Starting Off – Starting a 1990 Range Rover CSK
September 17, 2021
The 1990 Range Rover CSK is important in the history of the luxury 4×4. Built to honour the memory of its creator, only a limited
classic car specialists
Stripping back the interior of the 1979 Arrow Daytona
January 21, 2021
Brian has begun to strip down the interior of the 1979 Arrow Daytona in at Bridge Classic Cars. Carefully Brian and the trim team have
Meet The Team; Mauro
December 21, 2020
It’s Monday, meaning it’s time for another Meet The Team instalment! This week we chat to Mauro about what got him into cars.
Behind The Scenes: 1974 VW Beetle
December 7, 2020
Join us on our new series: Behind The Scenes. Although we give frequent behind the scenes updates on our workshop, we wanted to show you
Friday Snapshot
November 20, 2020
Ford Escort RS Turbo Photoshoot On Monday shot the 1988 Ford Escort RS Turbo with our friend and talented model, Carnell Cook at Bentwaters. We
Door panels for the 504
November 20, 2020
The door panels have been made up in the trim shop and fitted into the 504. It’s really satisfying to see everything come together with
Sitting Tight
November 20, 2020
More work has been done on our 1960 Peony red Jensen 541S. The latest instalments are the seat covers and pockets that have been made
Soft Spot For The Spitfire
November 19, 2020
We’ve had this beautiful 1971 Triumph Spitfire in for work before, so its nice to have it back in for another check-up! Unfortunately, the diagnosis
Peugeot 504
November 6, 2020
Our trim experts have taken apart the 1972 Peugeot 504’s back seats in order to make the new ones. Kath, one of our trim experts
The Peugeot Has A New Heart
November 5, 2020
The 1972 Peugeot 504 has hit a ground-breaking moment in its restoration: it now has an engine! Our engine specialist has replaced all serviceable parts
Windows and Doors for the Peugeot 504
November 3, 2020
Scott and Brian have been tending to the Peugeot for its new trimmings and chrome installments. Scott has been working on the window and door
Ford RS2000 Repairs
June 2, 2020
This gorgeous Ford Escort RS2000 has been into our workshop for a few repairs. The gear lever locating bush was broken and needed replacing. Pictured
1972 Peugeot 504 Engine Testing
February 27, 2020
Ady, Bridge Classic Cars’ engine specialist has set to work on our Peugeot 504 Engine recommission. Before removing the engine Ady has checked each cylinders
Latest Workshop Arrival 1972 Peugeot 504
February 25, 2020
This week we’ve welcomed this beautiful classic Peugeot 504 Cabriolet into the workshop. The first phase of this vehicles restoration will be as follows: Evaluate
Coming In For Restoration Soon: 1972 Peugeot 504
February 10, 2020
This lovely 72 Peugeot 504 will be coming into our workshop in the coming weeks for restorative works. We will be addressing issues with the
Ferrari Dino in Suffolk
February 7, 2020
Friend of Bridge Classic Cars, Phil martin has sent us these wonderful pictures of his Ferrari Dino in Long Melford, Suffolk. These stunning vehicles were
Daimler Dart Roof in the Trim Shop
January 20, 2020
Kath has been busy in Bridge Classic Cars’ Trim Shop. She’s been working on our Daimler Dart hardtop refurbishment. Kath started by removing the old
Starting Off – Starting a 1990 Range Rover CSK
September 17, 2021
The 1990 Range Rover CSK is important in the history of the luxury 4×4. Built to honour the memory of its creator, only a limited number were built and even fewer still remain.
This particular example has been stored with us at Bridge Classic Cars in preparation for its move over to our workshop but when that day arrived, unfortunately, it would not start under its own power. This was no problem. Some manpower and our vehicle transportation team in the closed vehicle transporter, the CSK was on its way to our workshop.
Once safely at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, our technician Mauro clambered under the 1990s icon to check over each component of the starting system methodically and carefully. First starting with the battery, which was indeed flat. Putting it on our Sealey battery charger was simple to get some power back into the black beauty. However, this didn’t change the issue.
Checking that the engine was free became Mauro’s next job. Carefully and precisely barring the 3.9 litre V8 over several times to check that it span freely, which happily it did. With the key in the ignition in the second position, Mauro gently clicked it over to the third point on its cycle. Again nothing.
With this information and his experience, Mauro recommended changing the starter motor on number 47 of the 200 Range Rover CSK’s built.
With this crucial part on order. Mauro enlisted the help of the other in-house Bridge Classic Cars technicians to get the considerable car on our 4 post ramp to begin its inspection.
Stripping back the interior of the 1979 Arrow Daytona
January 21, 2021
Brian has begun to strip down the interior of the 1979 Arrow Daytona in at Bridge Classic Cars.
Carefully Brian and the trim team have removed all of the carpeting and necessary trim panels to get access to both the dash and centre console which will be removed and stored before their restoration starts.
