classic bristol 411 restoration

From the Inside – Painting the Battery Box on the 1970 Bristol 411

July 13, 2022

While the 1970 Bristol 411 was in the Bridge Classic Cars paint booth, the team finished off the painting jobs by finishing the battery box, hidden away in the inner wing.

The floor of the battery base had been replaced by the team previously as part of some corrosion repairs. This was then prepared and primed by the paint and body team, before being finished in deep hard wearing black to finish off its look.

Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page very soon for more updates on the 1970 Bristol 411 very soon.

In Place – Fitting the Oil Filter, Power Steering Pump and Servicing the Brakes on the 1970 Bristol 411

May 20, 2022

The workshop team have completed the next round of jobs on the classic Bristol 411 in for a left-hand drive conversion at Bridge Classic Cars.

The first stage was to mount the oil filter housing to the opposite side of the engine bay after the conversion. The team have made sure that each component will not interfere with each other and also have enough space to be able to be safely worked on during the service of the car in the future.

Then, the team have carried out the final test fit of the power steering pump to the engine of the classic Bristol using the specially fabricated brackets. These will be taken off the car and finished in matching black to the other bracketry in the engine bay.

Next up, the team will be performing a full brake service on the classic GT car with a full inspection of seals, lines and pistons.

Unseen – New Hardura for the Firewall of the 1970 Bristol 411

May 18, 2022

The interior team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on finishing the firewall/bulkhead on the 1970 Bristol 411 which is having its left-hand drive conversion done at our Suffolk HQ.

The firewall and under dash area of the classic Bristol has been finished off, for the most part, which means the interior team can begin its finishing work. The finishing touch for the modified firewall is the hand-cut and edged hardura panel. This, has been templated and made specifically for the Bristol to work around the various changes which have been made by the restoration workshop.

Key Points – Progress on the 1970 Bristol 411

May 17, 2022

The restoration team in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ have been making progress on the 1970 Bristol 411 in for its left hand drive conversion.

The team have begun the work by rebuilding and fitting out the modified firewall/bulkhead with the necessary systems moved from one side of the firewall to the other. This has been done for the next stage where the team have fitted up the heater hoses and pipes from the heater box under the dashboard of the classic Bristol.

After this, the team moved to the underside of the car to begin work on several jobs that need to be completed. The first, was to fit the newly fabricated jacking plates onto the car. These could now be fitted after the repairs carried out to the sills of the car and everything being structurally sound.

Next, was a quite badly corroded area in the battery compartment of the classic Bristol. This was cut out with a new plate welded in its place to strengthen the floor of the area.

Whilst under the car, the team noticed some corrosion to boot floor support which had been filled with fibreglass but corroded through to the boot floor on the near side rear of the car. This area was carefully marked and cut out of the car in preparation for the new piece to be templated and welded into the car making the boot floor stronger and sealed.

Finishing Work – Cleaning Up the Welds on the New 1970 Bristol 411

April 29, 2022

The restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on finishing the welds on the 1970 Bristol 411’s new sills.

The fabrication team have been working alongside the restoration technicians to get the new sills into the classic Bristol. Although as much is done as possible during the process of welding to ensure the pieces sit properly and flush, some finishing is needed to make sure there is no valley between the two pieces. This is achieved with subtle heat and a series of body working tools.

Along with that, the team have started to fabricate the new closing panels underneath the 1970s GT car.

New Metal – Replacing the Sill of the 1970 Bristol 411

April 27, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars restoration team have replaced the sill on the 1970 Bristol 411 after finding corrosion hidden behind and on the sill itself.

The team cut the sill back and treated the solid metal. Then, our in-house fabrication team hand-formed a new sill and patch panel for the inside of the rear arch which had also been removed due to corrosion. These were then carefully trimmed and then welded into position following the original pieces as guidelines.

With this job now completed on the classic Bristol, the team can move on to the next phase of work.

Getting Stronger – Inspecting and Strengthening the Sills of the 1970 Bristol 411

April 14, 2022

The restoration technicians from the Bridge Classic Cars workshop have been working on inspecting inside and then strengthening the sills of the 1970 Bristol 411.

The team cut off the chassis cover in order to inspect the structural pieces of the frame on the classic Bristol, inside was found to be in generally good condition but they did notice the strengthening rail, which pinches the two seams together, had corroded quite heavily. So, the team have fabricated a new replacement piece to put back the strength and rigidity to the piece.

