Austin 7 back in!
August 13, 2021
We’ve welcomed back this 1933 maroon Austin 7 into our workshop this week. Paul has been working on it and he’s installed a new brake
bridge classic cars
It’s the detail that counts with the Honda!
August 13, 2021
Lydia has been continuing her prep work again for the 1998 Honda Integra Type R. This time around she’s been sanding down the primer on
Our newest winners!
August 12, 2021
Our two most recent competition winners got united with their cars today. One of them was Andrew Oswold, who won the 1981 Rover 3500 SD1
Chrome trouble with the Corniche.
August 12, 2021
We’ve recently been looking at the bumper on our 1973 Rolls Royce Corniche. It had been painted at some time in its life and so
Another purchase!
August 12, 2021
You may have read about our recent purchases from yesterday’s blog posts, and here’s another one! This 1958 Triumph TR3, which was in the workshop
Lotus Elan all checked over!
August 11, 2021
The 1971 Lotus Elan is now ready to leave our workshop! After a general check over was done on the suspension bushes underneath the car
Aztec Gold Mercedes coming this way!
August 11, 2021
Another car which we have recently purchased is this 1976 Mercedes R107 350 SL. With the exterior of the car painted in Aztec Gold and
Newly purchased, Ford Capri!
August 11, 2021
Here’s a car that a lot of people are fond of. Purchased by us today is this 1983 Ford Capri 1.6 LS! The bodywork on
Axles fitting time for the Daytona.
August 11, 2021
Scott has now finished re-assembling the front axle for the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona. The rear axle was re-assembled last week, which you can see
Boot panel prep on the Honda.
August 11, 2021
Lydia has been continuing the prep work on the 1998 Honda Integra Type R. This time she’s been sanding down the original paintwork on the
More transformations on the E-Type!
August 11, 2021
Matt’s been continuing his transformation work on the 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3. The outside of the body has now been painted Fern Grey to
Engine work continues on the Lotus…
August 10, 2021
Ady has been continuing his investigation into the engine of the 1971 Lotus Elan. He’s replaced the points condenser and coil and put fresh oil
New in, 1971 Lotus Elan!
August 10, 2021
We’re welcoming this 1971 Lotus Elan into the workshop! It’s in here because it doesn’t run, so the engine needs checking over to see where
Lotus Elan’s black points.
August 10, 2021
Ady has started investigating this Lotus Elan’s engine after the owner bought it into us because of it not running quite right. He’s found that
Front axle nearly complete on the Daytona!
August 10, 2021
Scott has been getting up to speed on the front axle of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona. The only tasks left to do on it
Prep work continues on the E-Type Roadster.
August 10, 2021
Lydia has continued sanding down the primer on various parts for the 1973 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Series 3. This time it was the gearbox cover,
More work than anticipated on the Daimler!
August 10, 2021
After thinking the 1977 Daimler Double Six would only be in and out rather quickly, James has unfortunately discovered layers of more corrosion than expected
Ingenius idea!
August 10, 2021
Dave has been working on the 1960 peony red Jensen 541S. He’s adjusted the cover for the gearbox so it can come apart for an
Sticky brakes!
August 10, 2021
Our 1978 bronze Lancia has recently been getting some TLC. This car is an upcoming competition car and is being serviced just like all the
Front bases now finished for the Aston!
August 6, 2021
Kath has been fitting the second front base seat cover to its foam and frame for the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4. It’s exactly the
Frame finished for the E-Type Roadster.
August 6, 2021
Lydia has finished sanding down the primer on the front frame for the 1973 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Series 3. You can read about the process
Right-hand side work on the Daimler.
August 6, 2021
James has been continuing his repair work on the 1986 Daimler Double Six. He’s now finished the left-hand side, which you can read about the
Speedy Speedo work on the TR6.
August 6, 2021
Dave has been working on the 1975 Triumph TR6. He’s installed a new speedo cable and new clips to go on them. On the original,
Another re-covering for the Bentley.
August 6, 2021
Brian has been re-covering these rear quarter backboards for the 1963 Bentley S3 Continental. They came to us as bare wood, without the original leather
New sun visors for the Aston!
August 6, 2021
Brian has been re-covering a few more pieces for the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4’s interior. The rear seat top panels have been done. He
Sorting the fuel system for the E-Type.
