After carefully opening up the sills of the 1970 Bristol 411 and thoroughly inspecting them, our technicians have begun the process of sealing them back up in the car.
The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have hand fabricated new sills straps and new closing panels for the classic Bristol after inspecting the inner sills for any form of corrosion. The originals had to be cut out of the car and couldn’t be reused so our fabrication team made brand new, tight-fitting and durable panels to replace them.
The original flanges were cleaned up and straightened to give a good mounting surface for the workshop to weld the new panels back into place and seal up the underside of the classic Bristol.
The restoration technicians in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop have been looking into a fuel leak from the 1973 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3.
The team inspected all the hoses and couplers to do with the fuel system which upon inspection were all found to be okay. From that, the team decided to look inside the tank of the V12 E-Type and found the cause of the issue.
The tank filter had become clogged with stones. This caused fuel to back up in the filter and leak through the seal which was causing the reported issue.
The restoration team at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ have made progress on the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona. This time, they’ve been perfecting the fitment of the indicator lenses at the front of the classic Ferrari homage.
Our technician Scott has spent several hours getting the lenses just right for Daytona replica. The lenses had to be fixed into place on the car, which Scott made up some small and strong brackets for. These were carefully measured up and put into the car. Along with that, the back of the lens socket was masked up and painted so through the clear part of the lens, the cars stunning pale green cannot be seen.
The inner wings and several pieces of the bulkhead from the 1987 Mercedes 500SL have been finished in thick durable Raptorguard by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop.
Alan, one of our painters, has been working on completing this task as part of the final paint stages on the classic Mercedes R107. This stage involved coating several key areas of the car with a thick, durable Raptorguard. This particular product seals the surface from any form of moisture that can find its way inside the metal. So, the team have finished the inside of the front wings and several key parts of the bulkhead and heater matrix.
With this done and now curing, the team can soon begin reassembly of the classic Mercedes 500SL.
The paint and bodywork team at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ have been working several jobs on the 1973 Volvo 1800ES.
The team found several small rust holes around the body which were carefully sanded back, plug welded and finished flat, along with that the team plug welded some wing mirror holes which were no longer needed.
The bodywork team then worked on finishing the panels to be perfectly smooth and then took the car into our in-house paint booth to primer the specific areas and be paint matched.
The technicians in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ have been busy inspecting and servicing the 1964 Morgan 4/4 in with us.
The team have begun the service on the classic Morgan, this also involved the inspection and adjustment of the drum brakes.
Then, the team began to look into a couple of issues noted on the car by its owner. Firstly, the team looked into an issue with the car starting. Although some of the connections were slightly loose from the battery, the team have put on order several new parts for the ignition system to try and fix the issue.
Along with that, the team found a split radiator hose in the car.
When the new pieces arrive and are fitted to the car, the team can begin the process of reinstalling and retesting the car to make sure it starts consistently and perfectly each time.
The fabrication team at Bridge Classic Cars have finished up the crucial repairs to the inner arch and door sill of the 1969 Morris Minor Convertible.
These two pieces which make up the driver’s A-Pillar is used for not only the structure and mounting of the wings but also dictate the opening in the body for the doors. So, these need to be not only structurally sound and strong but very precise so our body shop technicians can get the panels aligned perfectly when the car is transferred into their department.
The fabrication team have carefully and precisely put the pieces back onto the classic Morris Minor in a particular order to build on the rigidity and strength needed in this particular area.
The restoration team at Bridge Classic Cars have got to work on servicing the 1967 Jaguar MkII 3.4 which is in with us for service and inspection. The team carried out the service which also included the replacement of the points and condenser in the ignition system to make sure the classic big Jaguar was running at its absolute best.
Along with that, the owner has asked the team to investigate and find the source of a reported leak. Beginning the investigation, our technician Scott inspected all the axle seals as well as any other parts of the driveline. During that inspection, he noticed a weap coming from the rear differential with a suspected leak coming from the pinion seal of the classic Jaguar.
With this, the car will have this investigated further and rectified before being tested and given the all clear.
The 1987 Daimler Double Six has been taken back to bare metal in the places where the repairs were carried out by the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication team. Now, in the hands of our body shop technicians, the car has been refined and perfected before being thoroughly cleaned before going into the paint booth.
The classic Daimler is being finished in its first round of epoxy primer ahead of the team paint matching the reworked areas to the original dark blue paintwork. The team laid down the primer layer by layer carefully allowing it to settle flat and evenly across the luxury 4 door saloon. With this stage done, it will be transferred back into the preparation area for the team to begin sanding and finishing before it goes back into the paint booth for the next stage.
