More Primer on the Minor
September 7, 2020
Paintwork continues on the 1963 Morris Minor 1000 as the doors and wings get some specialist paintwork treatment from our expert paint shop technician Chris.
News
#Focus 5k
September 7, 2020
The Bridge Classics Car web development team, Luke and his brother Dan recently took part in the #Focus5k charity event. They both cycled 5k to
A Dazzling Day at Classics at Glemham 2020
September 7, 2020
Sunday saw Classics at Glemham return for another year. Held at the fabulous Glemham Hall grounds in Suffolk, the event was one of the first
MG Car Club Championships – Snetterton
September 6, 2020
Friend to Bridge Classic Cars, Tony Burgess of Wyatt Polishing in Thetford, attended the MG Car Club Championships this weekend and kindly sent us a
Vapour Blasting
September 4, 2020
These car parts have all undergone a special cleaning treatment of vapour blasting here at our Pettistree workshop. The inlet manifold, cam cover, sump and
We’ve Got Front Row Seats For The Morris Mini
September 4, 2020
Following stripping the interior of the 1961 Morris Mini Deluxe, our trim shop extraordinaire Brian has been hard at work rebuilding this iconic beauty. With
BMW Photo Shoot
September 4, 2020
We promised earlier in the week you’d see some professional shots of the 1989 BMW M3 following her full paint job. So here she is!
Custom Built Bracket For The Jensen
September 4, 2020
Our 1960 Jensen needed a new number plate bracket, the trouble was, none that fitted were in existence. Therefore, our creative and very talented classic
Morris Minor Gets Final Primer
September 4, 2020
Final high build primer has been applied to the doors and bonnet of the 1963 Morris Minor by our paint-shop-pro Chris. “All they need now
Give The Jensen a Brake
September 4, 2020
Restoration work continues on the black 1960 Jensen 541R. This week the brakes have been given some special attention by our classic car expert technician
Boot Repair On The 500SL
September 4, 2020
After spending many years stored under a tree before arriving here at Bridge, we continue to uncover rust and corrosion throughout the 1987 Mercedes 500SL.
Corr! What a Door!
September 4, 2020
Mauro, our master mechanic here at Bridge has been completing work on the doors of the 1973 Triumph TR6. Along with getting all the mechanisms
Damaged Driveshaft
September 4, 2020
Our classic car Technician Dave has repaired a couple of damaged driveshafts on our lovely 1947 MG TC. “Originally, the car came in with differential problems”
Our Trim Shop Team are Diamonds!
September 4, 2020
Our trim shop duo Brian and Kath have been working wonders on the 1973 TR6 interior. Brian started by making this centre console cover, pulling
The Riley Merlin Exhaust Is Exhausted
September 4, 2020
The 1926 Riley Merlin Nine Briggs came to us with a rigid exhaust pipe. Eventually, the natural movement of the engine would lead it to
The Rare Riley – British Motor Museum
September 4, 2020
Bridge Classic Car’s Directors, father and son team Gordon and Craig visited the British Motor Museum this week on one very specific mission – to
She Lives!
September 3, 2020
The 1953 Ford Transit van that arrived with us yesterday has spent the morning with our expert classic car technician Pete. After five years of
Daytona Gear Box Removal
September 3, 2020
Pete, one of our specialist technicians here at Bridge, has successfully removed the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona gear box ready for testing. Once it’s restored,
Vint-Tro – September 2020
September 3, 2020
Our 1989 BMW M3 E30 was left gleaming this week after a full valet by Viper Auto Valet, following the paint job we carried out
Paint Work Gets Underway On The Morris Minor
September 2, 2020
The 1963 Morris Minor 1000 has already had a ton of improvements made including the engine restoration work having already started. Our expert paint technician
One Of Our Own – Welcome To The 1954 Ford F100 Truck
September 2, 2020
Our classic car technician Mauro has got himself this wonderful 1954 Ford F100 Truck. It’s come into the workshop today for the team to start
Bristol Cars Secret Stash
September 2, 2020
A predicted £1m worth of classic cars has been discovered in an old garage belonging to Bristol Cars Ltd, according to an article by The
The Riley’s Getting Flashy
September 2, 2020
Classic Car Technician Tom has been rewiring the indicator relay on the 1936 Riley Merlin Nine Briggs. “I had to remove the old indicator box
The Engine’s Out!
