1978 MG B GT

Refitting Refurbished Parts

Several parts of our 1978 MG B GT have been refurbished. Some of these parts include the servo, air filters, and oil cooler. All of these have recently been refitted to the car ready for its first drive back out on the road.

Classic car technician Rob was responsible for reinstalling the refurbished parts and, as you can see from the photos below, they fit perfectly back into the car (and are looking better than ever).

Rob also fitted the repainted front spoiler making the front of the car even more recognisable.

New Carpets and Rear Seat Installation

Our 1978 MG B GT is starting to look more and more like a complete car.

Not only have our classic car technicians finished fitting the interior carpet, but technician Rob has also fitted the rear seat into the car. With the interior of the car starting to look more recognisable (with the exception of a few missing key components), now is the time when you can really see how cool this classic car will look when its restoration is fully complete.

A New Carpet For Our 1978 MG B GT

The classic car technicians at Bridge Classic Cars can turn their hand to many jobs. One job that you might not expect them to excel at though is carpet fitting! However, that’s exactly what they have been doing with our 1978 MG B GT.

The exterior of this classic car is enough to catch many people’s eye but, for its owner, the interior needs to be equally as well finished too.

That’s why new carpet and interior trim have been fitted recently. Installing carpet in a classic car takes a steady hand, a keen eye, and a good amount of patience. Luckily the team in the workshop have a whole load of experience (and skill) in these areas and, as you can see from the photos below, the interior of this stunning car is coming together nicely as a result.

In Order – Fitting and Fixing Trim Pieces on the 1978 MG B GT

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars has been working their way through several pieces of trim on the 1978 MG B GT.

This is a full ground-up restoration on the classic MG B, so the team is going through every single piece on the car, starting with the quarter light window.

The team have been repairing the mountings for the quarter light window which Rob has carefully cleaned up and replaced the hardware and get fitted back into the car after cleaning up and polishing the brightwork.

With the window frame now complete in place, Rob could fit up the door cap onto the door.

Then, it was time to get the rear bumpers back together. Each of the pieces has been inspected and test fit before being finally built up and installed onto the car.

Delicate Work – Metal Repairs to the 1981 MG B GT LE

The fabrication shop at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the 1981 MG B GT LE at our Suffolk HQ.

The team have been going through some of the corrosion that we have found on the bodywork of the car. Beginning with the rear decklid.

The team found an area of corrosion in the upper part of the decklid which seems to have been in the same area as a previous repair. Once the team cut the area out, they found it filled with an old newspaper which was duly removed and a new patch piece was welded in after the whole area was rust treated.

Whilst this was happening, Chris was working on the door of the car which had corroded along its bottom edge and a small part of the bottom fascia. Each of these sections were precisely cut out of the car and all of the areas cleaned down and treated before being patched and welded in clean, new steel.

Finally, Monty has worked on the headlight buckets of the MG B GT which had corroded on the bottom edge. For this, the area was cut out of the car in order for the team to repair the rust with handmade patch panel made specifically for the car.

The Details – Reassembly of the 1978 MG B GT Continues

The Bridge Classic Cars workshop team are continuing the reassembly of the 1978 MG B GT which is being restored by our in-house team.

This time, our technician Rob, has been getting some of the bigger details installed onto the car. The first was getting the new brakes installed onto the front suspension, the brand new rotors, callipers and lines have all been put into place and checked to make sure everything fits correctly with no interference.

Then, Rob could move onto the getting the rear light assemblies installed into the car to, later on, get the wiring in place and finished up.

Then it was a case of installing the dashboard, heater box and pedal box. All of these have to be in place to also check the fitments and tolerances of each piece individually and together.

Front End – Front Suspension and Valance on the 1978 MG B GT

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars are deep into the reassembly of the newly repainted bodyshell of the 1978 MG B GT, beginning with the front end.

Our technician Rob has been working on getting the front suspension put together and in place on the newly installed cross-member. The spindles and control arms are in place to check tolerances and operations before they will be tightened down to spec and secured.

