car restoration

Inside the Bridge Classic Cars workshop 02-12-2020

Workshop Walkabout

December 2, 2020

Our week has been very busy with two photoshoots at the start of the week and new projects arriving in the workshop. Tr6’s new hood

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Jag E-type leaking oil

Workshop Walkabout

September 24, 2020

We took a walk around our busy workshop this afternoon to see what all our technicians are working on right now. First up we have

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In Colour – 1978 MG B GT Painted in Blaze Orange

July 5, 2022

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!

This Just In – 1959 Jensen 541R

June 24, 2022

The 1959 Jensen 541R which has been up for sale and stored at our secure storage facility, The Hangar, has been transferred over to our Pettistree restoration workshop to begin its journey.

The classic Jensen has been commissioned to be built by our workshop from the ground up for its new owner.

Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates very soon on the 1959 Jensen 541R.

Making Sense – Modifying the Wiring Harness of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona

March 1, 2022

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars are working on cleaning up and modifying the wiring harness for the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona.

Rob, one of our restoration technicians, has taken the entire harness for the car and begun to strip it back into individual systems to assess what is and isn’t there for the classic Daytona replica. The harness itself comes from a Jaguar XJS which includes multiple sensors, relays and components which aren’t needed or found on a Daytona.

So, Rob is working his way through and cleaning up the harness to make sure everything that needs to be connected is there and both neatly and safely in the car. Stripping away any unneeded pieces to simplify the car’s electrical system.

Catch a Leak – Fixing Leaky Carburettors on the 1973 MGB GT V8

January 13, 2022

Paul, one of our in-house restoration technicians at Bridge Classic Cars, has been getting to the bottom of a fuel leak on the 1973 MGB GT V8 we currently have in our Suffolk workshop.

After investigating, Paul found the seal around the needle within the carburettor was weeping and allowing fuel to leak out. After carefully taking apart the carbs (making sure not to damage or warp any of the gaskets) Paul replaced the seal and rebuilt the units to go back on top of the V8. After they were back on, Paul checked for any leaks and everything was nice, clean and dry.

Starting from New – Continuing Body Repairs on the 1987 Daimler Double Six

January 13, 2022

Our in-house fabrication shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working its way through the rust issues on the 1987 Daimler Double Six.

Monty, one of our amazing fabricators, has carefully removed the affected areas on the sills of the luxury saloon. Monty has worked through the sills and replaced them with brand new metal which will perfectly match the original piece. The piece is as close to the original material thickness as to perfectly blend with the existing panel and when it comes to colour and bodywork, it is easier to paint match.

The work will continue on the 1987 Daimler Double Six so keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars newspage.

Final Fitment – Fitting the Exhaust to the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

January 12, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house restoration technicians have finished up the custom-made exhaust on the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster that we refer to as Fern Grey.

Paul has been working on getting the new exhaust safe and secure underneath the iconic sports car. From the exhaust collector to the stunning, bright double-tipped outlet which perfectly follows the line of the bottom of Fern Grey.

With the new exhaust fitted underneath the E Type, our in-house restoration technicians can move forward wit the final assembly of this stunning classic Jaguar.

Workshop Update – New Door in the Trim Shop

December 7, 2021

Over the coming weeks and months, there are some changes beginning to happen at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in Pettistree, Suffolk. Apart from our new workshop extension, the changes have already started to begin.

The trim shop, where Brian and Kath create some of the most incredible automotive upholstery you have ever seen, is now accessible from our in-house paint booth and vice versa. This allows for better movement around the building and also a better flow for the restoration teams.

There are more changes coming soon to the building but you’ll have to wait and see. Keep an eye here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates on our very special workshop.

Mirror Image – Bodywork on the 1977 MGB Roadster

December 6, 2021

This 1977 MGB Roadster is in with Bridge Classic Cars for a full cosmetic restoration. That does involve a bit of cutting…

Scott has worked his magic on the passenger side of this amazing sports car over the last few weeks. Carefully removing any corroded metal on its flanks so that the new wings can be grafted in and secured. Now, it was time for Scott to begin work on the driver’s side. Much the same as the other, Scott only cut where was needed to remove the material and give enough room to comfortably weld the new panels in with very little distortion from the heat.

Using a thin cutting disc, Scott managed to create clean and precise cuts to remove firstly the original rear wing and then the structure and wheel arch behind it. These are needed to be removed and replaced with brand new pieces as part of the car’s aesthetic restoration.

Now, with the wings all on and cleaned up. It’s time to move forwards.

To the Same Standard – 1998 Honda Integra Type R Wheels Off for Refurb

October 28, 2021

With all the hard work put into the 1998 Honda Integra Type R by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house restoration teams, we had to make sure every element of the car was in the best possible condition.