August 6, 2021
Scott’s been sorting the fuel system for the 1968 Jaguar E-Type 1.5 4.2. There was a smell of fuel in the car, which he tracked
Reassembling the rear axle of the Daytona.
August 6, 2021
Now that the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona is back in the workshop, Scott’s been straight back to work with it. In these photos you can
Hood painting for the E-Type.
August 6, 2021
Just a quick update here to show photos of the 1973 Jaguar E-type Roadster Series 3’s hood frame that’s recently been painted by Chris in
Cold blowing hot on the Jensen 541S!
August 5, 2021
John has been giving the heater valve some attention on the peony red 1960 Jensen 541S. When it was being tested, the heater was blowing
Welding update on the Honda.
August 5, 2021
James has been doing the last bits of welding repair work on the 1998 Honda Integra Type R. He removed the left hand quarter panel
Austin 7 back in!
August 13, 2021
We’ve welcomed back this 1933 maroon Austin 7 into our workshop this week. Paul has been working on it and he’s installed a new brake light switch and new wires for it too. He’s been looking at the front brakes and the fuel tank float as well because of trouble with them. The front brakes aren’t working quite right and the fuel tank float is getting stuck and ending up showing the fuel as full, when in fact, it’s empty. Now Paul’s just waiting for the parts to arrive to fix these problems.
It’s the detail that counts with the Honda!
August 13, 2021
Lydia has been continuing her prep work again for the 1998 Honda Integra Type R. This time around she’s been sanding down the primer on the various panel pieces for the wing mirrors and the fuel cap. They were all gone over with 500 grade gold soft pads, followed by grey scotch and then panel wipe to clean the sanding and paint dust off.
Our newest winners!
August 12, 2021
Our two most recent competition winners got united with their cars today. One of them was Andrew Oswold, who won the 1981 Rover 3500 SD1 Vanden Plas. He’s also pictured here with a 1976 Triumph Spitfire 1500, which he also won with our classic car competition, back in May! He’s clearly a very lucky man!
The other winner was Michael Wright, who won the 1983 VW Golf GTI.
Chrome trouble with the Corniche.
August 12, 2021
We’ve recently been looking at the bumper on our 1973 Rolls Royce Corniche. It had been painted at some time in its life and so wasn’t looking fantastic. We took it to have the paint taken off but unfortunately, the bumper disintegrated in places. So we’ve decided to get a whole new chrome bumper in replacement.
Another purchase!
August 12, 2021
You may have read about our recent purchases from yesterday’s blog posts, and here’s another one! This 1958 Triumph TR3, which was in the workshop recently for work, is now in our possession. The car has had a full service done in our workshop and it’s now ready for the paint shop to remedy the scuff to the front left wing. The question is, now that this stunning classic is ours, what should we do with it?
Lotus Elan all checked over!
August 11, 2021
The 1971 Lotus Elan is now ready to leave our workshop! After a general check over was done on the suspension bushes underneath the car by John, no problems were found. You can read about the engine work that Ady did on this car by clicking here and here.
Aztec Gold Mercedes coming this way!
August 11, 2021
Another car which we have recently purchased is this 1976 Mercedes R107 350 SL. With the exterior of the car painted in Aztec Gold and the interior being Chocolate Tex colour, it screams the 1970s. The exterior of the car is in great condition and with the seats being made of vinyl, they’ve done extremely well with the age of the car. In terms of the engine, the vehicle has been kept very original but has had work done to it in the past couple of years. Watch this space to find out when it’s made its way to our workshop!
Newly purchased, Ford Capri!
August 11, 2021
Here’s a car that a lot of people are fond of. Purchased by us today is this 1983 Ford Capri 1.6 LS! The bodywork on this car is fantastic, with no signs of corrosion underneath, the original cloth interior is in great condition for its age and it’s only had two other owners! Keep your eyes peeled on the happenings of this new purchase!
Axles fitting time for the Daytona.
August 11, 2021
Scott has now finished re-assembling the front axle for the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona. The rear axle was re-assembled last week, which you can see a blog post about here. A blog post showing the front axle’s progress from yesterday can be accessed here. Now both axles are re-assembled, they were able to be fitted to the car!
