classic car repairs

Refurb – Wheels from the 2012 Mercedes SLK250

The wheels on the 2012 Mercedes SLK have seen better days. There’s some corrosion and paint flaking around the hub centres which is a common occurrence on this generation of Mercedes wheels. But, they can be refurbished!

Our good friends over at WheelWorx came down to the Pettistree workshop to assess the wheels and then safely remove them from the car to be taken back to their workshops to be entirely refurbished for this beautiful modern Mercedes convertible. Once these are back on the car, we can’t wait to show you the rest of it.

Auction – 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 at the H&H Imperial War Museum Auction

The Bridge Classic Cars 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 will soon be headed to auction with auctioneers H&H Auctions.

Here’s what H&H’s James McWilliam had to say about our Viper:

”Wonderfully politically incorrect, the Dodge Viper was launched in January 1992. A pure American muscle car, it was conceived by Bob Lutz, Tom Gale, Francois Castaing and Carroll Shelby. Built around a tubular steel backbone frame equipped with all round double-wishbone independent suspension, vented disc brakes and power-assisted rack and pinion steering, it did without ABS or a traction control system. Extensively reworked by Lamborghini (another Chrysler subsidiary at the time), its 8 litre V10 former truck engine gained a new aluminium block and cylinder heads. Quoted as developing some 400bhp and 465lbft of torque, it was mated to a six-speed Borg Warner T-56 manual gearbox. Clad in lightweight resin transfer moulding glassfibre body panels, the targa-roofed RT/10 claimed a 0-60mph time of 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 165mph. Remaining in production until 2017, the Viper has long since attracted a cult following (though, later versions came with a far fuller complement of driver-aid electronics).

Finished in the eye-catching combination of Viper Red with White racing stripes and Dark Grey leather upholstery, ‘M2 EKO’ was imported from its native America in 2020. Riding on ‘chrome effect’ 18-inch alloys shod with low profile tyres, the two-seater features a removable roof panel and side windows and shows just 31,500 miles to its odometer. The steering wheel and seats are said to be in ‘incredible’ condition with minimal signs of wear. Reportedly a real ‘head turner’ whenever it is seen or heard in public, the Alpine stereo has its work cut out competing with the formidable 8 litre V10 rumble which emanates from the side pipe exhausts! Offered for sale with the original drivers’ pack, 2 sets of keys and V5C document. It is estimated that less than 100 Dodge Vipers are currently registered for UK road use.”

The car is presented for auction at the Imperial War Museum on Wednesday March 16th 2022. To view the car or to register your interest, click the link below.

View the 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 at the H&H Imperial War Museum 2022 auction.

Preparations – The Doors of the 1987 Daimler Double Six in Primer

The doors from the 1987 Daimler Double Six have been moved from the body shop to the paint shop at Bridge Classic Cars.

The doors have been prepared for their first coat of primer before being taken back through into the body shop to be perfected and shaped in anticipation for the body shell to be moved into the department from the fabrication shop and readied for primer.

Reshaping – Body Work on the 1969 Bentley T1

The 1969 Bentley T1 is in the Bridge Classic Cars body shop to be reworked and perfected before it goes into the in-house paint booth.

The body shop team have been working on sanding and minimally filling the panels on the classic Bentley to ensure each body line and panel seamlessly blends into the next from the front to the back of the car.

Once the preparations are completed, the car will go back into the paint booth and then the team will move onto the next process.

Revisions – Modifying the Heater box of the 1970 Bristol 411

The 1970 Bristol 411 which is in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop to be converted to left-hand drive has to have several important pieces in the engine bay modified to fit the application.

One of these pieces is the heater box of the classic Bristol. The inlets and outlets of the heater box, once it has been rotated during its relocation across the firewall, were in entirely the wrong orientation. This means that our restoration technicians have had to modify and relocate each of the individual outlets. Along with that, other openings in the heater box has had to be blanked off and reopened 180 degrees out.

Sealed – The Boot Floor of the 1987 Daimler Double Six Seam Sealed

After the repairs to the boot floor of the 1987 Daimler Double Six – The Bridge Classic Cars teams have been working to make sure everything is sealed up tight.

The body team at Bridge Classic Cars have been underneath the and in the boot of the classic Daimler to seal any joints between the panels which make up the boot floor. This is crucial for the longevity of not just our repairs on the car but the longevity of the whole car itself.

