News

Bonhams London To Brighton Veteran Car Run Supported By Hiscox – 2018

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Bridge Classic Cars at London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”23649,23650,23651,23652,23653,23654,23655,23656,23657,23658,23659,23660,23661,23662,23663,23664,23665,23666″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Source: Veteran Car Run As an unseasonably mild London was still covered by

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Fitting the new sills

It has been a tough few days and Tommy has been working solidly but we have now successfully fitted up the new sills.

Still a bit of work to go before we can carry out the paintwork but we have made fantastic progress up to now.

 

Replacing the damaged BMW 840 radiator

We were informed of a water leak on our 1998 BMW 840CI the day before she arrived in our workshops so part of our task was to identify the issue and rectify where necessary.

As a short term fix and to enable to vehicle to reach our workshops safely, the customer appliedย Radweld into the system. Radweld repairs holes caused by damage and corrosion. It has been specifically designed not to block channels and clog radiators. Radweld will target small leaks in your radiator without causing blockages.

With the car successfully in our possession we can now look to the cause of the problem and address the issues first hand.

Upon removal it is clear to see the bottom of the radiator shows damage. With the radiator removed we can now call upon the assistance of our good friends at Sheldrake & Wells.

2 days later they arrive with a brand spanking new one for our project. Sometimes it’s good to look around. It’s very easy in the classic car world to assume that parts can not be sourced and therefore the only way to overcome an issue is to repair what you have. This is a great example that not all components need to be rebuilt, some are still available and on the shelf.

…and a much more cost effective solution too!

Running up our 1961 Ariel Leader

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Prior to releasing our 1961 Ariel Leader to it’s new home, Brian first gave it a run up to ensure the engine was running as it should.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8aQ9IG16Jg” align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

ยฃ188,800 grant to Woodbridge Community, Arts & Youth Centre

Article shared from www.keepingintouchwith.com/woodbridgeย publication and image shared from Jetty Lane CIC

East Suffolk Councilย has thrown its support behind the proposed landmark community, arts and youth centre in Woodbridge by granting ยฃ188,800 to the social enterprise Jetty Lane CIC.

Jetty Lane CICย is working to build and run a new centre to support young people, artists and community groups in the heart of Woodbridge. Since Woodbridge Youth Club was demolished in 2017, many youth, arts and community organisations have been homeless.

East Suffolk Council‘s financial backing covers pre-construction costs for the planned development located near the River Deben. The proposed centre, which submitted for full planning in August, will provide much-needed space for theatre groups, martial arts and exercise classes, Woodbridge Scouts, Just42 youth charity, services for the elderly, local business people, artists and more.

Caroline Page, Chair of JettyLane CIC commented: “We are extremely grateful to East Suffolk Council for their generous response to our funding application. It is a great boost to the cause and guarantees that the money we raise from here-on-in will be spent on construction. Woodbridge is in desperate need of community space since Woodbridge Youth Club was demolished in early 2017, leaving many local community, arts and youth initiatives homeless. As the town continues to expand with new housing developments, there is a greater need than ever to build a new space for community and local groups to thrive.”

Jetty Lane was founded by County Councillor for Woodbridge Caroline Page, Caroline Rutherford from local charity Just42, Group Scout leader, 1st Woodbridge Adam Thorpe, and local resident Cordelia Richman. The planned building will comprise of eight individual studios to artists, two halls, hireable space for community groups to use at an affordable rent, as well as office facilities provided on a commercial basis.

The results of the planning application are expected before Christmas 2018.

For more information about the project or to make a donation visit Jetty Lane online.

Working on the Corvette engine

Ady is now actively working on the restoration of the Corvette V8 engine that will be married up to our 1957 Jensen 541R.

The block has successfully been machined and the unleaded conversion has been carried out with the 3 angled valve seats – 75′, 45′ to 30′

 

Removing the worst affected areas

Tommy has now started to remove the worst affected areas to the nearside sills. Only by removing can you see the full extent of work required.

