Paint corrections for the Triumph TR6
January 6, 2021
We’ve been focusing on perfecting the paintwork for our Triumph TR6, making sure the metal bodywork sits perfectly. Currently its sitting in a filler spray
News
Peugeot 504 Is All Done
January 6, 2021
We’re delighted to announce our beautiful 1972 Peugeot 504 is ready to finally leave us! We just need to do a few final road checks
Peony Red Jensen Developments
January 6, 2021
Our 1960 Peony red Jensen 541S is making good progress in the workshop. Here are the latest developments. Fabrication Bay Our technician Chris has been
Lada On The Road Back Home
January 6, 2021
Our lovely 1984 Lada 1200 is leaving today! We’ve completed all the work which included repairing and respraying the rusty floors, replacing the exhaust silencer,
Refurbishments On Speed Dial
January 5, 2021
We’ve sent off a collection of our dials back to Speedograph to refurbish them. These all belong to our Lilac Jensen 541R, the Amphicar, the
Motoring Events Bucket List
January 5, 2021
For car lovers and adventure chasers, there’s a tonne of events that are well worth adding to your motoring bucket list. They’re a step up
Morris Minor Is Ready To Go
January 5, 2021
We’re delighted to announce that our 1963 Morris Minor 1000 is ready to go! All we need to do now is do a road test
Suspension Building For The Jensen
January 5, 2021
Our 1958 Jensen 541R is currently having its suspension fixed and rear suspension bolts replaced as the previous bolts had no locking facilities, meaning they
Kicking Up A Fuss
January 5, 2021
Just before Christmas, we discovered an issue with the Amphicar’s gearbox which had become noisy. We decided to take it out and inspect the elements.
Sparking interest
January 5, 2021
The work on this beautiful silver 1959 Jensen 541R will be commencing in the coming weeks. It’s going to be a full re-wiring of the
A Dashing Porsche 911
January 5, 2021
We’ve had the honour of working on a Porsche 911 interior recently. The dashboard needed to be refurbished, so our trim shop set out to
Chris Harris – Top Gear – January 2021
January 5, 2021
We’ll take that as a compliment… Journalist, racing driver and presenter Chris Harris commenting on one of our cars during a recent appearance on Collecting
Electric Forecourt Opens In Essex
January 4, 2021
The UK’s first all-electric car charging forecourt opened in Essex in December 2020. It comes equipped with super-fast wifi and a selection of shops such
2021 Sees Changes To Classic Car Numberplates
January 4, 2021
DVLA have made changes to the legalities of black and silver number plates as of 1st January 2021. In their statement, they’ve said; “The change
2020 In Reflection
January 4, 2021
It goes without saying, 2020 has been tough for everyone but there have been some positives! Bridge Classic Cars turned 16, we welcomed in more
How Bridge Classic Cars Thrived In 2020
January 4, 2021
2020 has been a challenge for us all. Nobody has been able to avoid the immense challenges that Covid-19 has presented. So how could we
Peony Red Jensen Update
December 24, 2020
We’ve taken apart the old rear quarter panels on our 1960 Peony Red Jensen 541s, ready to make new ones. This is done by cutting
Amphicar Tweaks
December 24, 2020
Our Amphicar is having a few adjustments as we’ve discovered a gearbox issue whilst testing. We noticed a noise which we originally thought was linked
Christmas Clean Up
December 24, 2020
As we prepare to shut for Christmas, our workshop team are doing a thorough festive clean. Although we always keep our workspaces clean and sanitised,
Peugeot 504 Almost Ready To Go
December 24, 2020
We’re currently diagnosing an engine issue with our 1972 Peugeot 504. After going for its test drive, we discovered what we think to be an
Suspension Concluded On The Navy Jensen
December 24, 2020
The front suspension is back together on our 1958 Jensen 541R. The modifications have concluded with the brake flex pipe has been relocated to avoid
Christmas Live Draw
December 24, 2020
What a way to celebrate Christmas! Last night we had a very festive live draw where we announced the lucky winners of two of competition
Little bits on the Lada
December 23, 2020
The Lada 1200 has had new seat belts added in the back. Our technician Paul has also modified the exhaust rear box to make it
