classic car specialists

Special Delivery – Transporting our 1977 Triumph TR7 to it’s new owner

After being won last week through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, our 1977 Triumph TR7 was loaded into our enclosed trailer for its journey as far north as we could go.

Tony, our amazing transport driver, was tasked with safely delivering the classic sports car to its lucky new owner Andy. Not only was a trip all the way up England, but all the way through Scotland where Tony met up with Andy in the town of Thurso where Andy picked up the car before taking it home.

We want to wish Andy many happy miles with his new TR7 and a big thanks to our driver Tony for getting Andy’s pride and joy there safe and sound.

New washer pump on the 1981 Austin Allegro Vanden Plas

Steve has been working on our 1981 Austin Allegro Vanden Plas this afternoon, as part of his inspection of the classic he noted that the washer pump wasn’t working. So, he easily replaced the unit and cleaned out the washer bottle and checked everything worked correctly.

Getting the cylinder head back on our 1971 MGB Roadster

Our 1971 MGB Roadster has been in the workshop of our Suffolk HQ for our technician Steve to begin work on getting the top end of the engine back together.

The car came into us with a blown head gasket so the team stripped down the engine to remove the cylinder head and inspect for any damage. Thankfully it was minimal to none so the cylinder head was packaged up and sent off to a trust engineering works to be checked, skimmed and rebuilt. Whilst it was away, the team have cleaned up the mating surface for the gasket to ensure the best seal possible for when the head returned.

Once it was back with us, after also having hardened valve seats installed to be used with unleaded fuel, Steve got the cylinder head back onto the engine and then began the process of getting everything back together before the car begins road tests shortly.

Homeward Bound – Our 2009 Porsche Cayman S Sport heads to its new home

Our 2009 Porsche Cayman S Sport, which was won recently by Hugh, has been transported safely across the country right to his door step – which is where we delivered our Bentley Turbo R several months ago as Hugh is now part of a very small member of our double winners!

Tony, our incredible transport driver, cleaned and loaded the sports car into our covered trailer yesterday before setting off this morning to bring Hugh his new pride and joy. We wish him many happy miles with his new car.

Primed and Ready – Getting the 1960 MGA Roadster ready for colour

Mauro has been continuing to work on getting the 1960 MGA Roadster ready for its colour by keeping up his diligent and obsessive pursuit of perfection when it comes to the bodywork of the classic sports car.

With the car wearing a coat of polyfan, Mauro has painstakingly hand sanded every single inch of the car to make sure that each angle of the car is as good as it could possibly be. With the polyfan completely sanded off the car, it is a visual indication that each panel is exactly as it should be which means its time for the car to head into the paint booth for final primer.

Once the car had been carefully moved from the prep area at our Suffolk HQ, it was put into our booth for Mauro to lay down several coats of final primer on the car. All of the prep work on the car leads up to this moment, and as you can see the primer laid down near enough perfectly on each of the panels of the car.

Working on our 1956 Jensen 541

Interior:

Our trimmer Lydia has been working on getting the interior pieces in place to our 1956 Jensen 541. At this point, she has installed the bespoke carpet set into the car which has been made specifically to fit the contours of this particular chassis to make sure that it fits perfectly. So well in fact, that it is held in place with press studs which have to be aligned to make sure that each piece sits perfectly in the car.

Mechanical:

Alongside Lydia in our trim shop, our technician Paul has been handling the mechanical side of the classic GT car. Continuing his work under the bonnet, Paul has installed the wiring harness and secured it in place before routing the connectors and wires to the specific areas, such as the headlight buckets and other lighting. Paul has also fabricated and installed the mounts and brackets to hold the horns in place.

With the core of the interior now in place and the wiring loom ran to the headlights, Paul could fit the foot operated high beam switch into the footwell of the Jensen and wire it into the harness. From there he began work on modifying the exhaust heat shields, fabricating support bars for the radiator and fitting up the carburettor overflow pipework in the engine bay.

