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The 500 has arrived

October 30, 2024

Who doesn’t love a little Fiat 500? One of the quirkiest and most iconic of classics has now arrived at Bridge Classic Cars and we’re

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230SL Engine

October 28, 2024

The engine of our 1964 Mercedes 230SL has made fantastic progress and will soon be reunited with the car. As you can see from the

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Jensen 541 Clutch

October 28, 2024

Once our 1956 Jensen 541 was up on the four-post ramp, Jonn was able to chock the engine and remove the gearbox. He then cleaned

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A Familiar Face

October 28, 2024

After a brief trip to our friends at Auto-Transmissions, our 1973 Rover P5 is now back in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

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Cobra IVA rules…

October 25, 2024

IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) is edging closer and closer for our Cobra project. Every step of the way it is vital that the rules are

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AC Ace Investigation

October 23, 2024

Bridge Classic Cars workshop manager, John has been working on our 1957 AC Ace. He has been investigating why it was listing to one side

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Caterham Storage

October 21, 2024

As the lucky winner of our Caterham competition chose to take the cash alternative, Tony transported it to our secure storage facility.

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DB2/4 Body Mounts

October 21, 2024

Originally Aston Martin welded the body shell to the chassis on the DB2/4 Drophead Coupe models. As Rob didn’t want to weld the two together

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1956 Jensen 541 work continues

October 30, 2024

We secure all the bolts and tried the clutch and it feels good. Re-fit oil filter housing and new filter. Fill with oil and run up. We’ve then topped up the oil.

Tested clutch bite point on the ramp before refitting interior and the bite point seems a little high. We’ve adjusted the arm to the thrust bearing, re-test and all is now ok.

Refit tunnel, carpet and both front seats.

Then we’ve back on to the service items. Stripped and fitted new points and condenser but can’t get them to spark.

Removed and isolated the base plate with fibre washer and tested but still not insulated.

Remove contacts and isolate with fibre washer and test. All is now ok so we’ve set the points to 0.016″ and refitted cap and rotor before retesting. Starts and runs ok.

Fitted a new inline fuel filter underneath. Remove and blow out air filters and clean casing. Refit and secure.

The 500 has arrived

October 30, 2024

Who doesn’t love a little Fiat 500? One of the quirkiest and most iconic of classics has now arrived at Bridge Classic Cars and we’re not keeping this one a secret…of course it’s a future competition.

We’ve been looking for a nice one for some time and when this little gem was offered to us as an original RHD example, beautifully restored we couldn’t say no!

A day of sorting parts for Tony

October 30, 2024

A trip to our storage facility first off to start to get our Jensen Interceptor ready for arrival into the workshops. A few boxes of parts and the windscreen are now back in the workshops and on the shelves.

Then on to Orwell Precision to collect some parts for our SS100 that need to be de-greased.

Triumph TR3A Appraisal

October 30, 2024

Today’s the day we get our 1960 TR3A on the ramp for it’s full appraisal.

Jon is working on this one. He has fully greased all points, adjust the nearside front wheel bearing, stripped, cleaned and checked brakes. The drums, wheels have been refitted and knocked up tight.

All tyres required a little air.

Next job was to attend to the very poor and noisy exhaust system. We’ve remove the centre and rear where we found the rear silencer split and in bad condition.

Back on with the exhaust system. We have resealed and secured the centre pipes. A new silencer has had to be ordered.

Jon has addressed the issue with it hitting chassis.

Then on to unblocking the offside washer jet before re-test. The front fog lights are not working and the issues has been traced back to the wiring not being connected and nowhere to connect it too. We have used a power probe to test lights. Powered them up and the lights work fine.

We have a switch on the dash which we are unaware of it’s use. Jon has traced the wiring out through bulkhead but wire terminates at another connector. What makes this one particularly difficult is that the wiring has been done in a previous life by using any colour they could get their hands on and is a bit confusing to follow but we’ll get there and sort it out properly. They’ve used the same colours as the indicator and main beam wiring.

Cut cable tie securing the relay under the dash to ease tracing of the wires.

Work out how they’ve wired it and trace wire across dash to nearside.

Turn on lights and check power to relay. There is no power at present. Turn on ignition and main beam now has power.

Trace wire from nearside under dash and into engine bay.

Disconnect from current connector and connect to fog light connector to test. It is now working when main beam in and switch activated. Time to tidy up under the dash. Re-secure relay, wires and re-crimp earth terminal. Recheck all lights and now all is working ok.