Opening Hours Over Christmas
December 23, 2020
We know this year has presented some challenging and difficult times for everyone but we wanted to say thank you to all our clients and
Suspense Builds For Jensen
December 22, 2020
The suspension on the front of our 1958 541R Jensen is currently being tweaked. The bushings need to be reamed and resized so they fit
The Mysterious Case Of The Austin Nippy
December 22, 2020
Our poor little 1934 Austin Seven Nippy has had some mysterious leaks. The previous engineer had welded the metal and covered the suspected leaking area
Black Jensen’s Clutch Retouch
December 22, 2020
The clutch pedal had worn where the clevis pin goes through which allowed for too much movement on the pedal, so the clutch was not
Chassis troubles
December 22, 2020
Our 1963 Morris Minor 1000 is having some chassis trouble but luckily our technician Scott is on hand to help out. The rear spring is
Electric Classic Cars Post Update On Our Mini – December 2020
December 22, 2020
Great to see the 1967 Austin Mini 850 we worked on making progress back at Electric Classic Cars! Here they show the gear shifter going
James Bond’s DB5 Comes To Life – December 2020
December 22, 2020
Supercar Blondie has recently shared a video on Facebook of the James Bond limited edition Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5 that comes with functioning gadgets. In
Paint corrections for the Triumph TR6
January 6, 2021
We’ve been focusing on perfecting the paintwork for our Triumph TR6, making sure the metal bodywork sits perfectly.
Currently its sitting in a filler spray awaiting a high build primer before its painted for the final time.
Peugeot 504 Is All Done
January 6, 2021
We’re delighted to announce our beautiful 1972 Peugeot 504 is ready to finally leave us! We just need to do a few final road checks but it’s otherwise completed and will be returned to its owner very soon.
Peony Red Jensen Developments
January 6, 2021
Our 1960 Peony red Jensen 541S is making good progress in the workshop. Here are the latest developments.
Fabrication Bay
Our technician Chris has been working on the Jensen body in the fabrication bay. He’s been ‘gapping’ the doors so they look and fit the same around the sides. He’s also cut and ground both sides, added fibreglass to the bonnet to close the gap up and made a boot catch plate. Finally, Chris has marked the holes and tapping them up to make sure all the bolts fitted.
Trim Shop
Brian has been making a new door panel board from hardboard in the trim shop. This has been done by removing the armrest from the pocket section, removing the metal trim and old cover from the armrest and then making a new pattern for the cover.
Once a pattern has been made, Brian can cut it out from leather, sew on the new cover and fit it to the armrest by glueing and stapling it in place. Brian has also added metal trim to the armrest and cut leather out to make a pocket section. This was then glued in place.
The edges have been turned around to neaten the cover and new piping has been sewn in. Brian then needed to glue the inner metal to the foam, and fit the metal in place. The next step was to then glue the rest of the foam to the inner side of the pocket and fit the armrest to the pocket section. Once fitted, the armrest has been secured with screws and riveting support bar to the back.
Kath has also been working on the Jensen. She’s taken off the old cover from the dashboard and removed the old glue as well, ready to the rub down the front and back in preparation for new material.
Once cleaned down, Kath can mark out the new material and glue both surfaces to stick the material in place. To neaten it up, the material is turned over the edges and the dash holes are trimmed around so that the new cover sits comfortably. Once both sides were done and had followed the same process, Kath then glued along where the two pieces of material meet.
The dash top also needed to be refurbished. For this, Kath removed the two old covers and cut out new material ready to cover the dash top element. Once the material had been marked around the top, it could then be glued along one edge, the material turned over and the corners neatened up.