And Then There Was Light – New Glovebox Light in the 1970 Bristol 411

April 14, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team have upgraded the hand-made glovebox for the left-hand drive converted 1970 Bristol 411.

The glovebox has had a new lighting system installed into the car to take into account the change over in drivers sides. The team carefully cut the opening for the system to be installed flush and cleanly into the one-off Bristol 411.

Handmade – New Glovebox for the 1970 Bristol 411

April 1, 2022

The 1970 Bristol 411, which is having a LHD conversion carried out, has had a brand new glovebox insert made by our incredible trim shop.

Because of the change around in placement, the original insert conflicts with several brackets behind the glovebox itself. So, Brian has made one entirely from scratch built specifically for the car by hand. He took measurements from the car in our workshop to get the best fit possible and also keep it the same volume inside as the original.

It’s a beautiful piece for this unique and special project.

Painted – The Heater Box of the 1970 Bristol 411 Painted

March 30, 2022

The modified heater box of the 1970 Bristol 411 has been in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop to be refinished.

Mauro has worked on getting the heater box prepared and then thoroughly cleaned down before each individual piece was hung in the spray booth and sprayed in durable black ready to be reinstalled in the engine bay of the left-hand drive converted Bristol 411.

Support and Extend – Progress on the Left-Hand Drive Conversion of the 1970 Bristol 411

March 25, 2022

The left-hand drive conversion of the 1970 Bristol 411 has been moving forward in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ.

Paul has worked on building a new bracket that changes the angle of the steering column. This is needed for the steering column to be at the correct orientation and angle to meet up with the pinion of the new steering rack.

The wiring behind the dash has also been worked on as part of the conversion. Paul has worked on extending several key parts of the dash harness since its move in the car. These have been carefully cut, soldered and protected for future use.

Progress – Brake Lines, Wiring Harness, Steering Locks and Brake Reservoirs on the 1970 Bristol 411

March 16, 2022

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

Paul has been working on getting several key pieces of the conversion completed. Firstly he has made all new brake lines for the car since the master cylinder and reservoir have been moved in the engine bay. Each of these was handmade and flared to the exact needs of the car.

Next up was the wiring harness for the dashboard. Each of the wires will need to be precisely lengthened with the change in position for several key components.

In preparation for the new steering rack for the car, the existing lock stops on the steering box had to be removed for space to fit the new system into the classic Bristol.

Finally, with everything in the correct place orientation, Paul could lengthen the wires which go to and from the brake reservoir.

Changes – Modifying the Dash Surround of the 1970 Bristol 411 Left Hand Drive Conversion

March 10, 2022

The trim shop at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ in Suffolk have been working alongside the restoration workshop to convert the 1970 Bristol 411 to left-hand drive.

Part of that is modifying the dashboard of the car to the correct orientation in the cabin. With everything on the dash being moved from right to left, the instrument cluster needed to be reworked to line up with the existing woodwork and supports.

Referencing the car and the original dash pieces, Brian could make the precise and crucial cuts in the cluster to not only allow the wooden panel to sit in place but so that the existing material could be fitted back into the new cut with a perfect fit.

Changes – Working on the Steering Column of the 1970 Bristol 411

March 9, 2022

As part of the left-hand drive conversion of the Bristol 411, the Bridge Classic Cars workshop technicians have had to adapt the original column and shrowd to the new orientation.

Whilst the majority of the bulkhead and firewall have been adapted to the new left-hand drive conversion of the car, our restoration technician Paul has turned his attention to the steering column of the car. Especially the ignition barrel.

When the car was right-hand drive, the barrel would sit out at an angle and allow the driver to easily insert the key but, after the shrowd had been moved to the other side of the column as part of the conversion, the key couldn’t be easily put into the ignition. So, Paul worked on reworking the shrowd, column and barrel to get the access to the ignition as easy as possible for the new owner.

Piecing Together – Relocating the Heater Box of the 1970 Bristol 411

March 4, 2022

The 1970 Bristol 411 in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop is continuing with the modifications needed for its LHD conversion.

Paul is working on moving each of the components over from one side of the engine bay to the other. This not only involves modifying the firewall/bulkhead but also the components themselves. A lot of the pieces needed to be adapted for left-hand drive use by being rotated and changed in order for the necessary lines and vents to line up after moving from one side of the car to another.

All of these pieces are first test fit onto the car before being welded in to complete the conversion on this unique 1970 Bristol 411.