Our brightwork has returned from the chromers/polishers this week. Wyatt Polishing have done an incredible job as always on our Aston chrome work. Tony has
Our 1970 Fiat 500 has been in the skilled hands of technician Jonn as he has been conducting an initial appraisal. He stripped the brakes so he could clean and inspect them before fully inflating all of the tyres.
The gearbox oil was topped up as was the engine oil. Jonn then torqued up the wheel nuts before refitting the trims and road testing the car.
Technician Jonn has been looking at our beautiful 1961 Austin Mini. He has been working on the clutch hose and has made the following notes:
Fit new clutch slave cylinder flexible hose. Refit cylinder and bleed system. Top up fluid. Clutch dragging. Repeat bleeding process 3 more times but still the same. Adjust clutch arm stop. Bleed again but force piston back into cylinder when bleeding. Test. Ok now, top up fluid.carry out stop adjustment and arm nuts according to manual. Refit return spring. Remove exhaust manifold to downpipe clamp. Clean and seal up, refit and secure. Torque wheel nuts and refit locking wheel nut covers.put 5ltrs fuel in and take outside and warm up. Richen mixture and adjust idle. Carry out road test. Brakes pull to right. Staling at idle and door unlock cable inside drivers door come off.
Jack up and adjust brakes. Remove drivers door lock. Refit interior release cable and refit lock and test. Adjust striker plate and test. Car requires road test to check brakes and tune during pdi.
At Bridge Classic Cars, we’ve always been passionate about keeping the past alive in the form of all of the classic cars that enter the workshop. Each one, regardless of make and model, comes with a story from the time it left the production line to the day it arrived here with us. In essence, all that we do is based on preserving history as close to the original as possible.
However, the world has changed so much since the majority of these cars began their lives. Priorities change, stories change, and society as a whole moves on. Right now, we understand the need to consider the environment and act in more sustainable ways in order to preserve not just our history, but also the future.
That being said, we also understand that classic cars and internal combustion engines go hand in hand. The team here appreciates that there are multiple options for sustainable motoring, whether that be EVs or any other technology that will be developed in the future. For those enthusiasts who only want to drive cars with the original engines though, there aren’t any other viable options; but we have the answer in the form of synthetic fuel.
We have partnered with P1 Fuels as we are now running all of our competition cars on synthetic fuel with our 1971 Mini Cooper S being the first to make the switch.
Why Synthetic Fuel?
Synthetic fuel has relatively recently emerged as a potential industry-changing solution, allowing classic car owners to continue to enjoy their internal combustion engines while also helping to protect the environment.
We felt that a classic Mini was the perfect car to lead our journey into the world of sustainability. The Mini is an iconic classic that is recognisable by pretty much everyone, whether car enthusiasts or not. This makes it the perfect car to show that classic cars can come with us into the future.
Being powered by synthetic fuel means that emissions from our Mini Cooper S (and every other competition car) are reduced by around 80%. This is a huge step toward sustainable classic car ownership.
One of the best things about synthetic fuel is that it is a drop-in solution that requires no modifications to your car. It can be mixed with traditional petrol so winners have the choice to either continue to run the car on P1 Fuels or use traditional unleaded petrol.
What this means is that our Mini Cooper S will run exactly the same regardless of whether synthetic or traditional fuel is used. It really is a viable alternative to petrol that fits in perfectly with the current infrastructure – i.e. you could quite literally put this fuel in petrol stations across the country and no one would be able to tell the difference – there would be an 80% reduction in emissions from each and every car though!
Leading the Way to Sustainable Classic Cars
At Bridge Classic Cars, we’re committed to doing our part to reduce our environmental impact. Our collaboration with P1 Fuels is a step toward achieving our goal of being a sustainable business, and our team is constantly exploring new technologies and approaches to make everything we do cleaner and greener.
The introduction of synthetic fuel to our competition cars is one of several ways we’re trying to make classic car ownership more sustainable. For us, it’s not about one car running on synthetic fuel; it’s about getting cars on the road that are running in a much more sustainable way. We want to set an example, motivate petrolheads to change, and show that sustainable practices can preserve the experience of owning and driving a classic car.
What is Synthetic Fuel?