Patching up may be a short term solution and may help to get the car through an MOT successfully but rust spreads and just by hiding it underneath something new does not mean it stops growing.

Removing the corrosion and replacing with brand new is the only way to fix the ever growing problems.

Front Seat Re-Upholstery

In today we have the front pair of 1936 Riley Merlin Nine seats along with a beautiful piece of hide supplied to us by the vehicle’s owner.

The seats will be completely stripped back, the frames will be refurbished before we apply new cushions and bespoke covers.

They’ll be good as new in no time.

 

Fabricating the Jensen’s front grille surround

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We already hold the tooling to re-produce the front grilles themselves but now requiring the front grille surround it was back to design mode for Dave as he got to work fabricating the surround edging.

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Bonhams London To Brighton Veteran Car Run Supported By Hiscox – 2018

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Bridge Classic Cars at London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”23649,23650,23651,23652,23653,23654,23655,23656,23657,23658,23659,23660,23661,23662,23663,23664,23665,23666″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Source: Veteran Car Run

As an unseasonably mild London was still covered by darkness, nearly 400 pioneering veteran cars, their intrepid drivers and plucky passengers gathered in Hyde Park on Sunday (4th November) waiting for daybreak to signal the start of the remarkable Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox.

Itโ€™s now more than 120 years since the original Emancipation Run, which was held in 1896 to celebrate the recently passed Locomotives on Highways Act. This raised the speed limit for โ€˜light locomotivesโ€™ from 4 to 14 mph and abolished the need for a man to walk ahead waving a red flag.

Symbolising that new found freedom, the annual Run always commences with the symbolic tearing of the red flag โ€“ a ritual pre-dawn feat this year performed by supermodel and car enthusiast Yasmin Le Bon representing The Movember Foundation and F1 team boss Christian Horner who was joined at the finish by his Spice Girl wife Geri and young family.

Then, at 06:59am sunrise, the first of the pre-1905 horseless carriages was flagged away from the start with the earliest of the Victorian vehicles leading the way as they phutted and hissed their way through Wellington Arch, down Constitution Hill, past Buckingham Palace and Admiralty Arch and Whitehall into Parliament Square. Here, for the first time in its 122-year history the 60-mile route split into two, thus alleviating traffic congestion in South London.

Half of the plucky participants travelled over Westminster Bridge and then followed the traditional A23 route via Kennington, Brixton and Streatham Common; the other half left via Millbank, over Lambeth Bridge then journeyed via Vauxhall, Clapham Common and Tooting. The two routes merged on the A236 just north of Croydon with the entire magical cavalcade reunited as it headed to the spectator-friendly halfway point in Crawley High Street, the South Downs and eventually the Madeira Drive seafront in Brighton.

First away from Hyde Park was a Peugeot Type 3 dating back to the dawn of motoring in 1893. Hailing from the Turin Motor Museum, it is believed to be the first car to have been driven on Italian roads. Other early starters included the crowd-pleasing 1896 Salvesen Steam Cart โ€“ basically a steam locomotive running on the road complete with stoker shoveling coal into the boilerโ€™s fiery furnace plus an evocative choo choo steam whistle โ€“ and a number of primitive motorised tricycles complete with riders and passengers regaled in period costumes.

Thereafter followed a staggering variety of antique machinery dating back to the era of innovative and experimental vehicles โ€“ some petrol powered, others propelled by steam and electricity, some fitted with steering-wheels, others with naval inspired tillers and helms.

As always it was an extraordinary sight without parallel anywhere on Earth: a living, moving testament to a bygone age when motoring technology was in its infancy. Blessed with such eccentric charm and incredible history, the renaissant Run enjoys worldwide participation and attracts huge crowds along the entire route. Among this yearโ€™s entries were cars from Argentina, Australia, Hong Kong, and South Africa as well as 21 from the United States

In total, 117 different marques ranging from Achilles (built in Frome, Somerset) to Yale (from Toledo in Ohio, US) were represented on this yearโ€™s Run โ€“ some, like Chevrolet, Renault and Mercedes, still well-known today, but the vast majority lost to history. Many cars and crews sported moustaches in support of Movember, the eventโ€™s official Charity Partner.