Lydia has also been working on the Peony Red Jensen interior. She’s been focusing on rear squab by measuring out all the leather, assembling the pieces together and sewing it all up. Lydia then prepared for the fitting of the cover on to the foam and board. She marked out new plywood to replace old worn out original. The next step was to then add wadding to the original foam so it maintains a nice shape. After all this was done, it was time to fit the cover over the squab.
Lada On The Road Back Home
January 6, 2021
Our lovely 1984 Lada 1200 is leaving today! We’ve completed all the work which included repairing and respraying the rusty floors, replacing the exhaust silencer, fitting rear seatbelts, adjusting the rear brakes and adjusting the handbrake cable. This soviet classic is now ready to get back on the road.
It was another crisp and dreary morning this morning as our technicians loaded the Lada into our new lorry, ready to make its way back to its owner.
With fewer than 200 on the roads in the UK, the Lada is now a rare vehicle. Originally manufactured and popular in Russia, around 134,000 were licenced for UK roads in the 1990s. After a sharp decline over the years, you’d typically struggle to find a classic Lada in the UK however those figures are slowly rising as the value and rarity of these motors increase.
Here’s some photos of when the Lada first came in:
Refurbishments On Speed Dial
January 5, 2021
We’ve sent off a collection of our dials back to Speedograph to refurbish them. These all belong to our Lilac Jensen 541R, the Amphicar, the Peony Red Jensen and a Mercedes.
Motoring Events Bucket List
January 5, 2021
For car lovers and adventure chasers, there’s a tonne of events that are well worth adding to your motoring bucket list. They’re a step up from a relaxing car show or road trip but whether you’re a spectator or competitor, they will all give you a unique experience you won’t be forgetting any time soon. Here’s a selection of some of the world’s greatest motoring events off the beaten track.
The Mongol Rally
The Mongol Rally is one of a handful of charity events set up by the kings of chaos and exploration: The Adventurists. This 10,000-mile adventure from the UK to Mongolia only has three rules; a small car under 1.2 litres, no back up/support, raise £500 for the chosen charity. The rules encourage you to spend very little on your car, but do not specify which cars you should choose, meaning many do them in old run-down cars, so there’s nothing stopping you from picking up an old classic for this trip! The rally also encourages you to throw your GPS and planned routes out the window and venture into the unknown. There’s no set route although many competitors take a route that leads them through the Stans, however the more inventive the better. Lasting on average of 3-4 weeks, the Mongol Rally starts in July and can end any time from August to September, depending on your route.
This rally isn’t for the faint-hearted and whilst it’s a serious adventure, it is run with a light-hearted spirit and encourages escapades and chaos.
Rickshaw Run
The Rickshaw Run is another wacky event organised by The Adventurists. Although strictly not a car, this is motoring event packs a punch. The event takes place in India, the Himalayas or Sri Lanka, each one varies in length. The original event is held in India and lasts on average of 16 days, the Himalayan event is around 13 days and the Sri Lankan event is 9 days. Much like the Mongol Rally, there are only a few rules. You race in a Rickshaw, you raise £500 for the chosen charity and you have no road support or back up; if you break down, you fix it yourself! Although far simpler than a car, the Rickshaw has its own tricks to learn in terms of fixing it. Nevertheless, you’re in for the adventure of a lifetime.
The Monkey Run
Another event organised by The Adventurists and I’m sure you get the idea by now – it’s going to be ridiculous and adventurous. The Monkey Run is a race done on monkey bikes, which are essentially children’s motorbikes. They’re nippy bundles of metal and gusto, with only 2.1 BHP, 48cc of 4 stroke engine and weighing 69kg, there’s not far to fall when you inevitably do take a tumble. The route starts in a secret location near Merzouga, Morocco, venturing through deserts and mountains, and ends in another secret location near Marrakech.
Dumball Rally
The Dumball Rally changes route each year. In 2020, the event took place in Mexico, with a bunch of old VW Beetle’s travelling 2000km from Mexico City to Acapulco, raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust. Much like the Mongol Rally, its an event in the spirit of adventure, however, The Dumball Rally is a bit less ruthless as they offer you accommodation, road support and meals. This event encourages beat up and cheap cars to join the road trip. From Morris Minors to old Toyota’s, this road trip event is perfect for road trip lovers and classic car fanatics.