Start of the Process – Retrimming the Dash of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona

The dashboard from the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona is in with the Bridge Classic Cars trim shop to be recovered after its reshaping by the restoration technicians.

The dashboard has undergone several modifications and revisions while in the body shop, so with that, it has gone upstairs to our in-house trim shop to be retrimmed in black vinyl. This retrim is completely bespoke to the dash with every hole, seam and panel hand-cut and templated by the team.

Lydia made individual templates for each piece using reference materials and photos of the original Daytona pieces to first test fit for the vinyl pieces, and so that any revisions could be made to create an entire piece that fit the dashboard perfectly for the classic Daytona replica.

Neat and Tidy – Tidying Up The Engine Bay Wiring of the 1968 MGC Roadster

The restoration technicians in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop have the fantastic 1968 MGC Roadster currently on the ramp to complete several jobs on the car. This time, it’s tidying up the wiring in the engine bay.

Jon has been methodically going through the wiring under the bonnet of the classic convertible sports car to make sure everything not only works correctly but is safely routed around the engine bay. System by system, he has grouped together separate parts of the harness and shielded them where necessary.

Final Pieces – Bumpers for the 1965 Porsche 912 in Primer

The final pieces for the 1965 Porsche 912 have gone into the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop to have their final coat of primer.

The body shop team have worked on perfecting the shape and surface of the bumpers and valance panel from the classic Porsche before it went into the paint booth. This involved hours of shaping and sanding to get each individual piece to the correct shape.

Then, once each had been perfectly cleaned and prepared, Alan could lay the final coats of high build primer on the panels in preparation for the beginning of the colour process.

A Piece of the Puzzle – The 1954 Bristol 405’s Original Engine Returns

The Bridge Classic Cars workshop in Pettistree have received a very important shipment today. Not only is it important for the technicians in the restoration of the 1954 Bristol 405, but its important for the car itself.

The team at Bridge Classic Cars have managed to track down the car’s original engine. That’s right, this is the correct engine for the classic Bristol. The car is currently fitted with the engine from a Triumph TR6, but as part of the restoration of the car, its original heart will be put back into the 1950s GT car to live out the rest of its years with.

We’re excited to show you more on the 1954 Bristol 405 project very soon but for now, we get to marvel at the glorious Bristol straight-six.

This Just In – 1957 MGA Roadster

The latest arrival into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ is this beautiful 1957 MG A Roadster. Finished in fiery Red with contrasting white hardtop and wire wheels and perfectly aged red interior.

The car will soon go into the various departments to be inspected and assessed to see if anything needs to be done to this gorgeous 1950s sports car to get it running as good as it looks. Once the teams have looked through the car and given their report, you’ll see much more on this wonderful car here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.

Adjustments – Adjusting the Door Handles and Rear Lights on the 1968 MGC Roadster

The workshop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ have been working on the 1968 MGC Roadster.

Our technician Jon has been getting a series of jobs completed on the rare roadster ahead of its departure from the workshop. Jon has been adjusting the door handles for the car and realigning the strikers so that when the handle is pulled or the door is pushed back into place there’s no binding up of any of the mechanisms.

He has also been making sure all of the rear lights are secured into the car and that each and every function of the clusters works just at it should do.

Isolation – Fitting a Battery Isolator to the 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10

As the 1995 Dodge Viper RT10 heads from Bridge Classic Cars to the H&H Auctions, the workshop has fitted the important battery isolator.

As with all our classics and specialist cars, the workshop has fitted a battery isolator to the car. This is so when the car is being stored it won’t have any slow battery drains and also keep the car’s battery in the best possible condition with its new owner.

We get asked by a lot of our restoration clients to fit battery isolators/kill switches to cars. So, if you’re classic would benefit from this upgrade please get in touch!

Before and After – More Pieces of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona Refinished

Both the workshop and paint teams at Bridge Classic Cars have been working together to clean up and refinish several pieces for the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona.

The parts from the engine bay of the Daytona were meticulously sanded, cleaned and prepared the pieces before they were taken into our spray booth to be refinished in glossy and matte black depending on the piece.

After the pieces had completely cured and hardened, the workshop team could begin putting the parts back together and ready to be put back into the car.

Built-Up – 1965 Porsche 912 in High Build Primer

The 1965 Porsche 912 in with the paint and body team at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ has had the majority of its part now sprayed in the final stage of primer.

Alan has been working on the classic Porsche to completely overhaul the car’s bodywork. After several rounds of sanding, priming, resanding and so on the 912 is looking incredible. The majority of the parts, panels and the bodyshell have been in the spray booth to receive its final coats of primer.

