1987 Mereces 500SL rebuild continues
December 10, 2024
John and Jon have been at it again. They have successfully built up and fitted the new rear vents. They have also managed to fit
Projects
Wherever you look, it’s competition cars!
December 10, 2024
We have so much going on at Bridge Classic Cars Competitions right now; cars coming in, cars going out, cars finding new homes, cash alternatives
Behind the Scenes of the 2007 Porsche 911 Shoot
December 9, 2024
Unfortunately the weather on this shoot day was not kind to us. Which meant we had to film this sports car in The Classic Lounge,
A few new arrivals…
December 9, 2024
1998 Rover 200 Coming in to Bridge Classic Cars HQ with a heater issue, John is already on with finding the fault and hopefully being
Exhaust Blow on Jensen 541
December 7, 2024
Run up and listen for the exhaust blow. Jon has then blocked the tailpipe and traced the blow to the front joint. We’ve slackened the
A week after Buxton
December 5, 2024
A relatively successful trip was had heading up to The Pavilion in Buxton for the H&H Classic Auction last week. We came away with 4
Minis Everywhere
December 5, 2024
It’s a busy Mini today in the workshops as we prepare for our Cooper S to be delivered to Geoff later in the week. We’ve
Pagoda Brakes
December 4, 2024
Our 1967 Mercedes 250SL has had the handbrake cables on the rear replaced. This involved the removal of the road wheels, callipers and discs on
Paint Prep
December 4, 2024
Our 1987 Maserati BiTurbo has been in the paint shop with Chris. He has been rubbing down the primer ready for its colour to be
Jensen 541 Engine Support
December 4, 2024
Paul has fabricated a temporary engine support for our 1960 Jensen 541R. He then fitted the engine and the steering arms. Once this was done,
XJS Progress
December 4, 2024
Pete has continued to work on our 1993 Jaguar XJS. A final attempt at separation of the AC fan from the motor failed and it
P4 Rust
December 4, 2024
During its time in the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body shop, quite a bit of rust has been found on our 1963 Rover P4.
Land Cruiser Rust
December 4, 2024
Mauro has been busy repairing a rust spot on the windscreen area of our 1994 Land Cruiser. He also replaced some of the metal.
500SL Headlights
December 4, 2024
The headlights of our 1987 Mercedes 500SL have been stripped down by our workshop manager John.
230SL Cold Starting
December 3, 2024
John has made and fitted new down pipes to our 1964 Mercedes 230SL. This is because the old ones had to be cut off as
Maserati BiTurbo Recommission
December 3, 2024
We continue to polish intake pipes. We finish all pipes and place in the boot ready. The radiator has been removed for painting and all
XJS Gearbox Mount
December 2, 2024
It was noted from the appraisal that our 1993 Jaguar XJS had a faulty gearbox mount. Pete recently removed it from the car and stripped
Cyber Monday – we do things differently
December 2, 2024
At 4pm tomorrow, Tuesday 3rd December 2024, we reveal the winner of one of the most exciting new EV’s on the market right now, the
Land Cruiser Rust
November 29, 2024
Our 1994 Land Cruiser has quite a lot of work completed on the areas of rust that have been found. It has been in the
Jensen 541R
November 28, 2024
Paul has been fitting the front discs, callipers, and steering arms to our 1960 Jensen 541R. He also fitted the engine mounts, fitted and aligned
XJS Service And RepairsXJS
November 28, 2024
Pete has had another busy day working on our 1993 Jaguar XJS. He started with the removal of the nearside tail pipe, this was very
Maserati BiTurbo Work
November 28, 2024
Lots of progress has been made on our 11,000-mile, 1987 Maserati BiTurbo. Lydia removed the saggy headlining and fitted new sound deadening. Jonn has also
Mercedes250SL Brake Callipers
November 28, 2024
During the appraisal of our 1967 Mercedes 250SL, it was noted that the nearside front wheel was binding. Pete removed the wheel for a closer
Thunderbird Wheels
November 26, 2024
Our friends at Wheelhouse Alloys recently delivered the wheels to our 2002 Ford Thunderbird.
Pagoda Fuel Pump
November 25, 2024
The fuel pump in our 1967 Mercedes SL250 has been dripping consistently since the workshop team got the car up and running. Peter removed the
More XJS Progress
November 25, 2024
Peter has made more progress with our 1993 Jaguar XJS. The front and rear brakes were checked over and he cleaned up any loose debris.
