Our lovely 1957 Grey Jensen 541R/S now has its new speedo fitted into the dash. It’s also had its steering centralised. John is now going to start it to see how it runs and to see if there are any teething issues which he will correct accordingly.
Our 1934 Austin Seven Nippy has been completed as of today and we’re delighted to see it up and running! Gordan and Craig took it out for a test ride and it ran perfectly. With the engine and bonnet back on and all issues resolved, this little Nippy is set to go!
When we’re out and about, we love to see classic cars, and when we do, we try our best to snap a photo of it and share it in our Classic Car Spotting blog series! These two seaside classics have recently been spotted around Suffolk.
This stunning 1940 Alvis has come in today for a new hood headlining as this one has had a run-in with his cats.
The owner of this classic Alvis has it as his pride and joy and drives it as his daily car.
The hood is now in the safe hands of our trim shop who’ll work to replace the fabric and re-work the inside of the hood.
This 2000 Honda S2000 arrived today for some cosmetic TLC. With some paint chips and signs of rust, this little Honda just needs a small touch up and it’ll be ready to go. The perfect modern classic for summer cruising.
Our Honda’s TLC is mostly going to be concentrated around the wheel arches that need refurbishing.
We thought we’d take a closer look at the finished Ferrari Daytona seats that the trim shop have made. Having had to make these all from scratch with appropriate modifications and alterations along the way, these seats are looking amazing. Finished in a green leather, they will match the colour tone of the Daytona paint work perfectly. We can’t wait to see them fitted in the Ferrari when its ready!
Lydia has also been working on covering various interior panels for the Ferarri as well. The first image shows the pair of console side panels in their original state before Lydia took off all the old leather, foam and plastic vents. She then cut new leather and foams out after cleaning the metal up, applied a layer of 3mm foam to the fronts of the panels and applied a layer of 3mm foam to the fronts of the panels. Lydia made sure that the leather was tucked in and glued underneath, then she added a layer of 3mm foam which was applied to the backs of the panels. All these fabrics were trimmed and tucked around the holes for the plastic vents to fit into.
Lydia then moved onto making the headlining for the Ferrari Daytona. She marked out the headlining fabric and foam for it, she then made slits for the flute lines on the foam so that the headlining fabric to lay better. She then fluted 14 flute lines, checking how it looked as she went. The finished result may look like a flate piece of fluted fabric, but it will become the headlining when fitted into place in the Daytona.
Our 1973 Claret (Maroon) Triumph Stag has made its way into our workshop after waiting patiently in our hanger at Bentwaters. This Stag is in for a full restoration as its looking far from its best at the moment.
Paul and Tom have been working on the Peony Red Jensen 541R today, both fitting more chrome to the body and fixing in place the underside bonnet clips.
Paul has been steadily getting through all the chrome pieces, fitting them to the body and ensuring they all sit perfectly. Tom has been fixing in place the clips which hold in place the bonnet rods and hinges that allow the bonnet to open.
Tom has also assembled the dash, fitted the boot and bonnet as well as fitting the indicators and chrome.
The rear axel has now been fitted back in our 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5. Mauro has been working to replace the seals and rebuild the rear axel so that it doesn’t cause any more issues.
After having sourced this vehicle last year, it’s been sat in storage whilst we’ve worked on two other classics belonging to the same client. Now it’s time for this Californian dream to be restored. With a big re-design coming it’s way, the first step is to dismantle the E-Type. By removing the chrome, trim and lights, our technicians can start working on parts of the car.
The compression test also came back positive, with all the readings as they should. A compression test gives you an indication of the health of your engine, its valves, valve seats, piston rings and whether these parts are wearing evenly.
The tests should show the compressions at 110-115 psi. The test shows how much volume of air and fuel goes into the combustion chamber. If there’s not enough, for example, if only 80 psi were passing through, it would give you an indication of a serious fault in the valves. If the valves aren’t seating correctly, the air and fuel can seep out of the cylinders and lead to more serious faults.
This 1953 Francis Barnet Rigid Body motorbike was delivered to us yesterday. For those with keen ears, you may have heard Craig mention an upcoming bike to the competitions. Stay tuned to find out where this bike is heading.
Although Craig managed to briefly start it up, it needs some attention to get it running smoothly. It currently has ten-year-old fuel sat in the tank that needs replacing and the electrics need a small amount of re-wiring. Other than these small amends, it’s good to go!
We’ve got some seriously tiny cars in the workshop at the moment. They may be small but they are…or will be, mighty. On the whole, many classic cars are smaller than what’re we’re now used to. Thanks to a series of design decisions or simply just smaller engines, some of the early classics were manufactured almost half the size of modern-day cars. The Fiat 500 was designed for tight Italian roads, the Austin nippy was only a few steps after the horse and carriage and powered by a small engine, and the BMW Isetta bubble car coming in at only 2.3m long and 1.4m wide, was an engineering vision into the future of solo city travel. A design that never really took off and stayed firmly placed in the 60s and 70s, but none the less has made them desirable collectables today.
We’ve recently received a slightly worse for wear Isetta Bubble Car. With only the shell and chassis intact, we are in talks with the owner over how he wants this restoration to be managed.