First step to getting our 1952 Austin A40 back on the road

Our technician Julian has been working on getting our barn-find 1953 Austin A40 back on the road after laying dormant for over 60 years. You can see the short film we did here of releasing the car from its hiding place.

To begin with, Julian worked on freeing up and rebuilding the entire brake system with new wheel cylinders and replacing any lines which had corroded or cracked. The previous owner had done a sterling job at preserving the cars bodywork and also its mechanicals, but over time rubber will perish and degrade regardless of its upkeep.

Next, Julian began to work on getting the original engine to fire up. This involved gently adding oil to the bores over a period of time and applying gentle pressure to the crank shaft to free off the pistons which had become corroded to the cylinder walls. Once it span over freely, he could check for spark and ignition which required a replacement coil and the little engine fire straight back into life. We couldn’t run it up for too long as Julian noted that the water pump and thermostat had been packed solid with corrosion and debris, so these were removed along with the radiator to be recommissioned.

Our 1972 MGB Roadster is now live on Bridge Classic Cars Competitions

Our 1972 MGB Roadster is now live on the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions website!

The stunning classic roadster, finished in vibrant, summery red could be yours just in time for the start of show season but you’re going to want to be quick, over 50% of the tickets have already been sold.

Here’s what our very own Rob Harvey has written about what might be the worlds most popular sports car:

”Our 1972 MGB Roadster is a quintessential example of British automotive engineering. Manufactured by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and later by British Leyland, the MGB Roadster was first introduced in 1962 and continued production until 1980.

A 1.8-litre B-Series engine powers our MGB and provides ample power for the lightweight, two-seater roadster. A four-speed manual gearbox, with overdrive, helps our MGB to offer a lively and engaging driving experience.

The 1972 model is noted for its classic design, characterised by clean lines, chrome bumpers, and a distinctive front grille. The cockpit is driver-focused, featuring well-placed controls, supportive seats, and a traditional wooden steering wheel.

MGBs are always popular competition cars and this one, finished in striking red with a beige interior, looks like it’s going to be exactly the same.”

  • 1.8-litre engine
  • 4-speed manual gearbox with overdrive
  • Finished in Red with a Beige interior
  • Bridge Classic Cars Pre-Delivery Inspection

Inspecting our 1981 Austin Allegro Vanden Plas

Our Steve has been working on our 1981 Austin Allegro Vanden Plas to inspect the classic family saloon.

To begin with, he resecured some of the trims on the B-pillar and then moved onto checking the other parts of the car. He discovered that the rear suspension pushes have perished as well as the rear brake wheel cylinders have leaked and contaminated the brake material and will also require replacement along with the suspension bushes.

Steering Repairs, Final Checks and First Run Up of the 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been flat out this week working on various cars in our Suffolk HQ, one of those being the 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe which is being cared for under the watchful and skillful hands of our technician Jon.

Jon has continued with his project of repairing the steering of the classic Jaguar. After he rebuilt the column on the bench, Jon secured the steering rack back onto the frame of the car and then fitted up the lower universal joint for the column along with fitting a new pinch bolt. When fitting the indicator cancel bracket, Jon had to modify it slightly to get it to sit higher up on the column to increase usability but also to help remove any play from the shaft once fitted into the car. The column was then aligned with the lower shaft and slipped into place, with the opening for the pinch bolt drilled in situ to allow for the best engagement. Once all together, Jon could then test the steering column and was happy to report that all play had been worked out of the system. He could then fit up all the various trims, wiring and brackets before moving on.

The next detail was to get the radiator and fans back into the car and connected up before getting the air filters fitted back on the car in preparation for the cars first drive under its own power for many years. Before that, Jon made sure to knock down and tighten each wheel in series, added more fuel to the brand new tank before checking the timing and firing order were all corrected and adjusting before turning the key.

At this point, Jon was ready to pull the classic sports car outside to let it run up to temperature for the first time and check each system individually for function and engagement such as the cooling system, but to also allow the ceramic coatings on several parts cure following the manufacturers process.

