Mauro and Craig re-visited Jensen Service Ltd in Winchester to collect our 1960 Jensen 541S restoration project.
The car will soon be available for sale, either restored or unrestored. If you would like to know more about this car or any of our other 541 restoration projects please fee to contact the office on 01473742038 or email info@bridgeclassiccars.co.uk
This beautiful red 1968 MGB GT has come in for some TLC. The owner dropped it off with a list of adjustments and fixes that need doing. The jobs include attending to the brakes, prop shaft, dashboard electrics, issues with starting and a general service.
The 1973 White Jaguar E-Type dismantling continues under the capable hands of our technician Scott who has recently been focusing on taking apart parts, cleaning and organise them ready be re-fitted. He’s then sorted through the chrome to find out what parts need repairing and re-chroming.
Our 1962 TVR Grantura has come out of hibernation and into the workshop to have some TLC. Tom has made a bonnet latch to attach to the current lever. This is more of a cosmetic comfort alteration and simply makes the mechanism more use friendly.
We’ve also noticed that the speedo isn’t working correctly as the indicator tends to shake as it moves, making the speed readings inaccurate. A new earth cable has also been fitted.
We recently bought some shiny new equipment to add to our workshop. With three lifts already and with an increasing demand for another one, we invested in a new EAE lift as well as as headlight beam adjuster that allows us to seat car headlight beams at the correct height.
Tom has been working to wire up the headlights on our 1954 Jaguar MKVII.
The Jaguar has been fully painted and is steadily collecting its chrome pieces.
Paul has been installing the door cards which fit on the inside of the door.
This is the most recent paint and chrome update as it sits outside in the brilliant sunshine:
Our darling 1963 MGB Roadster is currently up on our new ramp having a thorough inspection. Mauro has identified an issue with the speedo not working as well as an oil leak. Asides from this he will check the brakes, gearbox and differential.
Currently residing in Romford, this classic 1989 Jaguar XJS is soon to arrive at our workshop HQ. Keep your eyes peeled for updates surrounding this stunning Jag.
We’re daydreaming of more sunny days with the arrival of this breezy 1963 MGB Roadster. This stunning example of a practical classic just needs to be cleaned and assessed before our marketing team can take it out to capture the visuals. Stay tuned for more updates!
This barn find Ford Model T is a turn of the 20th Century classic. Dating back to 1926, this unique green Ford is part of local history, with its life both beginning and being in Suffolk as an agricultural and taxi vehicle, hence the unique green. Henry Ford famously said that “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants, so long as it is black.“, making this green unique to work vehicles.
This Model T has had quite the life, being owned or looked after by the Potters for the majority of its life. In 1915, this Ford was delivered by train from Old Trafford and was bought by A.G Potter, who then supplied it to Mr Funden Self of Marlseford who used it for deliveries, provisions and as a taxi service once a week to Ipswich Market, an exciting journey from Framlingham at the time. Mr Self used it until he died. In the early 1930’s this Ford became the property of Mr Walker, Sir Colin’s father. It then remained in a barn until 1954 when A.G Potter was employed to look after and restore the car with the agreement that he could use it as and when he wished. In 1963, the car was used in A.G Potters Golden Jubilee celebrations where it was used to collect Lord Cranbrook in Great Glemham to perform the opening ceremony.
Mr Potter, who handed his beloved Ford over to us today for recommissioning, owns a selection of other classics including Ford Popular, a Willies Jeep and another Model T, this one being a black 1926 model. All of which have been stored in his barn at his house, making these classics almost barn finds.
You can read more about the history of the car, here:
The black 1926 Ford was his fathers who acquired it from Rv. John Waller from Walderingfield, who had, in turn, bought it new in 1926. The Waller family still reside in Suffolk. Both of these Ford Model T’s have spent their whole life in Suffolk and mostly owned by the same family. Such a sentimental and personal link to these cars is always lovely to see as their history and their stories become more tangible.
The Ford Popular is unfortunately in a great state of disrepair and cannot be restored however the Willie’s Jeep is in running order.
This stunning 1986 420SL has just come in for a re-commission. Our technicians will take a look over this classic to evaluate what needs to be done. At a first glance there are some serious signs of rust on the lower sills, worn and torn interior, paint bubbling, chips and blemishes as well as cracks in the glass. We’re looking forward to getting this charming classic back on the road and looking healthy again.
We’ve recently had some interior come in from a 1963 S3 Continental for a total re-trim. These seats and pieces of trim are looking tired and well loved, and in need of some TLC. Our trim shop will soon start recovering these seats and making them look brand new again.
The painted panels have been fitted back on our 1996 Nissan Patrol. They’ve been flattened and polished, and are now ready for fitting up.
Our works van has recently received some TLC and has now had its final touches in the form of the new branding. We took our van over to Apex Signs who applied our designs.
The 1968 Triumph TR5 has had its seat belts fitted by Mauro who tells us they needed a bit of modifying and focus to get them to fit perfectly, however no problem is too small or big for our technicians. With the seat belts firmly fitted, our TR5 is progressively becoming more and more road worthy!
Paul has manufactured some new bonnet catches for our 1960 Jensen 541S. These components are crucial to keeping the bonnet closed and secure. Being made by hand, these catches have been designed and made to fit our Jensen perfectly.