The car has been shot in an even and crucial layer of high-build primer before the paint team lay down the first coats of colour on this beautiful classic Porsche.

Perfect Fit – Modifying 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona Glovebox

The glovebox of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona is being worked on by our restoration workshop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ. It’s having some modifications done to give this piece of the car the perfect fit.

Scott has been in charge of working on the fibreglass pieces of the dash to get the entire dash (and all the pieces) fitting perfectly and as close to an original Daytona as possible. Scott has had to cut and section the glovebox door to allow the pieces to have a uniform opening and close lines for that complete and flawless fit you would expect from a restored Daytona.

The Bridge Classic Cars restoration technicians have an excellent of understanding working with composites (especially Fibreglass) due to our extensive work on the Jensen 541 family of cars. So, working on the Fibreglass 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona means we can make sure that the fit and finish of the entire car is perfect.

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

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.

Top to Bottom – Repairing the Boot Floor of the 1987 Daimler Double Six

The Bridge Classic Cars fabrication shop have been working their way through the rust repairs on the 1987 Daimler Double Six.

Monty has been cutting out the corroded metal in the boot floor of the classic Daimler. Using the pieces cut out of the boot, he created new pieces for the car which were then test fitted to check before being welded in. The hand-made floor patch also had the strengthening beads rolled into the material to follow the original channels in the existing floor to create one complete uniform piece once painted.

A small patch panel also needed to be made for an area of corrosion behind the fuel tank. Like the others, the area was cut out and rust treated before the new piece was welded in.

Capped Off – Finishing the Cubby Boxes for the 1955 Jensen 541

The Bridge Classic Cars trim shop have been working to finish off the handmade cubby boxes for the 1955 Jensen 541.

Brian has been making the lids for the new cubby boxes. This involves hand finishing the recesses in the lids for the brand new hinges to get the lids to sit perfectly flat onto the bases. He also created the recess in the top to fit the ashtray, this has all been done and finished by hand to give the best possible result for the car.

Along with these pieces, Brian has created the metal base for the cubby boxes. This was then wrapped in black vinyl to match the colour of the interior of the box and give one single uniform look to the boxes.

Behind the Scenes – Live Draw of the 1959 MGA Twin Cam & 1979 Triumph Spitfire

Our 1959 MGA Twin Cam and 1979 Triumph Spitfires have found their very lucky new owners in last night’s live draw. Let’s go behind the scenes…

For this live draw, it was just the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions team. At the closing time for tickets of 630pm, there were still 1100 tickets remaining on the MGA Twin Cam and around 400 on the Spitfire – which means incredible odds for those who had entered. But, none of us knew just who the new owners would be.

After the customary walk around of the cars in our new competition building, talking to our incredible audience on our live stream, it was time to find out who lady luck was smiling on last night. As always, we use a Random Number Generator in order to select the ticket numbers from the pre-published entry lists which are available to view before the draw.

First up was the stunning Inca Yellow 1979 Triumph Spitfire, one of the best sounding cars that we have ever had in with its upgraded stainless steel system, the sound matches its striking good looks. As the numbers were loaded into the random number generator, anticipation built. Then, with a wiring flash on the new big-screen monitor, the number appeared. 2170. This particular ticket was allocated to Neil James. The new, very lucky owner of the 1979 Inca Yellow Triumph Spitfire.

Without holding up proceedings, everyone wanted to know who was going to win the 1959 MGA Twin Cam. A car with possibly one of the best backstories we have ever had in. A true race car from its earliest days and then a classic sports car connection between a father, a son and a racing team. XLE40, the 1959 MGA Twin Cam has got an incredible history (which you can read about here). But, we were here to find out who its latest custodian was. Hayley input the numbers into the generator, and with a single click, the fate of the MGA Twin Cam had been decided. The screen showed 3476. The ticket number bought by Peter Leyland. The MGA Twin Cam’s new owner.

As a custom, we call the winners on the live stream. Unfortunately, Neil didn’t answer the phone. But Peter did. Hayley and the team had a chat with him, a true MG enthusiast at heart. He was overwhelmed with his new addition.

Soon, these two will be heading off to their new lives away from us with their wonderful new owners to adore.

Remember, you too could join the list of over 70+ people who have won with us. Head over to the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website and enter now!

