Recently, Peter won our 1972 MGB Roadster through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. But before the team took the trip down to deliver the car to
There’s been some big changes recently at our Suffolk HQ with the installation of a new set of ramps. These ramps have been put in
Our 2010 Jaguar XKR, which recently around at our Pettistree workshops, has been under the car of our technician Jon. The alloy wheels of the
Our 1966 Daimler 250 V8 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ for our restoration technician Julian to have a
Our 1959 Jensen 541R, which was delivered to its new owner a few weeks ago, has been collected by the Bridge Classic Cars transport team
The workshop team have been continuing on getting our 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe back on the road after its decades long slumber. The
Steve is very impressed with the floor and chassis on our 1971 MG B Roadster. “This is a very nice, clean and well protected floor
Jon is working through some of the tasks required on the recommissioning of our 1954 Daimler Conquest. First things first, he has completed the assessment
The Atelier. For a couple of years now this amazing space has been the home of Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and the versatile space we
Jon has now completed the inspection on our 1993 Bentley Turbo R. He’s carried out the necessary repairs which included; sorting the connections on the
Now that the brake callipers and carriers have been painted, classic car technician Jonn has been refitting them to our 2005 Honda S2000. Jonn also
Although the technicians who work in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop normally spend their days restoring classic cars, every now and again, one of our
Jonn has been continuing his repairs of our 2002 Alpina B10. He has fitted new screw bolts to the under shields and secured them on
One of the latest new additions to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop is our 1988 Volvo 240GL. It has come to us so we can
Our 2000 Mercedes CLK 230 has been under the care of classic car technician Jonn who has been looking into why it is currently not
The doors are being built up right now on our 1987 Mercedes SL500 R107.
The new clutch has been fitted and the engine re-installed in the car. All of the ancillaries have been refitted, the radiator has been tested
The bumper of our Ford Transit Tipper MKII is all painted and now finished in a satin clear. The rear suspension springs have also been
Jon has fitted up the new bleed nipples to the freshly painted calipers. The bolts have been cleaned and painted We have cleaned up and
Jon is working on the final preparations of the Lotus Europa, ready for the filming to take place, hopefully, the week after next . A
Jon has carried out the Pre Delivery inspection on yesterday’s competition prize, our 1991 Ford Escort RS Turbo. Another trip to Scotland for us; 2
James has been working on the finishing touches to our Mk 1 Ford Transit. The gearbox has been removed, the engine sump and rear main
Final stages of our 1974 Volkswagen Beetle restoration and Jon is giving the car a thorough assessment to make notes of all aspects of the
Steve has stripped down the boot lock mechanism to get to a broken bolt. He has removed the lock clean and replaced with clean tumblers
Classic car technician Steve has begun working on our 1979 Reliant Scimitar. He started by investigating the brake master cylinder that was leaking fluid into
Classic car technician Jonn has been carrying out a further inspection of our 1970 Lotus Europa and carrying out any repairs that were needed. He
Our 2005 Honda S2000 recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop from its home in Gurnsey. It is currently in storage at our secure
Classic car technician James has been assessing our 1967 Morris Minor Traveller. It came into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop as it would not start.
Classic car technician James has been conducting an appraisal of our 1980 Volvo 245GL. James found that: On the surface, the bodywork and overall condition
The two Johns have been continuing our 1974 Volkswagen Beetle’s progress towards finishing its restoration with us here at Bridge Classic Cars. The wiring was
Recently, Peter won our 1972 MGB Roadster through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. But before the team took the trip down to deliver the car to him personally, the workshop checked it all over and then it was handed over to our transport team to get loaded up safe and sound in our enclosed trailer for the journey to its new home.
Once we arrived, Peter met us excited to meet his new pride and joy – and raring to go on the cars maiden voyage under his ownership. You’ll be able to see the video on this very soon over on our YouTube channel.
There’s been some big changes recently at our Suffolk HQ with the installation of a new set of ramps. These ramps have been put in place in what used to be the home of Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, the Atelier, but since its move into the newly launched Classics Lounge – the Atelier has now become the finishing room for our various restoration projects.
Each project will be built back up in this room before it is tested with a technician assigned to each individual car.
Our 2010 Jaguar XKR, which recently around at our Pettistree workshops, has been under the car of our technician Jon. The alloy wheels of the car have been removed to be taken off to a local specialist to be refurbished.
Our 1966 Daimler 250 V8 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ for our restoration technician Julian to have a look over before it becomes a new dream classic on Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.
Julian noted a couple of items which needed his attention. Firstly, he had to replace a faulty brake light switch and also fitted new spade terminals before moving on to wiring up the horn. As part of his process, Julian pressurised the coolant system on the car and his words ” found every coolant hose leaking”. So, methodically he went round each one and resealed them tight before draining the system and replacing the cars antifreeze/coolant.