Synthetic fuel is a man-made alternative to fossil fuels. It works exactly like petrol but is produced through a process that combines carbon dioxide and hydrogen, rather than being pumped out of the ground like oil.
What is Synthetic Fuel Made of?
Synthetic fuel has two main ingredients:
Carbon Dioxide (CO₂): This is often taken from the air or from industrial sources.
Hydrogen (H₂): This comes from water, using a process that separates hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
You first need to capture CO₂. This can be done directly from the air (called Direct Air Capture) or from industrial sources (like factories or power plants).
2: Split Water to Get Hydrogen
Hydrogen is obtained from water using a process called electrolysis. Electrolysis involves sending an electric current through water to split it into hydrogen and oxygen.
P1 Fuels uses sustainable electricity at this point – further increasing its sustainability.
3: Combine CO₂ and H₂ to Make Hydrocarbons
Combining CO₂ and H₂ is done through chemical reactions known as the Fischer-Tropsch process. This is where CO₂ and H₂ join together under high pressure and heat, turning them into synthetic hydrocarbons.
4: Refine the Hydrocarbons into Synthetic Fuel
The synthetic hydrocarbons can then be refined into different types of fuels, like synthetic petrol.
An important point to note about P1 Fuels, which will be powering all of our competition cars, is that it is made using 100% non-fossil feedstock. This means that the biomass part of the fuel comes exclusively from second-generation biomass (non-food based feedstocks – e.g. agricultural residues etc). To simplify, the production of this synthetic fuel will never compete with food production!
Why is Synthetic Fuel More Sustainable?
As synthetic fuel uses CO₂ from the air or from waste emissions, it can be considered carbon-neutral. This means that the CO₂ released when the fuel is burned equals the CO₂ that was originally taken out of the air to make it.
Also, when powered by renewable energy, the production process itself has a low carbon footprint, helping make the fuel even more sustainable.
The Challenges of Synthetic Fuel
While synthetic fuel has huge potential, it’s still quite challenging to produce on a large scale. The process requires a lot of energy and is currently more expensive than extracting fossil fuels. But as technology improves, costs could come down, and it could very likely become a viable option for reducing emissions in the automotive industry.
Bridge Classic Cars and P1 Fuels
At Bridge Classic Cars, we’re proud to lead the way to sustainable classic car ownership. We’re proud of our story so far and our passion for classic cars. We have made a commitment to make this part of the automotive industry more sustainable while still honouring and preserving the history that these cars bring with them.
As far as we are concerned, we are helping to save the planet, one classic car at a time!
One response to “Synthetic Fuel – Our 1971 Mini Cooper S Goes Green”
Peter Abbott
Great info, I have to assume this fuel can be used in my 68 Triumph Tiger 90 motorcycle with no issues, yeh ?, plus what is the cost per litre .
Our brightwork has returned from the chromers/polishers this week. Wyatt Polishing have done an incredible job as always on our Aston chrome work. Tony has photographed and sorted through all of the pieces and stored them away safely ready for reassembly.
To celebrate 20 years of the CSR chassis, Caterham has released a very limited-edition car in the form of the Seven CSR Twenty. There will only be 20 vehicles made and these will be exclusively for UK customers. To make the Seven CSR Twenty even more special, it is the first vehicle that will be made for the UK market at Caterham’s brand-new multi-million-pound factory in Dartford.
This special edition Seven brings together some of Caterham’s most successful engineering. For example, it pairs the 210 bhp version of the 2.0-litre Ford Duratec engine – the one most likely to be seen in the Seven 420, with the CSR chassis, This is the very first time this has happened so these 20 cars will be the only ones with this setup.
“This is without doubt the most premium Seven we’ve ever built. The interior of the car is a level up from what we’ve produced before thanks to an array of high-quality materials used throughout. “When you combine this with the exhilarating and engaging handling of our CSR chassis, this really is a Caterham built for longer distance road trips. “It’s a vehicle that truly celebrates 20 years of our CSR chassis and I’m proud to see it being hand built here in our new Dartford factory.”
Bob Laishley, Caterham Cars CEO
It will have a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 0 to 60 mph time of just 3.9 seconds before continuing up to its top speed of 136mph. To help cope with this performance, the Seven CSR Twenty also has ventilated front discs with quad-piston callipers. The chassis has inboard front suspension and fully independent rear suspension. This helps give the Seven CSR Twenty the known Caterham handling.