Gumball 3000
2021’s Gumball 3000 rally is set to take place from Toronto to Havana in May. Since 1999, its taken routes through a selection of different countries and continents. For those who haven’t heard of Gumball 3000, its an adventure road trip for rockstars.
“Gumball is about challenging tradition and taking a non conventional approach to exploring and pushing cultural and creative boundaries.”
Baja 1000
Starting in 1967, the Baja 1000 rally is not for the faint-hearted. It strikes through the heart of the Mexican desert. It holds the title of the longest non-stop point-to-point race in the world and lasts just 5 days.
Any and all vehicles and bikes are welcomed, but depending on your steed of choice depends on when you start. For example, motorbikes and buggies start first and different classifications of cars then follow in segments.
24 hours Le Mans
24 Hours Le Mans is a little more exclusive to enter, filled with some of the worlds best drivers and teams. Its an incredibly popular spectator event as the worlds oldest sports car endurance races. The race itself has been going since 1923 and is held near Le Mans in France and is one of three races in the Triple Crown of Motorsport, with the other two races being the Indy 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix. The race is measured by how far each car can go in 24 hours without mechanical failure, making it different from fixed distance races. Spectators tend to camp out by the track and tickets for the campsite are available on their website.
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One motorsport race that’s been running since 1929 and is held on the Circuit De Monaco. The race is held on a narrow course laid out in the streets of Monaco, with many challenging elements such as tight corners and a tunnel, making it one of the most demanding and dangerous tracks in Formula One. Much like 24 Le Mans, its a more exclusive event to enter than rallies like The Mongol Rally, making it more of a spectator event rather than an open race.
Indy 500
500 miles, 200 laps, 33 drivers and a bottle of milk. This exciting event is held at the Indianapolis Speedway track in the USA. The Indy 500 was set up in 1911, this event has gone on for over 100 years, with two breaks during World War One and World War Two. The unique milk-drinking celebration was started in 1936 after three-time winner Louis Meyer was seen drinking Butter Milk in the Victory lane. ‘An executive with what was then the Milk Foundation was so elated when he saw the moment captured in a photograph in the sports section of his newspaper the following morning that he vowed to make sure it would be repeated in coming years.’ Although from 1947-55 milk no longer offered, the tradition returned in 1956 and has been a tradition ever since.
Italian Job Rally
The Italian Job Rally is loosely based around the Michael Caine film and takes place across Europe with each year the route being different. Mini’s of any generation or any other car featured in the Italian Job film can enter, and its run to raise money for a selected charity.
Morris Minor Is Ready To Go
January 5, 2021
We’re delighted to announce that our 1963 Morris Minor 1000 is ready to go! All we need to do now is do a road test to ensure everything is in working order when running for an extended period of time.
This is a vital part of every restoration as there’s a huge difference between turning over in the workshop and actually running soundly on the road. It isn’t uncommon for teething snags to appear after the road test but fingers crossed the Morris Minor will pass with flying colours!
We’ve had this Morris Minor in for almost exactly a year now, so it would be ideal if we can see it off exactly a year later!
Suspension Building For The Jensen
January 5, 2021
Our 1958 Jensen 541R is currently having its suspension fixed and rear suspension bolts replaced as the previous bolts had no locking facilities, meaning they could come loose.
The rear axel straps also need to be fitted but these will be made in our workshop first and then added. We like to make our own elements for the cars as much as we can to make sure the parts fit perfectly onto each vehicle. This ensures that every classic goes away with parts especially made for them.
Kicking Up A Fuss
January 5, 2021
Just before Christmas, we discovered an issue with the Amphicar’s gearbox which had become noisy. We decided to take it out and inspect the elements. You can read about the diagnosis here.