September 2, 2020
The 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona has had her engine removed this morning by our expert technicians Ady, Mauro and Tom. “The engine is the heaviest
BMW M3 Before And After Paint Job
September 2, 2020
The Bridge paint team Darren and Chris were excited to get their hands on the beautiful 1989 BMW M3 E30 last week to give her
The E-Type’s Getting In Gear
September 1, 2020
The very special 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 race car has had Kath’s magic touch today receiving a bespoke leather gear shift gaiter. “There was
Triumph TR6 Trim Transformation
September 1, 2020
Our trim shop team were in for a real treat last week when we received a request for a full interior transformation on a 1973
Bonnet And Bodywork On The Jensen’s
September 1, 2020
The 1957 and 1960 Jensen 541R’s were treated to custom made bonnet supports last week. Along with this, they had their recently restored wings and
The Jensen 541R Can Breathe Again
September 1, 2020
Work continues on the full nut and bolt restoration of the 1960’s Jensen 541R. Replacement air filters were fitted by expert technician Paul last week.
Unusual Cars UK – September 2020
September 1, 2020
Thank you to Unusual Cars UK for sharing our 1962 Jensen 541S to their 144,000 followers.
More Primer on the Minor
September 7, 2020
Paintwork continues on the 1963 Morris Minor 1000 as the doors and wings get some specialist paintwork treatment from our expert paint shop technician Chris.
“I’ve got the car ready for epoxy and polyfan primer,” describes Chris. “Then the doors and wings in a high build primer to perfect the finish.”
The car’s paintwork will be finished very soon now, we’re looking forward to the next stage of the restoration where the project moves to the trim shop.
#Focus 5k
September 7, 2020
The Bridge Classics Car web development team, Luke and his brother Dan recently took part in the #Focus5k charity event.
They both cycled 5k to raise money for the charity Focus 4 Hope who work with local elderly, isolated or lonely individuals, local homeless and also aid the refugee crisis.
Great work guys!
https://www.focus4hope.co.uk/
A Dazzling Day at Classics at Glemham 2020
September 7, 2020
Sunday saw Classics at Glemham return for another year. Held at the fabulous Glemham Hall grounds in Suffolk, the event was one of the first car shows to go ahead since the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of this summer’s shows had been canceled, so it was delightful to see the one of the first classic car events return.
The sun was shining, some spectacular classic cars were on display and it was a superb meet for the regions classic car enthusiasts. With special COVID-19 precautions in place, it was a superb family day out.
MG Car Club Championships – Snetterton
September 6, 2020
Friend to Bridge Classic Cars, Tony Burgess of Wyatt Polishing in Thetford, attended the MG Car Club Championships this weekend and kindly sent us a few snaps.
Racing on the 300 circuit, the MG Car Club had all of its Championships in attendance, including the history-rich Cockshoot Cup. There’s a brilliant weekend to be had at this MG specific event, where guests can get up close to many a historic MG race car as well as watching them race too.
We’re big fans of the MG here at Bridge Classic Cars and have worked on many over the years.
One of our favourites was our 1947 MG TC we did a lot of restoration work on, you can read more about the project here.
Another favourite of ours was this gorgeous 1960 MG A. She came to us for a full restoration including paint, engine, interior and body work. Her owner was so chuffed with the restoration he’d written a poem especially for the occasion. You can read about all the work we did on this stunning MG A here.
We’ve even featured an MG in Bridge Classic Car Competitions. Our 1964 MBG Roadster was our first ever prize. Lucky winner Graham Haigh has since been enjoying his new Roadster throughout the summer.
