Austin Healey Delivered for Christmas

Here at Bridge Classic Cars, our Vehicle Technicians worked tirelessly up to the end of 2019 to get this gorgeous 1955 Austin Healey 100 home.

1955 Austin Healey restoration nearing completion

We are nearing completion on the restoration of our 1955 Austin Healey. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances the gearbox has once again been removed to be fully rebuilt. The gearbox was reported rebuilt sometime ago but the seals have possibly perished causing 3 or 4 leaks to appear, mainly around the overdrive.

Restoring the window frames and hood cover

The original Austin Healey side screens have been stripped, cleaned and repainted. We have had to carry out some remedial repairs to the cracked frames which involved welding new metal into the affected areas. The material and perspex which makes up the window have been cleaned down before rebuilding both sides ready for refit.

The hood cover has also been cleaned ready for install.

Austin Healey Boot Lining

The brand new boot lining has now been fitted out in the rear of our 1955 Austin Healey.

Austin Healey: Fitting the coil and washer bottle

Exactly what the title suggest, we have now fitted the coil and washer bottle to our 1955 Austin Healey.

Austin Healey: Tyres and Wheels

The brand new MWS 72 spoke stainless steel wheels have now been fitted to the 165 R15 tyres. As always, a huge thank to the guys at WeFitAnyTyresAnywhere, you never let us down.

MWS Full Stainless Steel wire wheels are manufactured using state of the art technology. Special processes were developed after long years of Research and Development in making these wheels. Full stainless steel wheels are made of superior Austenitic grade stainless steel that has excellent protection against corrosion.

The Stainless Steel rims and shells are polished to a superior natural finish in special purpose machines. The hand polishing by highly skilled craftsmen compliments this.

The Stainless Steel spokes and nipples are electro polished to match the lustre and colour of the rims and shells.

The Wheels are specially treated as a final process to retain the lustre and colour.

100% inspection on finish on all the parts ensures only the best quality products are passed out.

Rebuilding the dash

Having had our dials stripped, cleaned, repaired and rebuilt by our good friends at Speedy Cable in Swansea, Brian has been able to complete the rebuild of our Austin Healey dash.

The dash itself was stripped and re-covered by us in house, the buttons have also been cleaned up here but we like to bring in the specialist skills of Speedy Cable for refurbishing dials as they always make such a beautiful job and have the tooling to make the job much easier.

Fitting the Healey air ducting

The brand new air ducting has now been fitted in our Austin Healey.

1955 Austin Healey Re-assembly

Brian has been working his magic on the refit of our 1955 Austin Healey. The re-assembly is progressing really well with freshly restored parts as well as brand new parts all being fitted back up to the car. The horns are now back in position, the chrome work is gradually being secured and the metal edge finished panels are looking amazing.

1955 Austin Healey Re-assembly

We are busy piecing together our new and newly refurbished parts as we continue to re-assemble our 1955 Austin Healey.

The wing to bonnet trims are now in position, as is the front and back bumpers and badges. The fuel tank is also now secured.

Refurbishing the Healey steering wheel

As we continue to work our way through the numerous parts that require refurbishment, here is the original steering wheel and horn push for our 1955 Austin Healey; cleaned and stored away for assembly.

1955 Austin Healey Power Steering

Introducing EZ Power Steering

Enjoy driving your classic car, but do you (or your partner) find the steering to be too heavy?

Would you like to cure this without changing the steering characteristics of the car? We can now offer you a solution: an EZ Electric Power Steering system that is completely hidden underneath the dashboard.

The existing steering rack or box remains unchanged and thus retains the standard steering ratio and setup. The amount of assistance is fully adjustable and is sensitive to speed and load. When we install the EZ system, we use CNC laser cut bespoke brackets designed to fit the original mounting points of your car. As no holes are drilled, with no cutting or welding to the chassis or body, the car can always be converted back to its original steering column. Under the bonnet there are no changes, everything remains as original. The advantages of an electrical system opposed to a hydraulic system are numerous. The electric motor only uses power when steering assistance is necessary whilst a hydraulic pump is continously operating when the engine is running. A hydraulic setup generally uses around 4 bhp and therefore consumes extra fuel, even when driving straight ahead.