The wheels are no exception. The wheels are finished in matching Championship White but have seen better days. Thankfully, they can be refurbished. With care and attention, the wheels will be back soon and looking as good if not better than when the DC2 rolled out of the showroom back in 1998.

A New Look – Repainting the Bonnet and Boot on the 1984 Jaguar XJ

October 25, 2021

Some of you may remember the 1984 Jaguar XJ bonnet and boot that a customer had asked us to refinish. The rest of the car had been painted elsewhere but that isn’t a problem for our in-house paint team.

After working on the rust repairs for the panels and making sure the surfaces were flat and true, Chris and the team got to the meticulous job of paint matching.

Thanks to our state of the art paint system as well as years of experience, Chris managed to exactly match the shade and hue of deep, vibrant maroon for this classic Jaguar. The results look incredible.

Chris and the team take their time with the prepping of each individual piece that needs painting and that also includes laying the primer in just the right way that it sits and shines just in the right way for the colour coat to achieve the best finish.

Coming Back Together – Refitting the Engine Bay of the 1998 Honda Integra Type R

October 20, 2021

The freshly painted 1998 Honda Integra Type R is out of the paint booth after its sympathetic respray here at Bridge Classic Cars. Now it’s time for our in-house restoration technicians to begin putting everything back together.

As you may have seen previously, the engine bay on the Integra Type R has been cleaned up and resprayed in its factory Championship White. Now the paint has cured it’s time to refit all the systems under the bonnet. Tom and Paul have been working on getting all the pipework and components back to their original locations while also taking extreme care as to not undo any of the hard work done by our in-house painters.

Soon, it will be time drop the engine back in…

Getting into Shape – Windshield Surround on the 1951 Riley RMB

October 20, 2021

Our master fabricator James has been busy in the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication shop carefully and methodically recreating the windshield surround on the 1951 Riley RMB.

Using traditional shaping methods, James has recreated the original tops of the cowl/windshield surround. The shape is complex with many compound curves and edges but that is no trouble for our in-house fabrication shop. Carefully manipulating the metal through the English wheel and the shrink/stretcher, James managed to create the same sweeps and bends of the original.

Then with the hammer and dolly, finessing the final shape into place. Then, it was time to do it all over again for the otherside. The only way to create this piece was in two separate parts. The skill that our master fabricators have is the seamlessly blend them together.

The two halves were then welded together to create one entire panel that can be fitted into the windshield surround. Later, the welds will be ground back to create a smooth finished piece and then cut down to size for the perfect fit.

Protecting Hard Work – Applying the Guard Liner to the 1998 Honda Integra Type R

October 13, 2021

After working so hard on the finish of the 1998 Honda Integra Type R, it is important to protect what has been done here at Bridge Classic Cars.

Chris, our in-house paint expert, has been applying arch liner protection to the wheel arches of the Integra DC2. Chris has put many hours into ensuring that the finish on the paintwork we have done to the DC2 Integra is world-class. The front wings, as well as the engine bay, have been worked on for rust repair and paint so a few coats of arch liner will help to protect not just the paint but the metal work underneath.

This was also done by the factory when the car was new so it makes sense to redo the coating to make sure this Integra lasts for many years to come.

Back Together – Carburettors for the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster are Rebuilt

October 8, 2021

The carburettors on the 1973 Fern Grey Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster are freshly rebuilt. Our master engine builder Ady spent many hows carefully dismantling each and every component to check for any damage.

Each of the pieces was given a clean bill of health by Ady. From there it was time to clean down every surface of the giant Strombergs. Ady always takes great pride in his work, he sat there and hand cleaned every individual part to continuously inspect the component while he cleaned away years of dirt.

With a full gasket rebuild kit, Ady managed to get the Carburettors back together in an afternoon, performing a small part of the set-up while still on the bench.

Next up for the carburettors is to be bolted up the manifold and put back on that glorious V12. Expect to see that very soon on the Bridge Classic Cars website.

In With the New – Recommissioning the Cooling System on the 1973 MGB Roadster

October 6, 2021

The 1973 MGB Roadster we currently have in at Bridge Classic Cars for work has been having its cooling system gone through.

Our in-house restoration technician Ady last time worked on removing the water pump and the old radiator from this iconic little sportscar. New parts were put on order and have now been fitted into the front of the bright red MG B.

A completely new water pump has been fitted to make sure that when it is eventually driven, the temperatures stay nice and safe. Working alongside the new water pump is the replacement radiator.

This was crucial in the cooling system as the old one had seen better days and on the advice of our in-house technician, a new one was fitted for peace of mind.

More will be coming up soon on the MGB Roadster so be sure to keep an eye on our News Page.

Safe & Sound – Preparing the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 for Paint

October 1, 2021

The 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkI is a perfect example of the sportscar built under the supervision of David Brown during his time as the head of Aston Martin.