Jensen Carb Mixtures
November 22, 2024
Jonn has been adjusting the carb mixtures of our 1956 Jensen 541. He left the air filter housing in place and removed the brass jet
Rover 75 Transport
November 22, 2024
Earlier today, Tony loaded and delivered our 2003 Rover 75 back to its owner.
AC Cobra Heat Shielding
November 22, 2024
Steve has been fitting the heat shielding around the inner wings of our 1975 AC Cobra replica, where the exhaust manifold exits the engine.
MGC Appraisal
November 22, 2024
Peter has been conducting an appraisal on our 1968 MGC Roadster. Here are his findings: Appraisal.. drivers door lock seized, can’t check keys, passenger door
1987 Mereces 500SL rebuild continues
December 10, 2024
John and Jon have been at it again. They have successfully built up and fitted the new rear vents. They have also managed to fit and align the door mouldings.
John has then got to work on rebuilding the front head lights and stripping down the front bumper. The headlight wiper motor linkage was seized so we have stripped down motor to check the operation, which was okay. Then we proceeded to dismantle the linkage and free off the corroded/seized parts of the linkage. It was then greased and rebuilt and the operation checked. When satisfied it was then fitted to the vehicle.
As for the bumpers, they are not in the best state at the rear so we need to weigh up whether it is more costs effective to repair or replace with new.
Wherever you look, it’s competition cars!
December 10, 2024
We have so much going on at Bridge Classic Cars Competitions right now; cars coming in, cars going out, cars finding new homes, cash alternatives flying about all over the placed. It’s difficult to keep up!
So I thought I’d do a weekly round up of all competition car updates for you. I’m really sorry if you come on to read about one specific car (which I know a lot of you do) but I just thought I’d be a bit different today. Normal updates will follow…
2024 MG Cyberster
Our 2024 MG Cyberster, one of the very first models to arrive in the UK was won last week by Paul Butcher. Paul opted for the cash alternative of £45,000 which is an incredible sum of money just before Christmas. Being one of the first MG Cybersters to arrive on UK soil and being one of the most important EV’s to be released, this car is certainly set to be one for the future. A very special car indeed and now in the hands of EMG MG to sit as pride of place in their Ipswich showroom.
Available now if you want to get the keys to your own Cyberster in time for Christmas! Contact EMG MG for more information.
1987 Maserati BiTurbo
We can not wait for this car to be ready. The Maserati has been in our possession for many many years and is a genuine 11,000 mile car. Since taking ownership of this incredible car the values have soared, especially in the hard top models.
We are currently recommissioning the car and as it has been standing for some time this is not a 5 minute job, but will be well worth it when it’s complete.
We have stripped and cleaned the plenum chamber, inlet manifold and rocker covers ready for painting.
The carburettor has been removed from the inlet, we’ve cleaned out the float chamber and freed off the needle valve. Blow out jets and reassemble.
The rest of the parts have been removed from the manifold. to be degreased.
Make new seal with O-ring kit and refitted the manifold bottom water chamber.
We have flattened and polished the car.
The badge and lettering is now back on the car as well as the rear light and number plate.
Jon has finish preparing the parts for painting. He has cleaned the throttle and choke spindles.
The manifold has been masked up before being given to the body shop.
1968 Ford Lotus Cortina
Next up, our 1968 Ford Lotus Cortina in for a full appraisal on the workshop floor.
Swap wires from coil and ballast. Electronic ignition fitted and wired to coil 12v. Coil wired through ballast at 6v. We’ve swapped the wires from ballast to coil to 12v feed. Tighten steering idler bolts.
Next up, we’ve put the car up on the ramp to continue with our assessment.
The rear rear wheels have been removed to check the brakes. Nearside rear wheel bolts loose and wheel holes now elongated and won’t tighten so requires a new wheel.
We’ve fitted smaller nyloc nut to nearside trailing arm so bolt actually goes into nyloc.
There is a fuel leak from fuel tank sender area so we have drain the fuel. We’ve used the fuel pumps on the car to empty the tank. Next up, we’ve remove the sender, cleaned and tested. Removed the spark plugs and cleaned out holes. Cleaned and regapped before refitting the plugs.
