Ford Model T Running Smooth
We’re delighted to see our Ford Model T starting up and running so smoothly today.
Tag Archive: classic car restoration
Jaguar MKVII Shims
We’d sent the carburettors off and found that the they needed new shims so Ady has worked on making up newer thicker shims.
Monaco’s New Shoes
Scott has been fitting the newly relined brake shoes to our Riley Monaco. This has cured the squealing brakes and has now gone back to its owner.
DB9 Ceiling Lining
Kath and Brian have been working on recovering the ceiling lining in Craig’s Aston Martin DB9. Brian begun by undoing the side panels above the window and unclipping the headliner panel. He then removed the cover and foam so that he was able to glue the cover back down to the panel, making sure he glues the excess flap to the back. Once the headliner had its new cover, he could fit it back in place with Kath’s help.
Yellow Riley Dismantling
James has been working to dismantle our yellow 1951 Riley and fabricate a new vent panel.
Bentley Continental Seats Re-covered
Lydia has been working on recovering a pair of Bentley Continental seats. She has done the whole process from start to finish by hand. She’s replaced the foam, cut new leather from templates she’s made from the old cover, fitted, stitched and glued the new seats together with a keen attention to detail.
Morris Minor’s Wheel Arch Repair
After a hit and run collision that left this little moggy with a severely dented rear wheel arch, we’ve begun our repair worked to get this Morris Minor back on the road. The damage was rather substantial and has needed James to fabricate in a new rear arch and panel which will later be painted.
Subaru bodywork restoration
This beautifully kept 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX STi in for what started out as a small rust repair. Leaving no stone unturned James has noticed corrosion into the arch and sill and has taken a ‘belt and braces’ approach to make sure this modern classic is fighting fir for many years to come. James has cut out any compromised metal and has fabricated a new driver’s side arch and part of the sill.
Here’s what Freddie’s car usually looks like…
And here is the work in progress… We have elected to replace the rusted bumper brackets with new genuine Subaru parts.
Aston Martin DB2/4 Seat Creation
Brian has been taking apart the the covers from the rear base and squab seat on our Aston Martin DB2/4. He’s un-done the hinge from the bottom edge and top section of the squab and removed the rubber strips from their metal channels. Once he’d undone the metal trims, Brian then removes the tacks holding the squab to the wooden frame. He removed the cover and foam from the backboard and removed the trim from the top section. Brian then removed the side sections from top part of squab seat, undid the metal trim and removed all the wood from inside. He could then start peeling back the leather to reveal the metal trim and undo the rivets to remove back sections. Finally he removed the base foam to leave the metal tub ready to be cleaned and painted.
Holey Moley!
Our classic Jaguar 240 has two substantial holes in its underside due to corrosion. It’s been sat 18 months and now needs some thorough TLC.
XJS Bored Radiator
Our Jaguar XJS has had its radiator bored out again to make it run more smoothly.
DB2/4 Interior Decision Made
After many discussions, we’ve decided on the interior for our Mille Miglia Aston Martin DB2/4. The carpet will be a dark grey with claret red seats and 1206B Schiefer grey piping.
Jaguar E-Type In Epoxy
Our Jaguar E-type Roadster that’s in for a full restoration is currently sat in the paint shop in epoxy primer. Matt and Chris will then need to shape up the body by applying filler to make sure the body is smooth and perfect without any dents.
Ford Model T’s New Exhaust
We’ve manufactured a new stainless steel exhaust as the original was rusty.
Triumph Stag Update
Our Triumph Stag has had a new rear bumper and exhaust and is in the process of having the boot trim attached. We’ve also been working on the heater and the gearbox which had a leaking seal.
Toyota Hilux Trim Update
We’re currently re-covering the sun visors and ceiling lining. Kath is working at recovering these, creating the patterns and fabric, gluing it down and making new boards.
Riley Problem Solving
Currently, we’re doing a lot of research into our 1951 Riley as the restoration of it will need a lot of multi-trade skills from woodwork to metalwork. Lydia has been cleaning off the glue and paint from the panels.