The gearbox has been sent to Last Transmissions to be overhauled and replace the bearings. Once this has been done and is back with us, we hope to get it back together again and put on the water.
Sparking interest
January 5, 2021
The work on this beautiful silver 1959 Jensen 541R will be commencing in the coming weeks. It’s going to be a full re-wiring of the harness, meaning all the electrics are needing to be replaced and rewired.
A Dashing Porsche 911
January 5, 2021
We’ve had the honour of working on a Porsche 911 interior recently. The dashboard needed to be refurbished, so our trim shop set out to fix it up.
Kath drew around the old dash in vinyl to create a template. This template was test fitted to the trim and tweaked to ensure the perfect fit. Once Kath was happy with the vinyl she marked out the various trim pieces onto leather, before cutting out, and sewing together. The top stitching has been done in a grey thread to ensure the trim looks neat.
By working the cover around the dash, the new leather starts to fit. Fitting the stitched side first and gradually pulling and fitting the rest around the dash. The last step is to trim around the edges and turn the ends under for a perfect finish.
Is your interior looking a bit tired? There’s no job too big or too small for our talented Trim team! Get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
Chris Harris – Top Gear – January 2021
January 5, 2021
We’ll take that as a compliment…
Journalist, racing driver and presenter Chris Harris commenting on one of our cars during a recent appearance on Collecting Cars .
“How can something so bad be so good”
Electric Forecourt Opens In Essex
January 4, 2021
The UK’s first all-electric car charging forecourt opened in Essex in December 2020. It comes equipped with super-fast wifi and a selection of shops such as WHSmith and cafes to keep drivers entertained whilst they recharge their vehicle.
The forecourt offers 350kW of charging power which is enough to top up 200 miles in 20 minutes. There is space for 36 cars to be charging at the same time too, so no chance of a shortage of stations.
Gridserve, the company who has built the forecourt hopes to build more than 100 sites such as this in the next 5 years. The Braintree site is powered by clean energy from one of the UK’s first subsidy-free solar farms at Clayhill in Bedfordshire as well as overhead solar canopies.
“As we accelerate towards cleaner and greener transport, I’m delighted to see the future of service stations being brought to life with the opening of the UK’s first all-electric forecourt.” Rachel Maclean, Transport Minister commented.
You can see the blog about our friends from Ransome Van Centre who visited it, here.
2021 Sees Changes To Classic Car Numberplates
January 4, 2021
DVLA have made changes to the legalities of black and silver number plates as of 1st January 2021. In their statement, they’ve said; “The change seeks to prevent any vehicle constructed after 1 January 1980 from the ability to display the black and silver number plate despite being recorded in the DVLA’s historic tax class. Those vehicles with a construction date prior to 1 January 1980 will continue to be able to legally display black and silver number plates to avoid any undue costs of replacement.”
From “1st January it will no longer be permissible to fix a new number plate displaying a Euro symbol. Number plates already fixed to vehicles are unaffected. We will also be introducing a new British Standard for number plates produced from 1 September 2021 which will mean all current style number plates that are first fixed to a vehicle from that date must meet the technical requirements contained in that standard.”
You can find out more here.
2020 In Reflection
January 4, 2021
It goes without saying, 2020 has been tough for everyone but there have been some positives! Bridge Classic Cars turned 16, we welcomed in more unique and interesting cars, expanded the team and took new ventures.
2020’s Winners
This year we introduced our competitions back in May. With an uncertain year ahead of us, we wanted to provide some excitement to our followers, and what better way than to offer the chance of winning a car for less than £20! It wasn’t easy at first, but now with over 21 winners and up to 4 competition cars running at the same time, we’re doing better than ever. So far we’ve given away £561,197.00 worth of classic cars!
This week we’re delivering our latest winning cars, our 1974 VW Beetle that was won by Colin Knight and our 1995 Jaguar XJ6 who was won by Nick Nicola just before Christmas! We’re being careful to make the delivery as safe as possible, complying with tier 4 guidelines but we can’t wait to see Colin and Nick’s reactions!