One of the ambitious brands to have fallen by the industrial wayside was making its Veteran Car Run debut this year: Vabis the embryonic Scandinavian company that can trace its descendants to todayโ€™s commercial vehicle giant Scania. Despite its rookie status, the newcomer completed the Run.

Le Bon and Horner, too, were also savouring the event for the very first time; the former driving a 1901 Wolseley kindly loaned by the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, the latter behind the wheel of Lord (Irvine) Laidlawโ€™s 1904 Panhard-Levassor. Both made it all the way to Brighton enjoying the hazy autumnal sunshine and huge, cheering crowds lining the roadside.

โ€œIt was super,โ€ enthused Horner. โ€œWe had a great run in a lovely car which ran seamlessly. I cannot thank Irvine Laidlaw enough for letting me drive his beautiful Panhard. It is an absolutely magical event and wonderful to see so many enthusiasts and car clubs coming out to support all those on the road. It was great fun โ€“ Iโ€™ll definitely be back for more!โ€

Le Bon was equally enthusiastic and enthralled. โ€œI absolutely loved it,โ€ she beamed at the finish. โ€œI was grinning from ear to ear, even in the few more gripping moments that we had. The car behaved beautifully. The crowds were just astonishing โ€“ I had no idea quite how many people come out, but Iโ€™m delighted that they do to see these incredible vehicles all together on the road. Itโ€™s an extraordinary sight. Whatโ€™s more, I was doing the Run for a wonderful cause โ€“ men should definitely be talking together more about health issues and taking charge of their wellbeing.โ€

In total, nearly ninety per cent of the starters made it to Brighton before the 4.30pm deadline to claim a coveted finishersโ€™ medal โ€“ just 44 of the starters failing to reach the sea front. The first car home was the 1901 Oldsmobile of Andres Melkus from Austria arriving on Madeira Drive. Next across the line was Tom Loder driving a 1900 Stephens.

While the Run is famously not a race, the increasingly popular Regularity Time Trial does provide a competitive element. More than 320 entrants, more than ever before, elected to take part in the Trial by attempting to keep to a strict average speed for the stretch between Crawley and Burgess Hill. The winner was Paul Kelling in an Oldsmobile who covered the 13 miles at an average speed of 12.05mph compared to his 12mph target.

Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, said: โ€œIt has been another exceptional Run in this quite remarkable event. The split route out of London definitely alleviated the traffic problems of the past, and it has been a real pleasure to complete the Run today.

โ€œThe weather has been kind this year, which makes a big difference for these types of extraordinary vehicles, and I have seen lots of happy smiley faces amongst our participants.

โ€œI would just like to thank all the people that have come together to make this such a special event. Thanks must go to the marshals all the way down the route that continue to make it a real pleasure to drive this event, those at Goose Live Events who run the event on behalf of the Royal Automobile Club, plus the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain particularly in dating these cars and making sure of their authenticity.

โ€œMy final thank you is to the spectators who have lined the route. It is such a fantastic family event and it is great to see people of all ages enjoying themselves in the autumnal sunshine.โ€

As in recent years, the Bonhams Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox provided a fitting finale to the Royal Automobile Clubโ€™s busy London Motor Week โ€“ during which the Club presented an array of functions and events.

The penultimate event in the week was the free-to-view Illinois Route 66 Regent Street Motor Show, on Saturday 3 November, which turned Londonโ€™s flagship shopping street into a motoring showcase that put the spotlight on veterans and moderns alike and attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors.

For more details of the event visitย www.veterancarrun.com.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Recommissioning our 1939 Packard 120

In our workshops today we have our stunning 1939 Packard 120. Having been in the showroom of world renowned classic and vintage car dealers Vintage and Prestigeย for over 3 years she has had little to no attention with regards to servicing and maintaining.

