Charged Up – Replacing the regulator on our 1952 Austin A40
June 26, 2024
Our workshop manager has been working on our very special barn-find 1952 Austin A40 sports cabriolet. After it having its first test drive late last
1952 Austin A40
First step to getting our 1952 Austin A40 back on the road
June 6, 2024
Our technician Julian has been working on getting our barn-find 1953 Austin A40 back on the road after laying dormant for over 60 years. You
A Suffolk Barn Find
May 9, 2024
Earlier today, several members of the Bridge Classic Cars team headed to Ipswich to take a look at a true barn find. We’d heard about
Charged Up – Replacing the regulator on our 1952 Austin A40
June 26, 2024
Our workshop manager has been working on our very special barn-find 1952 Austin A40 sports cabriolet.
After it having its first test drive late last week, the team noticed that the charge light was not switch off while running. Looking into it further, John removed the wiring to the dynamo and checked its charge rate which was measured at 17.2 which indicated that the regulator was faulty – so the team fitted a new unit to the car and all was happy afterwards. And, John even had time to fix the interior mirror.
First step to getting our 1952 Austin A40 back on the road
June 6, 2024
Our technician Julian has been working on getting our barn-find 1953 Austin A40 back on the road after laying dormant for over 60 years. You can see the short film we did here of releasing the car from its hiding place.
To begin with, Julian worked on freeing up and rebuilding the entire brake system with new wheel cylinders and replacing any lines which had corroded or cracked. The previous owner had done a sterling job at preserving the cars bodywork and also its mechanicals, but over time rubber will perish and degrade regardless of its upkeep.
Next, Julian began to work on getting the original engine to fire up. This involved gently adding oil to the bores over a period of time and applying gentle pressure to the crank shaft to free off the pistons which had become corroded to the cylinder walls. Once it span over freely, he could check for spark and ignition which required a replacement coil and the little engine fire straight back into life. We couldn’t run it up for too long as Julian noted that the water pump and thermostat had been packed solid with corrosion and debris, so these were removed along with the radiator to be recommissioned.
A Suffolk Barn Find
May 9, 2024
Earlier today, several members of the Bridge Classic Cars team headed to Ipswich to take a look at a true barn find.
We’d heard about it but we hadn’t seen it so we had no idea the condition of the car that had been safely locked away since at least 1987.
When we arrived, we were greeted by Jenny, who owned the car. She quickly led us down her beautiful garden path to a small structure right at the bottom. With a padlock in place and things lent up against the doors, it was clear that the doors had been shut for quite some time.
After a bit of hard work, we were able to get the doors open and we got our first look at the car inside – a 1952 Austin A40 Cabriolet bodied by Jensen. The structure it had lived in for so long was just big enough for the car. That meant that it was difficult to get a full picture of the condition of the vehicle from it’s current position.
The front of the car looked to be in good shape so we were hopeful that the rest of the car might be in a similar condition. However, there was only one way to find out – it had to be moved out of storage for the first time in decades.
When the car was finally revealed to us, it was clear that it had been stored perfectly as everything seemed to be in fantastic condition.
As we looked closer and closer, we kept being surprised at how well the A40 had held up over its time off the road. Jenny’s husband, who sadly passed away, obviously knew how to look after classic cars as he had applied grease to the body and fully prepared the car for its long stay in the barn.
The interior also looks to have held up well, even revealing four spare tyres and the original hubcaps tucked away in bags in the boot of the car.
After a quick inspection in situ, our 1952 Austin A40 was loaded into the trailer and safely transported to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Now that it is here, it will be cleaned, recommissioned and back out on the road in the very near future.
5 responses to “A Suffolk Barn Find”
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It was designed and produced with Jensen Motors so the body is a Jensen body. It’s a beautiful car to look at up close.
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What a fantastic find. I hope you’re just going to recommission her and not go down the restoration route… it would be lovely to see her running iaround in her original patina where everyone can imagine the lifetime of stories she could tell.
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Exactly that! A recommission is all that is planned. It’s lived a life that will be preserved as original.
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