1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Race Car Replica Completion
Its been a long restoration, but we were delighted to announce the completion of our very own project, our 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Race Car Replica. Its come a long way from the decrepit shell we started with in 2017. Every detail, right down to the colour has been custom made and designed. This truly is a Bridge Classic Car. You can see it’s story here.
The Year Of The Jensen
We love every and any classic car and are in turn, we’re equipped to fix and restore any classic too, but 2020 for us was the year of the Jensen. We’ve had eight 541R/541S’s in this year, some of which are still with us being completed. With only 193 Jensen 541R’s and 127 541S’s ever made worldwide, to have so many in at all really is outstanding, let alone all at the same time.
The 541R models were manufactured between 1957 and 1960 when they were later replaced by the 541S that ran from 1960 to 1962. Whilst each car is incredibly unique with its story and bespoke restoration, they are also very similar, and as you can imagine, with 8 very similar cars in at the same time, it took a while to get our heads around which was which when referring to them.
Expanding the team
2020 saw the birth of the Trim Shop. Whilst we’d had individual trim specialists working with us before, we were yet to dedicate a department to it! Last year saw the creation of the Trim Shop, giving the speciality its own workshop and team which continued to grow throughout the year. Originally just Kath and Brian, we have welcomed a new face to the team recently. Lydia has now joined us and is another much-valued member of the trim shop. Having our own trim department allows us to continue keeping all our restorations under one roof, limiting the outsourcing as much as we can.
We’ve also had Ellie join this year, adding to the marketing department. Previously we had just Freddie, and briefly Charlotte doing our marketing, but as the company started to grow, we found the need to take on another set of hands for our marketing and visuals.
One of a kind – Chevron B20
We’ve had some very unique cars in this year, including this original 1972 Chevron B20. Its seen top racing drivers, international races and a big crash in its lifetime and nowWe’re selling this on behalf of the owner but in the meantime, we’re enjoying housing this incredible special car. You can find out more about its history on our blogs.
Introduction of editorial shoots
The latter part of this year saw us start shooting some of our cars in a more editorial and creative style. Whilst we’ve always organised high-quality shoots of all our competition and for sale cars, we decided to add models to some of the shoots to make them a bit different.
Now we have both Freddie and Ellie on shoots, it means we can also get behind the scene insights into our shoots.
Bespoke restorations; A tribute
Another interesting and heartfelt restoration this year was our 1972 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 that we restored. In memory of their late uncle, the owner paid to have a commemorative plaque fitted by the handbrake. We also embedded one of their Uncle’s favourite cufflinks above it as well. As we always say, each restoration is special and every car carries its own stories, but this one was particularly special.
Car Show 2020
Last January, we had our open morning car show that proved to be incredibly popular. After having to cancel our 2021 January open morning show, we hope to organise one for later this year.
How Bridge Classic Cars Thrived In 2020
January 4, 2021
2020 has been a challenge for us all. Nobody has been able to avoid the immense challenges that Covid-19 has presented. So how could we not only adapt, but thrive during a Global pandemic?
This year we’ve seen 11 Jensen’s pass through our Classic Car workshop. Having built up a superb reputation for Jensen 541 restorations, we are now one of the most prolific Jensen 541 restorers worldwide. Our expert team of classic car technicians have continued to uphold our incredibly high standards for quality, even with so many disruptions this year.
Formerly specialising solely in the sale and restoration of classic cars, we have had to adapt to an increasingly challenging economic landscape. With 90 percent of our workforce unable to work. Craig and Freddie fast-tracked the launch of Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. Fortunately the launch of our competitions couldn’t have come at a better time. In preparation since January 2020, we were planning to launch a completely new division to the business, for quite some time. We seized the extra time we suddenly have an with the first national lockdown on the 16th March began work on the new division of Bridge Classic Cars.