The car is owned locally to us here in Woodbridge so we are looking to get her back on the roads running and sounding as beautiful as she looks.

Initial inspection suggests a possible head gasket issue as she is not running as sweet as she should be. We’ll also look over the entire car and assess exactly what needs to be done from start to finish. We do not envisage there being too much to tackle on this one…

Planes, Trains and Automobiles – We Cover Them All!

Today, we took a trip to Manchester, to visit the Runway Visitor Park, aย unique venue surrounding the world’s most iconic plane, the Concorde! It’s the perfect venue that caters for product launches, gala dinners, team building events, exhibitions or meetings.

What an amazing place. The setting is directly next to one of Manchester’s main runways with views of every take off and landing but if that’s not exciting enough, the restaurant houses the iconic Concorde.

A great day out for, not only plane enthusiasts but families too.

 

Collecting our 1939 Packard 120

Here is our 1939 Packard making it’s way to our workshops having spent some time with the guys atย Vintage & Prestige in Grays, Essex.

We’ll look to carry out a full re-commission of the car to ensure everything runs as it should before we find her a new home in the new year.

 

Fitting the new Jaguar 240 wheel hubs

As part of the re-commissioning of our 1968 Jaguar 240 the customer has decided to fit the vehicle with a set of multi-spoke Jaguar wheels. In order to carry out this task firstly we need to replace the existing hubs with new ones, supplied to us from the guysย MWS.

Easier said than done, the hubs were seized sold and a lot of time and force needed to be taken to released the old ready for the new.

Great British Bake Off’s Manon Lagreve out in London

Source: Instagram @manonlegreve

Great British Bake Off‘s Manon Lagreve enjoying a day out in sunny London when she comes across this 1991 Nissan Figaro.

We followed Manon‘s progress throughout this year’s show and she did amazingly well, reaching the quarter finals of undoubtedly the biggest show of the TV calendar.

Not only did she achieve great things inside the tent but Manon owns and runsย Manon’s Little Kitchen, a platform to which she shares her amazing recipes, travels and ideas.

Undersealing our 1998 BMW 840Ci

Some very questionable repairs have been carried out to the underside of the spare wheel carrier so we’ve stripped the entire area back to reveal exactly what needs to be done to put it right. Fibreglass had been applied over the corroded areas which is only a short term fix and is not recommended.

These repairs will be carried out properly prior to the entire underside being stripped, cleaned and sealed. The corroded areas will be cut away and new metal will be secured back into position. This is the only way to properly tackle the spread of rot.

Work complete on our 1933 Talbot AX65

Work is now complete on our 1933 Talbot AX65. The rear boot panel and door have been repaired and painted. The rear wing has also been blackened once again and we have carried out various sympathetic touch ups around the entire car so as to improve but not detract from the originality of the bodywork.

And thank you to the guys at Car Glass and Trim for re-manufacturing the damaged windscreen and side window.

One final task now to carry out prior to returning…a good good to get her looking even more lovely once more.

The newly rebuilt BMW shocks have arrived in the UK

Rebuilding the BMW 8 Series shocks are a very specialist skill so we called upon the experts over in Poland to help us out on this one. The results are incredible.

The Nagengast company is aย Polish enterprise operating on aย European wide market, which has specialized in regeneration of automotive parts for 35ย years.

Main activities of the company:

  • regeneration of shock absorbers
  • regeneration of bellows (pneumatic shock absorbers)
  • regeneration of steering transmissions
  • regeneration of power-steering pumps
  • regeneration of gas springs
  • manufacture of electric spring extractor
  • sales of new, specialist parts for pneumatic and adaptive suspensions

And now we have them successfully fitted to our BMW.

 

Carrying out necessary repair work to sills

Due to a recent MOT failure we have our 1989 Ford Granada in our workshops for some necessary repair works to both the inner and outer sills.