Once we’ve got the detail blueprints back, we can start to measure up the new parts and make them.
MGB’s New Luxurious Water
Our MGB has transition to the luxurious Evans water for its engine which is waterless coolant to accompany the new water pipe. We first need to drain and flush the system with engine flush and then top it up with Evans coolant. We’re also waiting on a new battery isolator switch to arrive so we can fit that.
Triumph TR6 Almost Ready
We’ve changed the engine water to the luxurious Evans. We’re also investigating injector fuel issues with the engine that are preventing it from running smoothly. We’ve also replaced the fuel pump and filters but this hasn’t aided the running issues. We’ve up-rated the shock absorbers by 25% too.
Peony Red’s Boot Lid Interior
Our 1960 Peony Red Jensen has had a new boot lid carpet. Brian has cut and glued a leather strip around the inside edge of the boot lid and then glued down the carpet to the inside, cutting holes in the boot to support the arm and catch.
We’ve also sent the entire car off to Demand engineering to get the exhaust manufactured and fitted. We’ve found that the profile of the downpipes are not the correct profile so we’re also having them re-profiled so that they allow the exhaust to sit correctly.
Green E-Type Back Axel And Welding
Scott has been working on our 1968 Jaguar E-Type 4.2 by removing the rear axel and stripping it down ready to rebuild it. He’s also carried out a lot of welding to make the car safe for its MOT. We expect that in the future this car will need new floor pans and sills as we have repaired these to comply with MOT standard but to ensure the cars long life, more amends may be on the horizon.
Tesla Mini Running At London Classic Car Show
The Surf Blue Mini that we worked on with Ted from Team C Racing for Electric Classic Cars has been up and running at the London Classic Car Show.
We’re delighted to see it up and running after its long restoration story.
June 29, 2021 10:43 am
Honda Integra Seats Cleaned
Just look at the difference after the Honda Integra Recaro seats have been cleaned! They came in looking a little worse for wear but now, after a thorough wash, they’re looking good as new again!
Ford Model T’s Rear Box Covers
Brian has made up some covers for the rear box pillars on our 1915 Ford Model T. He’s done this in the same style as the seats, making it out of leather and buttons to create this luxurious effect.
He began by making up buttons for the rear box covers, marking out the button holes and drilling them into the wood. He then fit wooden sections to the shelf so that it will stay in place and fit neatly onto the pillar. He then glued the foam to the wood and proceeded to cover the foam and board in the leather. Once that was done, he could then fit it to the Model T.
Basil The Beetle Broken Down At Bentwaters
This poor little 1972 Volkswagen Beetle named Basil broke down last week and was brought to our hanger on RAF Bentwaters to be stored until it comes into the workshop to be fixed.
We have now transported the car over to our workshops for work to commence.
Extension to Bridge Classic Cars workshops…
Work is soon underway on the extension to our workshop which means our storage unit has been moved to the other side of the site in preparation for the grounds work to take place.
We’re eagerly awaiting this building work to start so that we can have a new exciting workshop with even more space.
Two Special Classics Off Home Soon
We’re delighted to announce that two of our classics have been finished and will be sent off to their owner in Germany very soon. The Tundra MG B was finished a while ago and has been sitting in storage whilst we completed the TR6 but now is the first chance we’ve had to have them both finished and side by side.
With just a few final touches to be made to the Magenta TR6, these two stunning classics will soon be ending their time with us. Watch this space…
Lada’s New Percussion
Scott has been fitting new rear drum brakes onto the Lada. We’ve been waiting for the new drums to arrive from Russia and now that they are here, we are able to fit them.
Riley Monaco Adjustments
Scott has been working on our Riley Monaco to remove the brake shoes so that they can be sent off for relining with a softer material. He’s also fitted a lager rubber block to the clutch pedal to make it more easily accessible for the driver.
Jaguar MKVII Engine Progress
We’ve taken apart the exhaust port and fitted new valves onto the cylinder head of our 1954 Jaguar MKVII.
