1929 riley 9 tourer

Metal Trim

Classic car technician Chris recently spent some time out of the fabrication bay and in the main workshop while he fitted the metal trim rail

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A Riley Tonneau

Classic car technician Brian has continued his work on our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer. He first marked out where the front flap goes for the

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Roof and Covers

After classic car technician Brian had used paper patterns to get accurate sizes for the roof of our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer, he removed these,

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Two Beautiful Classics

Every now and again, we have two classic cars side-by-side that just have to be photographed together. Today, this happened with our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer and our 1927 Delage DI Sport Boat Tail.

From the front, there are some similarities in the look of these two cars that are just two years apart in age but, from the rear, it’s a very different story!

Our Riley 9 Tourer and our Delage DI Sport Boat Tail are stunning on their own but, when seen together, the resulting picture is something very special indeed.

A Finished Riley

The time has almost come to say goodbye to our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer. After spending some time in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, it is clear to see the transformation that it has gone through.

When it first arrived, the interior needed quite a bit of work to bring it back to its current state. Fortunately, classic car technician Brian has been able to do a fantastic job and masterfully took the almost empty interior and turned it into one that perfectly fits this rare classic hill climber.


As you can see from the photos below, our Riley 9 Tourer has come a long way and we are very excited to see it return to its owner very soon.

Metal Trim

Classic car technician Chris recently spent some time out of the fabrication bay and in the main workshop while he fitted the metal trim rail to our 1929 Rilley 9 Tourer.

As this classic hill climber is coming to the end of its time with us, it’s great to see it making good progress toward being returned to its owner very soon.

In addition to Chris’s work on our Riley Tourer, Brian has also completed quite a bit of work too. After finishing the hood and cover, he fitted everything back together. During the process of attaching the new roof, the metal trim bar was removed which is why Chris fitted his to the vehicle.

Brian went on to make the window in the back of the hood cover before cutting it out of plastic and fitting it. The rear squab was then re-installed before the rear base seat when in too.

Stud fasteners were fitted to the hood envelope cover to bring our Riley one step closer to going home.

Riley 9 Tourer Covers

Our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer has continued to be in the skilled hands of classic car technician Brian, as he carries on his work on the roof cover and tonneau.

Brian cut out the flaps for the roof bars on the hood cover before he cut out the new sections for the hood envelope cover. After trial fitting the tonneau cover, Brian marked both the front and back covers to show where the zip would need to be sewn in.

The hood envelope then had the sides cut out ready to be sewn, before Brian went on to mark where the fasteners will go on the tonneau cover. Once the steering wheel cover had been trial fitted and marked for sewing, the hood envelope cover and the hood cover were both trial-fitted too. The hood was then clipped to the frame so the side edges could be trimmed straight.

Brian then turned his attention to the interior of our Riley Hillclimber by fitting the rear squab seat brackets and seat.

Holes were drilled in the body of the car for the stud fasteners, and button fasteners were fitted to the cover using a hand tool and punch. The positions of the fasteners were marked before they were attached and the cover flap was fastened to the car.

Once the zip was sewn in place, the front and rear tonneau covers were zipped together and fastened around the car.

A Riley Tonneau

Classic car technician Brian has continued his work on our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer.

He first marked out where the front flap goes for the rear tonneau before he made paper patterns for the steering wheel cover. These were then cut out and a vinyl mock-up of the cover was made. Once the steering wheel cover was trial fitted, Brian cut out the front and rear tonneau covers from mohair.

The previously marked-out flap was cut out from mohair, as was the steering wheel cover. Brian then went on to cut a slot in the front tonneau cover for the steering wheel cover.

Roof and Covers

After classic car technician Brian had used paper patterns to get accurate sizes for the roof of our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer, he removed these, folded the frame down, and marked the positions for the stud fasteners.

A trial-fit cover was made from vinyl before Brian fitted the webbing straps to the roof bars using screws and rivets. The straps were held in place by glueing the ends of them around the lower bar. Once the fitting of the straps was completed, the roof frame was folded to make sure it folded as it should. Brian put the vinyl roof pattern to check that it fit before making the roof cover from Mohair.

Patterns for the front and rear tonneau covers were made before they were placed on the car so the hole for the steering wheel could be cut. A cover for the steering wheel was cut out too.

A Roof Of Paper

Our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer has been the focus of classic car technician Brian as of late. He has been making the paper templates which he will then use to make the roof cover of this classic hill climber.

Brian has spent quite a bit of time working on our Riley Tourer lately and a lot of progress has been made. Once the roof cover is made, it shouldn’t be too much longer until it leaves the workshop and is returned to its owner.

Hill Climber Interior

Classic car technician Brian has been making and putting together the interior of our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer.

After drilling and fitting screws to the driver’s side panel, Brian made and fitted the supports to fit between the wood beams of the car. The back of the passenger side panels were painted and the driver’s side panel was cut into two sections to make removing it easier.

Brian went on to mark and cut out foam for the panels and glued it to the front faces. The edges were trimmed and the leather for the panels was also cut out. Once the leather was glued onto the panels, Brian removed the floor panels to trim and paint the edges.

The panels were fitted into the car and adjustments were made as necessary to ensure they fit perfectly. Once the rear squab seat had been trial fitted, Brian moved on to removing the front floor panel so the handbrake could be put back in. This was fitted before the floor panel was re-installed and the seat brackets were put back into the car too.

Trim Work Begins

Classic car technician Brian has begun the trim work on our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer. The first step of this was to remove the front seats and base boards from the car. Brian then removed the rear axle cover so that it could be used as a pattern to make the rear seat base board.

These were cut out before Brian went on to remove the rear floor board to trim the sides in order to allow for the side panels to fit. The rear seat board was then fitted into the car and the backboard was cut out.

Brian made the pattern for the rear seat top edge and then cut this out. The rear seat board was trial fitted and the back edge was cut in line with the curve of the car body.

Rear quarter panels were the next focus of Brian. He made paper patterns and used these to mark out the panels on plywood. These were cut out and then fit into the car. The axle cover board was re-fitted before the rear base seat board was re-fitted too.

Brian went on to cut slots out for the rear squab board brackets and then fit the brackets in the car. He fit the squab board into the car before moving on to the door of our classic Riley. Once the door handle was removed, Brian made a paper pattern for the door panel and marked this out on wood. The door panel was cut out and a hole was made for the lock handle.

Brian fit the door panel to the car door and cut out the slot at the back for the lock. Paper patterns were made for the passenger side door panels.

Welcome To The Workshop – A Classic Riley

We have recently welcomed our 1929 Riley 9 Tourer into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

Looking at this hill climber, it’s obvious that it is a beautiful vehicle. It has a custom-made ash/aluminium body and has been fitted with a 1928 Ford Model A engine. The engine has undergone extensive modifications for competition purposes. These modifications include a 1929 Miller OHV conversion, with purpose-made manifolds and magneto ignition.

Our Riley 9 Tourer is with us for some trim work which classic car technician Brian has already started.

We are looking forward to seeing progress continue and getting this beautiful classic car back to its owner very soon.