Next, he moved under the car to get more of the mechanicals in order. The car has been fitted with adjustable suspension by a previous owner, and these had been set to their absolute maximum in terms of stiffness. Julian set them all back to zero before testing the car and stiffening them until the ride quality of the car was just right. Then he could check all levels as well as service the grease points such as the ball joints and propshaft etc.
Our 1959 Jensen 541R, which was delivered to its new owner a few weeks ago, has been collected by the Bridge Classic Cars transport team to make its way back to our Suffolk HQ for a routine check up.
As with all of our ground-up builds, we like to see the cars back after completion to double check everything is as it should be. The car will make its way back to our Pettistree workshop for the team to take a look at the car.
The workshop team have been continuing on getting our 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe back on the road after its decades long slumber. The final piece of the puzzle was for Jon to diagnose and repair a fault with the speedo in the car.
Jon discovered that the drive from the gearbox (which goes through a 90 degree converter) was not spinning the cable. So Jon found another one we keep in stock and modified it to fit the car and tested the cable operation by hand, which began to work the clock inside of the speedometer. With that, he could get everything connected back up and test thoroughly before signing the car off.
Steve is very impressed with the floor and chassis on our 1971 MG B Roadster.
“This is a very nice, clean and well protected floor and chassis.”
The brakes have been cleaned and checked and are in very good condition. Good news!
And a slight smart repair has been carried out on the body.
Jon is working through some of the tasks required on the recommissioning of our 1954 Daimler Conquest. First things first, he has completed the assessment on the ramp and took the car out on a road test drive. We have compiled a list of parts required so now we begin to work on the tasks at hand.
The brakes have now been stripped; the front require cylinders, the rear is mechanical. We have stripped and cleaned the rear and removed the brake linkages from the rear axle.
We have drilled out the rear brake linkage and fitted 10mm bolts in place of worn pin.
The hose and sleeve brake actuating rod has been cut so not to hit the gasses. We have disconnected the poorly routed brake light wire from the switch and pulled through to the boot.
We have now started to re route the wire and securing as we go.
Finish securing brake light wire to battery cable inside offside chassis rail and secure other end from fuse box to switch.
Clinton has made up an exhaust pipe so Jon has fitted this up. The joints have been secured and the mounts have been tightened. We have replaced the fuel hose at nearside inner wing and fitted new inline filter.
A new fuel cap lock and key has been fitted and modified to get cap to secure shut. Fit foam buffers on underside. Sand down moulded large o’ring and used as a seal for fuel cap.
We have mounted a new cooling fan into grill, drilled and made up brackets to secure.
The terminals have been changed to spades, connected and tested. All ok.
The Atelier. For a couple of years now this amazing space has been the home of Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and the versatile space we use to host some of our incredible live events. We’ve welcomed many guests from the world of automotive to sit down with us and record their Talking Classics, we’ve packed it with 120 guests for an intimate evening with Ed Stafford, we’ve hosted trade stands, drinks displays, car shows and many many car club events. But now, it’s time for a new chapter to begin. With the opening of The Classic Lounge only weeks away The Atelier now has a new look and one many a car enthusiast will love to see…
Coming soon to Bridge Classic Cars, our new events space, The Classic Lounge…
Three brand new ramps, a full wall of brand new shelving, five brand new work benches…from Tuesday 11th June, bright and early, The Atelier will be our new workshop space for the reassembly of our stunning restorations.
Jon has now completed the inspection on our 1993 Bentley Turbo R. He’s carried out the necessary repairs which included; sorting the connections on the nearside headlight and main beam. He’s stripped the nearside door panel and repositioned the electric window switch.
The car has been taken off the ramp and a road test has been carried out.
It returned to the workshop with a belt squeal and steering is out to the right.
We have tightened the alternator belt.
The steering has been adjust and we’ve inflate all tyres to the correct pressure.
Fuel has been added and now the car is ready for the draw!
Now that the brake callipers and carriers have been painted, classic car technician Jonn has been refitting them to our 2005 Honda S2000.
Jonn also lubricated the pads and all sliders before bleeding all of the brakes. He then carried out a pressure check and topped up the brake fluid.
Although the technicians who work in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop normally spend their days restoring classic cars, every now and again, one of our own vehicles needs some attention.
Recently Jonn spent some time investigating why our 2005 Mercedes Vito van was running poorly and had the glow plug light illuminated.
After visually inspecting the injectors and wiring, Jonn plugged in the diagnostic computer in and found 63 codes stored across all systems. These were cleared before he rechecked the van and carried out live data readings for various engine components and operations.
More work is needed to get our van fully operational again but, luckily, we have other vehicles we can use in the meantime.