Inside the car, there’s a satin carbon dashboard, CSR-exclusive dials, and Alcantara details on the gearstick and handbrake gaiters. Caterham cars aren’t necessarily known for their comfort and luxury but, in these 20 cars, you’ll get plush black carpets, a leather Momo steering wheel, and specially designed leather seats with red stitching and CSR Twenty logos. Each of the 20 cars includes a unique numbered plaque positioned between the seats too.
To look at the car, you’ll see a Seven 620-style nose cone, LED lighting, and a Union Flag grille. For the first time in the UK, the CSR Twenty has Vulcan 15” alloys and customers can choose between two exclusive paint colours – Kinetic Grey and Dynamic Silver.
Nick and I were out filming again, this shoot was a little different. We ventured down the road into the quaint market town of Wickham Market. We had planned to shoot on the market square but unfortunately there wasn’t any spaces. This meant we had to come up with a different plan of action. Whilst looking for an alternative spot Nick noticed a beautiful rustic green garage door. We asked the shop (East Anglian Traditional Arts Centre ) for permission to film and park in front of it, they were happy to oblige and we captured some brilliant pictures. When filming out and about its great talking to passers by about what we do here at Bridge Classic Cars and seeing people smile when they see the classic cars is a definite highlight.
You can with this gorgeous 1971 Mini Cooper S now from the Bridge classic Cars competitions website! Go and take a look.
Jonn has been servicing our 2010 Renault Wind Roadster. Here are his notes:
Carry out service. Check all lights and levels. Drain oil and filter. Check over. Remove air filter and blow out. Clean and regap spark,plugs. Refit air filter. Visually inspect brakes. Fit new oil filter and refill with oil. Torque wheels and inflate tyres. Run and test. Reset service light. Locking wheel nut key back in glove box. Nearside front tyre split on inner side wall and requires replacement immediately.
Raise on ramp and look,for reported noise. Nothing obvious. Carry out road test. Slight noise on overrun when coasting. Unable to trace at present.
Technician Jonn has been looking at the cooling system of our 1956 Jensen 541.
He drained the system and removed various hoses to allow the system to be flushed with water. Once the flush had finished, Jonn ran a hose through the radiator. He opened the blocked drain and let everything drain away.
The heater matrix and head were flushed until the water ran clear before the engine was blown off. Jonn then checked the vacuum system to look for any signs of a loss of the vacuum. He then topped up the antifreeze and radiator and ran the car up to temperature.
Shooting in the The Classic Lounge can sometimes be a challenge, working around all the other vehicles to try and get that special shot can be tricky but Nick always does a fantastic job. When Filming at different locations it gives the motif of the pictures a different feel. But even though were inside, seeing the pictures alongside the other classics will only show the different appeal of each car and the craftsman ship between the different makes, models and eras.
On Friday, we spent the day at the NEC for the Classic Motor Show 2024. Molly, Craig, Nick, and I all got in the Bridge Classic Cars Hilux early so we could get to the show as it was opening.
As always, there was so much to see that one day wasn’t enough to get around every exhibit, but we still managed to see some very impressive cars and chat with some very interesting people too.
One of the very first people we spoke to was the very friendly team from the Classic Car Loan Project. The CCLP is a fantastic intuitive to help more young people into the classic car world. In short, selected young drivers are given the opportunity to borrow a classic car for up to a year. The purpose is to experience what classic car ownership is actually like regardless of whether you can currently afford one or not.
So far, more than 100 young drivers have benefited from the project and I’m sure there will be a lot more in the future.
We also spoke to an old friend – Ben, from DadCars. Back in January 2023, we first spoke to Ben about his then-new project in a Talking Classics. Since then, he has done phenomenally well and it was great to spend some time talking to him and hearing about his journey.
All of us thoroughly enjoyed looking around the show. A personal highlight was getting an up close and personal look at the incredible range of cars going up for sale in the auction hosted by Iconic Auctioneers.
The auction area was busy and seemed to be getting a lot of attention so I’m sure it was a very successful weekend for the Iconic team and sellers.
Molly very much enjoyed finding a classic Fiat 500 in the lots too!