Also, Rob has fitted up the colour-matched front valance to the car and aligned it perfectly with the rest of the Blaze Orange bodywork.

Coming Together – Body Panels Back on the 1978 MG B GT

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars HQ have begun to refit and adjust the panelwork from the 1978 MG B GT back onto the car.

Our technician Rob has been working his way from the front of the classic sports car to the back beginning with the front wings. The wings were bolted on followed by the doors in order to adjust and align each of them to get the right fitment and panel gaps as part of the rebuild following the paint and body work being finished off.

Then, after the wings and doors had been adjusted Rob could fit the rear hatch and adjust it accordingly.

Underneath – Fitting Up the Exhaust and Crossmember on the 1978 MG B GT

The Bridge Classic Cars team have been making progress on the 1978 MG B GT.

Our restoration technician, Rob, has worked on getting the new exhaust fitted up on the underside of the classic sports car. With the whole system fitted front to back, the team could then move on to the next job.

The team could begin to prepare the front cross-member to be fit up into the car. The whole car is being fit out with new polybushes all round and the bushings in the front cross-member is no different. Rob has fit the bushes in before being able to bolt the whole assembly into the underside of the car. With it completely fit up into the car, the team then began to hang the front suspension and steering parts while also being able to slip the engine mounts in and bolt the engine firmly into place.

Strengthened – New Rear Bumper Section and Welding the Front Crossmember on the 1978 MG B GT

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on several key pieces of the 1978 MG B GT in for restoration with us at our Suffolk HQ.

Firstly, our technician Rob has made up an all-new rear bumper box section for the classic MG. This piece was heavily corroded so the team made a new piece which made up the rear bumper and crash structure in the car.

Next, the team got to work on the front cross-member. This, over time, had developed some hairline cracks in the thinnest areas near the mounting tabs. So, Rob has carefully and methodically rewelded these areas making sure to add in material to strengthen certain parts of the component.

Changing Places – 1978 MG B GT Back in the Workshop

The 1978 MG B GT has been moved from the paint shop at Bridge Classic Cars to our main restoration workshop for the team to begin reassembly of the classic MG B.

As part of its restoration, the car was stripped back to bare metal and any areas of corrosion fixed before our paint and body teams worked on getting the sportscar into the best possible condition. Then, it went into our in-house paint booth/oven to be refinished in its beautiful Blaze Orange colour you see here.

On the Inside – Inner Arches of the 1978 MG B GT Painted

As part of the paint side of its restoration, the 1978 MG B GT has had its inner arches sprayed.

The paint team cleaned down the insides of both the front and rear arches on the classic MG before applying the raptorguard to help protect the metal from any form of moisture which may find its way into the newly refurbished shell.

The team do this on nearly all of our restoration as we’ve found it is the best process to securing the longevity of the inner wings on classic cars.

In Colour – 1978 MG B GT Painted in Blaze Orange

The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have got the 1978 MG B GT refinished in its original colour, Blaze Orange.

The team have laid down several layers of bright, vibrant orange on the body shell and panels of the classic MG B. The car will be taken out of the booth after the paint has begun to cure and left to fully harden before being colour sanded and polished.

This is a massive milestone in the restoration of the 1978 MG B GT!

Primed & Ready – Getting the 1978 MG B GT Ready for Paint

The body shop team at Bridge Classic Cars have handed over the 1978 MG B GT to our in-house paint team to get the classic sports car ready for colour!

The team have been working on refining the lines and form of the MG B GT in our body prep area before it was taken into the paint prep bay to be thoroughly cleaned down for its final stages of primer and reworking.

The team always make sure that every panel is inspected and checked over before the car enters the booth and any dust or debris is removed from the car before mask up and again afterwards. The team then could use Polyfan on the shell to recheck for any low spots once it has been sanded off the body and any adjustments made.

