A Makeover For The Seats Of Our 1954 Bristol 405
November 14, 2022
Quite a bit of interior work has been done on our 1954 Bristol 405 lately. The seats have been a focus of Lydia as she
bristol 405 restoration
Matched – Finishing the Other Squab Seat on the 1954 Bristol 405
July 1, 2022
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have completed the 2nd squab seat for the 1954 Bristol 405 which is in for restoration with us
Like New – Making the Squab Seats for the 1954 Bristol 405
June 29, 2022
The 1954 Bristol 405, in for restoration at Bridge Classic Cars, has had the trim team finish off the first off 2 squab seats for
Resting Place – Remaking the 1954 Bristol 405 Armrest
June 16, 2022
Our in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked meticulously on remaking the armrest of the 1954 Bristol 405 which is in for restoration.
Repairs and Remakes – Work on the Seats for the 1954 Bristol 405
June 10, 2022
The Bristol 405 restoration is on its way with our Trim Shop carrying out several bits of work on both the front and rear seats
Reimagined – Repairing the Rear Seat and New Front Seat Foams For the 1954 Bristol 405
May 30, 2022
The interior technicians at Bridge Classic Cars have recreated several key parts for the interior of the 1954 Bristol 405. To begin with, the team
Delicate Work – Teardown of the Rear Seat Bases on the 1954 Bristol 405
May 30, 2022
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars are continuing their work on the interior of the 1954 Bristol 405 which is in for restoration by
Begin Again – Strip Down and Rebuilding the Seat Bases of the 1954 Bristol 405
May 27, 2022
The in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on stripping down the front seats of the 1954 Bristol 405, in our Suffolk
Deeper Dive – Inspecting the Front Seats of the 1954 Bristol 405
May 26, 2022
The interior team at Bridge Classic Cars have been inspecting the condition of the front seats from the 1954 Bristol 405 that is in for
Stripped Back – Teardown of the 1954 Bristol 405 Interior Begins
May 26, 2022
The interior team at Bridge Classic Cars is starting the journey of stripping back the interior on the 1954 Bristol 405 as it begins its
This Just In – 1954 Bristol 405 and Parts
April 7, 2022
The 1954 Bristol 405 and all the accompanying parts have arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars secure storage facility, The Hangar, while it awaits its
Inspection – Inspecting the Carburettors on the 1954 Bristol 405
March 17, 2022
The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has begun to inspect the carburettors on the original straight-six destined to be reunited with the 1954 Bristol 405.
A Piece of the Puzzle – The 1954 Bristol 405’s Original Engine Returns
March 4, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars workshop in Pettistree have received a very important shipment today. Not only is it important for the technicians in the restoration
A Makeover For The Seats Of Our 1954 Bristol 405
November 14, 2022
Quite a bit of interior work has been done on our 1954 Bristol 405 lately. The seats have been a focus of Lydia as she has been working hard to get them into a much more presentable condition.
She has been busy sewing calico onto the front seats and fitting them onto their foams and frames. Lydia has also been cleaning up and re-painting the metal parts of the seats too.
Once the front seats were done, the rear seats, which are also fluted, went through the same process of having a small draft of the flutes made to check measurements before being made for real out of leather. The rear seats have a calico backing and are stuffed with foam and wadding (like the front seats).
Finally, the piping was sewn on before Lydia marked and cut out the leather for the skirt pieces.
While Lydia was busy working on the seats of our 1954 Bristol 405, Brian was making door panels. He first marked these out using paper patterns before cutting out the rear door panel. He also had to cut holes for the handles and armrests.
While Lydia and Brian were working on the interior components of our 405, Paul was working on the outer doors.
Paul spent some time assessing the doors and coming up with a plan of action to get them back into the shape they need to be in order for this classic car to be driven back out on the road.
Our 1954 Bristol 405 still has a long way to go but progress continues and we look forward to seeing what the future has in store.
Matched – Finishing the Other Squab Seat on the 1954 Bristol 405
July 1, 2022
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have completed the 2nd squab seat for the 1954 Bristol 405 which is in for restoration with us at our Suffolk HQ.
The team have made an exact copy of the other squab seat which was completed earlier. Both of these pieces have been carefully wrapped up and stored ready for the cars reassmebly.
Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more on the 1954 Bristol 405 very soon.
Like New – Making the Squab Seats for the 1954 Bristol 405
June 29, 2022
The 1954 Bristol 405, in for restoration at Bridge Classic Cars, has had the trim team finish off the first off 2 squab seats for the car.
Lydia, one of our trimmers, has made the whole seat by hand using the original as a template to work from. Each individual piece has been made by hand specifically for the car and the results look absolutely incredible.
Resting Place – Remaking the 1954 Bristol 405 Armrest
June 16, 2022
Our in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked meticulously on remaking the armrest of the 1954 Bristol 405 which is in for restoration.
The team completely stripped the old piece down to its base parts in order to assess and refurbish any pieces that require attention. The original wooden bases were cleaned up and reused while the foams were completely remade from scratch and shaped to fit.
Repairs and Remakes – Work on the Seats for the 1954 Bristol 405
June 10, 2022
The Bristol 405 restoration is on its way with our Trim Shop carrying out several bits of work on both the front and rear seats for the classic 4 door saloon.