Jonn has been continuing his repairs of our 2002 Alpina B10.
He has fitted new screw bolts to the under shields and secured them on the offside. He has also removed the front undershield and cleaned it. Jonn then moved on and cleaned down the engine.
A nail was removed from the nearside rear tyre and, after an inspection. was found not to be punctured.
New rubber cotton reel mounts were fitted to the oil filter housing and the undershield was refitted. Finally, Jonn removed the front wheels and drilled out disc holes to clear. He then sanded down the disc edges to get rid of rust buildup.
The wheels were then refitted and torqued to 130nm.
One of the latest new additions to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop is our 1988 Volvo 240GL.
It has come to us so we can do what needs to be done to get the car up and running.
We are looking forward to starting work on this hefty classic, and it will be great to see it eventually drive out of the workshop and back out onto the road.
Our 2000 Mercedes CLK 230 has been under the care of classic car technician Jonn who has been looking into why it is currently not starting.
Jonn stripped and removed the old fuel pump and filter assembly. He then fitted a new pump, wired it up and tested it. The pump was running fine but was not pumping fuel.
Jonn has advised that further investigation is needed.
The doors are being built up right now on our 1987 Mercedes SL500 R107.
The new clutch has been fitted and the engine re-installed in the car.
All of the ancillaries have been refitted, the radiator has been tested and refitted also along with the exhaust.
The engine has been run up with new oil and coolant, and the engine lid attached.
Now on to the door seals and final mechanical parts before passing to the trim team to refit the interior and the soft top to the frame.
The bumper of our Ford Transit Tipper MKII is all painted and now finished in a satin clear. The rear suspension springs have also been in the paintshop and have had black dtm applied.
Chris has also fixed and painted the grill.
Jon has fitted up the new bleed nipples to the freshly painted calipers.
The bolts have been cleaned and painted
We have cleaned up and reused the pad sensor wires and fitted the calipers to the car.
The old pads have been reused as they are nearly new and we used a new fitting kit to secure the pads.
New front shock absorbers have been fitted.
Jon is working on the final preparations of the Lotus Europa, ready for the filming to take place, hopefully, the week after next .
A new, modified fuel sender has been fitted into the tank. Fuel has then been added to check the integrity of sender seal and all ok.
We have fitted tank into the hole in body and aligned the bolts. All fixings have been secured
Jon has then drain the fuel out to connect fuel feed and return pipes.
The electrics were next on his list as he repaired the wiring to the fuel pump and made connections.
Checked pump operates and all ok so we have refilled with fuel.
The gauge is reading ok, 3/4 full on gauge which is accurate.
We have applied underseal in black.
Refit nearside rear wheel and torque up.
Put battery on charge.
Refit engine heatshield and boot liner.
Get car off ramp and start up before carrying out a road test. The car pops and bangs under light throttle conditions but ok under hard acceleration which will need to be addressed.
Slow idle speed down on each carb equally.
A trip to DanST Performance Engineering next week to correct the running issue and hopefully ready for the competitions department!
Jon has carried out the Pre Delivery inspection on yesterday’s competition prize, our 1991 Ford Escort RS Turbo.
Another trip to Scotland for us; 2 Scottish winners in the 3 weeks, lucky times!
Ross will soon be accepting delivery of his new (old) car. Having owned various Fast Fords over the years, Fiestas mainly but up until now has not owned the Mk2 RS Turbo. He’s really excited and we can’t wait for him to see the car.
James has been working on the finishing touches to our Mk 1 Ford Transit. The gearbox has been removed, the engine sump and rear main oil seal plate have also been removed.
All parts were fully cleaned and decreased, then reassembled with new gaskets.
New oil was added and the gearbox refitted with a new output shaft seal installed correctly.
Then it was run up and checked for leaks.
All OK.
Final stages of our 1974 Volkswagen Beetle restoration and Jon is giving the car a thorough assessment to make notes of all aspects of the refit that require attention.
His findings will be reported to the individual departments or he will look to carry out the work himself.
Jon has already attended to the rear opening quarter windows. He has adjusted the rubber seals to allow offside to close fully and space out nearside rubber seal to allow window to seal gap.
The lights and levels have been checked and he has confirmed the operation of the fuel gauge by adding 20ltrs petrol. The door catches have been adjusted, fitted rubber blocks to the B pillars to seal gap at the door to window edge. The bonnet catches have been adjusted.
The paint-shop have touched up chips in the paintwork.
Grommets have been fitted to all A and B pillar holes.
The operation of the washers have been checked, the exhaust heat exchange pipes and tailpipes have been tightened Jon has eliminated the slight vibration/rattle at certain resonance.