After repeating the run up and cool down procedure several times, Jon checked and topped off all fluids in the car and checked for any visible leaks and secured all the dash wiring before putting the car away.

Inspecting our 1954 Daimler Conquest

Our technician Jon has been begun his inspection on our 1954 Daimler Conquest Roadster in the workshop of our Suffolk HQ.

With some estimates showing less than 60 of these unique cars ever to have been built, the team wanted to go through the entire car to check it over. The first step is a preliminary visual inspection of the car to check for anything that completely stands out as being incorrect or in need of attention, which is what this phase is. Next, the car will be safely put onto one of our workshop ramps for Jon to full inspect the mechanical aspects of the car.

Welcoming back an old friend – 1968 Morris Mini 850

We’ve welcomed an old friend back to the Bridge Classic Cars HQ, its our 1968 Morris Mini 850 which was previously won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

The car has come back to us to have some work carried out on the classic Mini to get it back into tip-top condition for its owner who uses and enjoys the car regularly. So, our driver Tony headed out to go and pick up the car in our covered trailer and bring it back to our Pettistree workshops.

Tidying up the interior of our 1954 Daimler Conquest

Lydia in the Bridge Classic Cars trim shop has been working on tidying up the interior of our unique 1953 Daimler Conquest.

He has carefully replaced the boot floor and glued the new pieces into place, she also modified the pattern to take into account the external fuel pump. During the pattern making process, Lydia noted that one of the original pieces was missing from the classic roadster so she made this piece from scratch to perfectly fit the car. Whilst working on the car, Lydia also patch a series of small holes in the roof as well as re-rivet the roof straps back into place.

Progress on our 1975 Jensen Interceptor Mk3

Our 1975 Jensen Interceptor project has made massive strides forward in the last few weeks. The classic V8 coupe has been in the talented hands of our paint and body technician Chris who has worked on getting the car to take its first steps into colour.

Firstly, the team completely stripped the car of any paint or surface rust and then cleaned down the entire car before take the shell and parts into the paint booth to be put into epoxy primer. Then, the team could begin work on levelling the panels with the use of filler and the first stage of getting the car ready.

After all the panels had been perfectly leveled, Chris could then get the car back into the booth and begin to seal the car with another coat of epoxy primer. Once this had flashed off and settled, Chris could go back with the polyster primer to make sure that the panels were even straighter and level.

Road Test and Checks on our 1972 MGB Roadster

Jon has been continuing to work on our 1972 MGB Roadster ahead of its launch as one of the classics you could win through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

The next phase of Jon’s work was to get the glovebox on the classic sports car open, which involved stripping down and rebuilding the lock after one of the internal pins had dropped. After that, he could take the car out on its road test.

After pulling the car out of our Pettistree workshop, Jon got the car fired up in order to carry out mixture and idle speed adjustments before heading out on the open road to test the car. However, during the test, the car cut out multiple times and would not restart until the ignition switch was grabbed and shaken. After that, the car would fire back up. So, Jon got the car back to the workshop and tightened down the connections in the switch as well as the main power feed and then retested the car. All was ok after test.

Changing out the Clutch on our 2003 MG ZT V8

The team here at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on our 2003 MG ZT V8 to get the car back to tip-top mechanical condition. The next step, is to replace the clutch in the manual gearbox.

First off, Julian remove the exhaust in order to gain access to the gearbox but for extra clearance he had to drop the back of the front subframe in order to safely drop the gearbox. Whilst on the floor, Julian could then replace the old clutch pack with a new unit and then refit the gearbox back into the car. Before getting the exhaust back in place, Julian fitted the centre and rear sections of the exhaust and rebuilt the nearside front brake caliper before bleeding both the clutch and brake systems.

Preparing our 1972 MGB Roadster

Our technician Jon has been working on preparing our 1972 MGB Roadster for the marketing team to shoot ahead of its competition.

In our Suffolk workshops, Jon has removed the carburettors from the classic sports car and stripped them down on the bench. From there he could clean the units down and free them up as the jets had seized into their tubes, so after their removal Jon completely cleaned every part of them back down again individually before reassembling the units and setting the jets to the correct .90mm depth.

