Devon Panel Alignment
September 20, 2024
Alan has continued the panel alignment and levelling on our 1951 Austin Devon.
classic austin
Austin Devon Cab
September 3, 2024
The cab of our 1951 Austin Devon has continued to make progress with painter Alan. After being prepped, epoxy primer was applied to the cab
Vanden Plas Jobs
August 15, 2024
Jonn has been working hard to get our 1981 Austin Vanden Plas ready to be delivered to its lucky new owner. Here are his notes:
Austin A40 Transport
July 31, 2024
Tony has recently transported our barn find 1952 Austin A40 from our storage facility to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
More Welding
April 29, 2024
Our 1951 Austin Devon has continued its start in fabrication with Chris. He has welded in the floor corners and seat base frame. He also
Roof And Front End
April 17, 2024
Our 1951 Austin Devon has been with Christian in the fabrication bay for more work recently. He painted the roof, modified the roof and mounting
More Fabrication
March 14, 2024
Chris has been working on our 1951 Austin Devon in the fabrication bay. He has test fitted the door, test fitted the upper A-pillar outer
Painting Devon Components
February 14, 2024
Various parts of our 1951 Austin Devon have been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop as he has been painting them in dtm satin.
More Fabricating
January 11, 2024
As our 1951 Austin Devon Pickup has continued its stay in the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication bay, Chris has been fitting up the cab lower
Repairing A Pillar
January 3, 2024
Our 1951 Austin Devon Pickup has continued its stay in our fabrication bay with technician Chris. Chris has been repairing the A-pillar as well as
Second-Hand Car Parts
November 28, 2023
Restoring classic vehicles, like our 1951 Austin Devon Pickup, can be extremely challenging when a hard-to-find piece, like the Austin badge, seems to be impossible
Inspection And Repairs
November 16, 2023
Before our 1932 Austin Ulster is won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, Jonn has been making some minor repairs to make sure it is ready
An Austin Pickup Arrives
September 7, 2023
There have been several new arrivals in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop over the last few days. The latest addition is our 1951 Austin Pickup.
The Penny Dropped – Replacing the Core Plug on the 1933 Austin 7
September 7, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars workshop have been tasked with finding the source of the water leak on the 1933 Austin 7 in with us. Upon
Back Together – Rebuilding the Brakes on the 1937 Austin Seven
May 18, 2022
After the strip down and inspection of the brake system on the 1937 Austin Seven, the team have been the process of getting it all
Heading Home – Work on the 1959 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite is Complete
April 25, 2022
The 1959 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite has been in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for our restoration technicians to get the amazing little sportscar back
Devon Panel Alignment
September 20, 2024
Alan has continued the panel alignment and levelling on our 1951 Austin Devon.
Austin Devon Cab
September 3, 2024
The cab of our 1951 Austin Devon has continued to make progress with painter Alan.
After being prepped, epoxy primer was applied to the cab as well as to some of the other components that will eventually go back together as our classic pickup is rebuilt.
Vanden Plas Jobs
August 15, 2024
Jonn has been working hard to get our 1981 Austin Vanden Plas ready to be delivered to its lucky new owner. Here are his notes:
Remove rear wheels. Remove rear wheel bearings and drums. Strip and remove brake shoes and cylinders. Remove flexi hoses and fit new hoses. Manufacture barke pipes from glexis to wheel cylinders. Clean re usable components. Clean and lubricate backplates. Fit new wheel cylinders and connect. Fit new shoes and secure. Remove rear seatbase and de adjust handbrake cable. Clean and delip drums. Fit drums and adjust wheel bearings.
Bleed rear brakes. Adjust rear shoes. Adjust handbrake cable. Refit rear wheels.
Torque wheels and refit wheel trims. Top up brake fluid. Refit rear seat base. Carry out pdi. Resecure front grill
Strip and remove rear axle support mounts for welding.
Strip and remove nearside rear axle mount for welding. Mount had completely separated
To overcome the problem with the new axle mounts rubber bushes collapsing it was decided to solid mount the axle ends. First the rubber is removed and then a steel plate of the same thickness is cut. The original mounting are then welded to the steel packer to create a solid mount which will locate the axle more securely.
Refit modified rear axle mounting brackets. Align and secure. Refit rear wheels and torque up. Refit wheel trims. Using suspension pump lower suspension at rear. (Hydrogas not hydrolastic). Lower by approx 2 inches. Remove lift pump again as still has a leak. Clean and inspect all mating surfaces and spacer block. All appear fine. Make 2 x new gaskets and refit using derko sealer. Secure and leave to go off.
Austin A40 Transport
July 31, 2024
Tony has recently transported our barn find 1952 Austin A40 from our storage facility to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
More Welding
April 29, 2024
Our 1951 Austin Devon has continued its start in fabrication with Chris. He has welded in the floor corners and seat base frame. He also welded in the right-hand step before sorting out the door gaps and modifying the step to fit the door profile.
Roof And Front End
April 17, 2024
Our 1951 Austin Devon has been with Christian in the fabrication bay for more work recently. He painted the roof, modified the roof and mounting point, and fitted up and welded on the guttering, before welding the roof onto the truck.
Christian also fitted up the front end.
More Fabrication
March 14, 2024
Chris has been working on our 1951 Austin Devon in the fabrication bay.