Bridge Classic Cars Competitions has been hugely successful. We’ve harnessed the power of social media as our primary marketing source and increased our monthly social media impressions from a few thousand users to over 1.4 million unique users every month, reaching classic car enthusiasts across the UK with industry leading innovative digital media advertising campaigns. This has allowed us to move our physical face-to-face car sales into an online space.
Charlotte, friend of Bridge Classic Cars, talented presenter and face of Bridge Classic Cars competitions has connected with classic car enthusiasts across the country in regular live videos. She’s brought an incredible warmth and energy to our brand.
Our customers have won their dream cars by purchasing tickets which cost just a few pounds, changing their lives forever. Here is the moment Colin, winner of our 1966 Ford mustang Competition saw his car for the first time
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=643554456248570
Our success has been recognised by industry professionals, having recently been named Classic Car Restoration Specialists of the Year at the London and South East Prestige awards from Corporate LiveWire.
We have also been awarded both Best Classic Vehicle Restoration and Maintenance Company and Innovation in Automotive Marketing 2020 at Corporate Vision’s Global Automotive Awards.
We would like to thank you, the classic car community reading this. Our successes are nothing without this community. We are so immensely proud of the wonderful group of enthusiasts we have following our journey and it is with great excitement we anticipate the re-introduction of in-person meetings. But until we meet again, we hope you all stay safe, stay well and we look forward to a brighter future.
Peony Red Jensen Update
December 24, 2020
We’ve taken apart the old rear quarter panels on our 1960 Peony Red Jensen 541s, ready to make new ones. This is done by cutting out new mill board panels, cutting out new plywood panels, fitting new plywood panel to original top wood, glueing & stapling mill board panel to plywood panel, riveting brackets to edge of the panel, adding foam padding to cover panel and then glueing & stapling the leather cover to the panel.
A newly fabricated bonnet has been fitted too.
Jensen glove box door in mushroom interior has been made by Brian in the trim shop. This involved removing old vinyl, cutting new vinyl, sticking it onto the door, trimming around the edge.
The dash has also been renovated. Brian has removed the old cover, sanded it down to remove the old glue and leather, mark out the new material, and glue up the parts. Once the glue had dried it was stretched and the ends trimmed.
Amphicar Tweaks
December 24, 2020
Our Amphicar is having a few adjustments as we’ve discovered a gearbox issue whilst testing. We noticed a noise which we originally thought was linked to the thrust bearing however it turns out it’s due to the first motion shaft bearing that needs repairing.
We’ve taken out the engine and gearbox, and will now begin the process of fixing the gearbox.
Christmas Clean Up
December 24, 2020
As we prepare to shut for Christmas, our workshop team are doing a thorough festive clean. Although we always keep our workspaces clean and sanitised, spending extra time on Friday afternoons, we know it’s essential to give our workshop a deep clean before we head home.
We couldn’t forget to share with you Rosie looking very festive! There’s no need for reindeer here as we’ve got plenty horsepower between all our cars, but we do have the important edition of a Christmas pup who provides festive cheer whilst we prepare the workshop for Christmas closure. You can see our opening times here.
Peugeot 504 Almost Ready To Go
December 24, 2020
We’re currently diagnosing an engine issue with our 1972 Peugeot 504. After going for its test drive, we discovered what we think to be an injector pipe leak. With everything else completed, the final job to do is to repair this pipe by taking the components apart and remanufacture the part.
Last week the 504 also had some new headlights fitted by our electrical specialist Adam. After rewiring and installing the lights, the 504 is ready to tackle those dark winter mornings.
Suspension Concluded On The Navy Jensen
December 24, 2020
The front suspension is back together on our 1958 Jensen 541R. The modifications have concluded with the brake flex pipe has been relocated to avoid touching the wheel.
The suspension spring strength had to be reduced to allow work to be done on it to ensure the component wasn’t under too much pressure.
Christmas Live Draw
December 24, 2020
What a way to celebrate Christmas! Last night we had a very festive live draw where we announced the lucky winners of two of competition cars, our 1974 VW Beetle and our 1995 Jaguar XJ6, as well as announcing our new competition car.
