through an MOT and it’s going to get a pre-delivery inspection.
Squeaky Clean Volvo!
September 1, 2021
You might have seen from yesterday’s blog posts that we have bought a “run-around” car, a green 1998 Volvo V40. Well after getting a much-needed clean, our “run-around” car is going to have a service in our workshop to check over everything.
Spotted in Corfu: VW Campervan!
August 31, 2021
Charlotte’s been on holiday in Corfu and while she was there, she spotted a yellow VW Campervan and a pink classic Vespa Scooter. Even when she goes away, she can’t keep away from the classic vehicles!
Our Run-Around Car!
August 31, 2021
We’ve just bought this 1998 Volvo V40 to use as a run-around car for the business. It will be used a lot for filming the competition videos, the ones you see when each one launches, where Charlotte is seen driving the cars and talking about them. It’ll be getting a good clean for sure!
Honda now in the workshop!
August 31, 2021
After last being seen in the painting bay, the 1998 Honda Integra Type R is now in the workshop!
Paul is now taking care of it and has taken everything out of the engine bay.
He’s also repaired and welded the chassis section where the captive nuts cover is.
As you can see, the radiator and air conditioning condenser are in desperate need of repair so these will be overhauled prior to being refitted.
More evidence of Jaguar’s dirty fuel line!
August 31, 2021
You may have seen the blog post from last week about the fuel line problems that Dave discovered on the 1971 Jaguar XJ6. If not, here’s a link straight to it. Here are some more photos and another video to show just how bad the problem turned out to be.
Repair work on the Riley.
August 31, 2021
James has been continuing his work on the yellow 1951 Riley. The air vent for the second panel was sandblasted last week, so could be welded into its new surrounding. James then used the finished one to determine how much metal to trim off the end. Back in July, he had to do some welding repair work on the left-hand wing. He’s now repaired the other wing. The subframe came back from the sandblasters and showed how much corrosion there was. James has started to make cardboard templates for the parts that need replacing, to mark out new pieces of metal for fabrication.
1982 Porsche 911 incoming!
August 31, 2021
This 1982 Porsche 911 has recently arrived. The list of jobs that need addressing is the following: the door-bins need fitting, the leather restraint straps on the rear seat need fixing, the upholstery needs reviving with some form of treatment, the passenger window needs fixing because it’s stuck, the steering wheel needs re-stitching, the under-dash panels need to be stuck back down and/or repaired, a battery cut-off switch needs to be put in and the battery is flat so needs to be put on charge.
The first stop will be the trim shop.
Extension work begins!
August 31, 2021
We’re going to share the blueprint for our extension that’s going on the side of the workshop building. The workmen have arrived today to officially begin the work! As usual, there’ll be photos popping up along the way, so keep watching for updates.
We thought it might also be a nice idea to look back at when our existing buildings started off as a blank canvas and were transformed into what you see today!
Fully charged LIVE 2021
August 31, 2021
Source: Fully Charged LIVE online
Fully Charged OUTSIDE will be taking place at Farnborough International on the 3rd, 4th & 5th September 2021. The 2021 show will be back with a bang, with more visitor attractions and more exhibits than ever before, all in a safe outdoor environment.
The guys from Electric Classic Cars will be there with our Tesla powered 1967 Austin Mini 850.
Update; on the stand over the weekend we saw BAFTA-winning presenter and YouTuber Maddie Moate from Maddie Goes Electric enjoying the electric Land Rover.
Finished TVR Hood and a General Tidy-Up.
August 31, 2021
Kath has now finished repairing the hood on the 1989 TVR SII 2.9 V6. In the last blog post, we heard about how she was removing the old PVC window out of the hood, because of it becoming delaminated and coming out of the seam at the corners. She used the original as a pattern to mark out around and cut out on a sheet of new clear PVC. Once cut out, Kath applied contact adhesive to the outside edge of the PVC and slotted it in between the layers of hood fabric at the seam edge and left it to dry. She could then sew down the same lines where the previous stitching was to fully secure the window into place. New leather strips were sewn onto the corners. The hood could then be glued to its frame. The vertical bars on the hood frame that is attached to the car had flaking black paint on them. So these were sanded down and then re-painted. The pieces that hold the hood in place at the front and where the front roof panels slot into it, had flaking paint on them too, so these got re-painted in the same manner. The hood could then be attached to the car again. Kath also reglued various pieces of fabric that were coming away around the inside of the TVR.
Small update on the Aston Martin.
August 31, 2021
A small update on the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4. The panel that is inside the boot, where the lock is, was corroded and had paint left on it. Lydia took it into the sandblasting in order to remove all of this.