Vapour Blasting
September 4, 2020
These car parts have all undergone a special cleaning treatment of vapour blasting here at our Pettistree workshop.
The inlet manifold, cam cover, sump and side covers from a Mercedes Pagoda, a 1972 Peugeot 504 and a 1961 Jensen have all had the impressive cleaning treatment and just look at those results!
Vapour blasting is an industrial cleaning method that removes tough grime and grease but is gentle enough to protect valuable and sometimes delicate components, which are often found in classic cars.
This method is perfect for our classics, returning them to their former glory these parts now look brand news, who would have thought they’re from the 60’s and 70’s?
We’ve Got Front Row Seats For The Morris Mini
September 4, 2020
Following stripping the interior of the 1961 Morris Mini Deluxe, our trim shop extraordinaire Brian has been hard at work rebuilding this iconic beauty.
With the chairs stripped right back to the bare metal, Brian’s rebuilt the chairs starting with new rubber straps fixed to the frame. “I used hessian to line the base and stop damage,” he describes. “Then I added foam to the base, with extra foam added to bolster the front of each chair.” This is the slight curve you can see in the pictures and add to not only the look of the seats but to their comfort too.
Brian then attached the leather covers across the foam, using clips around the base and hog rings to hold the fabric in place.
We’re already so in love with this colour combination. The options really are limitless when it comes to classic car restorations!
BMW Photo Shoot
September 4, 2020
We promised earlier in the week you’d see some professional shots of the 1989 BMW M3 following her full paint job. So here she is!
Finished in the quintessential Diamond Schwartz, this stunner of an 80’s classic came to use with dents, scratches and fractures which have all now been rectified.
The BMW M3 was and still is one of the most desirable 80’s icons, well that, and Madonna… We’ll let you decide who’s aged better!
Custom Built Bracket For The Jensen
September 4, 2020
Our 1960 Jensen needed a new number plate bracket, the trouble was, none that fitted were in existence.
Therefore, our creative and very talented classic car specialist technician Paul manufactured a custom built bracket to take it’s place.
Using aluminium, he cut and bent the metal into the correct shape and fitted it seamlessly into position. You’d never tell it hadn’t started it’s life there.
Awesome work Paul!
Morris Minor Gets Final Primer
September 4, 2020
Final high build primer has been applied to the doors and bonnet of the 1963 Morris Minor by our paint-shop-pro Chris. “All they need now is a final rub down ready to be painted,” he explains.
The side panels have also been prepped and shaped with filler, ready for their polyester primer.
Inside the car, polyester sealant has been used along all the welded joints. This section will be ready for painting very soon too.
This project is coming along quite nicely, we’re looking forward to seeing the finished paint job in the coming weeks, coupled with the next stage of the restoration- the trim shop.
Give The Jensen a Brake
September 4, 2020
Restoration work continues on the black 1960 Jensen 541R. This week the brakes have been given some special attention by our classic car expert technician Paul.
“I’ve refurbished the handbrake caliper,” explains Paul, “then fitted the repaired unit back into place.”
Next stop – the trim shop.
Boot Repair On The 500SL
September 4, 2020
After spending many years stored under a tree before arriving here at Bridge, we continue to uncover rust and corrosion throughout the 1987 Mercedes 500SL.
One of our welders Toby has completed welding work in the boot this week. “There was excessive corrosion all over the boot floor,” Toby described. “So I’ve welded a new piece into place.”
There’s still a way to go to get this classic into tip-top condition. Belonging to one of our Directors Craig, he’s enjoying seeing the progress so far.
Corr! What a Door!
September 4, 2020
Mauro, our master mechanic here at Bridge has been completing work on the doors of the 1973 Triumph TR6.
Along with getting all the mechanisms working on the handles and windows, Mauro had been busy finishing up other bits. “I’ve also finished the surrounds on the doors and windows,” Mauro explains. “So all the rubber seals are now in place to make the doors water tight.”
Damaged Driveshaft
September 4, 2020
Our classic car Technician Dave has repaired a couple of damaged driveshafts on our lovely 1947 MG TC.