He has test fitted the door, test fitted the upper A-pillar outer panel, welded up the rear bottom of the cab, and fabricated new body to chassis mount gussets.
He then melted out the lead, removed the roof, repaired the c channel frame, and mounted the frame up to the chassis.
Painting Devon Components
February 14, 2024
Various parts of our 1951 Austin Devon have been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop as he has been painting them in dtm satin.
More Fabricating
January 11, 2024
As our 1951 Austin Devon Pickup has continued its stay in the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication bay, Chris has been fitting up the cab lower corner, fabricating and welding on the brace frame to the cab mount rails. He also removed and started repairing the floor.
Repairing A Pillar
January 3, 2024
Our 1951 Austin Devon Pickup has continued its stay in our fabrication bay with technician Chris.
Chris has been repairing the A-pillar as well as working on the nuts which are used for the suspension mount.
Our classic Devon will stay with Chris for a little while longer before moving on to the next phase of its restoration.
Second-Hand Car Parts
November 28, 2023
Restoring classic vehicles, like our 1951 Austin Devon Pickup, can be extremely challenging when a hard-to-find piece, like the Austin badge, seems to be impossible to find. Second-hand car parts can be a great solution, and with a range of online marketplaces like eBay, that missing piece might just be found!
Gordon was looking for a replacement Austin badge for our classic Devon. The original was broken and in poor condition. However, finding a replacement proved much more difficult than expected. After eventually finding one on eBay, we were shocked at how good the new one looked. If it wasn’t for someone keeping this badge (potentially for decades), we wouldn’t have been able to replace the old one.
This is a fantastic example of how passionate people can be about their cars. Not only that, but the story behind each classic car adds to its character, making it much more likely for parts to be kept and sold as second-hand car parts.
What makes these discoveries even more exciting is their affordability. Rare parts often cost a fortune when new or might not even be available at all. In the second-hand market, these otherwise unobtainable parts are much more accessible without compromising quality or authenticity.
While it can take longer to find the part you need, websites like eBay and MyClassics can be where you find exactly what you are looking for to get your classic car back on the road.
Other Progress
As well as the new badge, our Austin Devon Pickup has also had new interior door panels made by the Bridge Classic Cars interior trim team. After removing the old covers and metal trims from the door panels, Brian used the old panels to mark out the new ones on hardboard. He then cut out the new panels, cutting all the necessary holes out too.
Inspection And Repairs
November 16, 2023
Before our 1932 Austin Ulster is won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, Jonn has been making some minor repairs to make sure it is ready to go to its lucky new owner very soon.
Jonn carried out a full inspection of the vehicle. While doing so, a full grease-up was completed and the brakes were adjusted. He checked the wheel nuts and tyre pressures too before inflating them accordingly.
He went on to secure the headlight guards with p clips before refitting the brake pedal and using Loctite to secure.
The battery clamp needed to be modified to fully secure the battery. To do this, Jonn was helped by Chris who welded the clamp before it was painted black. Jonn also wired in the rear sidelights.
An Austin Pickup Arrives
September 7, 2023
There have been several new arrivals in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop over the last few days. The latest addition is our 1951 Austin Pickup.
It’s obvious that it needs to go through a restoration and the workshop team will be having a closer look at the vehicle to determine the level of work required to bring it back to its former glory.
The Penny Dropped – Replacing the Core Plug on the 1933 Austin 7
September 7, 2022
The Bridge Classic Cars workshop have been tasked with finding the source of the water leak on the 1933 Austin 7 in with us.
Upon inspection, the team found the leak was coming from a broken core plug in the cylinder head. To remove these, the team ‘punch’ them out to shrink the head down and remove them. But, when the team went to remove the core plug they had an interesting surprise…
The team looked underneath the core plug and saw it was bronze. Normally these are silver but when the team looked closer they found a penny (stamped 1990) which had been previously put into the cylinder head to use as the core plug.
To fix this, the team have replaced them with high-quality actual core plugs and snuggly fit them into the cylinder head of the classic Austin. With that done, the team can now begin to check through the system and ensure the little 4-cylinder engine is working just as it should.
Back Together – Rebuilding the Brakes on the 1937 Austin Seven
May 18, 2022
After the strip down and inspection of the brake system on the 1937 Austin Seven, the team have been the process of getting it all back together.
The team began by reassembling the wire and arm system which control the whole set-up checking their action and regressing or tightening anything needed. The team also replace a set of brake shoes on the car which then were adjusted out to where they needed to be for the best brake feel. Once everything is back together and tested, the team will make any last minute adjustments for the classic Austin.
Heading Home – Work on the 1959 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite is Complete
April 25, 2022
The 1959 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite has been in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for our restoration technicians to get the amazing little sportscar back into perfect running order.
The team have worked on rebuilding and adjusting the brakes and working on the hydraulic system which not only controls the brakes but also works the clutch as well. The slave cylinder had to be replaced due to a leak from a seal which was causing an issue bleeding the system to make sure the whole circuit remained pressurised.
Along with that, the team found several issues with the suspension of the classic Austin Healey. This required some of the important substructures of the car to be carefully rewelded, as well as removing and correctly installing parts of the wishbones.
To take a look a the entire project, click here!