At the end of our day at the Classic Motor Show 2024, we caught up with our friends from the National Motor Museum. On their stand, Anthony Hamilton (father of former F1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton) was showcasing a car he had restored with his team on behalf of the museum.
We were lucky enough to be able to speak to Anthony and ask him some questions about his project and what his plans for the future are.
The whole day was a lot of fun and we all had a great time being surrounded by fellow classic car people. We are already looking forward to next year when we hope to catch up with even more of you.
Technician Paul has been rebuilding our 2003 Rover 75. He has now refitted the chrome trim and door parts as well as the chrome window surrounds. He then went on to rebuild the boot.
Jonn has also been working on our early 2000s estate. He prepped the car for its fuel tank to be refitted. The breather hose was fitted before being fed through the channel in the arch. The tank was then refitted before the subframe and heat shield were rescued.
The exhaust was also prepped before being refitted to the car.
Filming the Cyberster with Nick was really eye-opening, it was an extremely exciting shoot as it was far more technical than normal, I even got a chance to help make the movie magic.
We filmed this EV much later in the day, we normally crave the light but this time Nick wanted it to try something very different and this needed the darkness. Which meant after the live draw we headed over to the finishing room when it was pitch black. Nick created an eerie atmosphere with our studio lights and has captured some haunting images by using this brilliant technique.
As the Cyberster is our first ever all electric competition car Nick wanted to show this through capturing the car with what looks like bolts of electricity surrounding it. He created this look which ooses elegance by using the long exposer setting on his camera and also having Nick and I not so elegantly running around the car with our Phone Touches.
It was another brilliant shoot and Nick has once again created some beautiful art perfectly showing off all the Cyberster’s fabulous attributes.
2 responses to “Behind The Scenes of the 2024 Cyberster shoot”
RAFERS 🇬🇧🏁😀
This is a stunning car,I’ve been trying to win one of these on BOTB spot the ball competition. But now you have one how could I resist and no sweating over where that pesky ball is!
It’s great that you’ve chosen a modern car fully electric. This will hold its value well I think if the winner can keep the miles low!! It’s an absolute beauty of a car. Who designed it for MG? It’s a Chinese made car now if I’m not mistaken?? The Chinese car manufacturers are really producing some amazing vehicles,I just wish we had more of them over here.
I would drive around Scotland if I won this beauty and just enjoy that road trip from Salisbury up to my daughters house in Scotland then set off from there. I would try and film it too if I could.
But whoever does win it then I hope they enjoy every single mile driven in it. Good luck to all 😊
The team are back again in the Classic Lounge for this week’s Torque Show! Molly, Craig and Rob sit down to talk about some very exciting news looking forward into the future of Bridge Classic Cars. We talk about our latest competition, the 2024 MG Cyberster – an all-electric sports car from MG which is already setting the automotive world alight with its performance, its style and its charm.
Then, we have a very exciting announcement – we have teamed up with @p1fuels to work on getting the classic road car world moving with this fossil free fuel as it will become the official fuel of every competition moving forward.
Alongside that, we are always working on making the world a better place than when we found it. Our workshops are constantly evolving and changing – like our paintshop. We have recently swapped over to a Lechler Hydrofan system, which begins our step into the water based paint world and away from solvent based paints. It’s been an exciting week at the Bridge Classic HQ and we can’t wait for you to get up to speed with us.
The first customer Speed Six Continuation Series car has been finished, and is soon going to be delivered to its new American owner. This delivery will be the first time a new Bentley Speed Six has been delivered since 1930.
Commissioned just over 12 months ago, the classically curated Speed Six looks incredible in Parsons Napier Green bodywork on top of a black-painted chassis. The iconic face of the Speed Six is dominated by the twin round headlamps, finished in Chrome with a protective mesh and separated by a large number ‘4’ on the radiator.
Made by hand from scratch, each car takes eight months to complete, with the expert team of Mulliner technicians working closely with a network of specialist suppliers across the UK to recreate every detail of the original Speed Six.
The cockpit is as original as the exterior, with every gauge, switch and control exactly as per the specification of the Speed Sixes that raced at – and won – Le Mans in 1930. Leather-trimmed in a rich deep brown with red tones, the Rust leather and carpet pair perfectly with the Parsons Napier Green exterior.