The front and rear axles have both been rebuilt with all new bushings, bearings, shocks and springs. The brake calipers have been refurbished and Scott has replaced all the brake lines. The car was then lowered down onto the newly built axles and they were bolted on with new mountings.
Boot panel prep on the Honda.
August 11, 2021
Lydia has been continuing the prep work on the 1998 Honda Integra Type R. This time she’s been sanding down the original paintwork on the underneath/inside of the panel that goes around the boot of the car. She used 500-grade gold soft pads to get rid of the bulk of the shine, followed by grey scotch pads to get into the tricky places and to go over the whole thing as well. Lydia then cleaned off the sanding and paint dust with panel wipe.
More transformations on the E-Type!
August 11, 2021
Matt’s been continuing his transformation work on the 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3. The outside of the body has now been painted Fern Grey to match the inside! There are photos and a small write-up of the inside and the newly painted front frame in yesterday’s blog post, which you can access by clicking here.
There are other parts that are now in the line-up to be painted, so watch this space!
Lydia has also continued sanding down the primer on parts for the E-Type. This time, the door hinges. They were gone over with 500-grade soft pads, grey scotch after and cleaned off with panel wipe.
Engine work continues on the Lotus…
August 10, 2021
Ady has been continuing his investigation into the engine of the 1971 Lotus Elan. He’s replaced the points condenser and coil and put fresh oil in the car. The underside of the car needs looking at next, where the suspension bushes are.
New in, 1971 Lotus Elan!
August 10, 2021
We’re welcoming this 1971 Lotus Elan into the workshop! It’s in here because it doesn’t run, so the engine needs checking over to see where the issue(s) lies. Stay tuned for progress on the matter.
Lotus Elan’s black points.
August 10, 2021
Ady has started investigating this Lotus Elan’s engine after the owner bought it into us because of it not running quite right. He’s found that the tips of the points are black, which is not what they should be, and explains why there’s no spark in the engine. Stay tuned for more progress on this…
Front axle nearly complete on the Daytona!
August 10, 2021
Scott has been getting up to speed on the front axle of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona. The only tasks left to do on it is that the steering rack needs to be installed, the shocks need to be mounted and the front anti-roll bar needs to be installed. After all that, the front axle will be completed!
Prep work continues on the E-Type Roadster.
August 10, 2021
Lydia has continued sanding down the primer on various parts for the 1973 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Series 3. This time it was the gearbox cover, boot hinges and door rubber channels. The gearbox cover had 320 soft grade on the front/face, 180 soft grade underneath and grey scotch pad all over afterwards. The boot hinges had 500 soft grade and then grey scotch pad. The door rubber channels also had 500 soft grade and grey scotch. They were then all cleaned off with panel wipe to get rid of sanding and paint dust.
More work than anticipated on the Daimler!
August 10, 2021
After thinking the 1977 Daimler Double Six would only be in and out rather quickly, James has unfortunately discovered layers of more corrosion than expected on the right-hand side, front inner wing and chassis rail/leg. The whole inside of the subframe is corroded. So James has been going through it all and working out which parts can be repaired and which parts need to be replaced altogether.
Sometimes this is the way with classic cars. You think you have the problem noted down and are prepared for it, but then you start uncovering more than expected. Thankfully we have a talented group of staff that are there to solve these issues!
Ingenius idea!
August 10, 2021
Dave has been working on the 1960 peony red Jensen 541S. He’s adjusted the cover for the gearbox so it can come apart for an easier inspection. Bolts have been fitted so it’s fixed in securely but also has a way to undo. We definitely have clever people working for us!
Lydia has also had a part to play in this process by sanding carpet, glue and paint off one of the floor panels that sits underneath the gearbox.
Sticky brakes!
August 10, 2021
Our 1978 bronze Lancia has recently been getting some TLC. This car is an upcoming competition car and is being serviced just like all the other competition cars, to make sure it’s in good condition before it heads to a new home!
Mauro inspected the vehicle all over last week and now John has been doing work to the brakes after it was found that they were sticking and would go on but not come off. New brake lines have been put on the front and have solved this issue.
Front bases now finished for the Aston!
August 6, 2021
Kath has been fitting the second front base seat cover to its foam and frame for the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4. It’s exactly the same process as the other front base, which you can read about here.
