classic car repairs

Fixing the handbrake on our 1967 Morris Traveller

The 1967 Morris Traveller which is in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ, has been on the ramp for a few jobs to get done on the car. Most recently, its to fix the handbrake on the classic Morris.

Our workshop manager John ran the new cable through the car before modifying it slightly to work with the non-standard brakes on the car. But, after getting it in the car and checking – all was ok with the car.

Competition Cars Update

1989 Daimler Double Six:

Our 1989 Daimler Double Six has been worked on by our incredible technician Jon. He has been going through and doing a few repairs on the luxury V12 saloon before it is ready for its excited new owner. He had to look into why the horn had stopped working which Jon traced and fixed the issue. Then, Jon had to do a couple of repairs to some interior trims and fix one of the fog lights before moving onto replacing a faulty starter relay.

Porsche 914:

“Finish reassembly of dash and steering column. Refit steering wheel and secure and connect and fit horn push. Put wheel brace in boot. Refit roof and fit handle that had come loose. Tighten battery terminals. Fit new terminal to starter exciter wire. Secure fuel pipe and wiring in engine bay. Put 5ltrs fuel in and take outside to warm up. Set carbs and road test. Remove and straighten steering wheel upon return. Remove jets from carbs to check which ones are fitted against the recommended ones”

1979 Ferrari 400:

Our 1979 Ferrari 400 has been in the care of Jon in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ to be looked over and to collate his condition report.

Delicate Work – Repairing the Sills on our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe

The 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe is in the fabrication shop at the Bridge Classic Cars with one of our master fabricators, Clinton.

This time, he is repairing some considerable damage to offside sill of the rare vintage sports car. There is quite a significant section missing from sill of the car which is believed to be old accident damage which had never been properly repaired. This time however, Clinton is repairing it the right way. Carefully making new sections of the sill and reinforcing it in places put back the strength needed in this section as with this convertible car, all of its structural rigidity is held in the sill and the frame.

We’re very fortunate to have an incredible fabrication shop with two extremely talented fabricators.

Ready to go to its new home – Our 1971 MGB Roadster

The Bridge Classic Cars Transport team have been working overtime with collecting and delivering classic cars all across the UK recently, including this one – our 1971 MGB Roadster which was recently won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

Tony, our amazing transport driver, cleaned the glorious 70’s convertible and loaded into our enclosed trailer for the long ride to its new home in Scotland.

Adjusting Brackets and Doors on our 1956 Jensen 541

Our 1956 Jensen 541 has been making some incredible progress recently in the new finishing workshop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ in Pettistree.

Paul, one of our restoration technicians, has been been adjusting the doors and brackets around the entire car to make sure everything fits and works perfectly. Meanwhile, the wire wheels have gone back to a local specialist to be refinished so they can match the impeccable finish of this classic GT car.

PDI & Repairs on our 1989 Porsche 928

Our technician Jon has been working on getting our 1989 Porsche 928 S4 ready for delivery to its owner very soon. Before signing the car off, there were a few repairs that Jon needed to do while the car was on the ramp at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ in Suffolk.

“Remove wiring to number plate light from multiplug. Cut wiring within 3 inches of plug. Make new loom solder all joints and fit to car. Solder wires to offside number plate and shri k wrap connections. Fit light and test, ok. Refit to car. Investigate indicator fault. Remove relay and test. Refit. Remove hazard switch, unable to test so order new switch. Vacuum out the boot and refit trims and carpets. Carry out road test., ok adjust idle speed.”

Special Delivery – Our 1954 Daimler Conquest Roadster Goes on an Adventure

Our transport team recently loaded up our 1954 Daimler Conquest Roadster into our enclosed trailer for our marketing team to take it on a special adventure for a photoshoot which you’ll all get to see very soon!

The car spent the day at local country house and then was actually driven back to our HQ. Make sure you keep a look out on the news page for more on our 1954 Daimler Conquest Roadster very soon.

2003 MG ZT V8 is now painted!

Our 2003 MG ZT V8 has been in the skilful hands of our painter Alan. He has been working his magic to get every single panel and piece on the car into the best shape possible before respraying the whole car and all of the trim pieces in the matched Dark Blue and it looks absolutely sensational!

Arrival – 1933 Austin Seven

The team have welcomed an old friend back to our Suffolk HQ, this beautiful 1933 Austin 7.

We’ve been looking after this car for many years by this point so its always a pleasure and a joy to have this old friend back at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ.

Starting Up Our 1987 Mercedes 500SL Project Again

The Bridge Classic Cars team have begun working on one of our personal projects in the shape of our 1987 Mercedes 500SL.