Congratulations to Colin Knight, who won our VW Beetle with ticket number 32! Nick Nicola was our Jaguar winner with ticket number 664!
We’ll be delivering their Christmas presents in the new year and can’t wait to hear from them with their new cars!
You can see the entry list here.
If you want to receive exclusive discounts on our competitions, sign up to our mailing list here!
You can also see the live draw below:
Little bits on the Lada
December 23, 2020
The Lada 1200 has had new seat belts added in the back. Our technician Paul has also modified the exhaust rear box to make it shorter as the original, which you cannot buy anymore, was too long.
Opening Hours Over Christmas
December 23, 2020
We know this year has presented some challenging and difficult times for everyone but we wanted to say thank you to all our clients and followers who have continued to support us and keep up to date with our projects. With more areas in the South East going into Tier 4 soon, we hope everyone will keep safe.
With only 2 sleeps until Christmas, we want to let you know that our workshop will be closed from 24th December at 5 pm to 4th January 2021. You can still reach us via our phone number over the festive period if needed.
But until then, have a wonderful Christmas and a happy, and healthy, new year! We’ll be back in the office bright and early on the 4th of January.
Suspense Builds For Jensen
December 22, 2020
The suspension on the front of our 1958 541R Jensen is currently being tweaked. The bushings need to be reamed and resized so they fit better. For this, we’re sending the parts away to be completed.
The Mysterious Case Of The Austin Nippy
December 22, 2020
Our poor little 1934 Austin Seven Nippy has had some mysterious leaks. The previous engineer had welded the metal and covered the suspected leaking area with sealant. Unfortunately the sealant had not stood the test of time and came off when we were cleaning the engine.
We want to go the next step and discover why the engine is leaking. Our engine specialist Ady aims to coat the inside with a red sealant spray. The purpose of using a red spray is that it will seep through any cracks and identify precisely where the damage is. From there we can weld only the areas needing it rather than a general area.
Black Jensen’s Clutch Retouch
December 22, 2020
The clutch pedal had worn where the clevis pin goes through which allowed for too much movement on the pedal, so the clutch was not releasing as it should.
The remedy was to weld up the elongated slot and re-drill it to the correct size, unfortunately, the whole pedal box had to be removed to do this operation.
The next step is to test the clutch and check its ready to hit the road again!
Chassis troubles
December 22, 2020
Our 1963 Morris Minor 1000 is having some chassis trouble but luckily our technician Scott is on hand to help out. The rear spring is rubbing on the chassis, so Scott needs to re-shape the spring to allow it to move correctly.
Electric Classic Cars Post Update On Our Mini – December 2020
December 22, 2020
Great to see the 1967 Austin Mini 850 we worked on making progress back at Electric Classic Cars! Here they show the gear shifter going through forward, neutral and reverse gears in the Tesla powered mini
The Mini came in earlier in the year needing bodywork restoration and a fresh lick of paint.
You can see its journey with us here.
James Bond’s DB5 Comes To Life – December 2020
December 22, 2020
Supercar Blondie has recently shared a video on Facebook of the James Bond limited edition Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5 that comes with functioning gadgets. In her walkaround, she takes a look at each element of this epic car, which can be bought for a small price of $4million.
Only 25 of these cars have been made and all of them were snapped up straight away, unsurprisingly.
You can see the full YouTube version of Supercar Blondie’s review here:
The DB5 comes with a rear smoke screen and oil slick delivery system, revolving license plates, simulated front machine guns, a bullet resistant rear shield, simulated tire slasher, radar system and a removable passenger seat roof panel as well as many more other gadgets. It really is every child’s dream come true.
It comes as no surprise to find that due to its low level of emissions control and added gadgets, it isn’t road legal, however, if you were to illegally drive it on public roads, you’ll be wanting to take full advantage of those revolving number plates…
See the Instagram post here.