“Originally, the car came in with differential problems” explains Dave, “but once the differential had a complete overhaul we realised then that the driveshafts were all twisted.”
Dave’s now replaced two of the four driveshafts and the car is back to full working order. Top work Dave!
Our Trim Shop Team are Diamonds!
September 4, 2020
Our trim shop duo Brian and Kath have been working wonders on the 1973 TR6 interior.
Brian started by making this centre console cover, pulling the leather around the edges and gluing it to the rear.
He’s then made the trimming and speaker panels in the same way. “I stapled the leather around the speaker panels,” explains Brian. “Seamlessly cutting and turning the holes for where the speakers will go.”
Meanwhile, superstar seamstress Kath has been marking out and stitching the stunning diamond design onto the leather. “This pattern will be featured on the cockpit panel, the wheel arch panels, door panels, seats and headrests,” she explains.
Kath uses much of the original interior as a guide to create the new pattern. She marks out the pattern on the new leather, cuts it to shape and clips it together, ready to be sewn.
Kath’s also made these headrests, they too share the diamond stitching. “This diamond pattern looks beautiful,” expresses Kath. “But it’s very tricky pattern to work with! Along with ensuring all the diamond lines themselves are exact, I also must ensure the diamonds line up nicely along the edges of each panel or section. It’s not so easy to get right!”
Brian then completes the headrests by fitting the foams into the leather covers. “I stapled the leather together around the metal poles of the headrest. Then screwed their newly covered metal plates back into place to hide away the staples.”
Here’s the rear cockpit and door panels Kath’s stitched with Brian then gluing them into their final position. “I trimmed back the foam here to reduce bulk,” Brian explains. “Then I stapled around the edges, trimmed off any excess and cut slots into the leather for the pockets to eventually go.”
It looks like these two have been very busy bees over the last few days! As the car itself is back home with it’s owner, we can’t see the interior back in position just yet. But, keep your eyes peeled for more updates as we hope to be showing off the final result very soon!
The Riley Merlin Exhaust Is Exhausted
September 4, 2020
The 1926 Riley Merlin Nine Briggs came to us with a rigid exhaust pipe. Eventually, the natural movement of the engine would lead it to break.
Our specialist classic car technician Dave has built her a new, more flexible, exhaust pipe. “A rigid exhaust pipe would eventually break the exhaust manifold,” explains Dave. “I’ve now built and welded together a new, flexible, stainless steel exhaust.”
This should tide her over for many more drives to come. Good job Dave!
The Rare Riley – British Motor Museum
September 4, 2020
Bridge Classic Car’s Directors, father and son team Gordon and Craig visited the British Motor Museum this week on one very specific mission – to learn all about their 1905 Riley 9HP.
The museum is home to what is believed to be one of only three 1905 Riley’s in existence. Gordon and Craig were invited for a private viewing to get up close and personal with this unbelievable piece of history.
“The Riley 9HP we have here at Bridge needs a full build and restoration,” Gordon describes. “It arrived to us as little more than a truck full of loose parts, so to see the car as it should look is a real treat.”
The visit certainly got Gordon and Craig excited to see what their Riley should look like. They took an array of photo’s to bring back to Bridge HQ that will give our experts some valuable insight into the cars mechanics, electrics and aesthetics. There’s a long road ahead as the technical team start to piece together this extraordinary vehicle. But for now – here’s a flavour of the museums Riley in all it’s glory.
The British Motor Museum is a glorious day out. It’s home to the largest collection of historic British cars in the world and boasts over 300 classic and vintage cars dating right back to the beginning of the 20th century.
The enormous purpose built premises is nestled within 65 acres of Warwickshire countryside. The museum was awarded a Heritage Lottery grant of 1.3 million pounds in 2006, which was used to enhance the displays and build a stunning mezzanine viewing platform.
“I especially liked seeing Fab 1,” expressed Craig. Which is Lady Penelope’s iconic pink car, redesigned by Ford in 2002 from the original 1960’s Rolls Royce featured in Thunderbirds. Bridge Classics are proud to work with Project Plastics in Colchester, who produced the windscreen on Ford’s new Fab 1.