The bodyshell of the 1978 MG B GT in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ has had more metal work repairs.
Rob, one of our restoration technicians, has been working his way methodically through the repairs needed to the car. The team have been working their way from the bottom to the top to make sure that everything is square and secure to the chassis. The biggest job tackled recently was remaking and resecuring the bottom of the drivers-side A-pillar which was heavily corroded and was allowing a lot of flex through the inner wheel arch and many of the pickup points for the door.
Along with that, Rob has finished welding the new door skin to the repaired door frame for the passenger side of the car. And with that, could bolt the door up to the car to double-check fitment and alignment.
The restoration team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the inspection and repairs on the 1973 Volvo 1800ES.
Our technician Dave began this round of work by removing the rear bumper of the classic Volvo in preparation for it to be moved into our body and paint shop. After that had been removed, catalogued and stored the team could get on with the list of work.
Part of the work needed was for Dave to do some welding at the rear end of the car. Part of the rear spring hanger had cracked and needed to be rewelded to make sure everything was safe and secure in the car.
Next was a few issues with the wheels interfering with several components of the running gear. At the rear, Dave found that the set screws on the disc were not fitted all the way into the threaded insert and were contacting the back of the wheel not allowing it to be tightened down flush to the hub.
On the front, Dave found the front tyres had been contacting both the frame rail and anti-roll bar (as seen by the witness marks on both pieces).
The final parts and panels for the 1987 Mercedes 500SL have been finished in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop ready for reassembly on the car.
The team have taken their time to make sure each individual piece has been properly prepared, cleaned and primed before being taken back into the booth to be finished in matching Selenit Grey to the rest of the classic 1980s Mercedes.
Part of the process involved also painting several key parts of the car in a deep black before being masked off and finished in the glossy grey.
All of the works on the 1934 MG PA have been completed by the Bridge Classic Cars restoration teams just in time for the beautiful pre-war sports car to be used over the summer.
The team at Bridge Classic Cars have worked on this classic MG from front to back. The first updates are the new spotlights that adorn the beautiful chrome lightbar between the front wings which now have its all-important touring badges. These were wired into the car to make the car more useable and keep to the era, our director Gordon sourced these period-correct pieces specifically for the car.
The next changes to the classic MG PA happen in the cockpit. The team have worked on fitting the new dials and gauges into the car. The new temperature dial is connected to the new temperature sender to make sure the overall health of the car is easily visible. Along with that, the Breitling stopwatch has been fitted to the dash. This is an important part of the cabin as this style of stopwatch would have been used in classic rallying. To improve the useability and safety of the car, the team have fitted the PA with modern lap belts. A key safety component for any vintage car is to make sure the seat belts are made of the latest tear-resistant fabrics to make sure that even with the fun of driving, it’s still safe.
With all of these bits now finished on Gordon’s 1934 MG PA, it’s ready to be used over the summer. Keep an eye out for updates on this wonderful car’s travels.
The 1973 Volvo 1800ES has been in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for our restoration team to begin working through the jobs requested by the classic Volvo’s owner.
Our technician Dave has worked on replacing the air filter as part of its service along with a full oil change. The team also inspected and adjusted the valves while the rocker cover was taken into our paint and body shop to be refinished.
The team also drained the car of both oil and coolant as part of the service and while the engine was empty replaced both the oil temperature sensor and the coolant temperature sensor for the customer. After these had been fitted, Dave could refill both the oil and coolant in the engine to spec.
Dave also worked on replacing a ball joint on the classic Volvo due to excessive play in the component which can affect both the handling and tyre wear but is deemed to be a safety component for the car.
The Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop has been working on getting the engine back into the front of the 1933 Austin 7.
Our restoration technician, Tom, has been working on refitting the new clutch and ring gear onto the engine and gearbox of the classic Austin before carefully putting it into place between the frame of the car and making sure everything cleared without fear of damaging any other component. With the engine in place, the team could begin hooking up the various cables and wires that have to be hooked up in order for the team to begin testing the pre-war Austin.
The refinished engine of the 1969 Morris Minor Convertible has begun to be reassembled by the Bridge Classic Cars restoration team.
Rob, one of our restoration technicians, has been working on refitting the rebuilt and refinished pieces to the newly painted engine block in our workshop. Each piece before it is put back on the car has been inspected, rebuilt and then reinstalled with new seals or gaskets.