Remove battery from boot and start to re-route the fuel pipes to pumps.
Continue re-routing the fuel pipes to pumps in the boot area. Drill and fit p-clips to floor, to hold pipe in place.
Refit battery and secure. We have slackened the alternator belt and checked waterpump and all is ok. Unbolt pulley and refit fan blades. Refit alternator belt and adjust. Remove driver’s seat and carpets. Fit fibre washer to ignition barrel and secure. Strip and fit new rear shoes but clip missing from offside so unable to finish.
Next, we have tested the repaired fuel sender and all seems to be ok.
Remove passengers seat and carpet. Start stripping to remove heater box.
Still more to do on our Cortina in preparation for filming. We have drain the coolant, remove some extra items attached to dash so we can finish removing the heater box.
Once removed, we have strip the heater box and removed the heater radiator.
Tested the radiator and found a split in the seam causing it to leak. With it removed, we are now able to tidy up the area.
And for now, we are up to date on competition cars!
Behind the Scenes of the 2007 Porsche 911 Shoot
December 9, 2024
Unfortunately the weather on this shoot day was not kind to us. Which meant we had to film this sports car in The Classic Lounge, which is a brilliant location but when the weathers bad I can’t drive the cars which is a real shame. As always Nick managed to get some brilliant photos which is sometimes tricky in a small space. This Porsche is a fabulous example and will make its new owner very happy.
A few new arrivals…
December 9, 2024
1998 Rover 200
Coming in to Bridge Classic Cars HQ with a heater issue, John is already on with finding the fault and hopefully being able to rectify it so it’ll be back to it’s owner in no time.
1998 Rover Mini Cooper
Meanwhile, a new addition to the The Classic Lounge, home to Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, our 1998 Rover Mini Cooper. Somewhat of a minor celebrity in the Mini world, this Cooper has gathered up a decent following over it’s lifetime, having it’s own website and social channel. The car has frequented many a local car show and meet and will soon be available as a competition car.
If you think you know this car, you may well do. The car is famed for the social channel ‘The Mini Resto‘ and was set to become the poster car for a new competition website. The previous owner soon realised the cost of running these competition models and thought again. The car comes to us to complete it’s journey in the competition world so coming to you very soon…
1975 MG B GT V8
And finally for this week, our 1975 MG B GT V8. This has been sourced for a customer with a specific requirement in mind. We have found the car, purchased the car and now it awaits it’s turn in the workshop for a full and through restoration.
Exhaust Blow on Jensen 541
December 7, 2024
Run up and listen for the exhaust blow. Jon has then blocked the tailpipe and traced the blow to the front joint. We’ve slackened the clamps and sealed back up before re securing the clamps and leaving to set.
We carried out the same exercise on another blow on the rear silencer joint.
A week after Buxton
December 5, 2024
A relatively successful trip was had heading up to The Pavilion in Buxton for the H&H Classic Auction last week. We came away with 4 cars ourselves and a 5th made it’s way down on our car transporter for some work required by our team in the workshop.
The car’s have now arrived with us and unfortunately, as is often the case, it is not as plain sailing as we would have liked. It is very difficult to look at a car in the auction environment and be 100% certain that you have bought right. We are certainly not disappointed with our purchases but more work is required on all of them than first thought which is a real pity. It is often the seller who refrains for telling the full story and we pride ourselves on our honesty so it is always a bit of a blow when cars arrive out of fuel, who with no reverse gears, not running on full power. None of the work is too much for us but it eats into valuable time in our workshops.
On a plus note, the team at H&H were as brilliant as always, I had a wonderful time. Channel 4 were there filming some bits so I might be on TV in the near future and I met with Lewis from The Crescent, Buxton who took me on a tour of the hotel and spa. We put our heads together to come up with some great ideas that we will now look to work on in 2025.
Minis Everywhere
December 5, 2024
It’s a busy Mini today in the workshops as we prepare for our Cooper S to be delivered to Geoff later in the week. We’ve carried out the pre delivery inspection and noticed a fuel leak from carb float bowl.
We’ve taken the car outside to warm her up.
Checked for previous fuel leak and no signs of leak anymore.