We have checked for oil leak and found a slight drip from rear main/gearbox area. Oil quite dark but engine oil is fresh and clear so we suspect a minor gearbox oil leak.
Steve has stripped down the boot lock mechanism to get to a broken bolt. He has removed the lock clean and replaced with clean tumblers ready for refit.
Whilst working on the Scimitar Steve has gone ahead and fitted a new fuel filter too.
Classic car technician Steve has begun working on our 1979 Reliant Scimitar.
He started by investigating the brake master cylinder that was leaking fluid into the servo. The servo diaphragm was leaking air when the brakes were applied so both parts will need an overhaul.
The door switch contacts were found to be corroded so Steve dismantled these and cleaned them ready for reassembly.
Lydia then shaped and improved the fit on the front carpet mat, which allowed her to finish fitting this and glue it down. After this, she noticed that the rear seatbacks were faded and worn, so Lydia decided to replace them. She then refitted the handles and tacked them down at the edges to hold them in place.
Classic car technician Jonn has been carrying out a further inspection of our 1970 Lotus Europa and carrying out any repairs that were needed.
He drilled out the broken boot striker plate and flattened it before re-riveting it to the boot lid and fitting new screws to catch and secure. Upon testing, the boot locks work as expected.
Jonn then went on to tighten the front suspension bolts before greasing all points. He then stripped the brakes and cleaned and checked them. He then delipped the drums, refitted and adjusted them. Once the wheels were re-fitted and torqued up, all the tyres were pumped up, including the spare.
The connections to the horn were repaired and new rear light lenses were fitted. Jonn investigated why the reverse lights were not working and, after tracing back to the loom, he was unable to find reverse light wires from the loom and the gearbox doesn’t have a reverse light switch anywhere.
Jonn then looked at the choke cable fitment and routing and ordered a long cable. The nearside door panel was removed to find out why the passenger door didn’t lock via the key. Jonn freed the locking mechanism and worked it back and forth. He tried to lock the car with the key and it now locks.
The fuel tank was drained and the return hose was replaced with new clips. The tank was then refilled and checked for leaks – none were seen.
Jonn is now waiting on parts to finish the prep work for this beautiful classic going live on Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.
Our 2005 Honda S2000 recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop from its home in Gurnsey.
It is currently in storage at our secure Hangar but, eventually, it will go into the paintshop to bring it back to its full beauty.
When it first arrived at the workshop, workshop manager John and technician Jonn assessed the car and found some corrosion. They also removed quite a lot of dirt from the rear arches. The condenser was also found to have deteriorated and detritus was found in and around the roof.
Classic car technician James has been assessing our 1967 Morris Minor Traveller. It came into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop as it would not start.
After charging the battery, James removed the spark plugs and cleaned and regapped them to the correct specification. The distributor cap was removed before the points and condenser were replaced. James then checked the timing and replaced the distributor cap and rotor arm along with the HT lead set supplied by the customer.
Once the battery charged, James started the car and found a fuel leak from where the fuel pipes joined the carburettors. This was removed and the pipe was replaced. The car was then restarted and checked for leaks and all was ok.
James carried out a short road test. He ran vehicle the car for a short time and it was running rough when hot and under load. After substituting the coil pack for a good known second-hand unit the car ran better and not lacking power. The car is now running and starts instantly as the customer requested.
Issues that James found during his assessment were:
Overall the car has had numerous patches welded in many areas, of which, most are now starting to deteriorate again.
Classic car technician James has been conducting an appraisal of our 1980 Volvo 245GL. James found that:
On the surface, the bodywork and overall condition appeared to be good on top. Underneath however there are several areas of corrosion, some heavy surface rust on the front and rear suspension components, and some more extensive corrosion needing repair in other areas, such as the nearside floor to sill along most of its length and the offside floor to sill at the front and rear. The offside rear has had a previous repair but needs rework, and a hole in the upper inner wheel arch needs to be addressed.
James checked the state of the car ahead of an MOT. To make sure the car passes, it will need a new headlamp on the driver’s side as the reflector is dull, both indicator/side lamp lenses are holed and discoloured, wipers and a windscreen, all of the tyres are perished and cracked (despite having good tread) and the rear brakes are binding.
The front brakes are corroded, as expected after being stood for so long, and there appears to be a slight leak from the rocker cover gasket. Due to the age and unknown history, James has recommended a cam belt change and a full service.
Otherwise, the exhaust and brake hoses look to have been done and are in good condition, but the battery will need replacing. There is slight play in both inner steering rack joints and James was unsure if the additional alarm is connected or if it would cause future issues in the future.
The two Johns have been continuing our 1974 Volkswagen Beetle’s progress towards finishing its restoration with us here at Bridge Classic Cars.
The wiring was put in for the interior light and the wing mirror was put on and polished too.
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.