The Bridge Classic Cars trim team has remade the elastic webbing which sits beneath the front seats in the classic Bristol. These have been secured onto the refurbished seat bases and the hand-cut foams placed in to check for fitment and alignment.
Next, the team worked on repairing some of the wooden arches of the rear seats in the car. Our trimmer Brian carefully cut out some previous repairs from the piece to securely fix the piece ahead of moving onto to replacing some of the woodwork needed for around the cushion openings.
Reimagined – Repairing the Rear Seat and New Front Seat Foams For the 1954 Bristol 405
May 30, 2022
The interior technicians at Bridge Classic Cars have recreated several key parts for the interior of the 1954 Bristol 405.
To begin with, the team have made brand new foam pieces for the front seats of the classic Bristol as part of its restoration.
Then, the team could keep stripping down the rear seat base of the car to get to the frame that lay beneath. The next part for the trim shop to look into was the foldable armrest. Stripped back to its core, the hinge and piece itself could be assessed and then remade.
From there, the team could use the baseboard as a template to make a new piece entirely from scratch. Transfering the main shape to new wood, the trim shop soaked the ends in water so as to allow the wood to bend into place without snapping or cracking in any way before being pinned to the framework to rest and dry into the needed shape.
Delicate Work – Teardown of the Rear Seat Bases on the 1954 Bristol 405
May 30, 2022
The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars are continuing their work on the interior of the 1954 Bristol 405 which is in for restoration by the team at our Suffolk HQ.
The trim team have been carefully dismantling the interior of the classic Bristol in order to inspect and assess its condition and a plan for its restoration.
Once the team had stripped back the entire piece, they could see the condition of the framework underneath and support brackets. While the wooden frames will need attention, the metal brackets were in good enough shape for the team to sandblast and paint them in gloss black to renew them for the project. The foam will also be replaced along with the coverings which are being catalogued and stored for reference later in the project.
Begin Again – Strip Down and Rebuilding the Seat Bases of the 1954 Bristol 405
May 27, 2022
The in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on stripping down the front seats of the 1954 Bristol 405, in our Suffolk restoration workshop, before rebuilding the bases.
The team always take care when removing the original covers so they can be preserved for reference or pattern making later down the line. The cores of the seats are then stripped back to their most basic features and sanded/cleaned down before the restorative work can begin.
With the bases completely stripped back, the first job was to remake the wooden inner backboards using the originals as a rough template to work from. Once these were cut and refined, the team could create the outer backboards before foaming work could begin.
Deeper Dive – Inspecting the Front Seats of the 1954 Bristol 405
May 26, 2022
The interior team at Bridge Classic Cars have been inspecting the condition of the front seats from the 1954 Bristol 405 that is in for restoration.
Each seat is broken down to its base parts and each bolt and hinge is inspected along with the various materials found inside the covers to learn more about their shape and form. The team methodically go through the seats inch by inch making note which parts of them will need to be refurbished or replacements handmade by the team.
Stripped Back – Teardown of the 1954 Bristol 405 Interior Begins
May 26, 2022
The interior team at Bridge Classic Cars is starting the journey of stripping back the interior on the 1954 Bristol 405 as it begins its restoration across our various departments.
Brian, one of our trimmers, has been working on carefully picking apart the hundreds (if not thousands) of small brass tacks which hold the material to the frames of the classic Bristol seats. Inch by inch, the material is freed from its bindings and once it has been completely undone, it is folded and stored ready to be catalogued and stored for reference.
Once each piece is stripped back, the team can assess the condition of the foam and adhesives, also inspecting any of the delicate frameworks which make up the seats for the rare saloon car. Every single piece of the interior is being carefully looked at and noted to build up the best picture for the plan moving forward during the car’s restoration.
This Just In – 1954 Bristol 405 and Parts
April 7, 2022
The 1954 Bristol 405 and all the accompanying parts have arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars secure storage facility, The Hangar, while it awaits its restoration at our workshops.
The car came straight from Ireland to our storage facility where it will be safely and securely stored. The team also documented several boxes of parts and pieces for the classic Bristol which have been carefully put away in our stores department.
Keep a lookout on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates very soon on the 1954 Bristol 405
Inspection – Inspecting the Carburettors on the 1954 Bristol 405
March 17, 2022
The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has begun to inspect the carburettors on the original straight-six destined to be reunited with the 1954 Bristol 405.
Our restoration technicians have been testing the carburettors are clear and all springs and rotating pieces move smoothly, as well as inspecting some of the internals before they’re completely taken apart and inspected further on the workbench.
A Piece of the Puzzle – The 1954 Bristol 405’s Original Engine Returns
March 4, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars workshop in Pettistree have received a very important shipment today. Not only is it important for the technicians in the restoration of the 1954 Bristol 405, but its important for the car itself.
The team at Bridge Classic Cars have managed to track down the car’s original engine. That’s right, this is the correct engine for the classic Bristol. The car is currently fitted with the engine from a Triumph TR6, but as part of the restoration of the car, its original heart will be put back into the 1950s GT car to live out the rest of its years with.
We’re excited to show you more on the 1954 Bristol 405 project very soon but for now, we get to marvel at the glorious Bristol straight-six.