Jon could then begin to carry out the inspection on the Roadster with his findings as follows:

”Refit both carbs and secure. Adjust throttles and chokes to balance and check for full throttle etc. Run and test. Started ok on full choke.. starter motor has an issue and car has an oil leak from oil filter area. Take round to workshop to carry out inspection and repairs. Adjust steering rack pinion adjuster to remove play from rack. Clean and tighten oil filter adapter plate. Tighten and secure both mirrors. Strip and remove starter motor. Test on bench. Works intermittently,. Remove rear cover and withdraw stator. Clean contact inside and reassemble. Retest and works ok everything. Refit and test, ok. Check axle oil level, ok. Secure wiring at rear to tank sender. Reposition loom from boot. Top up engine oil and place new jack and wheel brace in boot.”

First off, Jon installed the new flexi hoses onto the underside of the car. Next up, Jon worked inside the cabin of the MGB to refit the nearside seat belt correctly into the car before moving on to cleaning up the wiring underneath/behind the dashboard. Whilst there, he had to reposition the heater fan as it was slightly off and causing a noise but after moving it he reported all was ok. Then Jon could attach the new battery terminals to make sure the connection was absolutely perfectly. Finishing off these repairs, he reposition the steering column cowling and horn wiring to get rid of an annoying noise.

And to finish off these repairs, Jon did the following:

”Check gearbox oil level via dipstick inside car. Lift carpet and remove bung etc. Refit bung and carpet after checking level. Remove drivers electric window switch and remove both terminals to window motor. Swap round in multi plug and test. Window now operates in correct direction with switch. Lube window runners. Remove nearside electric window switch and swap round multi plug. Refit and test, ok. Try keys in glove box. Eventually got it open. Remove lock and barrell. Inspect and found 1 plunger in lock not dropping in when key in lock. Grind off and retry. Ok. Refit and test.”

Work on the 1991 Nissan 200SX

Our technician Julian has been in charge of completing the work on the 1991 Nissan 200SX Turbo currently in our workshop.

The customer had requested that the cam-belt be changed and along with that, the water pump but the team also had been asked to full service the CA18DET engine so Julian drained all fluids and removed the old oil filter before removing the old water pump and timing belt cover. He then could install the new units and then begin work on carrying on with the full service including oil, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs.

Then he could go through working on the brakes which included a strip down and freeing off the seized rear slider pins. After that Julian could clean and grease all the brake pads. Before carrying out the assessment, his findings were:

”check diff and gearbox levels, grease all linkages. All shock absorber dust covers perished, slight corrosion to all suspension arms and subframes.”

Saying Goodbye To Bentwaters

After many memorable years at our hangar at Bentwaters Parks, Bridge Classic Cars is excited to announce our departure from this iconic location as we expand our secure vehicle storage offerings. This transition marks the beginning of a new chapter for us, but before we move forward, we want to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve had at Bentwaters – a place that has been instrumental in our growth and success.

A Place for Classic Car Enthusiasts

Our hangar at Bentwaters was more than just a storage facility; it was a hub for classic car enthusiasts from all over the area. The huge space allowed us to house an impressive collection of classic cars. Not only that, but we were able to host some incredible events there too.

The highlight was our classic car show in July 2023. This event saw around 1000 people attend to admire the 800 or so cars on display. This has been our biggest event to date and the entire team enjoyed it as much as the visitors and it has formed a fond memory of our time at Bentwaters.


Live Draws and Competitions

Another highlight of our time at Bentwaters was the live draws for Bridge Classic Cars Competitions. When the competitions aspect of the business first launched, we didn’t know what to expect and we certainly didn’t expect the huge growth that has happened since.

The live draws are a massive part of the competitions and the ones held at Bentwaters will always be special ones to look back on.

Photoshoots & Filming

Bentwaters also served as the backdrop for most of our classic car photoshoots and filming sessions. The vast, open space provided a perfect setting to capture the beauty of the wide range of cars we shot. Bentwaters became an instantly recognisable part of our photos and videos and it was a lot of fun driving classic cars around an old military air base!