“The James Bond Landrover was also a great sight,” described Craig. “007 cars are always a firm favourite of ours.”
Working with classic cars every day is such a privilege. These cars bring back such special personal memories and nostalgia, it’s been brilliant for Craig and his Father Gordon to see some of the best examples around. Special thanks go to curator Cat Griffin for being such a wonderful host, we shall be back for sure!
She Lives!
September 3, 2020
The 1953 Ford Transit van that arrived with us yesterday has spent the morning with our expert classic car technician Pete.
After five years of back and forth trips to mechanics, this unique Taunus Transit still wouldn’t fire up.
But, after a thorough diagnosis and via process of elimination, the talented team here at Bridge have solved the mystery.
“The magic eye was not fitted correctly on the distributor,” explained Pete. “It needed pushing down further so the rotor arm could be fitted correctly. The firing order was also wrong, so we’ve sorted that”.
Pete and Tamas have since done several workshop tests, including taking her out for a test run and she’s now driving well. There’s only a few more final checks to make before we can give her the all clear, but what a amazing turnaround – great work team!
Daytona Gear Box Removal
September 3, 2020
Pete, one of our specialist technicians here at Bridge, has successfully removed the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona gear box ready for testing.
Once it’s restored, it will be married up with the new engine currently being worked on by our V12 engine restoration experts.
That sounds like a marriage made in heaven to us!
Vint-Tro – September 2020
September 3, 2020
Our 1989 BMW M3 E30 was left gleaming this week after a full valet by Viper Auto Valet, following the paint job we carried out on her recently.
So happy was her owner, he just had to share the news with our good friends at Vint-tro. Including some gleaming pictures of his pride and joy.
She’s looking as fierce as ever!
Paint Work Gets Underway On The Morris Minor
September 2, 2020
The 1963 Morris Minor 1000 has already had a ton of improvements made including the engine restoration work having already started.
Our expert paint technician Chris is already making great progress with the entire respray of the car after all the welding work on the body is now complete.
“All the newly welded sections needed to be sealed” Chris explains. “I’ve then completed several stages of priming, sanding and priming again.”
The next stage is to have the car wrapped ready for a full body spray. We’re all looking forward to seeing the before and after.
One Of Our Own – Welcome To The 1954 Ford F100 Truck
September 2, 2020
Our classic car technician Mauro has got himself this wonderful 1954 Ford F100 Truck. It’s come into the workshop today for the team to start a full engine restoration project on it.
The truck was imported from the US in 2013. Mauro tells us “I’ve always had a passion for American cars. It needs a lot of engine work, including new brakes. I also want to upgrade the steering.”
He’s not sure yet if he’ll do a full restoration. But the plan is to keep it for some time and just enjoy it. We’re sure you will Mauro!
Bristol Cars Secret Stash
September 2, 2020
A predicted £1m worth of classic cars has been discovered in an old garage belonging to Bristol Cars Ltd, according to an article by The Daily Mail Online.
Amongst the discovery was a 1982 Bristol Fighter, a 1964 Bristol 409 Bullet Speeder and a 2016 Bristol bullet, all prototypes that never made it to market. A spokesperson for Bristol Cars referred to the stock as ‘junk’ but classic car valuers think the lot could bring up to £1m in total. What a find!
Since 2018, Bristol Cars had been working on a new prototype they called the ‘Bullet’ having not focused on automotive builds since their last liquidation in 2011. But faced another liquidation this year following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bristol Cars, who at their peak produced 100 hand-built cars a year, were the last independent hand-build car manufacturer left in the UK.
Here at Bridge Classic Cars we had the privilege of working on this 1971 Bristol 411 earlier this year. We just hope we’ll get the chance to see more of these beautiful cars in the future, maybe even some from their secret stash.
The Riley’s Getting Flashy
September 2, 2020
Classic Car Technician Tom has been rewiring the indicator relay on the 1936 Riley Merlin Nine Briggs.