At the start of the project, the Mulliner Classic team visited the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, to verify the five authentic period Parsons Paints that are available to customers. Over 600 individual new parts, including a new engine block casting, were fabricated for the new 6½ litre race spec engine, which at the time developed 200 bhp.
Dyno testing has shown the Continuation Series engines to develop 205 bhp; while higher outputs have been achievable with the aid of modern engineering materials (as many classic racing teams do), the aim of the Continuation Series team was to create a Bentley exactly as it would have looked and performed in 1930.
The Speed Six is regarded as one of the most important Bentleys in history, being the most successful Bentley racing car ever produced. Using the same manufacturing processes as the original car from the late 1920s, the Speed Six is the second pre-war Continuation Series by Mulliner, Bentley’s bespoke and coachbuilding division.
The Blower Continuation Series was the first pre-war continuation series ever created and has been built by hand using a combination of modern laser-scanned data and original drawings. Both the blueprints and the 3D data were taken from the 1929 4½-litre supercharged Team Car #2 – the most famous Bentley in the world, and one of the icons of the Bentley Heritage Collection.
Famous for pushing Bentley’s main competitor Mercedes-Benz to the point of breakdown in the Le Mans 24 hour in 1930, the Bentley Blower was known for its impressive speed – albeit, at the sake of reliability – whereas the Speed Six was known for its reliable performance.
To celebrate Bentley’s first-ever win at the Le Mans in 1924, the Benjafield Racing Club hosted a 24-hour endurance event at the famous Algarve circuit of Portimão. The event consisted of 25 period Bentleys, driven by 87 club members, with one of the competitors being a Blower Continuation Series customer car, entered into the event by its owner.
In a very special moment for the Blower family and the Continuation Series, the car completed the race – becoming the first factory-built Blower to ever finish a 24-hour event.
Having been off the road but dry stored for some time, we have started the assessment and repairs required on our 1961 Austin Mini. I very much doubt we will need much work to get the car back on the road.
We’ve stripped and fitted a new clutch slave cylinder. The new clutch slave cylinder is slightly different to the existing so we’ve had to reposition the return spring.
We’ve removed all the old fluid from the reservoir and filled up with new. Next, we’ve let the gravity feed down to cylinder and repositioned the flexi hose.
We’ve removed the fuel tank and we’ve discovered that it is not too bad at all inside.
We’ve used the petrol to swill around inside, gathering all the sedative before draining again.
The tank has been refitted and secured into position. The hose from tank to electric pump needed replacing so we’ve done that too before blowing out the old fuel line. Fitted the pipes and secured.
Next, we’ve added 4 ltrs of petrol in to the tank and checked for leaks. All is ok.
The sump has been refitted and filled with oil. We’ve run the car up and all is ok. The oil light went out and no visible leaks present so all good so far.
Switch off and top up oil. We’ve then drained the coolant, removed the heater valve, stripped, cleaned and free off before rebuilding.
New gaskets have been made and refitted with new nuts and washers.
The clutch slave cylinder has been bled but the pedal still doesn’t feel right. The clutch is not returning. We’ve traced the fault to a collapsed flexi hose.
Strip and remove the carburettor which is full of dirt inside. We’ve cleaned all parts and blown out. Fitted new jet tube and needle valve and set to basic setting.
We’ve cleaned the pistons, fitted new gaskets and refitted the carb with new air filter.
Strip and fit new spark plugs points and condenser.
Next up, we’ve drained 9 litres oil, cleaned out filter housing and fitted a new filter. Then we’ve run 1 litre of oil through the engine and left it to drain.
Removed the rocker cover and adjusted the tappets. Re-stuck the gasket and refitted rocker cover before draining the fuel tank.
Grease all points, fitted a new battery.
The boot was in desperate need of a hoover.
Then we cut off old hold down bolt, drilled out to fit 3/8unf bolt and secured.
The John’s have been working mainly on the doors recently. They’ve cut counter sunk bolts to length, fitted and secured both door locks. The door seals have now been fitted into the channels around the door before securing the front piece with clips.
They they’ve moved on to the boot area where they’ve fitted hose clips to the fuel pipes.