Along with the interior trim pieces, the wiring for the cabin has also been removed and catalogued for future reference once the car is back in the workshop to be reassembled.
Meet The Team; Mauro
December 21, 2020
It’s Monday meaning it’s time for another Meet The Team instalment! This week we chat to Mauro about what got him into cars.
Mauro’s beginnings with mechanics began from a young age. His father owned a garage where a young Mauro would watch and learn about mechanics. Learning to walk around cars meant that the fascination for cars was imprinted from a young age.
Mauro tells us that he not only grew up watching his father fix cars but also got involved, “I was 5 when I drove my first car and crashed my first car at 9”, he laughs.
“I would go to school with car supplies in my backpack” Mauro explains.
Mauro went on to work for his father’s garage for around 12 years after he left school however they then parted ways and Maurot then got into driving lorries. Mauro’s career in lorry driving took him around Portugal and Spain, driving for transport and logistics companies.
When Mauro came to the UK, he continued to drive lorries for a number of different companies until he saw a job advert for Bridge Classic Cars. At first, he didn’t apply despite being interested but fate meant he saw another advert a year later and decided to go for it. With plenty of experience fixing cars and continuous personal projects, it made sense for Mauro to join our team of technicians in 2019.
“I love to drive. That’s it, I love driving.”
Mauro tells us he’s always had his own projects on the go, buying cars, fixing them up and then selling them on. Mauro’s current project is a Ford F100, an iconic American pick-up truck. “I love American cars, you grow up seeing them on TV so you want them”.
The intricacy of taking cars apart and reassembling them again is what Mauro enjoys the most, “I like to learn everything I can.”
“Over lock down I kept busy by fixing cars in my spare time”.
Mauro has also been the inspiration for our classic car competitions after he won a Mitsubishi Evolution 8 from Dream Car Giveaways.
Mauro’s dream car is a new Nissan GTR, a high-performance sports car and grand tourer.
“I love to drive” Mauro ends with. “That’s it, I just love to drive.”. Mauro explains that he’d love to do a road trip around Europe.
Much like our other Meet The Team instalments, we end with the technicians ‘birth year’ car, a car that hit the scenes in their year. Following Mauro’s love for American cars, we’ve chosen the 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.
Behind The Scenes: 1974 VW Beetle
December 7, 2020
Join us on our new series: Behind The Scenes. Although we give frequent behind the scenes updates on our workshop, we wanted to show you some of the process that goes into our visuals.
With every competition car and for sale car, we arrange a full photo shoot to capture our beloved classics in the best possible light. Some of these shoots include models and locations and some include members of the Bridge Classic Car team hopping in and helping out at Bentwaters. No matter the setup, the aim is always the same. To tell a story and capture the car in the best way.
We recently held a photoshoot for the 1974 Cliff Green VW Beetle up at our hanger at Bentwaters. We’re lucky to have an access all areas agreement with the base, which allows us to shoot in locations otherwise not accessible to the public.
For this shoot, we had one of our technicians, Tom. as the support vehicle driver, with Freddie shooting from the support vehicle and Ellie driving the Beetle. This set up allows Freddie to shoot the moving photos and videos you see on our website and socials.
After the moving shots are completed on the runway, we then managed to discover the scenic winter backdrop of the logs you’ll see in the background of the Beetle stationary shots. This is where Ellie took the 360 shots and focused on the details as the winter sunset set the scene for a foggy and dramatic evening shoot.
Freddie also took the Beetle to our iconic photo spot on Bentwaters to take a second round of shots. We also aim to have a ‘location’ shoot and a standard shoot for each car. This means we have plenty of content to share, whether its keeping it sleek and simple or adding a bit more of a story and aesthetic to the visuals.
You can keep up to date with our behind the scenes videos on our Instagram page under ‘BTS’ highlights! Keep an eye on our Instagram and Facebook stories as well as we often put up sneak peaks on there too!
We also offer photoshoots as a service, so if you’d like your beloved motor photographed by the team at Bridge Classic Cars, click the link here.
Friday Snapshot
November 20, 2020
Ford Escort RS Turbo Photoshoot
On Monday shot the 1988 Ford Escort RS Turbo with our friend and talented model, Carnell Cook at Bentwaters. We were incredibly lucky with the weather as it managed to stay dry and clear throughout the afternoon and with the addition of some artistic smoke grenades, our marketing team shot some stunning visuals. You’ll begin to see the photos and videos appear throughout our social media pages.
New Mustang In The Stable
This beautiful 5 litre 2015 Mustang GT is the newest addition to our Hanger storage collection. We’re looking after this customers car for the winter so it’ll be tucked away as part of our storage services. It really is a stunning modern car.
New Arrivals
This week we’ve welcomed a selection of new vehicles into the Bridge Classic Car family including the 1974 Lime Green VW Beetle, the 1994 Land Rover Range Rover TDI, our new Mercedes transportation lorry and an original Chevron B-20. The Range Rover and Beetle are set to be competition cars however we are yet to decide the fate of our exciting and rare Chevron.