230SL Engine

October 28, 2024

The engine of our 1964 Mercedes 230SL has made fantastic progress and will soon be reunited with the car.

As you can see from the photos below, the engine is in the final stages of assembly.

Jensen 541 Clutch

October 28, 2024

Once our 1956 Jensen 541 was up on the four-post ramp, Jonn was able to chock the engine and remove the gearbox. He then cleaned the bell housing and fitted new thrust bearings.

Once this was done, Jonn cleaned the flywheel and fitted a new clutch and refitting the gearbox.

Triumph 2500TC Brakes

October 28, 2024

Technician Jonn has continued his work on the brakes of our 1977 Triumph 2500TC.

He has been looking at the rear brake on the nearside. He cleaned and painted the backplate before making a new brake pipe. All components were cleaned and a new wheel cylinder was fitted as well as the newly made pipe.

The adjusters were swapped to the new shoes and made to fit before Jonn fitted the drum too. The handbrake was reconnected and the wheels were refitted. Finally, Jonn secured the wiring in the steering column.

Coming Toward The End

October 28, 2024

Our 1956 Jensen 541 is coming toward the end of its restoration here at Bridge Classic Cars. It has been a long process but now, technician Paul is starting to put the last few pieces back together. Although the car will still need testing and other minor bits, it’s safe to say that it is now looking very close to its finished form.

Paul has now assembled the doors and fitted the rear bumper and rear side windows. While he was doing that, Lydia made and fit the door cards as well as the boot chain covers.

Thunderbirds are go…almost!

October 25, 2024

John’s still in the process of getting our Ford Thunderbird running but no luck so far. A brand new fuel pump is what we need so we have removing the existing to make sure we order up the correct replacement. Now we wait for the arrival…

Cobra IVA rules…

October 25, 2024

IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) is edging closer and closer for our Cobra project. Every step of the way it is vital that the rules are met in order for the car to pass. The front part of the wiring loom was very untidy and too long so we have now cut it down to length, run inside the conduit, taped and ‘P’ clipped every 25cm or less to meet with the IVA guidelines..

We’ve also made and fitted the side repeater indicator mounts to fit in wing vents to meet with IVA regulations.

The DVSA Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) test is a UK requirement for particular vehicles to ensure they meet necessary safety and environmental standards before being registered for road use.

Vehicles requiring an IVA test include:

  • Kit cars and amateur-built vehicles
  • Imported vehicles
  • Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and trailers
  • Buses and coaches
  • Taxis and private hire vehicles

During the IVA test, a certified inspector thoroughly examines the vehicle to confirm compliance with UK regulations. The inspection usually covers:

  • Structural integrity
  • Lighting and signaling
  • Emissions and noise levels
  • Braking and suspension systems
  • Additional checks depending on vehicle type

Once a vehicle passes the IVA test, it receives an IVA certificate, which allows it to be registered and used on UK roads.

MG B Roadster Underseal

October 25, 2024

So we closed the week off with Dave having finished stripping the MG B Roadster in order for Chris to prepare the car for underseal.

All of this took place over the weekend which meant that Chris could successfully seal the underside with Schutz and let it settle through to the Tuesday when the technicians return from their weekend breaks.

Mercedes 500 SL progress

October 25, 2024

Progress is being made on my 1987 Mercedes 500 SL. I keep hoping and wishing that there is not much longer to go but time seems to be forever running away.

Both John’s/Jon’s are working on the car on Saturdays so as to not affect the scheduling in the busy Bridge Classic Cars workshops but that does mean it is taking it’s time. And both being avid Ipswich Town fans means I can only benefit from their expertise on a Saturday morning as they have ‘more important’ things to be doing now on a Saturday afternoon…haha!

However, the wiring is really taking shape now. They have been working on the boot area and hope to have the fuel tank in my close of play today. They’ve rubbed down the boot floor, exposed the areas and painted in matt black.

Remove broken lug from body for fuel expansion tank, cleaned, drilled and spot welded lug back onto tank and paint gloss black.

The heater box is now in, wiring has been laid out in the bonnet area and the wing mirrors are now back on.

Next thing to do is install a large TV with Sky Sports on so that the John’s/Jon’s would sooner work than be anywhere else!!

Some Of Our Recent Winners

October 24, 2024

Tony has been very busy lately delivering a number of our competition cars to the lucky winners (and now the new owners!

