Work on the 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
May 24, 2024
The Bridge Classic Cars team have welcomed back a previous project into our Suffolk HQ to carry out a couple of bits on this beautiful
1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
A New Starter For Our Sunbeam
May 22, 2023
Classic car technician Jon has been working on our 1980 Talbot Lotus Sunbeam which has recently returned to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Jon’s main
Our Sunbeam Is Back
May 10, 2023
Our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus has recently returned to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. After spending some time earlier this year with our team of
Brake Issues
March 21, 2023
One of the issues classic car technician Steve has found with our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus is that there was no brake fluid going to
Sunbeam Radiator
March 13, 2023
Classic car technician Steve has fitted a new sender unit and boss to our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. With the investigation and work still ongoing
Investigating Issues With Our Sunbeam Lotus
March 6, 2023
Our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus has been with classic car technician John as he began his investigation into why it won’t turn over and why
A New Arrival
February 28, 2023
Another new arrival to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop is our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. It has come to us as it is currently not
Work on the 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
May 24, 2024
The Bridge Classic Cars team have welcomed back a previous project into our Suffolk HQ to carry out a couple of bits on this beautiful classic.
Our technician Julian has removed all fuel lines and the fuel tank in order to carry out work on the fuel system. Whilst the fuel tank was out, he could replace the filler neck seal and gaskets before beginning to fit the new fuel lines underneath the car and then refit the tank back into the car. With the new fuel lines in the car, Julian could route them up to the carburettors around the front of the engine, this required a small custom bracket to be made to keep them away from the alternator pulley and safe from any damage.
While there, Julian also removed and resealed the temperature sensor in the inlet manifold and replaced the alternator belt as it was showing signs of wear.
A New Starter For Our Sunbeam
May 22, 2023
Classic car technician Jon has been working on our 1980 Talbot Lotus Sunbeam which has recently returned to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Jon’s main focus was to replace the starter. To do this, he started by stripping the wires from the main terminal of the starter and labelled them. There were 5 connections here, plus a start connection from the solenoid to the starter – this was not required for the new starter. Jon removed the starter and installed the new one.
Once the new starter was in the car, only 2 of the 5 wires reached the connection. Jon made a short connector wire to run the power connections that were on the old starter. He used a small bolt to secure the connections together and then taped this up to cover. The loom was then fixed securely back into place.
Our Sunbeam Is Back
May 10, 2023
Our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus has recently returned to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
After spending some time earlier this year with our team of technicians, it has come back to us so we can investigate why it isn’t starting as it should and to find the reason behind a coolant leak.
Now that it is back in the workshop, work will begin to resolve these issues and get the car back to its owner very soon.
Brake Issues
March 21, 2023
One of the issues classic car technician Steve has found with our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus is that there was no brake fluid going to the near-side front wheel. After disassembling the brake compensation valve, Steve found that this was caused by the internal piston being fitted the wrong way round at some point in the vehicle’s life.
While working on the brakes, Steve also found that the master cylinder reservoir seals were fitted incorrectly. This meant that the brake fluid was blocked from filling the rear chamber and going to the rear brakes.
Steve continues to work on our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus and will carry on investigating and resolving the reported issues while we have the car in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Sunbeam Radiator
March 13, 2023
Classic car technician Steve has fitted a new sender unit and boss to our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus.
With the investigation and work still ongoing with this classic car, Steve and the rest of the workshop team will continue working on it until it is driving as it should and is ready to go back to its owner.
Investigating Issues With Our Sunbeam Lotus
March 6, 2023
Our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus has been with classic car technician John as he began his investigation into why it won’t turn over and why it overheated recently.
John started by checking all levels which were fine. He checked the timing which was also fine before turning the car over by hand. The spark plugs were removed and John noticed that the starter was hardly turning over. There was also a puddle of petrol on the floor under the near side front of the vehicle. However, the fuel to the engine goes to the offside of the vehicle.
The only reason that John could think of for this to happen was stuck valves causing petrol to go down the exhaust and leak. Once the car was turned over a few times, it seemed to be a bit better.
John carried out a compression test of all cylinders which were all fine so he refitted the spark plugs and tried to start the car. It started on this attempt so it looks like John has resolved the issue.
While our Sunbeam Lotus was with John, he also removed the radiator as a fan switch was weeping in the bottom of it. The coolant was drained and the grill was also removed. It was during this process that John noted that there were areas of slight damage to the grill on both sides before he removed the radiator.
To make sure the paintwork was safe during the radiator removal, John masked up the area near the radiator to avoid causing any damage or scratches.
A New Arrival
February 28, 2023
Another new arrival to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop is our 1980 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus.
It has come to us as it is currently not running. Now that it is here, it will be inspected by our team of classic car technicians in preparation to get it up and running and back on the road again.