Next up, we’ve carried out a long road test, under different driving conditions using P1 fuel. We’ve cruised at 30, 50, 60 and 70mph and all seems to be ok. The car accelerates well at all speeds. The idle speed is a little erratic but doesn’t stall or cut out at all and drives lovely. We’ve rechecked for fuel leak and it appears to have stopped now. We suspected the needle valve was stuck in offside carb.
Now, it’s time to make history here at Bridge Classic Cars as we fill her up with our new P1 fuel, right to the brim.
Rob then took the car away for some final bits of filming but annoyingly the fuel leak has reappeared. Jon has remove the float bowl lid, freed off the needle valve and checked over and now all seems ok.
Now on to Mini number 2, our 1961 Austin Mini 850. Molly has been out to shoot the car today and has reported that it struggles to stay running. Jon has now attended to the stalling issue by removing the air filter and carburettor suction chamber and piston.
We have thoroughly cleaned both and checked for piston free fall in suction chamber. It was a bit sticky so we have lubed up, refitted and refilled the damper oil. The air filter has been refitted.
Road test and adjust idle speed.
The brakes pull to the right slightly under hard braking which we will need to address but otherwise the car now drives fine.
We have adjusted the front brakes and retest and now it is much better.
Pagoda Brakes
December 4, 2024
Our 1967 Mercedes 250SL has had the handbrake cables on the rear replaced. This involved the removal of the road wheels, callipers and discs on both sides to access the cable ends inside the drum of the discs. Once they were stripped down, Pete found a few more issues hidden away – one of the rear discs was scored very badly on the inside, and the calliper captive fixings were rotted away on the driver’s side, this made calliper removal very difficult as this is a round captive insert with minimal access.
Pete modified a set of grips to be able to hold this while he loosened the calliper bolts. Luck was on his side as it was seized as well as snapped! One of the cables was wrong so we have replacements on the way as well as the captive retainers.
While Pete was waiting for the replacement cable, he started work on the subframe mounts. These, again were tricky to access and remove/replace as the front subframe held the engine and gearbox respectively. Both sides had separated and needed urgent replacement, these are now renewed and the engine stays exactly where it should.
Paint Prep
December 4, 2024
Our 1987 Maserati BiTurbo has been in the paint shop with Chris. He has been rubbing down the primer ready for its colour to be applied. The boot and rear end was then painted.
John also removed the dashboard ready for it to be repaired by Lydia.
Jensen 541 Engine Support
December 4, 2024
Paul has fabricated a temporary engine support for our 1960 Jensen 541R. He then fitted the engine and the steering arms.
Once this was done, Paul then fitted the front hubs and started mounting the front subframe.
XJS Progress
December 4, 2024
Pete has continued to work on our 1993 Jaguar XJS. A final attempt at separation of the AC fan from the motor failed and it is stuck solid. He is still working on a fix that!
In the meantime, new front upper shock bushings were fitted. While Pete was doing this, he replaced the double lock nuts that were fitted with a single lock nut. This makes things much simpler for any future work and more reliable from a safety aspect.
The rear trailing arms are off the car now, unfortunately at full droop of the suspension, the smaller bushings are beyond service, as are the front body end bushings. Pete will replace both ends and refit these.
The removal of the bushings was challenging and required the forward struts to be removed to allow the bolts to slide all the way out of the mount points on each side.
The intermittent fault with the headlamps is now resolved -, a suspected blown bulb on the passenger side was traced to a loose connection at the h4 plug to the bulb. The side lights, dipped and main are all working as they should now.
The horns have also been sorted, one new unit and a clean-up of the old working unit and both high and low tones are back.
P4 Rust
December 4, 2024
During its time in the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body shop, quite a bit of rust has been found on our 1963 Rover P4.
Mauro has recently repaired some of the rust spots on the rear quarter panel and rear cross member. Unfortunately, he then found some more areas needing repair.
Land Cruiser Rust
December 4, 2024
Mauro has been busy repairing a rust spot on the windscreen area of our 1994 Land Cruiser. He also replaced some of the metal.
500SL Headlights
December 4, 2024
The headlights of our 1987 Mercedes 500SL have been stripped down by our workshop manager John.