This particular Aston Martin DB2/4 is in at Bridge Classic Cars for a full restoration. Recently it has been worked on by our master fabricator Clinton to make sure that all the metalwork throughout the cars body and frame is in the best shape before the next stage for the car. Now, it’s time to start dismantling and cataloguing the front and rear suspension assemblies plus the steering system. Our technician Mauro meticulously worked his way through each system carefully noting down the position of anything that has an adjustment so when it comes time to reassemble the DB2/4 it can be back in the same position it was taken off in.

You may have seen last time that some of the parts which had been prepared by our technician Lydia went into be primed in our in-house paint shop. Very soon, it will be the turn of this stunning ’50s GT sportscar to enter the booth for our masterful paint team to get it looking absolutely perfect.

Check-in very soon on the blog page for more updates on the DB2/4

Breathing New Life – Preparing the Rocker Covers on a 1967 Ford Mustang for Paint

September 24, 2021

With American V8s the first thing you notice in the engine bay is the Rocker Covers.

One of the most iconic of these is the historic ”Cobra by Ford” covers that graced the tops of some of the most legendary race and sportscar engines the American continent has ever produced.

Our 1967 Ford Mustang has got these very covers fitted on top of its small-block V8. These covers will be refinished in-house by our paint and body teams to make sure that when they go back on, they look just like, if not better, than the day they were fitted.

Taking Shape – Update on the Bridge Classic Cars Extension

September 22, 2021

The steelwork is finally starting to go up on our new extension!

The extension to our restoration workshop at Pettistree is definitely on the move now. Part of the steel frame that forms the skeleton of the new space has been firmly placed into the ground.

This extension will allow us more space to restore more incredible classics and keep others in their best condition.

More updates soon!

All in the Prep – Preparing the 1998 Honda Integra Type R for Paint

September 21, 2021

Honda Type R’s always look fantastic when finished in Championship White. Clean, crisp and purposeful.

That is what the outcome will be on the 1998 Honda Integra Type R that we are currently working at Bridge Classic Cars will be by the end of the process.

Our talented and experienced painter Chris has been working hard on getting the Integra prepped to have some paintwork retouch. As you saw in the last post, the engine bay had grown tired. It was time for a refresh on this future classic.

Chris, our in-house painter, began by stripping back the affected parts of the engine bay and core support along with a section of the rear quarter panel. This will of course be finished in that bold Championship White to match the rest of the car and to keep it to its original shade of white.

Keep a look out for future updates on the Integra Type R at Bridge Classic Cars by watching the News page.

New Life – Refinishing the dash surround on a classic Mini

September 20, 2021

Refinishing a piece of trim is sometimes more effective than replacing it. Although the finish may be work or damaged, the part itself is still in good condition.

That is the story with this dash surround belonging to our friend Ted at Team C Racing. The paint on top of the veneer had unfortunately cracked in several places over time. But our in-house paint and body team knew just what to do.

They stripped the whole piece back ready to be repainted to match the original paint. Carefully making sure it would be as close to the original as possible and as you can see. Matt and Chris got it absolutely spot on.

Workshop Walkabout

December 2, 2020

Our week has been very busy with two photoshoots at the start of the week and new projects arriving in the workshop.

Tr6’s new hood cover

Our trim shop has been fitting the frame to the TR6. This includes riveting straps to the frame bars, marking positions for fasteners around the rear of the hood and fitting those fasteners in position. The next step is to clip the front edge of the cover in place while the fasteners are riveted to the metal bar inside the hood.

Brian, one of our trim shop specialists the glued velcro to the sidebars and screwed in metal channels for the side rubbers. Once all the fasteners have been fitted, Brian could then fit the cover to the car.

Lotus Esprit

Our Lotus Esprit has had a new water pipe fabricated from stainless steel to replace the old aluminium one that had rusted. This was made by hand in our workshop.

Jaguar E-Type Race Car

Although finish, the 1967 Jaguar E-type series 1 race car is always an ongoing project with new alterations being done frequently. This week a new door latch and release cable was fitted.

Triumph TR5

Our 1965 Triumph TR5 has had its split dashboard repaired. Refurbished by hand in our workshop, its now ready to be re-installed.

Peony Red Jensen

The trim shop has added wadding to the rear-seat centre section, glued the cover at front & back down and turned the fabric around the hinge at the back. The seats have also had the sides glued and pulled tight. Wadding has been added as well as extra foam to the side section of the rear seat base.

Primer has been done and its now ready for the fiberglass to be smoothed and corrected and the colour to be applied.

1962 Gold Jensen 541S

The Gold and Burgundy Jensen 541S had an issue with its engine which Ady, our engine specialist soon diagnosed as a cracked oil way. Oil was leaking into the water pipe. To discover the issue, Ady had to fill the oil way with water and push air through the pipe to identify the issue.

