DB2/4’s Dodgy Bonnet
We’re in the process of reconstructing the Aston Martin DB2/4 bonnet which is showing signs of dubious structural integrity. The team have removed the frame
We’re in the process of reconstructing the Aston Martin DB2/4 bonnet which is showing signs of dubious structural integrity. The team have removed the frame
Brian has been working to remove the covers from the rear sear rub backs on our Aston Martin DB2/4. He’s taken apart the covers and
Brian has been taking apart the the covers from the rear base and squab seat on our Aston Martin DB2/4. He’s un-done the hinge from
After many discussions, we’ve decided on the interior for our Mille Miglia Aston Martin DB2/4. The carpet will be a dark grey with claret red
We’re currently working through the process of selecting the interior trim with our client for our rare Aston Martin DB2/4. The choice is between the
We’ve pulled in the helpful hands of Kath and Lydia to tackle the paint stripping on our Aston martin DB2/4 Mark I. Normally found in
Scott has been cleaning and restoring more parts from the DB2/4, making sure they’re read to be fitted again.
The bonnet to our DB2/4 has been stripped to bare metal by Matt in the paint shop so that the fabrication bay can see what’s
Scott has been stripping down our Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark I by removing the wiring loom, petrol tank, spare wheel carrier and various other parts.
Scott has continued the disassembly of our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark I by taking apart the mechanics piece by piece so we can access
Scott has been stripping down our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 in preparation for bodywork. This has involved taking out chrome, door cards, electrics and mechanics,
Scott has been stripping down the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark I in preparation for the rest of its restoration. This is a time consuming
We have now officially begun the exciting restoration process of our rare 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 which is being restored back to original in preparation
Thanks to Nick at Stratton Motor Company and Aston Martin Heritage Trust for connecting us with Aston Service Dorset. Aston Service Dorset purchased the manufacturing rights
We’ve run a pressure test on our DB2/4 and found that the readings are positive. If the readings had been low, we’d worry there was
Craig popped over to the Statton Motor Company to disconnect the air bags in the seats of his Aston Martin DB9 ready for the seats
This rare 1955 Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Mark 1 arrived over the weekend and has come in for an assessment. Having been recently bought
Take a look into the history of this rare classic that arrived at our workshop today.
We’re in the process of reconstructing the Aston Martin DB2/4 bonnet which is showing signs of dubious structural integrity. The team have removed the frame from the bonnet so that they can fix it. This had to be done by cutting it in half and sliding it out on either side, meaning that when they fit it again, it’ll be welded back in position. The two metals together had caused bio-Metalic corrosion so new parts need to be fabricated.
Brian has been working to remove the covers from the rear sear rub backs on our Aston Martin DB2/4. He’s taken apart the covers and used them to mark out leather for new covers. He’s then sewn the covers together and glued the original foam back onto the metal seat. Brian has added extra layers of foam over the top of the original foam to pad it out and increase the comfort. He’s then finished by glueing the covers to the bottom edge of the metal backs, leaving the top undone until it is fitted to base section of the rear seat.
Brian has been taking apart the the covers from the rear base and squab seat on our Aston Martin DB2/4. He’s un-done the hinge from the bottom edge and top section of the squab and removed the rubber strips from their metal channels. Once he’d undone the metal trims, Brian then removes the tacks holding the squab to the wooden frame. He removed the cover and foam from the backboard and removed the trim from the top section. Brian then removed the side sections from top part of squab seat, undid the metal trim and removed all the wood from inside. He could then start peeling back the leather to reveal the metal trim and undo the rivets to remove back sections. Finally he removed the base foam to leave the metal tub ready to be cleaned and painted.
After many discussions, we’ve decided on the interior for our Mille Miglia Aston Martin DB2/4. The carpet will be a dark grey with claret red seats and 1206B Schiefer grey piping.
We’re currently working through the process of selecting the interior trim with our client for our rare Aston Martin DB2/4. The choice is between the red leather trim and a selection of grey tones for the carpet and piping. It’s important we select the correct shades to not only look good but to resemble the original interior.
We’ve pulled in the helpful hands of Kath and Lydia to tackle the paint stripping on our Aston martin DB2/4 Mark I. Normally found in the trim shop, Kath and Lydia have been showing off their ability to jump between disciplines. Using a rough pads, Lydia and Kath have been scraping off all the paint.
They started by masking up all the open places on the car where chemicals could potentially drip through. They then used blades to scratch the surface to help the nitromors paint stripper work in better. The next step was to apply paint stripper onto the roof of the car which was then covered with plastic while it worked itself into the paint. They did the same on the sides and then scraped the paint off. Once the team got down to the red oxide, they could use thinners to scrub the rest of the paint off the car.
Now that its done, the car is sat in its original bare metal and its ready for the next stage.
Scott has been cleaning and restoring more parts from the DB2/4, making sure they’re read to be fitted again.
The bonnet to our DB2/4 has been stripped to bare metal by Matt in the paint shop so that the fabrication bay can see what’s underneath the paint and understand what needs addressing and fabricating before it goes back to paint.
Scott has been stripping down our Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark I by removing the wiring loom, petrol tank, spare wheel carrier and various other parts. he’s also straightened out the radiator cowling to make sure it fits radiator properly and now radiator has gone to be refurbished.
Scott has continued the disassembly of our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark I by taking apart the mechanics piece by piece so we can access the engine.
Scott has also been removing some more of the wiring loom and then the the engine.
Scott has been stripping down our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 in preparation for bodywork. This has involved taking out chrome, door cards, electrics and mechanics, all the interior and wiring.
