classic bristol specialist

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.

Removal – Stripping the Interior Wiring from the 1971 Bristol 411

July 26, 2022

The workshop team have been working on removing the wiring harness from the interior of the 1971 Bristol 411.

The wiring harness, which runs all up and inside the dashboard, has been taken out of the car connector by connector in preparation for the rewiring of the entire car. Each switch, gauge and light on the dashboard has been removed and disconnected from the harness for the team to safely remove and evaluate the dash harness on the bench before working in reverse to get the brand new unit in.

Rewire – Removing the Old Wiring from the 1971 Bristol 411

July 22, 2022

The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars are busy removing the old wiring from the 1971 Bristol 411 ahead of its rewire by the team.

Our workshop manager John has been carefully tracing the wiring from front to back on the classic Bristol to make notes on how the new harness will need to be laid out into the car and routed. This involved removing the interior and some of the carpet in order to fully chase the old harness and make a full map of the wiring.

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.

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The floor of the battery base had been replaced by the team previously as part of some corrosion repairs.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.

Underside – Painting the Sills on the 1970 Bristol 411

July 12, 2022

The 1970 Bristol 411 had some work done to repair some areas of corrosion on its sills. The Bridge Classic Cars team cut out any of the questionable areas and replaced them with hand-fabricated pieces which were then welded into the car.

Now, the whole car has moved in our in-house Paint Shop for the paint and body team to treat, prime and painted the sills on the classic GT car. The team were careful to mask off any areas where the paint was in perfect condition and only work on the bare metal areas.

Matched – Finishing the Other Squab Seat on the 1954 Bristol 405

July 1, 2022

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have completed the 2nd squab seat for the 1954 Bristol 405 which is in for restoration with us at our Suffolk HQ.

The team have made an exact copy of the other squab seat which was completed earlier. Both of these pieces have been carefully wrapped up and stored ready for the cars reassmebly.

Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more on the 1954 Bristol 405 very soon.

In & Out – Fitting the Sound Deadening and Cabin Vents to the 1970 Bristol 411

June 29, 2022

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the interior of the 1970 Bristol 411 which is in for its left-hand drive conversion.

The team have fit new original-style sound deadening into the floors and tunnel of the classic Bristol as part of the restoration side of the project. Also while fitting the sound deadening to the car, the team refurbished and refit the cabin vents which sit in the footwell kick panels.

Full Set – Making the New Carpet Set for the 1970 Bristol 411

June 24, 2022

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on carefully removing the original carpets from the 1970 Bristol 411 in order to template replacement pieces as part of its restorative works.

Brian, one of our trimmers, has been removing the pieces from the classic GT in order to separate them into their basic parts for pattern making and to work out the plan of how they all lay into the cockpit of the car.

Once out, the original pieces are laid onto new carpeting and carefully cut, test fit and then bound before being put back into the car over the top of the replacement sound deadening material.

On The Cards – Teardown on the Rear Door Cards of the 1954 Bristol 405

June 17, 2022

The trim team at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop have begun work on stripping down the rear door cards of the 1954 Bristol 405 in for restoration.

The team began by carefully removing the coverings to use as a reference for the new ones which will be made at our Suffolk HQ by the trim shop. The team could then inspect any pieces or part which may be able to be refurbished or reused before measuring and checking each of the components that make up the door card.

Everything was then catalogued and the original coverings put into storage to be used at a later date for reference.

Repairs and Remakes – Work on the Seats for the 1954 Bristol 405

June 10, 2022

The Bristol 405 restoration is on its way with our Trim Shop carrying out several bits of work on both the front and rear seats for the classic 4 door saloon.

The Bridge Classic Cars trim team has remade the elastic webbing which sits beneath the front seats in the classic Bristol. These have been secured onto the refurbished seat bases and the hand-cut foams placed in to check for fitment and alignment.

Next, the team worked on repairing some of the wooden arches of the rear seats in the car. Our trimmer Brian carefully cut out some previous repairs from the piece to securely fix the piece ahead of moving onto to replacing some of the woodwork needed for around the cushion openings.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Changes – Modifying Dash Trim and Making the Glove Box Insert on the 1970 Bristol 411

April 1, 2022

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on modifying and creating parts for the dash of the 1970 Bristol 411 for a left-hand drive conversion.

The dash cover and panel have been modified and stripped in order to work with the new placement of the ignition barrel and steering column. The ignition barrel also needed several small brackets made to reattach it to the column after the change over from right to left which after this was completed, meaning the whole piece could be recovered.

The team also handmade a new glovebox insert to work around the different bracketry and supports which now lay behind it.

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.