Our adventurous 1996 Nissan Patrol has made its way into the paint shop to have its next stage of paint. Its currently been masked and primed and now awaiting its colour.
Our stunning Porsche 911SC has been masked and prepped for paint and will now have its respray. We can’t wait to see it looking shiny and new after our expert paint technicians have finished.
Having spent a lot of its life across the pond in sunny California, it’s only natural to find American modifications on our 1973 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Series 3, however, now back on home soil, parts such as rubber bumpers can be converted back to British/European standard. James has welded up all the holes and repaired the dents which had previously been filled, resulting in poor symmetry on the front.
Scott has started to to disassemble the front suspension components ready to be refurbished as well.
Pricey has scraped the body shell, removed the under sealer and sound deadening for media blasting. Pricey told us that the condition of the E-Type body is immaculate and holds very little rust for the age of the car.
Our classic 1954 Jaguar MKVII has officially left the paint bay and gone back into the fabrication bay to have the doors re-attached as well as chrome elements such as window frames, door handles and door catches.
Our charming 1940 Alvis headlining has now been completed after a wholesome team effort from our trim shop technicians.
The final part was finished by gluing in a rear calico flap over the rear frame bar and applying calico flaps around the roof bars. Next, Brian stapled the next calico flap onto the roof bar and stapled it onto the wooden section of the roof bar and finished it by undoing the roof straps to allow headliner to stretch to the front bar. Brian then pulled the headliner tight and stapled it down to the front roof bar. He then fitted the straps over the top of the headliner and trimmed off any excess material. Finally all the pieces were stapled back down over the roof bars. rear quarter panels and wooden rear bars.
The hood is now looking good as new.
Lydia has been working to refresh the headliner in our 1940 Alvis. She’s marked out parts on the original fabric to help her know where everything goes when she starts remaking it. She then cut out new strips of fabric to recover the paper cord piping and flaps. Lydia then moved onto topstitching the new side panels.
The next step was to cut around the original cloth to make new patterns, followed by measuring, marking and cutting out the new strips of calico for underneath the centre panel. These sections hold the ceiling cloth in place. She then sewed on the piping and attached the side panels and middle panel together.
Craig popped over to the Statton Motor Company to disconnect the air bags in the seats of his Aston Martin DB9 ready for the seats to be retrimmed but whilst he was there he saw this DB2/4, identical to the one we’ve got in, so he took the chance to take some photos as reference for when we rebuild ours.
This stunning modern classic arrived recently and is being prepared to be launched soon. After its had a thorough clean and a service, the team can begin preparing all the visuals surrounding the launch. Watch this space!
The 2000 Mercedes CL600 V12 is often referred to as a super-coupé and has the drive and delivery to wow any driver. With a comfortable and stylist interior, it rivals its plush competitors over at Bentley.
This beloved Riley RMS has come in after being recovered from a break down. We understand that driving a classic can be a labour of love and at some point, you’re going to break down, but that’s what we’re here for! This Riley will be back on the road in no time.
We’ve worked on this Riley in the past making this a bitter sweet reunion. Our technicians have established the root of the break down being an issue with the gearbox and over drive components. The prop shaft flange coupling units had been fixed together via a plug weld however this meant that the two components couldn’t freely move and breath, causing pressure to accumulate and lead to the elements breaking. With no splines inside the two parts, there’s a series issue with the current mechanical workings of the overdrive which we are endeavouring to fix by adding in a flexi-joint made of rubber.
Our adventurous modern classic, the Nissan Patrol is currently sat in the fabrication bay with Pricey continuing his work restoring the sills and doors. The front sills have been removed and repaired with filler, the front wing is being sandblasted to remove the corrosion and the door sills are also being addressed and re-built due to rust. The inner sills have been attached to the outer sills and anti-corrosion will be applied.
Our 1934 Austin Nippy has had a strange issue with its crank shaft spring which got caught inside the engine. As seen in the illustrations below, the spring is meant to sit back however it had moved along the crank shaft and into the engine. This has now been taken apart and amended, meaning the only thing left to do is to take it for a test drive again.
Our Honda S2000 is a modern classic from the turn of the millennia. Following on from our last update, James has been focusing on rebuilding the wheel arch that has been lost to corrosion and rust. James has also rebuilt and painted the boot lip which is hidden beneath trim as well as welding and spot welding areas that have suffered due to rust.
Matt has been repairing the bumper in the paint shop which was showing signs of stress fractures. Its previously been poorly repaired as Matt found excessive filler in it, meaning he had to strip it to bare plastic and apply dolphin glaze to repair it.
This is the wheel arch complete:
Our stunning 1954 Jaguar MKVII has been full painted and the panels have been smoothed and flattened. The rest of the body now needs to be flattened and shaped before it goes back into the workshop to have its chrome and trim fitted back in as well as the mechanics.
Last night our marketing team and visual gurus, Ellie and Freddie headed over to Bentwaters to shoot some photos and videos with Charlotte. The overcast evening sky made the perfect moody backdrop to shoot our classic 1953 Francis Barnett against.
We think Charlotte’s getting the hang of this bike…