230SL Cold Starting
December 3, 2024
John has made and fitted new down pipes to our 1964 Mercedes 230SL. This is because the old ones had to be cut off as they had seized. New baulk head sound deadening was fitted before John investigated the non-starting issue. He went through the wiring and traced the fault to the timer relay on the inner wing. He adjusted the gear linkage and inhibitor switch so the car starts in the correct lever position.
Maserati BiTurbo Recommission
December 3, 2024
We continue to polish intake pipes. We finish all pipes and place in the boot ready. The radiator has been removed for painting and all parts have been taken to the bodyshop for painting in satin black.
We’ve fitted new front and rear number plates. Removed all masking from engine bay and tidied the area.
Mauro has then worked on removing the small dents, primed the areas on the boot lid and rear end.
XJS Gearbox Mount
December 2, 2024
It was noted from the appraisal that our 1993 Jaguar XJS had a faulty gearbox mount. Pete recently removed it from the car and stripped it down to its component parts. The rubber had completely degraded and was very much beyond service.
The steel parts were degreased and shotblasted before being primed and top coated in black satin. The unit was then rebuilt using new bolts, new rubbers where needed, and a light coating of anti-seize grease on the mating surfaces. It was then fitted back into the car.
Cyber Monday – we do things differently
December 2, 2024
At 4pm tomorrow, Tuesday 3rd December 2024, we reveal the winner of one of the most exciting new EV’s on the market right now, the MG Cyberster.
But before all that…we can’t miss Cyber Monday!
Tickets WON’T be discounted, we don’t believe in that. We do believe in extra special treats though.
From 9am this morning, on the hour, every hour we will be running extra special draws just for those who have already entered our Cyberster draw. One lucky person, every hour, will have their previous order doubled for FREE. So if you already have 1 ticket, we’ll give you another. If you have 5 tickets, we’ll give you another 5.
It’s not too late to enter. Our Cyber Monday bonus draws will take place between 9am and 9pm on Monday 2nd December and you have up until the next draw to be in with a shot.
The Cyber Monday winner’s so far;
9am – Simon Priestley from Worcestershire, now with an extra 5 tickets
10am – Steve Eley from Shropshire, now with an extra 10 tickets
11am – Garry Smith from West Midlands, now with an extra 10 tickets
12pm – Kim Phan from London, now with an extra 2 tickets
1pm – John Ward from Flintshire, now with an extra 2 tickets
2pm – John Llewellyn from West Midlands, now with an extra 2 tickets
3pm – James Houston from London, now with an extra 4 tickets
4pm – Nick Punter from Suffolk, now with an extra 1 ticket
5pm – Nigel Deung from Surrey, now with an extra 1 ticket
6pm – George Walter from Bedford, now with an extra 1 ticket
7pm – Mark Duckers from Staffordshire, now with an extra 2 tickets
8pm – Linda Naulls from Suffolk, now with an extra 1 ticket
9pm – Andrew Newport from Bristol, now with an extra 1 ticket
One response to “Cyber Monday – we do things differently”
Land Cruiser Rust
November 29, 2024
Our 1994 Land Cruiser has quite a lot of work completed on the areas of rust that have been found. It has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop with Chris as he has begun the repair work on the bonnet and wing.
He has also repaired the dents in the doors, rear quarter panel, roof, and tailgate.
Chris then rubbed the car down and treated all of the rust.
Jensen 541R
November 28, 2024
Paul has been fitting the front discs, callipers, and steering arms to our 1960 Jensen 541R. He also fitted the engine mounts, fitted and aligned the clutch before starting to modify the chassis in order for it to take the seat belts.
XJS Service And RepairsXJS
November 28, 2024
Pete has had another busy day working on our 1993 Jaguar XJS. He started with the removal of the nearside tail pipe, this was very well rusted in place and required a lot of persistent persuasion with some wood and a big hammer!
He could then start cutting the rear quarter and preparing for the replacement panel work, some minor repairs to the inner rear quarter will be needed prior to fitment of the external metal work. With the arrival of all the service items, it was decided to crack on and get the car up and running again and leave the metalwork for the moment.
The new steering rack arrived and was fitted, new washers and hardware was fitted too.
The window switch has also now been fitted to cure that intermittent fault along with the headlamp relay unit.
Overall a productive day clearing a good chunk of the items listed from the appraisal.