There’s also been a small orange truck parked up by the ramp, which after thorough inspection and service is ready to go back to its owner, Loick Ranson. This little motor belongs to Craig’s 4-year-old son called Loick.
We had a rather unusual delivery on Friday evening. The trailer pulled up as the afternoon light cast a golden haze over the workshop, and with it, came this unique classic…
This bubble car, unlike the other, is in pristine condition. Gordon has even taken it for a drive! Stay tuned to find out what we have in store for this classic Isetta.
Our expert valet technician, Colin, from Viper Auto Valet has done a thorough clean of our VW T4 campervan, making the interior look brand new again! Before, it was showing significant signs of wear, dust and general usage. Now, it looks ready for the next adventure!
Alongside the van’s thorough clean, we needed to start re-assembling all of the components. Having been freshly painted, doors, windows and other pieces needed to be added back in. John has also been looking at re-wiring the electrics and fixing any small issues with the vans wires.
The VW badge has also been cleaned so it now resembles a crisp ‘VW’.
The windows have been put back in the VW as well by Car Glass And Trim and the windscreen was fitted by Autoglass.
We’ve had a quirky 1969 Fiat 500 Abarth come in recently for some care and attention. One of our technicians soon found a dangerous issue with the steering column that we are now making top priority to correct. It seems there is a Fiat 126 steering rack fitted with fiat 500 elements, meaning the components in the steering rack didn’t match up, making steering and driving unsafe. James has removed the potentially dangerous steering rack conversion from the steering box so that he can re-design and refit the steering to make it safe.
.
March 23, 2021 8:28 am
This stunning 1959 Jaguar MKI arrived today for some restorative work with us. Before we know what needs to be done, we will carry out a thorough assessment to understand where we need to focus the TLC.
Stay tuned for updates!
The MKI jaguar was an influential pioneer in the luxurious motors market as it spearheaded the way for other sophisticated yet practical saloons to follow. It was compact, good to drive and relatively quick for the contemporary market of the 1950’s.
We’ve come across a very interesting barn find that has provided us with a handful of interesting motors to gawk at! Photographed below are three ancient Fords; a Ford Popular and two Ford Model T’s, one being 1915 and the other a 1926 model. The 1915 Ford Model T may soon be coming in for a full restoration which we’re incredibly excited to start!
1926 Ford Model T:
1915 Ford Model T – likely to be restored with us soon:
We’re steadily starting to part ways with our beloved Jensen collection as each project is finished and finds its way back to its owner. The most recent departure is our 1961 Jensen 541S that was collected today.
Although we’ve recently said goodbye to a handful of our Jensen’s, we’ve still got plenty to be getting on with as our Peony Red is progressing well, our Grey 1957 541R is almost out the door and its partner car, the black 1960 541R awaits it up at Bentwaters.
Mauro has been continuing his work on our 1970 Green Jaguar E-Type Series 2 4.2 edition. He has recently replaced the Rocker cover gaskets due to an oil leak and has fitted some high performance Silicone spark leads.
On Sunday Top Gear Fans were treated to the return of the infamous BBC Car show, Top Gear and as ever, it did not disappoint. Chris Harris, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness take on a course driving their dad’s cars.
Tune in next Sunday for a 007 themed episode!
Dads love a challenging reverse 😂
— Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) March 15, 2021
Miss last night's #TopGear? Watch in full on @BBCiPlayer at https://t.co/dZVyPbevLI pic.twitter.com/gsCebSMkTr
Freddie Flintoff on: his Dad's Ford Cortina.
— Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) March 16, 2021
Following Sunday's film where the boys drove their dads' cars, @flintoff11 reflects on what it was like getting behind the wheel of his old man's Ford Cortina…
Catch the full film on @BBCiPlayer now https://t.co/dZVyPbw7ai pic.twitter.com/ymq37YrPiF
This episode might be about dads’ cars, but today is Mother’s Day. So for all the mums out there, here’s a bit of eye candy for you. Sorry about the three scruffs getting in the way… #TopGear pic.twitter.com/6DqlF7cYFY
— Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) March 14, 2021
Check out some photos from Sunday’s episode here.
You can watch the episode here.
Take a look at the rest of the Top Gear team’s dad cars: www.topgear.com/car-news/retro/memories-topgearcoms-parents-cars
March 17, 2021 12:34 pm
Out and about at weekends and after work, we often see classics parked up around Suffolk and try to make a habit of taking a quick snap of these beloved classics. Some are seen regularly as someones daily drive and others seem to be weekend nip-around.
Lotus Elan +2 S:
1973 VW T2
1969 Morris Minor Convertible 1000
MGB GT
Lotus 7 (possibly a replica but unknown) and a Land Rover Series 1
Morgan (Possibly Plus 4)
1971 VW Beetle
1963 Ford Thames
In this morning’s dreary drizzle, a 1996 Mini Cooper 35 1.3i (1275cc) arrived adorned with roof rack and Monte Carlo anniversary stickers. Finished in a fantastic Almond Green with the classic white roof, this little classic is set to be on our competition website in the near future, watch this space…
Special Edition 35 – “to celebrate 35 years since the Mini Cooper first rolled off the production line and went on to make history. Winning the Monte Carlo Rally three times in the Swinging 60s. And out-manoevering far larger and more powerful rivals in countless other racing and rallying events.