It has been a good number of years now since the engine was fully rebuilt on the SL but as it is such a complex engine that requires everything to very just so, we have decided to send the engine back off to Coltec Engineering to be checked over and tested ready for refit.
Monday morning we saw the Rover P5 leave us to head off for some gearbox work to be done. Prior to the car leaving our workshops we had a replacement door to prepare and fit.
Rather than spending many hours perfecting the existing door and replacing all of the corrosion with new metal, we were supplied with new/old stock replacement doors.
These still needed to be prepared, painted and fitted. But of-course, it is never as easy as it sounds. The door didn’t fit properly so more work was required than we expected but we got there in time for collection on Monday.
Here is Mauro flattening and polishing the paintwork.
And away she goes…
The driver arrived on time, bright and early so the car leaves us now for a little while.
The UK new car market saw a decline of 6.0% in October, compared to last year, with only 144,288 new vehicle registrations, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This is the second market drop this year.
Fleet sales, which have held relatively steady through most of the year, also fell in October, dropping 1.7%. The low-volume business segment was hit harder, experiencing a decline of 12.8%. Private purchases, continuing a downward trend for nearly two years, decreased by 11.8%. As a result, only about 38.8% of new cars sold in the first ten months of 2024 were bought by private consumers.
The overall market decline was largely driven by steep reductions in petrol and diesel vehicle sales, which fell by 14.2% and 20.5%. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles also experienced minor declines, with registrations down by 1.6% and 3.2%. The only exception to this decline was battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which saw pretty substantial growth. This was mainly due to new model releases and increased consumer choice. BEV registrations increased by 24.5%, holding a 20.7% market share in October.
The increase in BEV availability is certainly growing with UK consumers now having access to over 125 models. This is a 38% rise over the past ten months. Although BEVs typically come with higher upfront costs than traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, an expanding range of options and substantial manufacturer discounts have made approximately 20% of BEV models more affordable than average petrol or diesel cars. Salary sacrifice programs and other incentives also help reduce costs.
Even though BEV sales increased, the overall market decline in October has led to an estimated £350 million loss in turnover. The targets set for BEV adoption across the country are quite a way off being met. There are now nearly 300,000 new BEVs on the road, this is still only 18.1% of the total market share. The target for this year is 22% increasing to 28% next year as part of the UK’s Vehicle Emissions Trading Scheme.
“Massive manufacturer investment in model choice and market support is helping make the UK the second largest EV market in Europe. That transition, however, must not perversely slow down the reduction of carbon emissions from road transport. Fleet renewal across the market remains the quickest way to decarbonise, so diminishing overall uptake is not good news for the economy, for investment or for the environment. EVs already work for many people and businesses, but to shift the entire market at the pace demanded requires significant intervention on incentives, infrastructure and regulation.”
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive
The recent Budget likely helped to some extent by extending fleet and business incentives for BEV purchases, but changes to the Vehicle Excise Duty and Company Car Tax have reduced incentives for low-carbon vehicle investments. This could add further delays to the timeline for reducing emissions in road transport.
To return to steady market growth, government support needs to match the manufacturers’ efforts. A review of current market conditions and regulations is likely needed to help the transition from ICE to zero-emission vehicles.
Our technician Steve has been working his magic on the 1975 Cobra project in our workshops ahead of its inspection and tests. This time, Steve has been working on getting the brake hard lines routed safely throughout the engine bay of the replica.
After working out the best route for the lines, Steve could get them secured to the inner wings and the bulkhead while also mounting up the reservoir and its bracket.
The progress on our 1956 Jensen 541 is flying along as the car heads towards initial road tests very soon around the area of the Bridge Classic Cars HQ. Before then, the team still have a bit of work to do. This time the team have been working on the inside of the classic GT car.
The team have fitted up the steering wheel, the passenger seat and the door card ends into place.
Our paint and body team have been working their magic with the Dino 246GTS we have at our Suffolk HQ for restoration. Like all of our restoration projects, the team here are obsessed with the details as that is where we strive for perfection and the 1973 Dino 246GTS is no exception.
Chris, our head painter, has been heading up this project with the cars next round of priming. With the car safely in the booth he can begin the process of masking off the areas which don’t require his razor sharp eye and steady hand.
