Car LHD conversion

Closing Up – Replacing the Sill Straps and Closing Panels on the 1970 Bristol 411

After carefully opening up the sills of the 1970 Bristol 411 and thoroughly inspecting them, our technicians have begun the process of sealing them back up in the car.

The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have hand fabricated new sills straps and new closing panels for the classic Bristol after inspecting the inner sills for any form of corrosion. The originals had to be cut out of the car and couldn’t be reused so our fabrication team made brand new, tight-fitting and durable panels to replace them.

The original flanges were cleaned up and straightened to give a good mounting surface for the workshop to weld the new panels back into place and seal up the underside of the classic Bristol.

All By Hand – Hand Stitching Dash Pieces for the 1970 Bristol 411

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working alongside the workshop team on the left-hand-drive conversion of the 1970 Bristol 411.

In the last update, we showed you getting the dash panel pieces test fit into the car but our trimmer Lydia took some detailed photos showing the process of hand-cutting and stitching these beautiful black leather pieces together to make the final covers.

Test Fit – Trial Fitment of the New Steering Rack on the 1970 Bristol 411

The all-new steering rack for the 1970 Bristol 411 has been test fit into the car by the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop.

As part of the cars left-hand drive conversion, the technicians have specced a brand new power-steering rack. Previously, the workshop has been busy making new plates and brackets for this moment.

With the new rack in place, the technicians can take measurements and double check tolerances for any interference which may happen.

Fabrication – Brackets and Mounts Fabricated for the 1970 Bristol 411

The Bristol 411 left-hand drive conversion is moving forward with new mounts and brackets being fabricated by the restoration team in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

Paul has made new glovebox brackets to reinforce behind the dashboard now the dash has rotated.

The biggest change has been underneath the car. Paul has made new plates that will be used to attach the all-new steering rack for the conversion. The pieces were cut to shape and then carefully refined to fit into the car.