Our 1969 Fiat 500 with Abarth styling has come in to have its steering column addressed as well as some other small mechanical faults. We look forward to working on this interesting little classic.
Classic Fiat 500’s were built and designed for small Italian roads. Made with practicality and reliability in mind, these tiny classics are a similar size to a modern-day smart car. James may describe it as a “potent symbol of Italian utilitarian chic, the Latin driving temperament and creative solutions to everyday parking problems.”
Last night’s live draw was all focused around our delightful 1981 MGB GT LE that’s been won by Duncan Walker with his lucky ticket 1056. We’ll be delivering his new classic down to Hampshire as soon as we’ve run it through its PDI (pre-delivery inspection).
We’ve still got two other wonderful classics up for grabs so head over to our competitions website to check them out as tickets are selling fast!
James and James have been working on shrinking and re-shaping the panels for our 1954 Jaguar MKVII however they’ve taken to doing it the traditional way. Using heat, a hammer and cool air, they can effectively reshape anything they need to in a precise and neat manner. By heating up the metal, it balloons and softens the surface, allowing James to hammer it into shape and then use cool air to set it.
James is focusing on making the outside layer of the rear quarter panel, which is made by hand and hammered into place.
After finishing the re-shaping, James could then start with applying the lead primer and then the Tallow Medium and Nealetin, all of which are applied using heat. The tallow medium, traditionally made from goose fat, is heated up and melted so it resembles a spreadable ‘goo’ that can then be worked into shape to provide a flat finish.
We did some filming with James in the workshop where he explained to us what’s going on with the Jaguar in the fabrication bay. Here’s some behind the scenes.
This metallic green classic 1986 Mercedes 420SL is coming in soon to be re-commissioned and assessed to see how much needs doing to it. We can’t wait to get started!
Kath and Brian have both been working on our 1968 Triumph TR5 recently. Kath has fitted the door cards which could be placed in now that the door capping’s have been fit. Kath began by pushing in the panel clips into the back of the panel and aligning the clip with the hole in the door to push it into place. At first Kath noted that it wasn’t sitting straight forward so she had to adjust the panel by cutting off the piping from the top.
Once Kath had the clips in at the top, she could then go round the rest of the panel clips, cut out the holes for the window winder and door handle, fit the handles and move on to the other side to do the same thing again.
Kath also bolted the seat runners onto the floor and bolted in the centre console. This included fixing two bolts into the floor pan each side of tunnel section and one each side at the top.
The hood has also been fitted to check that the measurements align well. Kath laid the hood over the car ready to fit it later whilst she was waiting for the rubbers and header rail parts to arrive. By placing it over the frame, Kath could see if anything needed to be modified.
Brian has been fitting the chrome handle and lift up bar mechanism to the seats that allow the seat to move forward or back on the runners or from its hinges.
Every now and then, these classic cars surprise with hidden treasures. Whether its personalised dashes, objects stashed down the side of seats or a pair of driving gloves in the glove box, its always a pleasant discovery. On this occasion, we found two embedded tool kits in the door cards of our 1954 Jaguar MK VII, containing original and well-used tools, including a grease gun, bulbs and brake fluid. The two hidden tool kits seem like time capsules to 1954. We had worked hard to loosen the bolts and catches to unlock the tool kit and we’re now glad we did!
The job in hand for the two James’ in our fabrication bay was to strip down the doors to bare metal, taking off all the fixtures and sand down the sides. With a lot of rust visible, we’ve applied a filler primer that tackles rust and prevents it from spreading.
The doors first had to come off before they could be dismantled and stripped.
Our engineers work 4 day weeks, meaning saturday through to monday is their time, but that doesn’t stop them bringing their own cars in to work on – the grind never stops!
Mauro has a lovely 1976 VW Golf MK1 that he’s bought over from his home in Portugal. The polo just needed some general TLC and a service. With fresh stone chip applied under the body and in the wheel arches, this charming VW is ready to go again.
Mauro has driven his VW all over Europe and fondly recalls his continental road trips in his beloved classic.
We’ve entered the finishing stages for our 1957 Jensen 541R. John is currently carrying out a thorough wiring check as we’ve had to modify the wiring to compensate for the V8 Corvette engine. We’re assembling the last bits such as the fuel pump which we’re waiting to arrive before we carry out a last service and test for teething problems.
Kath has been working on repairing the seat squabs on our 1954 Jaguar MKVII. She has repaired the rear seat squab as the vinyl had started to come away from the squab. She applied contact adhesive and stuck it back down in place, making sure that the vinyl was sticking neatly around the edges. Kath also had to rip underneath the seat to fit a piece of calico on to the material to stop it from getting any worse.
Ady has also been carrying out a thorough engine service which includes replacing the spark plugs and spark plug leads as well as the oil filter, oil and a new water hose.