The Decision to Move

While Bentwaters has been a fantastic part of Bridge Classic Cars, the decision to move was driven by our continued growth. Our new location offers even greater security, more space, and improved facilities for vehicle storage. This move is part of our ongoing effort to continually improve our storage solutions for all of our current and future clients.


Moving On

Leaving Bentwaters is bittersweet. We look back with fondness on all the incredible moments we’ve shared there. From the excitement of live draws to the stunning photoshoots, every one of these things has contributed their part of the Bridge Classic Cars story.

Thank You

All that is left to say is “Goodbye Bentwaters” and thank you to the owners, staff, and everyone who helped make it such a successful location for us.

Everyone here at Bridge Classic Cars is extremely grateful and hopes the new custodians of our Hangar make the most of it as we did.

Bike Collection at The Hangar

Our collection of vintage motorcycles has been transferred up to our safe and secure storage facility, the hangar.

After being recommissioned by the Bridge Classic Cars workshop team, they were transported by our team to be kept safe and dry.

Fitting the new registration to our C-Type

With our C-Type project coming to an end and the car due to begin road testing imminently, it was time to get the cars very special and personal registration onto the car.

This numberplate is holds a special place in our director Gordons heart so its only fitting it is fitted to the latest ‘special’ built by the team here at our Suffolk HQ. Our technician Jon did the honours of fitting the registration to the car. This was challenging due to the shape of the front end of the C-Type, so the sticker actually had to be sectioned into 2 in order to be fitted cleanly to the front of the C-Type.

Paint repair on the 1981 Austin Vanden Plas

The paint team here at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ have been working on repairing a small section of paint on our 1981 Austin Vanden Plas.

Alan, one of our painters, has carefully worked on the area to mask up, prime and respray the gold paintwork on the iconic 1980s British saloon car to get it looking as good as new.

Heading Out – Two Classics head to the Suffolk Show

With part of the Bridge Classic Cars being at the Suffolk Show for the last couple of days, it was only right we had a set of classic cars there along with our 2011 Morgan 4/4.

The team took over our 1977 Triumph TR7 along with our 1954 Daimler Conquest to be displayed on our stand.

Working on the 1955 MG TF

Our workshop manager John has been working on getting the 1955 MG TF back on the road with a few jobs.

He replaced the old starter motor with a new high-torque unit to make sure the car had enough force to turn over strong and fire up. Alongside that, he also replaced the fuel pump on the classic sports car.

New Pieces – Repairing the rear valance of our 1973 Ferrari 246 GTS

The 246GTS has been in the fabrication bay of the Bridge Classic Cars HQ under the care of our fabricator Christian.

There are a few areas of corrosion on the classic sports car which are being addressed by the team. After Chris had repaired the chassis gussets on the underside of the car, he could turn his attention to the body of the car. After stripping back the paint and other materials in the rear valance, he could see how deep and far the problem had spread to. Carefully cutting back the piece, it exposed the inner skin which had also begun to corrode so Christian began to prepare for the repairs to that too. One of the first steps was to remove anything flamable nearby to the area he was working in which was the rear storage area, and after pulling up the carpet to check for any more corrosion (which wasn’t there) he noticed that there had been a mouse living in there for quite some time… After hoovering out the area and making sure it was ok to begin the repairs he could begin to fit up and shape the new metal into place making small adjustments as he went to get the best fit and finish.

Progress on the 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe

Our technician Jon has been making progress on the resurrection of the 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe.

The next stage of the cars journey back onto the open road begins with Jon fitting a new rear brake master cylinder. Having the old unit and new unit next to each other, the positions are slightly different from the original to the new unit, so Jon had to make up new brake lines from the master cylinder to the the join in the offside front floor area. Then, he could fit the new flexi hoses to the front and rear of the car before bleeding the entire system. However, the front of the system bled without issue but the rear we were unable to bleed at this point.