The in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on getting the headliner sorted on the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona.
The team began with a basic paper template so they could make sure the final piece had the best possible fit and finish to match the rest of the bespoke interior going into the classic Daytona replica. From there, the whole piece was transferred to fabric. The original headliner was used as inspiration as it had metal strips welded in to give the vertical lines in the padding, this new headliner has the same pattern but is stitched.
We’re excited about the progress on the Arrow Daytona and look forward to showing you what’s happening next on the classic Ferrari replica.
The 1969 Bentley T1 which has been in with the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body team has now been completed!
What started as a pretty standard respray on the classic Bentley quickly evolved into repairing and perfecting some previous repairs to the car which did not have the car’s best interests at heart. So, the team got to work.
After stripping down the classic Bentley in our preparation area, the team discovered a huge amount of body filler had been used on the rear quarter panels of the car to regain the shapes needed for the panel. Chris, one of our technicians, spent multiple hours just getting rid of the layers of filler to expose the raw metal buried underneath. Then, as they moved forward on the car, the front driver’s wing gave up its secret. An enormous dent/crack in the metal itself had been hidden under thick layers of filler. Before the car could be repainted, this had to be addressed.
The team managed to source a replacement wing for the iconic car. This needed some finessing and repairs but was a better starting point than the original. With this now on the car and lined up, it was back over to the paint and body team to finesse and perfect the panels and lines of the car before heading into our in-house paint booth for its first coats of primer.
Several rounds of primer, minimal filler and sanding work were done over several weeks to get the glorious Bentley back into shape. Then, it was time for colour.
The paint team perfectly matched the original Sage Green colour of the car in our mixing shop before laying it carefully and precisely across the body as it would have been done when the car was originally built. Taking the same care and attention to detail, if not more, than her original builders to ensure this T1 looked perfect. Colour sanding, polishing, more sanding, more polishing. All necessary to give the deep richness needed for a colour as synonymous with a classic Bentley as Sage Green.
Then, the team began the meticulous and precise task of masking up the Bentley to have its signature Coach Line applied down the lengths of the car. With that final piece done and the car put back together, it will soon be time for her to head home.
So, we’ve put together a gallery to show the evolution of the project in the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body shop:
As part of the giant history across three A4 ring binders that accompany our 1990 Porsche 944 Turbo, is a magazine. The April 2017 issue of Modern Classics features our very own 1990 944 Turbo!
The well-written and complimentary article regarding the underrated 1990s GT car is a lovely thing to read and features a lot of details about what had been done on the car in regards to its engine and running gear and how that added to the experience of the car. The write up on the car is based on whether or not the 944 (and 944 Turbo) were at the time a good investment for enthusiasts, to which we can confirm that this one especially is very much a drivers car!
They noted the handling on our 944 Turbo was made all the better by the M030 handling pack retrofitted onto the 944 and the wider Design 90 wheels allowing more grip in the corners than was achievable of standard S2 wheels.
The photos are also stunning taken for the article, they show just how vibrant the Guards Red paintwork is across the arrow-straight bodywork of the car and compliment the dark black interior.
We’re always interested to hear what writers in the industry have to say about our cars and especially when it’s a car that will soon be heading to its new owner through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.
This beautiful 1964 Morgan 4/4 has just arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ. We’ve previously worked on this classic Morgan late last year, fitting a new exhaust manifold and before that fitted a new wiring harness to the car.
This time, the car has come to our technicians for them to complete a list of jobs on the classic sportscar. Firstly, the team will complete a service on the car whilst looking into a couple of issues. The owner has noted the car has been struggling to start occasionally and the temperature gauge seems to not be working correctly either. The team will get this completed to make sure this stunning classic Morgan is in the best shape possible.
The in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on fitting out the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona. The team have handmade each piece for the car and that includes every section of the carpet set of the classic Ferrari replica and the newly modified centre console.
The team used original pieces removed from the car at the start of its restoration process to use as templates to create tight-fitting and neat pieces which will make up the driver’s footwell.
The centre console, which has recently been lengthened by the team, has also begun its journey to be finished in matching material to the rest of the classic Ferrari tribute. Firstly, a pattern was made from black fabric for our trim team to refine and place out any seams or edges that will need to be made for the piece. Once this template was made, the team could then begin transferring the template onto the lush green leather.