The team have worked on getting a lot of the refurbished parts down off of the shelves for this specific car to lay out and cross reference before beginning the process of getting the car back together.

Look Over and Repair – Working on our 2001 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage

“Carry out full inspection. Start outside and put 10lts fuel in and carry out road test. Return to workshop and continue inspection.strip and remove wheels. Clean and inspect brakes and re drill all,holes in discs to remove rust and pad build up. Inflate tyres and refit rear wheels. Remove offside front arch liner and drain washer bottle.”

“Remove washer pump and reseal with ptfe tape. Secure pipe into neck of bottle and fill up to check. Minor drip from bottle but acceptable. Remove bonnet and star to strip fro radiator removal as its got a leak from matrix. Remove nearside front arch liner also and disconnect intake pipes to air filters. Remove pipes and slacken fan mounts.”

“Strip and remove radiator. Drain coolant and undo air con condenser. Remove hoses and drain at from cooler on side of rad. Remove radiator from bay. Strip offside rear trailing arm. Remove old bush and press new bush into arm. Refit arm and secure. Fit lockire to trailing arm front bolt. Strip nearside rear lower arm and remove outer hub. Remove pin, bearings and races. Clean and fit new pin and bearings. Grease thoroughly and refit.”

“Strip dash and remove sat navigation holder. Fit trims better and refit cluster surround. Tape up wire and tuck behind dash.”

Even more motorcycles on the move!

It’s not only classic cars that the Bridge Classic Cars team work on! A lot of the team are also avid motorcyclists and especially vintage/classic motorcycles.

At our storage facility, we have a special area which is specifically for storing motorcycles. But recently, our delivery team have transferred two very special bikes from The Hangar to our Pettistree workshops for the team to do a few jobs on.

Working on our 1973 Porsche 914

The team have started to work on the mechanical side of our 1973 Porsche 914. Our technician Jon put the mid-engined, air-cooled sports car up on the ramp to check it all over.

Here’s what Jon got up to: “Remove wheels and check brakes. Rub down brake pipes to each brake and pai t black. Paint all wheel bolts black also. Inflate tyres. Adjust both front wheel bearing. Secure wiring to reverse light. Refit wheels and torque up. Attend to boot release cable inside car. Remove rear trim behind seats. Cut and fit washers and nut and secure to trim. Refit trim and test, ok.”

“Fit grommet to passengers door where lock barrel would go. Remove drivers seatbelt lower fixing to sill and untwist belt. Resecure. Remove roof and give to Lydia to restick lining. Strip washer system. Inflatespare tyre and connect pressure pipe to washer bottle. Washers still not working. Strip dash and column. Remove switch and mechanical washer activation. Remove pipes and unblock popes. Reconnect and test. Working now. Reassemble”

Getting Back Into Shape – 1973 Dino 246GTS

Our fabrication team have been hard at work in the metal shop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ. On the ramp at the moment is the 1973 Dino 246GTS.

Our fabricator Christian has been hard at work getting this underrated and beautiful sports car back into the best shape possible. He’s been finishing off the rear valance repairs before moving on to beginning a repair to the passenger side front wing. This repair is being done in stages to check fitment and ensure the best final finish of the piece.

Repairs Finished and Sealed on our 1952 Fiat 1900A

Our fabricator Chris has finished up his repairs on our 1952 Fiat 1900A. After doing a bit of finishing work on the new jacking points on the car, he could then seal the underside of the sills to protect them from corrosion.

Prep and Progress on the 1960 Jensen 541R

Our paint and body team have been hard at work moving forward on bringing our 1960 Jensen 541R back to life. Chris, our body and paint specialist, has spent a lot of time working the fibreglass on the classic GT car to get it not only structurally sound but in the best position to be worked later.

The fibreglass contained lots of small cracks, holes and imperfections which Chris had to reglass by hand before allowing them to cure and then be sanded back and rechecked, before the hole car and all panels taken into the booth to have its first layers of epoxy primer laid down.

Meanwhile, our fabricator (also called Chris) has made up a new set of bonnet stay brackets specifically to work with this chassis.

Progress on the 1956 Jensen 541

Our 1956 Jensen 541 has been making good progress in the finishing room at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ. Paul, our technician heading up this project, has been working his way through the list of jobs that need doing to get this classic GT back on the road.

Firstly, Paul worked on making sure everything was fitted up correctly before making the new fuse box cover for the car to help protect the electrical components. Then, Paul could get to work on fitting up the number plates which required custom brackets to be made in order to fit up the front number plate.