“I had to remove the old indicator box as the wiring was unsafe” says Tom. “I’ve redone the wiring and restored the flashing indicator relay to get it back to it’s original look.”
There’s been clear blue skies over the Pettistree workshop today, so Tom and some of the team have been working out in the sunshine. Bright indicator lights, bright sunshine and what is sure to be a bright future ahead for the Riley Merlin!
The Engine’s Out!
September 2, 2020
The 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona has had her engine removed this morning by our expert technicians Ady, Mauro and Tom.
“The engine is the heaviest we’ve ever dealt with here” explained Ady, our engine specialist. “We’ve had to source a heavy duty crane especially to lift it out.”
The car came to us as a non-runner, the engine was completely blown. Ady diagnosed a water leak from the bottom hose, causing the engine to completely overheat. It’s sadly spent many years not being driven.
Ady and Mauro carefully remove the heaviest engine we’ve ever had at Bridge Classic Cars!
The spare Jaguar V12 engine is currently being worked on by our specialist engine partners. Now the old engines out, it’ll be stripped for parts and whatever that can be salvaged will be, ready to be used on the new engine.
One way or another, our talented team will get this baby back on the road. We can’t wait to hear that engine roar!
BMW M3 Before And After Paint Job
September 2, 2020
The Bridge paint team Darren and Chris were excited to get their hands on the beautiful 1989 BMW M3 E30 last week to give her a full body paint job.
“She was in for a tidy up” Darren described. “She had stress fractures at the front in the fiber glass, lots of dents and scratches and even golf ball dents in the roof”.
Finished in a stunning Diamond Schwartz, she’s had all her dents corrected and been fully primed, prepped and painted. Doesn’t she look awesome!
We can’t wait for our photography extraordinaire Freddie to capture her in all her glory. Keep your eyes peeled for the professional shots to follow…
The E-Type’s Getting In Gear
September 1, 2020
The very special 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 race car has had Kath’s magic touch today receiving a bespoke leather gear shift gaiter.
“There was no original gaiter there for me to go by” explained Kath “I had to design a completely new pattern”.
A bold orange leather has been used to compliment the cars exterior paint work, while grey cotton stitching has been used in contrast but also to be in keeping with the newly painted centre piece also in grey.
Looking superb so far!
Triumph TR6 Trim Transformation
September 1, 2020
Our trim shop team were in for a real treat last week when we received a request for a full interior transformation on a 1973 Triumph TR6.
“We’ve stripped it all off” explained Brian. “The seats had lost their spring too, so we’ve not only done new upholstery, they’ve also got new foam inside”.
“I’m also doing some bespoke stitching work” Kath explains. It’s a distinctive double diamond pattern and so far, it looks absolutely stunning. Be sure to keep an eye out for more pictures in our next update!
Bonnet And Bodywork On The Jensen’s
September 1, 2020
The 1957 and 1960 Jensen 541R’s were treated to custom made bonnet supports last week. Along with this, they had their recently restored wings and sills re-fitted.
“Both cars have had their sills and wings completely restored, including a fresh paint job.” Our talented technician Paul explains. “I’ve fitted the restored parts back onto the car and built and fitted their new bonnet supports too, to keep the bonnet steady”.
Both Jensen’s are really starting to return to their former glory now, it’s great progress from the Bridge team.
The Jensen 541R Can Breathe Again
September 1, 2020
Work continues on the full nut and bolt restoration of the 1960’s Jensen 541R.
Replacement air filters were fitted by expert technician Paul last week. “The original inlet manifold and carburettor didn’t fit” he described. “I’ve replaced them, so she should now have more torque and perform better”.
Paul also replaced the top coolant hose and the bottom hose, both needed cutting to the correct size.
She should sound even sweeter now – good work Paul!
Unusual Cars UK – September 2020
September 1, 2020
Thank you to Unusual Cars UK for sharing our 1962 Jensen 541S to their 144,000 followers.