Frame finished for the E-Type Roadster.
August 6, 2021
Lydia has finished sanding down the primer on the front frame for the 1973 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Series 3. You can read about the process here. The sanding dust has been cleaned off with panel wipe, ready for the frame to be painted now.
Right-hand side work on the Daimler.
August 6, 2021
James has been continuing his repair work on the 1986 Daimler Double Six. He’s now finished the left-hand side, which you can read about the process of here. The same work will be carried out on the right-hand side now.
Speedy Speedo work on the TR6.
August 6, 2021
Dave has been working on the 1975 Triumph TR6. He’s installed a new speedo cable and new clips to go on them. On the original, there was a bad earth connection and it appears that the car had been driven with this happening, which meant the cable had melted. Another problem that he encountered was that the angle box had been destroyed from the drive out of the gearbox. Dave had to, unfortunately, take the interior out to access the drive and speedo cable, which always adds time to the process of anything. He also found there was a missing split pin on the offside bottom trunion.
Dave is now in the process of doing the 4 wheel alignment, which means putting lasers on it and setting up the geometry of it all. Shims have to be put in, to square everything up.
Another re-covering for the Bentley.
August 6, 2021
Brian has been re-covering these rear quarter backboards for the 1963 Bentley S3 Continental. They came to us as bare wood, without the original leather on. Brian put some poly-flex filler on parts where it wasn’t flat and sanded this down. He then cut some 3mm foam out for the top part and glued this onto the wood. New leather was marked out and cut out to cover this foam and was glued below the foam and underneath at the sides.
New sun visors for the Aston!
August 6, 2021
Brian has been re-covering a few more pieces for the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4’s interior.
The rear seat top panels have been done. He took the original leather off the wood and cleaned off any old glue that remained. He used the original leather covering as a pattern on the new leather to draw around and then cut out. Brian then simply had to glue the new leather onto the original wood, wrapping the leather around the edges and sealing underneath to provide neat edges. This panel will sit on top of the rear seat once in the car, which just provides a cover so there isn’t a gap. If you think of a modern car and its parcel shelf, that’s the position this will be in.
The sun visors have also been recovered. Brian started the process by taking the original material off the boards that formed the sun visors. He then used these boards to work out the measurements of new fabric he needed to cut out. He cut out new boards and then glued the new headlining fabric to one side and wrapped around the edges, sealing in place. Brian trimmed down the flange down one side on lengths of piping and glued it to the inside edge of one board. He then attached the other side of covered board to finish the sun visors.
Sorting the fuel system for the E-Type.
August 6, 2021
Scott’s been sorting the fuel system for the 1968 Jaguar E-Type 1.5 4.2.
There was a smell of fuel in the car, which he tracked down to a bad gasket between the pick up pipe and the tank. The gasket had been made from a corrugated cardboard box, would you believe it! So Scott went about making a proper gasket made from cork. He then cleaned out the pick up well in the tank because it had a load of sediment in. The sender unit was also cleaned and was re-fitted. The fuel system was then flushed through to get rid of any bad stuff that was in the lines. Scott then plumbed it all back in and checked for leaks. He found that it leaked at the filter and one banjo union on the centre carb. Also, the float had got stuck on the rearmost carb, which meant it was overflowing. So the float level was adjusted and all is working fine now.
Reassembling the rear axle of the Daytona.
August 6, 2021
Now that the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona is back in the workshop, Scott’s been straight back to work with it. In these photos you can see he’s started to reassemble the rear axle back together. An interesting point to make with this car is that the discs are on the inside of the rear axle rather than on the actual wheels.
Hood painting for the E-Type.
August 6, 2021
Just a quick update here to show photos of the 1973 Jaguar E-type Roadster Series 3’s hood frame that’s recently been painted by Chris in the paint shop.
Cold blowing hot on the Jensen 541S!
August 5, 2021
John has been giving the heater valve some attention on the peony red 1960 Jensen 541S. When it was being tested, the heater was blowing hot when it was actually being set to cold on the control. So John set about changing the valve for it to work properly.
Welding update on the Honda.
August 5, 2021
James has been doing the last bits of welding repair work on the 1998 Honda Integra Type R. He removed the left hand quarter panel and repaired around the wheel arch. Then he finished the spot welding around the rear wheel arch.