Carrying on with recommissioning the hydraulic system in the car, Jon began work on the clutch. This involved removing the old clutch slave cylinder from the classic Jaguar and the pipework. After fitting up the new system and pipes, he could fill up the circuit and begin to bleed them after securing down the new brake pipes at the same time and then cleaning down/tidying up the work area.

Next up, Jon blew out all of the fuel lines and pipework to make sure that any dust or debris from the workshop wasn’t sat in the lines while the car has been on the ramp before securing them all down to the car.

This is when he could turn his attention to the steering of the car. The steering column support in the lower part of the bulkhead was excessively moving (see video) even after Jon had drilled out the lower universal joint and replacement the worn bolt which connects the two pieces with a new nyloc piece, which improved the movement but was still not clamping fully on the piece. So, he removed the upper part of the steering column first to upgrade the component with new elastin bushes and then begin to refit the piece, however the column still moved excessively in Jon’s professional opinion. The bulkhead column support was then put on order to be refitted into the car.

Whilst the steering column was out of the car, Jon could drain the coolant and remove the radiator from the car after the cars initial fire up and testing, to remove the offside steering rack mount and the lower steering column mount from the engine bay, and fully drill out the universal joint better to clean down all the surfaces and refinish it in a new hard wearing coat of black paint.

With the new bulkhead support on order, Jon turned his attention back to the hydraulics of the car. After topping off all the fluid reservoirs, Jon along with the help of our workshop manager John managed to complete bleed each individual system.

After that, Jon began to put petrol in the new fuel tank for the first time in order to check for leaks in the tank – all was ok. He also swapped over the fuse for the fuel pump to a more suitable and durable unit for the needs of the system. After that, he connected up the battery in order to get fuel pressure from the engine on turn over to prime the system all the way to the pre-filter sight bowl. Then, he disconnected the battery.

Finally, Jon moved onwards to getting the carburettors ready to accept the fresh fuel now in the new fuel tank. He carefully tightened down and inspected all connections from the filter to the carburettors before connecting the battery back up again and the turning on the ignition to prime the fuel system and test. Jon found there was a slight leak from the sight glass under the higher pressure and from the number 1 carburettor. This was found to be an issue with the washers used in the connection to carburettor 1 and fitted a new rubber seal to the sight glass sediment bowl. After that, all of the leaks were sorted and he could the refit and secure the boot floor and all necessary trims.

Fit Up – Working on the front end of our 1956 Jensen 541

Paul has been working on assembly and refit of our 1956 Jensen 541 which has had a full ground up restoration by the Bridge Classic Cars team here at our Suffolk HQ.

Paul worked on getting the front clam shell onto the car to begin getting the wiring harness fed through and to check for correct fitment onto the car. Whilst on the car, Paul could then get the bonnet catches mounted into position to make sure that when secured the bonnet sits square and true to the body lines of the car.

At this stage, he has been working on the front end of the classic British GT car. Next Paul has got the radiator fitted into the car with new mounts fabricated to fit the chassis, with each of these cars being entirely handbuilt there are variations which means that many of the mounts and fixings have to be fabricated bespoke to each car. Like the radiator mounts, the cars bonnet stays have also been made bespoke for this particular chassis before heading off to the paint team to be finished in gloss black and the radiator sent out to a local specialist to be rebuilt.

Working on our 1960 BSA A10

Our technician Paul has been working his magic on our 1960 BSA 10 we have in our private collection of vintage motorcycles.

During the bikes assessment, Paul noticed that the brake light switch wasn’t working so the team sourced a replacement for the classic British bike and fitted it to the bike, before testing everything worked correctly. With work complete, the bike will be transferred to The Hangar to be safely and securely stored along with the other pieces in the collection.

Rise and Shine – Our 1971 Triumph GT6 Cleaned and Ready for its new owner

The transport team have been working on getting the 1971 Triumph GT6 all cleaned up and ready to go for the delivery to its excited new owner.

After being signed off by the workshop, our driver Tony worked his magic to get this classic British sports car looking like a million dollars ahead of its delivery later tonight.