The majority of the corrosion issues can be found on the nearside with only a little work to be carried out to the offside.

Chassis’s and Parts ready for media blasting

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The chassis’ and parts are now ready to go for media blasting. We expect these only to be away for a short period of time.

1957 Jensen 541R โ€“ chassis 328[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”24177,24178,24179,24180,24181,24182,24183″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Itโ€™s every restorerโ€™s nightmare โ€“ spending ยฃ1000โ€™s returning a classic car to its original glory, to then find it rotting from the inside out. By cleaning shells right back to bare metal, you can see exactly what condition the metalwork is in, and therefore what work needs to be done for the best restoration.

1960 Jensen 541R โ€“ chassis 493[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”24184,24185,24186,24187,24188,24189,24190″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Audi 100 Coupe S arrives back from chemical treatment

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’ve collected our 1974 Audi Coupe S from the guys at Prostripย who have successfully completed the chemical treatment on the body shell to remove all paint, rust and filler

The shell has now been treated with a coating of primer to preserve the metalwork until welding commences very soon.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”23490,23489,23488,23487,23486,23485,23484,23483,23482,23481,23480,23479,23478,23477,23476,23475,23474,23473″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Jaguar E-Type Sofa off to the blasters

We’ve not spent much time on our Jaguar E-Type sofa of late but today we’ve pulled it out in preparation for the blasters to work their magic.

Next time we see her she’ll be primed and most probably (based on the pictures) a bit more of a challenge for us to deal with!!

Replacing the side steps

Our 2008 Range Rover is up on the ramp today having the existing side steps changed for new ones. We are unsure how the previous ones became damaged but never-the-less, we have an exact replacement so our first task is to remove the old and replace with new. Not as easy as it sounds.

The sill covers will need to be removed, cleaned up behind. The existing brackets will need to be removed and replaced with new.

A vast improvement to the existing step which on the surface looked fantastic but underneath the plastic casing revealed a lot of surface rust.

Nothing to worry about now though as the existing set up is now fully removed and replaced with brand new. We have also stripped, cleaned and sealed the areas of the car that we manage to expose prior to fitting back up with the new steps.

New MGB sills have arrived

The new MG B sills have arrived this morning from Rimmer Brothers. We are not yet ready to fit them on but they are here, on the shelf, ready for the day Tommy requires them.

Experimenting with plastic welding on our spare Capri dash

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Due to his fantastic connections in the motorcycle world our man Brian has built up some what of a reputation for himself as being the go-to man when it comes to motorcycle repairs using the specialist skills of plastic welding.

We let Brian loose with our spare Capri dash, just to see wether he could turn his hand to more than just motorcycles.

More of Brian’s amazing plastic welding work:

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”23785,23786,23787,23788,23789,23790,23791,23792,23793,23794,23795,23796,23797,23798,23799,23800,23801,23802,23803,23804,23805,23806,23807,23808,23809,23810,23811,23812,23813,23814,23815,23816,23817,23818,23819,23820,23821,23822,23823,23824,23825,23826,23827,23828,23829″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Source: Plastic Welding (Wikipedia)

Plastic weldingย is welding for semi-finishedย plasticย materials, and is described in ISO 472 as a process of uniting softened surfaces of materials, generally with the aid of heat (except solvent welding). Welding of thermoplastics is accomplished in three sequential stages, namely surface preparation, application of heat and pressure, and cooling.

Read more onย Wikipedia[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Work begins on the body of our 1960 Jensen 541R

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The preparation of our 1960 Jensen 541R body is now underway. To get the body shell into an acceptable standard to paint requires a lot of time and effort but in the end it will end up better than the day it left the Jensen factory.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”24416,24417,24418,24419,24420,24421,24423,24424,24425,24426″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Unveiling our newly built MG B engine

Here we have the first photographs of our newly built MG B engine.

The project is progressing very well now and once the carbs are complete we can marry them up to the engine to carry out our first test run.