Scott has been stripping down the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark I in preparation for the rest of its restoration. This is a time consuming but integral part of a restoration but allows the rest of the mechanical work and bodywork to be done.
We have now officially begun the exciting restoration process of our rare 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 which is being restored back to original in preparation for its entry into the Mille Miglia. The original race took place between 1927 and 1957 and ran its course across 1000 miles over Italy. There are strict rules over who can enter and which cars can be driven in the modern reenactment of the race however one thing is for certain, cars must be in original spec.
You can read more about the history of the iconic Italian race here.
Scott and Brian have made the first impression into this project by stripping the chrome and removing the interior so that the body is ready to be repainted.
Brian has been tackling the interior strip as he has removed the seats, carpet, pedal box, interior panels and the window trim. He has also removed the rear squab and base seats however these were tricky to remove as there were interior beams holding them in place. He has also removed seat pockets, door capping chrome trim, end plates, door cards and straps as well as the door pockets
Thanks to Nick at Stratton Motor Company and Aston Martin Heritage Trust for connecting us with Aston Service Dorset.
Aston Service Dorset purchased the manufacturing rights and engineering drawings for the post-war Feltham Aston Martins from Sir David Brown in the early 1970s and have been providing  parts, service and restoration for these and the later models of Aston Martin since those times.
They have been able to dig deep into the archives to find the original heritage certificate and factory specifications of our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4.
This information confirms to us the original colour combination of Moonbeam Grey with red, piped in grey. It also matches nicely to the description given to us from Bonhams as to the origins of the owner and location of the car in it’s history.
Work will now commence on the strip down in preparation for restoration to begin.
We’ve run a pressure test on our DB2/4 and found that the readings are positive. If the readings had been low, we’d worry there was a leak or a hole somewhere however with high readings, we know that the engine is functioning as needed.
Craig popped over to the Statton Motor Company to disconnect the air bags in the seats of his Aston Martin DB9 ready for the seats to be retrimmed but whilst he was there he saw this DB2/4, identical to the one we’ve got in, so he took the chance to take some photos as reference for when we rebuild ours.
This rare 1955 Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Mark 1 arrived over the weekend and has come in for an assessment. Having been recently bought by our client, we are set to take a look over this stunning early Aston to understand what needs to be done to fully restore it.
With only 451 ever made and just two previous owners, this makes our Aston incredibly rare and sought after. Although not in its original Moonbeam Gray, it is in pristine condition for an early model Aston Martin.
This rare classic has just come into our workshop with an interesting history. This is the background supplied by Bonhams;
EX-PHILIPPE BLÉSIN
1955 ASTON MARTIN DB2/4 ‘MARK I’ 2.6-LITRE SPORTS SALOON
COACHWORK BY MULLINERS OF BIRMINGHAM
CHASSIS NO. LML/678
ENGINE NO. VB6E/50/1407
“The Aston Martin DB2/4 is an expensive car designed to cater for the connoisseur of sports cars who is not limited by financial considerations.” – Autocar, 2nd October 1953.
With the introduction of the ‘2+2’ DB2/4 in October 1953, Aston Martin extended the DB2’s appeal to the hitherto untapped yet increasingly important market comprised of ‘sports car enthusiasts with a family’. Modifications to the rear of the chassis plus a reduction in fuel tank capacity from 19 to 17 gallons liberated sufficient space within the existing design for two child-sized occasional rear seats. Alternatively, the rear seat backs could be folded down, thus creating a load-carrying platform that more than doubled the luggage space. The latter could be accessed via the 2/4’s opening rear door, a pioneering example of the now commonplace ‘hatchback’ concept.
“This transformation gives the Aston Martin DB2/4 an unrivalled luggage-carrying capacity in a car which should be capable in favourable circumstances of achieving two miles a minute,” reported The Motor. “The DB2/4 can truthfully claim to be the fastest car in the world capable of carrying two people with a month’s luggage.”
Standard specification included the 2.6-litre VB6E engine in 125bhp Vantage tune, while from early in 1954 the 3.0-litre 140bhp VB6J engine became available.
This right-hand drive DB2/4 was supplied new to Aston Martin’s Belgian importer Mannes and sold to a company in Brussels, where it was first registered on 7th July 1955. Interestingly, ‘LML/678’ has two external locking handles for the rear hatch; these were not a feature of the standard arrangement, the hatch being released by pulling a lever behind the driver’s seat.
A matching-numbers example, the car is believed to have had one owner up to June 1985 when it passed to Marcelle Autier of La Louvière and was reregistered (document on file). The accompanying (copy) guarantee form records three services, the last one in 1956 at 15,311 kilometres.
The Aston remains highly original apart from a colour change from Moonbeam Grey to the present light green, and an interior re-trim, alterations believed to have been carried out in 1985 with the change of owner. In 2007 the DB2/4 was bought by the well-known Aston Martin collector Philippe Blésin, who sold it to the current owner without having registered it in his name, resulting in this DB2/4 having had only 2 registered owners from new.
Unmolested and in well-preserved ‘barn find’ condition, ‘LML/678’ represents an excellent basis for a complete restoration or could well be used as a daily driver following a mechanical re-commissioning (the car is in running condition). Presumably dating from the 1980s, the lovely dark green interior appears in very good condition and has a lovely patina. The odometer reading of 75,770 kilometres is believed genuine.
A wonderful opportunity to acquire a highly original, matching-numbers example of this landmark Aston Martin model.
Bridge Classic Cars are award winning Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance specialists. Your pride and joy is in safe hands with our expert Classic Car Technicians. Take a look at our awards here.
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