antique car specialist

Sealed Tight – Fuel/Oil Tank of the 1905 Riley 9HP Refurbished

May 10, 2022

The tank for the 1905 Riley 9HP has been completely refurbished and tested prior to it being painted and reinstalled by Bridge Classic Cars.

Although the original tank was in fairly good condition, it did require a full refurbishment. Old school lead soldering and modern TIG welding in the same piece cause their own unique problems which had to be overcome during the refurbishment.

The tank is actually segregated to hold both petrol and oil in the same unit, so it has to be completely sealed.

The refurbished tank does feature the original brass fittings.

Ready for Business – Completing Work on the 1934 MG PA

April 20, 2022

All of the works on the 1934 MG PA have been completed by the Bridge Classic Cars restoration teams just in time for the beautiful pre-war sports car to be used over the summer.

The team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked on this classic MG from front to back. The first updates are the new spotlights that adorn the beautiful chrome lightbar between the front wings which now have its all-important touring badges. These were wired into the car to make the car more useable and keep to the era, our director Gordon sourced these period-correct pieces specifically for the car.

The next changes to the classic MG PA happen in the cockpit. The team have worked on fitting the new dials and gauges into the car. The new temperature dial is connected to the new temperature sender to make sure the overall health of the car is easily visible. Along with that, the Breitling stopwatch has been fitted to the dash. This is an important part of the cabin as this style of stopwatch would have been used in classic rallying. To improve the useability and safety of the car, the team have fitted the PA with modern lap belts. A key safety component for any vintage car is to make sure the seat belts are made of the latest tear-resistant fabrics to make sure that even with the fun of driving, it’s still safe.

With all of these bits now finished on Gordon’s 1934 MG PA, it’s ready to be used over the summer. Keep an eye out for updates on this wonderful car’s travels.

Recreating the Past – Removing and Inspecting the Original Seat from the 1905 Riley 9HP

March 16, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop has begun the process of carefully taking apart the original interior of the 1905 Riley 9HP in order to recreate and understand the car better.

The original leather was brittle and stiff, so Brian carefully began to remove the trim pieces in order to best remove it from the car as complete as possible to use as a reference when it comes to making the new piece. Each item that has come off the car has been meticulously catalogued and stored for the restoration project even the original springs and hessian backing of the seat and all the hardware.

This is a very exciting part of the project and we’re excited to show you more progress on the 1905 Riley 9HP soon here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.

Collection and Delivery – Collecting the 1905 Riley 9HP Radiator and Dropping Off at Specialist

March 16, 2022

The radiator of the 1905 Riley 9HP has been collected from Devon in order for it to be taken to a specialist and refurbished ready for the restoration of the car here at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ in Suffolk.

Our director Gordon made the drive down to the West Country to collect the radiator from our friend Carl who picked up the radiator from the auction house who originally found it and got in touch with us about it.

From there, Gordon made his way through Devon but stopped in Padstow where he couldn’t help but stop and stare at the stunning Caterham Superlight.

After the stop, it was onwards to the guys over at Newquay and Exeter Radiators where the now 117-year-old piece will be refurbished and restored for the car. The guys at Newquay and Exeter Radiators wasted no time beginning to assess the radiator and showing the damage and solder work previously done to the component.

We’re really looking forward to getting hold of this incredible piece of the puzzle that is our 1905 Riley 9HP.

Stopping Power – New Brake Master Cylinder Fitted to the 1929 Dodge Brothers DA

February 17, 2022

Bridge Classic Cars have finally received a crucial piece of the puzzle to getting the 1929 Dodge Brothers DA back on the road. A brand new brake master cylinder.

Paul, one of our technicians, fitted up the new master onto the car in replacement of the old one which had some leaks and wouldn’t allow us to bleed or adjust the brakes. So, with the new one now securely underneath the pre-war/pre-Chrysler Dodge the team could begin the task of bleeding and adjusting the brakes so this wonderful vintage tourer can hit the road again someday soon.

Helping Hand – Drawings for the 1905 Riley 9hp

January 21, 2022

Bridge Classic Cars have the absolute honour of restoring one of 3 1905 Riley 9hp’s left. And for that, we’ve managed to get some plans.

These appear to be copies of the original drawings made for the car. These are crucial for our lead restoration technician Dave to work from. They give our team chassis measurements and tolerances of several key pieces of the car. As with all our restorations, we do try and keep the originality of the car but we ensure the car is safe first and foremost.

With these original schematics, Dave can begin to measure the chassis and components to make sure they are safe but also meet the original specifications.

It is truly an honour to work on such a rare and unique car as our 1905 Riley 9hp.

Starting Up – Beginning Work on the 1905 Riley 9HP

January 14, 2022

Bridge Classic Cars has the honour of beginning the restoration on this incredible 1905 Riley 9HP, believed to be one of just three remaining in the world. Our in-house restoration teams have this once in a lifetime opportunity to work on this amazing project.

The rebuild and assessment of the project will be headed up by our most experienced technician, Dave. Daves wealth of knowledge and experience across all eras of classic and vintage cars makes him our strongest team member to assess the car. Using reference photos from our visit to the National Motor Museum, which houses the only complete car publicly accessible, Dave and Gordon could begin to go through the parts and components we have amassed for this very special project.

It’s a very exciting prospect of working on such a rare and unique piece of automotive history for us all here at Bridge Classic Cars. So, expect to see some more updates on the 1905 Riley 9HP soon here on the Bridge Classic Cars newspage.

As Good as New – Paint Repair on the 1930 Packard 740 Waterfield Convertible

January 5, 2022

Alan, one of our expert painters here at Bridge Classic Cars, has been hard at work preparing and painting the wings on the 1930 Packard 740 Waterfield Convertible.

Carefully, Alan masked off the wing and began to take back the deep maroon paintwork step by step. After the piece had been taken back far enough, Alan got to work getting the panel into primer. Using our state of the art paint matching computer, Alan was able to exactly match the same tone and shade of maroon that features so prominently on this incredible pre-war car.

Once the paint had cured properly, Alan could then begin the process of cutting the paint back using a series of abrasives. Beginning with a 1500 grit wet and dry paper to remove any imperfection, he then step up to 3000 grit and then 6000 grit in order to achieve the perfect finish before it was then machine polished.