Then, Paul turned his attention to the cooling system of the car with wiring up the new electric pull through fan to help cool the freshly rebuilt 4-litre straight six and begin work on getting the speedometer cable fitted into the car.

Back to the Workshop – Our 1939 Jaguar SS100

The Bridge Classic Cars transport team have moved our 1939 Jaguar SS100 from our storage facility, The Hangar, to our Pettistree workshop.

After the car finished the gruelling Mille Miglia, the car headed home and went into storage. Soon, the Bridge Classic Cars team will be getting this stunning piece of automotive history up onto the ramps to check it over post adventures.

Fuse Box Covers, Brakes Adjusted and High Beam Switch on our 1956 Jensen 541

Our technician Paul has been moving forward at an incredible rate on our 1956 Jensen 541. To begin with, he’s fitted up the fuse box cover under the bonnet of the classic Jensen. He could also fit up the speedo cable into the car, refit the dashboard and secure the throttle pedal into place.

During its initial build up, Paul noticed that the high/low beam switch was faulty so had a new one placed on order. It has now arrived so he could install it into the car and then after removing the wheels (which have been sent away for refinishing) he could adjust the brake drums.

Assessing the 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 Roadster

The workshop team at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ have been working on assessing the 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 Roadster which recently arrived at Pettistree from our secure storage facility, The Hangar.

The first stage was for our trim team to take a look at the cabin of the classic sports GT car. Lydia, one of our incredible trimmers, carefully checked over every aspect of the cars interior to compile her condition report which was given to the workshop supervisor to put together with the mechanical teams check over which began as soon as Lydia was done. But, she did not there are some areas of the cabin which will require new sections such as the carpet set which in her words appears to be ‘badly moth damaged’.

The purpose of the assessment, is to gain an overall view of the condition of the car. To see whether the car is in need of a complete and total restoration or a recommission. Our technicians have decades of experience on working on classic cars and have a methodical and safety based approach to checking over the cars.

Rob, one of our restoration technicians whose background is in restoring Triumphs as well as maintaining and restoring classic formula 1 cars, was put in charge of checking over the E-Type V12 and compiling his report which has also been passed onto the workshop supervisors along with the interior assessment by Lydia.

Whilst the supervisors and leadership team are formulating a plan for the E-Type Roadster, our transport team safely loaded up the classic sports car into our enclosed trailer and took the car back to our secure storage facility, The Hangar. There, the car was placed in its Carcoon and put back on charge.

Final Check Over – 1971 MGB Roadster

Our 1971 MGB Roadster is in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for its final check over before it heads off to its new owner. During the checks, Jon found out that the stop light had stopped working so a new one was placed on order.

New Arrival – 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 Roadster

Earlier this week, we welcomed a new arrival to our Suffolk HQ in the shape of this 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 Roadster. The car was transported over to our Pettistree workshops for our team to take a look at the car for its owner and appraise its overall condition.

It’s always nice to welcome new classics into the family here, and we seem to be working on a lot of E-Type’s recently!

Our 2003 MG ZT V8 Stripped and Ready for Paint

Our 2003 MG ZT V8 has been getting into shape ahead of its repaint under the watchful and skillful hands of our painter Alan.

He’s worked on getting the car back to bare metal in places and then reworked certain areas so when he does lay down that stunning dark blue, everything will look absolutely sensational.

Ready to Go – 1970 Morris Minor 1000

Our 1970 Morris Minor 1000, which found itself stranded outside our Suffolk HQ has been worked on by the team here and ready to hit the road again!

But, before it left our workshop. Tony gave the car a once over to make sure she looked her best before her excited owner came to pick her back up.

Working on our 1981 Austin Vanden Plas

The 1981 Austin Vanden Plas is in the workshops at our Suffolk HQ for the team to get a few jobs done on the classic hatchback. First up, Jon has been working on the lift pump which he noted was leaking so he made up some new gaskets and sealed them back onto the car.

Next up, Jon began working on getting the rear end of the car back into shape. He realigned the bumper to make it even and square to the body before removing the rear axle mounts for them to be cleaned and refurbished.

Stripping Back the Dash of the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe

Our technician Rob has been methodically working his way through stripping the dashboard of our 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe. Each individual piece that is removed was carefully inspected and evaluated before being bagged and labeled. The dash itself, which is wooden, will be repaired and restored by a local specialist while the clocks and gauges will be sent away to be completely refurbished for this stunning piece of sports car history.

Along with working on the dashboard, Rob has also been working on stripping back some of the controls such as the throttle pedal assembly and handbrake, getting them to where they can be carefully sandblasted and then painted.