The beautiful and mechanically superb 1990 Porsche 944 Turbo has been fully inspected, tested and assessed by the restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars. And, with a clean bill of health, it was time for the car to head out for its photoshoot.
The team took the 944 Turbo to our secure vehicle storage facility, The Hangar, to begin the shoot of the iconic 1990s GT car. This 944, is not like others. With a beautifully upgraded and rebuilt 2.5 litre turbocharged 4 cylinder engine, it now makes 320BHP and 380lbs/ft of torque! A serious jump in performance is complemented with upgraded running gear, brakes and suspension to make the car more usable and reliable.
The car is finished in quintessential Guards Red with black interior, and the bodywork along with its interior looked stunning in the early spring sun. The noise from the beautifully built engine found any stiff surface to bounce off and find its way back to the joy of the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions team. The car and the experience it gave was addictive.
And now, we want you to experience this car for yourself. The 1990 Porsche 944 Turbo is the latest classic car on offer from Bridge Classic Cars launching today!
The fabrication team at Bridge Classic Cars have been continuing their work on getting the 1969 Morris Minor Convertible back into the best shape possible.
Our fabricators have begun working on removing the heavily corroded pieces from the inner wheel arch that have caused corrosion to flow into the sill. For this, our team carefully and sympathetically removed the root causes of the corrosion to ensure it cannot spread. After that, the team began the world of remaking the crucial part of the sill which ties the pieces together.
The 1969 Bentley T1, which has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint and body shop, has been treated to a Viper Auto Valet.
The team at Viper worked on cleaning up the classic Bentley after the team have been working on getting the whole car back together following its respray and rebuild. The car was also given a full engine bay clean down along with the entire car itself.
The Bridge Classic Cars restoration teams have been working together to get the 1969 Bentley T1 back together.
The trim team have been focusing on the inside of the classic Bentley. Firstly, the team refit the repaired kick panels into the footwell of the luxury 4 door saloon. Then, the team began work of fitting up the sun visors and then refitting the interior window trims. Finally, the team began putting the large, plush rear seat into the car to finish off the rear of the car.
Meanwhile, the restoration technicians have been working on tracking down an electrical fault on the car. After doing multiple electrical and mechanical tests, our technicians narrowed it down to a bad connection within the selector switch of the car. After cleaning up the connectors and the plug, the team then went to replicate the issue and it had fixed the fault.
The in-house trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been busy hand-making several key pieces for the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona.
Starting in the boot of the classic Ferrari replica. The trim shop has hand-made new boot boards for the car. These have been measured to give the best possible fit and finish to the pieces once they’re completely installed into the car. Before then, our trimmer Brian has wrapped them in black fabric to match what was originally in the boot of the car.
After this, the team test fit the centre console into the car. After the numerous modifications made to the interior of the car to create a true replica of the iconic Ferrari GT car, the fibreglass centre console cover had to be modified and the trim team created a new extension piece to perfectly replicated the fit and finish of the original car.
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.
The Bridge Classic Cars restoration teams have been continuing work on the metal repairs to the 1978 MG B GT.
Our technician, Rob, has been systematically carrying on with removal and repairs to the body shell and doors for the classic sports car. Rob has worked on remaking several key flanges and plates which had corroded away on the car and would be needed not only for the structure but also for the alignment of the panels once the MG B enters our in-house body shop.
Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates on the 1978 MG B GT.
The 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 that is in with Bridge Classic Cars will be going under the hammer at this year’s Supercar Fest by Silverstone Auctions on the 28th of May.
Our 1995 Dodge Viper will be heading to the world-renowned auctioneers Silverstone Auctions, who popped over to our secure storage facility, The Hangar, to shoot some photos and spend some time with the iconic 1990s Supercar while hanging out with our director, Craig.
To have a look or register your interest in this rare and unique opportunity to own one of the most legendary super/muscle cars of all time, check out the Silverstone Auctions page here.
And, we’ve also been sent over some amazing behind the scenes photos from the guys over at the Silverstone Auctions! Take a look:
Photo Credit: Alan Kenny
And check out the video they shot while spending time with our V10 Viper!
The final panels and trims for the 1987 Mercedes 500SL in for restoration have been prepared and primed by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop.
Alan, one of our painters, has been carefully preparing each individual piece before carefully loading them onto the jigs in our in-house paint booth before laying down the first coats of epoxy primer. After these had flashed off and began to cure, Alan laid several coats of high-build primer for the body shop team to begin working on before they head back in to be finished in matching Dark Grey to the rest of the car.
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