Maserati BiTurbo Work
November 28, 2024
Lots of progress has been made on our 11,000-mile, 1987 Maserati BiTurbo. Lydia removed the saggy headlining and fitted new sound deadening.
Jonn has also been working on the car. Here are his notes:
Carry out inspection. Engine removed and battery disconnected, so electric items and engine etc not tested yet. All brakes require replacement and all tyres requre replacement. Unable to fit nearside headlight as clips broken. Attend to broken brake pipes at nearside front. Remove 1 flexi and steel pipe. Separate pipes and remove broken end. Make new brake pipes from joiner on nearside inner wing to flexi and from flexi to caliper. Removenother flexi and free up unions and ref8t. Repeat cleaning for offside pipesand free all ends ready. Look into nearside door not locking from either side. Strip and remove door panel. Clean lock mechanism and lubricate. Inspect operation and work back and forth until free.
Refit door panel and test door lock functions inside and out, ok. Repair broken stereo blanking plate. Secure centre console heater surround panel with screws and refit blank. Remove drivers mirror to find its a non adjustable type. Refit and secure properly and restick inner cover.
Remove lower radiator hose ready for painting. Attend to repairs. Investigate passengers seat insecure. Found rear bolts loose but inner bolt won’t tighten as captive nut in floor broken off. Undo seat bolts and chisel floor to remove broken captive nut along with seat. Cut out floor and make plate to fit. Drill and prep for welding. Rob welded new captive ut to plate and weld plate into floor. Dress welds and paint to protect. Seal up rear footwell ung as I can see daylight through floor. Refit carpets and underlay. Remove old bolt and captive nut from seat. Save bolt with retread tool. Refit seat, ok. Untwist both seatbelts via bottom mount and refit springs to lower mount for seatbelt. Clean belts and lube with silicone spray.
Clean all intake popes. Polish all pipes to a shine ready for engine refit.
Mercedes250SL Brake Callipers
November 28, 2024
During the appraisal of our 1967 Mercedes 250SL, it was noted that the nearside front wheel was binding. Pete removed the wheel for a closer inspection and found that the inner piston was seized in the calliper body. He attempted to free this while the calliper remained on the car. He removed the pad retaining springs and pins and the pads but no amount of fiddling would push the piston back – operating the foot pedal didn’t affect a push-out either.
The calliper was removed from the car and separated on the bench where better access to each piston was available. Pete removed the dust seals and gave them a liberal coating of penetrate oil and allowed it to soak while he worked on a fix for the fuel pump.
Regarding the pump, Pete’s gasket repair from last week didn’t allow enough clearance for the pump to spin on the motor and as such there was no fuel supply. He stripped the base plate from the pump again and removed that gasket repair. He actually found an o ring that was a close match to the size needed although it did require hand stretching with the addition of some heat and fitted perfectly. The pump was remounted, pipes connected for the final time and the guard refitted.
Back to the calliper, given time to soak and the addition of plenty of force Pete managed to break the rust that was holding it solid, each piston was slid out by hand, cleaned with a scotch pad so the surface wasn’t damaged and refitted back in the calliper body with some clean lubricant. The dust seals were cleaned and greased and refitted, before Pete fully assembled the calliper and fitted it back in the car. The brakes were bled, the wheel refitted and torqued to spec.
After this, Pete then stripped the faulty washer pump. He found that the mating faces were well worn, where the internal pump cogs rotate against it much like an oil pump. He cleaned and reversed the plate, fabricated a new cork compression gasket as it was missing and sealed the assembly with a liquid gasket. He then re assembled the unit and put it back into the engine bay, tested it and there is now a much quieter operation, and a lovely clean windscreen!
Thunderbird Wheels
November 26, 2024
Our friends at Wheelhouse Alloys recently delivered the wheels to our 2002 Ford Thunderbird.
Pagoda Fuel Pump
November 25, 2024
The fuel pump in our 1967 Mercedes SL250 has been dripping consistently since the workshop team got the car up and running. Peter removed the pump and stripped it. He found that it had previously been sealed using normal silicone sealant.
After everything was cleaned off, fuel safe liquid sealant was used as a replacement.
More XJS Progress
November 25, 2024
Peter has made more progress with our 1993 Jaguar XJS.
The front and rear brakes were checked over and he cleaned up any loose debris. He made minor repairs to the driver’s front backing plate as it was misshapen leading it to catch the upper arm ball joint bolt.