Then after another clean-down, it was taken into the boot/oven once more for the final primer to be laid. Whilst the primer was curing, the team could begin to seam seal the boot and engine bay of the classic M B and another layer of primer laid down in those areas.

Next Phase – Moving the 1978 MG B GT Into Paint Preparation

The 1978 MG B GT has moved from the workshop into the Bridge Classic Cars preparation area for our paint and body team to start work.

With all the metal work and repairs complete on the bodyshell, the classic sports car has been transferred into the paint and body department for the team to begin preparing the body for the next phase of its restoration.

We’re excited to show you the beginning of the next phase of the journey with the 1978 MG B GT very soon.

Delicate Work – Metal Repairs on the 1978 MG B GT

The 1978 MG B GT is having some of the final stages of its metal work carried out by the restoration workshop here at Bridge Classic Cars.

Rob, one of our technicians, has carefully been cutting out the corroded areas of the bodyshell to be replaced with hand-made and high-quality patch panels from specialists.

Rob has replaced the area in the rear drivers side pillar which at the base has corroded all the way through itself. For this, he made sure to inspect the piece entirely and form a panel which will fit tightly and also add strength into the area before welding it in.

Then, he could move onto the rear quarter panel. This had a few areas requiring work, some with small handmade patches and others (like the forward section) having high-quality sourced replacements installed into the bodyshell.

On the Left – Body Repairs to the 1978 MG B GT

The restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on completing the repairs to the bodyshell of the 1978 MG B GT in with us for restoration.

The team have been carefully removing all areas of corrosion on the classic MG from front to back in order to get it into the best condition possible before it heads to our body shop for further refinements ahead of paint.

Each piece that has been removed from the car was used to template some of the handmade pieces which had to be created in order to fill the gaps caused by the corrosion. These were then welded into the car delicately so as to not create any warpage or movement in the surrounding areas.

Working Together – Fitting the New Sills on the 1978 MG B GT

The workshop team have been getting the new inner and outer sills fitted to the 1978 MG B GT which is in for restoration with Bridge Classic Cars.

The sills are being replaced by the team due to areas of corrosion and damage to the shell which had found their way into the sills of the classic sports car. The inner and outers were carefully cut out of the car before the high quality replacements were offered up and the area trimmed to accept them before being welded in.

From Front to Back – Repairing the Wheel Arch and Rear Valance on the 1978 MG B GT

The Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop has been busy continuing the bodywork repairs on the 1978 MG B GT in with us for restoration.

The team have worked through the classic MG from front to back removing and replacing any corrosion in the body or sub-structure. Recently the team finished up work on the side sills and pillars before moving on to the rear of the car.

Rob, one of our restoration technicians who has been working on the project, removed the old passenger side rear wheel arch due to its condition. Using this as a rough template for the replacement piece, Rob has precisely cut and fit the new piece into the body of the car which allowed him to keep moving rearward on the car and complete the final fitment of the rear valance.

Like New – Continuing the Metal Work on the 1978 MG B GT

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been making good progress on the body shell of the 1978 MG B GT in with us for restoration at our Suffolk HQ.

Our restoration technician Rob has been working on cutting out any form of corroded metal from the car to make sure everything is structurally right and lining up properly. Firstly, he worked on getting the rear valance of the classic MG B sorted.

The old valance was heavily corroded and warped so our team sourced a replacement panel and began the process of carefully removing the old piece in such a way as to not damage any of the mounting surfaces behind it. All of the surfaces behind the valance were cleaned and prepared ahead of the new piece firmly welded into place.

Next, Rob finished the work needed to the bottoms of the A-pillars. This needed to be done before the team could begin fitting and placing the new sills. With the old sills cut out of the car and the new ones trimmed and clamped they could be welded into place taking into account the new A-Pillar and the mounted door to ensure there was no overlap or conflict between any of the pieces.

Finally, Rob could cut out the rear arch. This was heavily corroded and in need of replacement. So carefully the spot welds were cut out and the original piece taken out before offering up the replacement arch.