Because the electric power steering system is truly speed sensitive, it will steer light at low speeds and not become lighter at high speed. The amount of assistance can be selected by turning a potentiometer, so that the driver can select the desired feel (i.e. more assistance with wider tires and/or a smaller sports steering wheel’. With a classic hydraulic system there is usually little feel and no possibility to adjust this at all.

In the unlikely event that the electric power steering system has a defect, the car would steer exactly like it did prior to power steering conversion. If a car fitted with an hydraulic system would have a fault the car would steer extremely heavy.

The EZ Electric Power Steering works without making a sound. It can not leak and is completely maintenance-free. When will you turn around with an EZ Power Steering conversion?

We have fitted the EZ Power Steering system to a number of our restorations now, including our recent 1960 Jensen 541S project. Our 1955 Austin Healey is now equipped with the new system and will make many many years of driving much more pleasurable for one very proud owner.

1955 Austin Healey: ready for rebuild

With a fresh new look our 1955 Austin Healey is out of the paint shop and now back in our assembly room as we start to fit back up the bright work, badges, exterior and interior components etc.

The new wheels, supplied to us from MWS are now in our possession but will not be fitted until nearing completion.

1955 Austin Healey in paint

Darren has now put our 1955 Austin Healey through the paint shop to give her a new and fresh look. The shell and loose body panels are now looking stunning in vibrant red. We are now ready to progress with the next stage of the restoration which will be to refit.

1955 Austin Healey in primer

Our Austin Healey 100M is now in final stages of primer. The shell has been coated in a red primer before being flattened down once more and guide coated. At this stage, all of the panels will be removed ready for final paint to begin.

Austin Healey: flattening down our primer

Darren is now perfecting the body of our 1955 Austin Healey, flattening down the primer and getting her ready for the new re-spray.

Austin Healey epoxy primed

Our 1955 Austin Healey has now been coated in epoxy primer. We will now look to refit all of the panels to ensure the lines and fit are as we want them to be ready to be prepared for paint.

Polishing our Austin Healey grille

It was a very time consuming and intricate task but Brian has now completed the polishing work on our original Austin Healey grille.

Our Austin Healey engine now fitted

Our 1955 Austin Healey 100M engine is now complete and refitted.

The body shell in now in for preparation ready for the respray to commence.

Polishing and Re-painting our Austin Healey Fuel Tank

Next up for Brian is to strip, clean and polish our 1977 Austin Healey radiator. The top looks to have been hand painted at some point in the past so we need to remove the paint before looking at options of polishing.

Restoring our 1955 Austin Healey carbs

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Our 1955 Austin Healey carbs have now undergone a full restoring rebuild.

The manifold has been blasted and rumbled, they have been rebuilt using new and refurbished parts. They have been set up and balanced and now they are ready to be fitted back up.

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Brand new Austin Healey engine mounts have arrived

Moss Europe has delivered our brand new engine mounts in preparation for the engine refit which will commence early February.

Re-covering the Austin Healey dash

We are now working on refurbishing the dash of our 1955 Austin Healey. The existing covering has been removed and the surface has been cleaned up.

We have now re-covered the dash in brand new vinyl and high temperature auto adhesive.

Completing the Austin Healey BN1 Engine Rebuild

Ady has now completed the rebuild of our 1955 Austin Healey 100M engine.

We have replaced with a full set of gaskets throughout, refitted with new studs, plugs, leads. The water pump and oil pump have been replaced, new cover assembly, piston assembly, pulley, big end bearing set, main bearing set and thrust washer set. The engine has been detailed in silver, black and the original green finish you would expect to see from new on the Austin Healey 100M. All of the nuts and bolts throughout have also been replaced with new to give the full set up a new and fresh look.