Our technician Jon has been busy working on getting our 1960 Triumph TR3A back up to scratch here at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ. To Begin with, Jon checked the roof on the classic sports car to make sure it fit and there was no damage along with checking the side screens. With the side screens, he noticed that the drivers side screen would not fit correctly due to the mirror on the A pillar.
Next up, Jon could get the car up onto the ramp to check for any leaks over night. The next morning, he noted a few small drops of oil which were traced back to the sump and the lower bolts in the front cover. So Jon cleaned down the area and began removing the bolts from the areas to then get them properly cleaned ready to be resealed and cured. After that he could move onto the next job on the list – the exhaust.
Upon inspection Jon noted that the exhaust was too short for the car. So, he began the journey of lengthening the pipework to get it to fit correctly under the car and to fit the correct rear silencer/section. He began by carefully tack welding a new piece of stainless tube into place before removing the whole system from the car for our fabricator Clinton to completely weld up. While that was being done, Jon carefully ground a new bonnet key for the car and then once the exhaust was back, fit everything back up to the car ahead of its road tests. During the tests, Jon found the carpet section behind the pedals moved, so he glued the section back down before leaving it to cure.
John and Jon have done a few more hours on the Merc this weekend.
Fitted new clips to all fuel pipes in the boot heading to the expansion tank. At the same time, they’ve tidied up the boot area.
Route wiring around rear of boot and screw into place using original clips.
They’ve then moved on to the door strikers. Strip, cleaned and polished both before fitting back on to the car. Adjustment made to both doors are only rough approximates at the moment as no seals have been fitted as yet.
Technician Jonn has been working on the brakes of our 1956 Jensen 541.
Here are his notes:
Started by reassembling the rear brakes, Fit rear shoes and refit drums. Rears locked up once drums refitted. Unable to pump brake pedal to centralise as no shoes on front axle yet. Refit rear wheels and swap over to front axle. Refit front shoes and drums, all ok. Refit wheels. Pu,p brake pedal to settle. Go back to rear brakes. Found new brake linings fatter than old shoes. Going approx 1mm from the heel of each shoe and refit drum. OK now so repeat for other side. Carry out minor adjustment and refit wheels. Pump pedal and operate handbrake. Final adjustment to be made once car driven.
Take outside to check clutch and brakes. Carry out road test but broke down 1 mile up the road. Eventually managed to get it started and drive back on idle speed as it dies when revved. Investigate misfire/running issue. Found engine only running on 2 cylinders. Remove number 3 carburettor float bowl lid to find no petrol in carburettor. Pump priming handle on lift pump and fuel came out of feed pipe to carb. Refit float bowl lid and continue to prime pump. Put in 10ltrs fuel and start. Runw fine again. Leave to idle for 5 mins and then repeat road test. Same thing again, cut out and won’t rev. Get back to workshop on idle again. Check fuel filter. Has fuel I side but remove and replace with piece of pipe. Found fuel filter had not been manufactured correctly and I don’t know how the car even managed to run. Replace fuel,filter with a correctly manufactured one and repeat road test. All ok now. Clutch feels OK. Brakes OK. Return to workshop and adjust rear brakes.
Before Tony delivered our 1970 MGC GT, Jonn gave it a final checkover and made some minor repairs.
Here are his notes:
Remove car from Classic lounge. Carry out full Appraisal. Adjust bonnet secondary catch. Attend to offside rear axle strap. Rethread broken stud and fit new nut and washer and apply loctite. Grease all points. Fit split pin to nearside top suspension Taunton castlated nut. Remove wheels and clean and check brakes.
Check and inflate all tyres and knock up tight all wheels. Fit sticky back foam behind rear number plate and secure. Sort earth for nearside number plate light and test. Align and test washers. Cut back electronic ignition wires and crimp on terminals. . Secure fuel feed pipe at nearside chassis and air filter with p clips. Cut split carburettor overflow pipe. Join with small plastic fuel pipe and refit. Top up engine oil. Put Jack and hammer in boot.
Free off both track rods. Lower to floor and drive back and forth to settle suspension. Check tracking. Toe out 2 degrees as expected due to tyre wear. Adjust to 0 degrees , 30 minutes toe out and lock up track rods. Carry out road test, ok. Carry out pdi.
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The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
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