Photoshoots behind the scenes

Both Monday and Tuesday were jam-packed for our marketing team with two photoshoots for our race cars, the Jaguar E-Type and the Chevron B20. We’re excited to share the results of these shoots. A big thank you to Ellough Park in Beccles for allowing us to shoot on their track and to Mark O’Connor who featured in the Jaguar E-Type photos. As an F1 test driver and stunt driver, he was the perfect person to get behind the wheel and model for the shoot!

Workshop Walkabout

September 24, 2020

We took a walk around our busy workshop this afternoon to see what all our technicians are working on right now.

First up we have Paul, who’s looking into an oil leak from the 1967 Jaguar E-Type. “I’m taking the sump off to further inspect where the oil’s coming from” he explains. “It’s quite possibly that the crankshaft seals that have gone.” With some further inspection, we’re sure Paul will figure out the issue.

Here we have Tamas and Andrew, both working on different parts of our 1963 Morris Minor 1000. Tamas is preparing sections of the car ready for assembly, in this picture he’s working on the foot well. Meanwhile, Andrew is sandblasting various parts for the car.

John our Workshop Manager has been working on the dashboard fittings on our 1960 Jensen 541R. “I’ve been fitting the glove box” explains John “along with the cooling fan control unit.”

And lastly we have Dave, who’s been working on a new gearbox mount for the 1958 Jensen 541R. “I’ve made the part already” says Dave “but no doubt there’ll be several versions I make before I find one that fits perfect.”

There’s always lots happening in the workshop here at Bridge Classic Cars. The team are a little camera shy, but it’s nice to catch them off-guard doing what they do so well!

1960 Jensen Sets and Seatbelts go in

March 20, 2020

Dave has been installing the newly trimmed seats into the car. They really do look wonderful in position. He’s currently fitting the driver side seat. Firstly, Dave installed the seat rails before mounting the seat onto the rails.

The four point racing seatbelts are being custom fitted to the chassis.

1962 Jensen 541S in the Workshop

March 20, 2020

We’ve fitted a new grille, manufactured by Bride Classic Cars on tooling disigned in house. Made from stainless steel rather than the soft alloy that Jensen made from new.

The spotlights that are notorious for coming loose have been re-secured.

Air vent grille screws were loose due to worn fibreglass body sections. Area has been fibreglass re-matted and re-drilled to the correct size to ensure a tight fit.

Bonnet catch release suffers from fibreglass cracking due to the incorrect opening of the bonnet.

This are has been remitted, strengthened and hardware refitted to ensure longevity of the repair.

The front section has been totally resprayed as incorrect front bumper alignment lead to the bonnet rubbing against the bumper skirt causing damage to paint.

Both horns were faulty and we have fitted original, refurbished horns from our stores.

Front bumper skirt has been moved forward. Non-standard rubber protection has been removed to ensure that the front skirt sits away from the bonnet valance to elevate rubbing causing paint damage.

We’ve also removed the clock, refitted new batteries and replaced.

Re-alignment of bonnet and inner wings to stop bonnet rubbing on inner wings and damaging the black paint.

1962 Jensen 541 S Arrives at Bridge Classic Cars

January 20, 2020

This lovely ’62 Jensen 541 S has been collected and brought back to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. It’s in for paintwork correction and a other remedial works.

Our classic car technicians have a wealth of well experience with Jensens. As such, we’ve picked up a lot of Jensen restorations over the years with clients eager to have their cars seen to by Jensen experts. They are beautiful cars, but also present many demands and challenges in order to restore with the finest quality. Rest assured, this Jensen is now with our expert technicians who will see this lovely 541 S back on the road, ready to be enjoyed soon.

RS2000 Completed Restoration

December 16, 2019

Today we said goodbye to our gorgeous 1977 Ford Escort RS2000. This lovely Ford came in for a complete restoration here with us at Bridge Classic Cars. The team here pulled out all the stops to ensure this RS200 was finished to the highest standards.
Congratulations Paul, we hope you enjoy this fabulous car for many miles to come!

1973 Triumph TR6 Restoration

December 11, 2019

We’ve made great progress on our 1973 Triumph TR6 restoration in the past few weeks. Coming in as a complete restoration, the chassis is now fully prepared and painted. The fuel tank and radiator have been refurbished and painted to the highest standard. Next up for this TR6 is adding the suspension, running gear, engine and gearbox to our freshly prepared chassis.

1964 Daimler Dart Water Pump

November 28, 2019

Our 1964 Daimler dart, currently for sale at Bridge Classic Cars needed a new water pump. As with all the cars we present for sale, this vehicle was inspected by our classic car technicians. It was found to have a leaking water pump. As such, we’re replacing with a new water pump so the vehicle is in top condition ready for the vehicles next owner.