The rear brakes were checked over and no problems were found. The pipes to the callipers were all checked too and found to be in good shape before Peter checked the discs all round.
Peter then fully drained the coolant system ready for fresh antifreeze, and a seized clip was replaced to ensure no leaks.
The air intake to sensors were removed for cleaning and a new filter.
Jensen Carb Mixtures
November 22, 2024
Jonn has been adjusting the carb mixtures of our 1956 Jensen 541. He left the air filter housing in place and removed the brass jet covers from underneath and adjusted each jet in turn.
He then refitted the brass caps, jacked up each corner of the car and checked the brakes.
Rover 75 Transport
November 22, 2024
Earlier today, Tony loaded and delivered our 2003 Rover 75 back to its owner.
AC Cobra Heat Shielding
November 22, 2024
Steve has been fitting the heat shielding around the inner wings of our 1975 AC Cobra replica, where the exhaust manifold exits the engine.
MGC Appraisal
November 22, 2024
Peter has been conducting an appraisal on our 1968 MGC Roadster. Here are his findings:
Appraisal.. drivers door lock seized, can’t check keys, passenger door lock spinning in door can’t seem to fit a key, passenger door button sticks in handle, drivers door isn’t closing correctly, drivers sun visor mount broken, drivers quarter window handle seized unable to open but winder works for main window, passenger quarter window handle missing unable to lock, passenger main window stiff to operate both up and down.
Both door inner handles and locks work fine. Connected battery, ignition comes on with key, fuel pump makes noise but isn’t filling the filter under the bonnet. Car tuns over but no fire. External lights are working, no high beam, flashers are very very slow. No dash lights seems to work other than flasher tell tale and ignition light. No interior lights work. Hand brake travel is fine and it seems to hold the car.
Multiple keys for the car but very few seem to fit. Under the bonnet and gear, signs over overheating or coolant spilling on intake around filer cap, both clutch and gear selection is stiff, unable to check drive as non start. Washer bottle has a glue type repair and is secured with cable ties. Clutch and brake fluid looks clean, possible new clutch master has been fitted. Informed of a popped core plug, engine is wet below intake so definitely a coolant leak. Su carb damper caps were loose. Choke cable disconnected and rusty, radiator is in contact with the body and is damaged, engine bay is grubby and shows signs of various leaks, wiring around coil is loose/untidy and disconnected in places.
Chest height checks, passenger front disc pitted and play in steering joints and bearing. Driver front the same, both tyres are cracking and dot code of 2012. Passenger rear is binding at points suggesting warped drum, also play in bearing. Driver rear binding at all points of rotation, also play in bearing. Rear tyres both are cracked, I wa unable to spot a dot code, condition suggesting older than fronts, all tyres are 165/80/15 but mixed brands. Loose stainless sill trims at driver arch lower, rust bubbling around arches to front and lower valance. Upper shock rubber drivers side isn’t contact body suggesting loose shock, passenger is disintegrated. Underside check, excessive underseal throughout, engine, gearbox, both have oil leaks origin unknown, rear passenger hub/brake backing is wet with oil or brake fluid.
Propeller shaft is hitting chassis (worn check straps) front upper and lower suspension joint rubbers are all degraded beyond repair and are in places metal to metal. Front of sills both sides show corrosion but seem solid with light inspection. Floors show old weld repairs. Brake discs pitted, pads 20 percent worn. Lower sill edge is crusty. Rear anti roll joints look worn. Lower rad pipe has a small cut. Roof not fitted but is present although unsure if complete until tested.
5ltrs of fresh fuel into the tank and we have fuel coming up to the under bonnet filter, new filter fitted as old one was leaking. Removed spark plug and check for spark, spark present, test crank and no fire. Top of carb float bowl removed and it was evident that the fuel bowls and carbs needed and bit of an internal clean. Carbs and associated items removed, stripped and inspected, very dirty old fuel drained, gaskets checked, the needles and jets checked/blown through. Reassemble and refitted to the car, test fire shows a sputter of life, choke not working as cable damaged, minor repairs made ready for a new cable, bypassed this by cable tie onto he choke arm and she fired and ran lumpy (possiblity of just cold) further work needed but started well.
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