Looking Deeper – Bodywork on the 1978 MGB GT Begins

The 1978 MGB GT in with Bridge Classic Cars for restoration has been completely stripped back to bare metal to get a better look at the condition of the body shell.

As you can see, the car is going to need some repairs in several places. This will be done with the various brand new reproduction body panels, then this classic sports car will be back together and ready for its bodywork and paintwork by the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop.

New Finish – Parts from the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona in Satin Black

The in-house paint shop at Bridge Classic Cars have taken some of the parts from the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona to be refinished.

With the Arrow Daytona project making great progress, some of the parts from the iconic car have been taken from our restoration workshop into the paint shop to be prepared for refinishing. Alan, has worked on sanding down and cleaning each part individually ready for its time in the paint booth.

Each of the pieces was hung and then shot in a heavy-duty and durable satin black to match the rest of the pieces in the car. These will be packaged and put into storage for when the project calls for them.

A Loss of Pressure – Inspecting and Diagnosing the 1963 Morris LD

The workshop technicians at Bridge Classic Cars have been getting to the bottom of the hydraulic issues with the 1963 Morris LD.

Our technician Dave has been inspecting the entire hydraulic system in the 1963 Morris LD Van in with us for a list of jobs. The owner has stated an issue with the brakes binding/getting hot along with the clutch being entirely inoperable.

During the inspection, Dave found a lot of the hydraulic system to be quite heavily corroded. The brakes and the clutch system on the LD share the same hydraulic system but in this car, several pipes from the reservoir and the master cylinder were so corroded they had begun to leak.

On further inspection, the technicians believe the clutch and brakes are ok but have been removed to be inspected and refurbished if needed. Along with that, all of the hardware associated with the front drums brakes (including the shoes) have been removed to be inspected and refurbished if needed.

Panel Work – Retrimming the Boot Panels of the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have given the boot trim panels of the classic 1980 Saab 99 Turbo a new lease of life with a full recovering in glossy black.

Brian carefully stripped back the old coverings on the boot panels to assess the panels underneath. Once the trim team could inspect the panels for any damage but all were in good order underneath their covers.

Using the pieces as templates, the trim shop made new perfect fitting covers for the car which will then be put into storage for when the restoration project is complete.

Remade – New Foam and Cover for Sofa Cushions

The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on something non-car related. Refoaming and retrimming a sofa cushion.

Our trim shop completely remade the foam base and coverings by hand using the originals as templates for the material to recover the pieces.

Retrimmed – Retrimming the C Pillar Caps on the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo

The interior trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars have been working through several pieces from the interior of the 1980 Saab 99 Turbo in for restoration.

The original C Pillar caps had split, cracked and began to degrade so the trim team stripped the pieces back to the foam. Using the original coverings as templates, the trim team could make new coverings for the caps. The foam itself was also cleaned up before the new material was glued on and fitted to the pieces.

Neat and Tidy – Working on the Dash and Interior Wiring Loom of the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona

With the engine bay wiring loom routed for the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona, the Bridge Classic Cars restoration technicians could begin work on the dash and interior loom.

The wiring loom for the 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona has to be carefully laid out and routed throughout the entire car. Rob, one of our technicians, has been working on cleaning up unnecessary wiring for the car and then making sure the harness is carefully wrapped in loom tape to protect the wires from any chafing and to bundle them together for tidiness.

Rob has split the harness into each of the individual systems like it would have been done on the original Daytona and neatly put them into the wire carriers.

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

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.

Preparation – Panels from the 1965 Porsche 912 for Final Primer

The technicians in the Bridge Classic Cars body shop have been preparing the panels and pieces from the 1965 Porsche 912 to have their final coats of finish primer laid.

Alan has been working on the pieces for the classic Porsche to get them looking perfect before the finishing primer is sprayed on in preparation for the final colour coat very soon. Hours have gone into getting even the inside of the door jams perfectly shaped for the car and also to address historic repairs done to the Porsche throughout its life on both the door and decklid.

With these both now in perfect shape, Alan can begin the cleaning process before they head into our in-house paint booth.

Inspect and Report – Checking Over the 1933 Austin 7

The 1933 Austin 7 is back in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for our restoration team to look into a couple of issues with the wonderful little car.

Firstly, the owner has noted that when the car is put into reverse the wheels seem to lock up. For this, our technicians are beginning to strip apart the wheels/hubs to get to the bottom of the issue.

The car has also reportedly burnt out its clutch. Again, this will be inspected by our technicians and tested to confirm.