Andrew Graves took delivery of his 1970 Jaguar E-Type Series 2, Garry Smith is the very happy owner of our 2010 Land Rover Defender 90, and Stephen Chesters can now drive our 2001 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage whenever he likes!

Congratulations to all of our winners and, if you want to join them, all of our current competitions can be seen on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website.

Land Rover Defender getting ready for new home

October 24, 2024

On Tuesday we called up Garry Smith to tell him the amazing news that he’s now the proud owner of our 2010 Land Rover Defender 90. Having been with us here at Bridge Classic Cars for a number of years this car was an exciting but emotional give away for us…especially me! This has been my daily now for a few years and I’ve loved it. I’ve been on many adventures in the Defender…camping, road trips. It even got me through the mud at this year’s Goodwood Revival.

But all good things have to come to an end and now it’s time for Garry to enjoy the car.

The pre delivery inspection has been completed and as I write this post, the car is currently on it’s way to Garry in the back of our trailer.

Aston Martin Drophead Coupe Fabrication Work

October 24, 2024

Rob has relocated for now from the main workshops to the fabrication shop as he gets stuck in to the fabrication of the boot-lid. He has cut off the lower half of existing boot lid, remove the lower section due to corrosion. He has then started work on fabricating new panels and welded the lower half back into position. The height has been adjusted so that the boot lid fits correctly. He has then gone on to strip the boot catch assembly and sandblast all of the parts but has decided to make a new one as this will be the best option.

The paint has been stripped off the boot lid skin. The left hand door hinge bushes brazed in and the door hung to check alignment. New boot lock mechanism made and fitted.

Recommissioning our 1977 Triumph 2500TC

October 24, 2024

Work continues on our 1977 Triumph 2500 TC. Jon is still busy getting the car ready for the oad.

He has clean out the thermostat housing and fitted a new thermostat. The top rad hose and temp sender bulb have been fitted. We have noticed the vacuum system has a slight pressure loss so Jon has tightened all the hose clips and re-vacuumed the system. We still have a slight loss and are unable to trace it so we fill system with new coolant.

The carbs have been removed and stripped so we can clean each one in turn and fit new wax stat type jet tubes and new needle valves. We have then gone on to rebuild and refit both carbs.

Drain lift pump and cleaned out the sight glass and filter before fitting a new inline fuel filter.

The tank requires draining.

Jon has cut to length and fitted new carb breather pipes. He has remove fuel pipe from the clips and disconnected from the fuel filter. Drain fuel tank into drum and reconnect pipe.

The repairs continue as we strip and fit new off-side front bottom ball joint rubber.

Strip and fit new front pads.

Jon has adjusted both front wheel bearings and refitted wheels. We have had to investigate why the reverse lights are not working. In order to do this, we have turned ignition on and short out wiring at switch on gearbox but the lights still not working. Check power supply at switch and all is ok. Check bulbs. Replace nearside rear bulb and tighten connections to offside rear bulb and all is working ok now.

Investigate indicators not flashing and nearside front not working. Found wires to nearside light not connected so we have reconnected and tested. All ok, flashing now.

Strip and fit new points and condenser. Wire to coil to short so make an extension wire and solder ends. Fit new spark plugs. Suck out old brake fluid from reservoir and clean out.

We have removed the rear wheels and stripped the rear brakes. Cut off old brake pipe. Clean all components to be reused. Paint backplate black. Fit new cylinder and make new pipe. Swap automatic adjusters to new shoes and fit. Free off handbrake adjuster and clean. Re-adjust handbrake and fit drum. Strip nearside and start to repeat process.

Behind the scenes of our 1985 Mercedes 380 SL

October 23, 2024

Shooting the Mercedes was a real treat, I had been desperate to get behind the wheel of this 1985 classic since I first laid eyes on it!

It’s my favourite car in the workshop at the moment and it did not disappoint. It’s a wonderful drive – perfect for road trips in any weather.

It is live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website now!

2 responses to “Behind the scenes of our 1985 Mercedes 380 SL”

  1. Stephen avatar
    Stephen

    Definitely be entering , Remember even as a kid having quite a few sl matchbox cars . My favourite since then and still is , Turned 50 this month and this could be the time 😎⭐️🙏. So I will be in it and might just win it 🫰
    Just to say absolutely stunning colour and best interior bridge team .

