classic bristol specialist uk

Going Back Together – 1970 Bristol 411 Reassembly

July 28, 2022

The workshop at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ have begun the process of getting the interior of the 1970 Bristol 411 following its in-house LHD conversion.

The trim team recently installed the carpet set into the floor of the classic GT car, and from there the workshop team could start to put the seats and all other pieces into the car. Along with that, they can start to align all the panels as part of its aesthetic work and finish off getting the trims and wiring/plumbing routed in the engine bay.

Up on the Ramp – 1971 Bristol 411 Back at the Workshop

July 19, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars team welcomed back the 1971 Bristol 411 to our Suffolk HQ to carry out some more work on the car.

The classic Bristol will be having a new wiring loom fitted alongside being servicing and inspected ahead of its MOT.

Alongside this is a list of small jobs for our workshop team to carry out on the car for its owner.

New Lease of Life – Refurbishing Rear Seat Parts on the 1954 Bristol 405

June 15, 2022

The interior trim team have worked on refurbishing and refinishing several key parts of the rear seats for the 1954 Bristol 405 currently in with Bridge Classic Cars.

Lydia, one of our trim team, has carefully stripped back the parts to bare metal to fully assess and inspect each individual piece before then preparing them to be refinished in hard-wear durable black paint.

With these pieces now curing, the team can carry on with the retrim of the rear squab seat in the classic Bristol.

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.

Mounted – Securing the New Power Steering Pump on the 1970 Bristol 411

May 20, 2022

The restoration team in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ have begun to fix the position of the new Power Assisted Steering Pump as part of the carts left-hand drive conversion by our workshop.

With the pump in place, the team could begin to inspect and assess the areas around the pump to make sure that the all-important belt isn’t interfered with or is in the way of anything else. For this, the team have made a custom set of brackets to hold the pump on the engine and perfectly in line with the other pulleys which will drive it.

Final Placement – Fitting and Fully Welding the Steering Rack Mounts for the 1970 Bristol 411

April 11, 2022

The steering rack mounts for the 1970 Bristol 411 have been final welding into the engine bay of the classic GT car.

As part of the left-hand drive conversion that our team are carrying out on the car, new steering rack mounts had to be made to move the rack from one side of the car to the other. Because of the forces put through the piece, the mounts have been welded onto thicker metal plates which have been grafted into the car to strengthen the piece.

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

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.

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.

Making Room – New Throttle Pedal on the 1970 Bristol 411

March 11, 2022

As part of the left-hand drive conversion on the 1970 Bristol 411 currently in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, the team have had to make a new throttle pedal for the car.

The conversion to the classic Bristol is moving along quickly, but part of the changeover is relocating the throttle pedal of the classic car. Paul has had to remanufacturer a throttle pedal to get the new set up to work correctly. Along with this, the routing of the wiring loom has also had to be changed to allow the throttle mechanism and the pedal itself free movement without risk of being caught on any part of the loom.

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.

The Change Over – More Progress on the 1970 Bristol 411 LHD Conversion

March 2, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop have been hard at work continuing the process of converting the 1970 Bristol 411 to left-hand drive.

Work is continuing to modify the firewall and bulkhead to swap all of the necessary brackets and vents over to the other side of the car. For this, original pieces were carefully cut out of the classic GT car and plated over replicating the bases from the right to the left side of the car. This is crucial as in the interior, all of the various heating vents and controls will now be on the other side of the car, in an almost mirror image so everything in the engine bay must be exactly the same to suit.

This project is unique and exciting for Bridge Classic Cars and we cannot wait to show you more progress soon on the classic Bristol 411.