    Reply
  2. Hugh avatar
    Hugh

    Hello
    Lovely car does it have a hard top

    Reply

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Our Defender Has Been Won – Behind The Scenes

October 23, 2024

Yesterday, Garry Smith was randomly selected as the lucky winner of our 2010 Land Rover Defender 90. His ticket number of 2534 was the one that made him the new owner of this off-roading beast.

During the live draw, we also found out that Richard Jones was the winner of our fast-selling Spitfire Gin with ticket number 177.

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AC Ace Investigation

October 23, 2024

Bridge Classic Cars workshop manager, John has been working on our 1957 AC Ace.

He has been investigating why it was listing to one side (the near side was sitting lower than the rest of the car). As he was investigating, no apparent cause could be identified so John had to dig a bit deeper into the car to find out what was going on.

The springs were removed so they could be refurbished as this was identified as a potential solution. However, as John was removing the springs, he found one of the studs that hold the spring onto the chassis had sheared off.

While it is good news that this has been identified as a potential cause, it does now pose quite a big challenge as access to this part of the car to replace the bolts is significantly limited. In fact, it may be the case that the body of the car will have to be removed to rectify the problem which, of course, is a much bigger job than was first expected.

John will continue to explore options to see if there is another way to get this beautiful classic back on the road but, at the moment, it looks like it might need quite a bit of attention.

Storage…in with one, out with another

October 21, 2024

Having been in storage, within a CarCoon for almost a year, I have decided to get my 2000 Peugeot 306 Cabriolet back on the road…just in time for the WINTER!!

Sure, it maybe isn’t the best time for the convertible to come out of hibernation but due to the fact that we are making a few large changes to our storage facilities, it kinda made sense fore the car to come out for a check over.

We’ll give it a once over in preparation for the MOT which is scheduled for a few weeks time. Jon has carried out a full check over and road test. We’ve topped up the levels, inflated the tyres, torqued up the wheel nuts and put 5ltrs of clean fuel in. Everything seems ok and she’s ready for the MOT.

As we bring our Peugeot 306 Cabriolet out of storage, we welcome our 1952 Fiat 1900A in. It’ll only be for a few weeks until we can make some space in The Classic Lounge.

MGB Parts

October 21, 2024

Various parts of our 1973 MGB Roadster have been taken for sandblasting.

Caterham Storage

October 21, 2024

As the lucky winner of our Caterham competition chose to take the cash alternative, Tony transported it to our secure storage facility.

Starting Work on the 1977 Triumph 2500TC

October 21, 2024

Jon has been busy in our workshop! In this update, he has began repairs on the 1977 Triumph 2500TC which is in with our team at our Suffolk HQ to be recommissioned. First off, was a couple of simple jobs such as fixing a brake/stop light and replacing the windscreen wipers before Jon could move onto the more serious jobs.

To begin with, Jon started to look into the cooling system on the car. Looking into the system, he found that it had quite a lot of debris and corrosion in areas so he carefully removed all of the hoses to inspected them for damage or wear, before carefully blowing them out and cleaning them on the bench before taking the classic Triumph outside to run water through the system and flush anything left over out of the engine.

Once flushed, Jon could remove the thermostat and check it over before cleaning it out thoroughly and refitting it along with the newly cleaned hoses and getting the car back on a ramp.

DB2/4 Body Mounts

October 21, 2024

Originally Aston Martin welded the body shell to the chassis on the DB2/4 Drophead Coupe models.

As Rob didn’t want to weld the two together after they are painted, he modified the brackets so they bolt to the chassis. This involved welding threaded bushes into the chassis and making mounting plates to go between the body and the chassis.

Working on the 1956 Jensen 541

October 21, 2024

Our workshop is well versed in all things Jensen 541 – having restored over a dozen of these classic GT cars (with 2 more in our workshop currently going through their restoration journey). So, when it comes to getting this beautiful 1956 Jensen 541 back up and running the team were eager to jump in.

Our technician Jon has been working on this particular car. He has been stripping down the interior in order to gain access to the gearbox as part of the team prepping for a clutch replacement. Jon has carefully gone through the systems to make sure that everything is undone as well as assess each component for its condition and operation.

As part of the clutch replacement, Jon has also serviced and inspected the car thoroughly which involved a repair to a HT lead and new spark plugs for the straight-six. While the car is up in the air, it gave Jon the chance to remove all of the wheels to inspect and strip down the brakes. All of the brake shoes were due for replacement, so they have been removed and are off to be refurbished. This exposed the backing plates for Jon to take a closer look at, cleaning up the units and repainting areas which had bare metal exposed.

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