Competition Winner Delivery
This week we also delivered the Triumph TR4 to the lucky winner Adrian Harcus and wife, Aileen, in Aberdeen. We’re excited to see what plans they have for their new TR4!
Chrome parts and guest cars
Our friend and trust chrome specialist visited Bridge Classics HQ today to drop off some beautifully crafted chrome pieces for our recent blue Jaguar E-Type series 3. Tony Wyatt from his self titled polishing company works on providing us with the best and shiniest chrome parts for our restorations. Today when we arrived, we came in his stunning 3 litre Rover which itself has his handiwork on the front.
Door panels for the 504
November 20, 2020
The door panels have been made up in the trim shop and fitted into the 504. It’s really satisfying to see everything come together with this project.
Fitting these door panels include measuring up the leather, allowing holes for the handles, buttons and window winders, adding in fluting and then fitting it all in place at the end.
The Peugeot has also had newly restored will installed from Wheelworx in Bury St Edmunds.
Sitting Tight
November 20, 2020
More work has been done on our 1960 Peony red Jensen 541S. The latest instalments are the seat covers and pockets that have been made by our trim shop. This involved marking out the leather for the seats, sewing the piping and side bands on, making and sewing on the skirt, and then creating the pockets. Once all these elements have been carefully created, that can be put together.
Our engine specialist, Ady is in the process of rebuilding the engine. So far the bottom end is done and its awaiting the cylinder heads to be attached.
Soft Spot For The Spitfire
November 19, 2020
We’ve had this beautiful 1971 Triumph Spitfire in for work before, so its nice to have it back in for another check-up! Unfortunately, the diagnosis is a blown gasket, but its no trouble for our skilled technicians. This red beauty will be back up and running in no time!
The blown gasket:
The new gasket:
Peugeot 504
November 6, 2020
Our trim experts have taken apart the 1972 Peugeot 504’s back seats in order to make the new ones.
Kath, one of our trim experts has unstitched the old seats and measured up the old parts onto new leather. Once this is done, the new parts are stitched together and flute lines added.
The flute lines need to be carefully added so that they line up with the ones on the back squab cover as seen here:
The Peugeot Has A New Heart
November 5, 2020
The 1972 Peugeot 504 has hit a ground-breaking moment in its restoration: it now has an engine!
Our engine specialist has replaced all serviceable parts such as spark plugs and belts, replaced any worn hoses and plummed the engine back into its rightful place.
The beating heart of this car is back in place after a successful engine surgery.
Windows and Doors for the Peugeot 504
November 3, 2020
Scott and Brian have been tending to the Peugeot for its new trimmings and chrome installments.
Scott has been working on the window and door mechanisms. He’s fitted new rubber for the window seal, tested and installed new window winder mechanisms as well as repairing and cleaning the window winder motors.
As well as new window winder motors, the doors have also had some TLC to make sure they lock and shut nicely.
Scott has fitted new door handles to accompany the new door locks, striker plates and door check straps. All of which have been cleaned, repaired, re-greased, and fitted.
The new striker plates allow for the doors to align and shut efficiently.
Brian has been tending to the latest interior instalments for the Peugeot.
The leather for the door panel arm rest has been glued to the metal section, trimmed and turned over to give a neat finish. The door handle slots had also been cut and measured.
The leather has been glued to the foam backing for the back seats and is ready for sewing. Lines have been marked on each piece to indicate where the stitching will sit.
The front door panels have been cut out of hardboard, holes drilled into them for the armrest and door handles.
When ready, the leather is applied and the edges are pulled around the side of each piece to ensure a neat finish. The leather is hog ringed to the frame as this guarantees that the leather will be held in place and allows for a tight application.
Below you can see the armrest door panel and part of the back seats being fitted together.
Ford RS2000 Repairs
June 2, 2020
This gorgeous Ford Escort RS2000 has been into our workshop for a few repairs.
The gear lever locating bush was broken and needed replacing. Pictured above.
Under braking the car was pulling to one side so we investigated the brakes.
We removed the brake pistons to reveal the seals were rotten. We cleaned the pistons and replaced the seals, refitted them and bled the brakes.
1972 Peugeot 504 Engine Testing
February 27, 2020
Ady, Bridge Classic Cars’ engine specialist has set to work on our Peugeot 504 Engine recommission.
Before removing the engine Ady has checked each cylinders compression. We’ve found slightly low compression on one of the cylinders and will report this back to the customer.
We then removed the engine and took off some components including the inlet manifold for sandblasting and painting.
We’ve found that front engine cover was worn due to being incorrectly previously fitted. The front crankshaft pulley also is showing signs of wear. Based on our findings Ady is recommending a lip seal conversion.
Once these issues with the engine have been resolved we will be fully detailing the engine and engine bay to get this lovely rare classic show ready.
Latest Workshop Arrival 1972 Peugeot 504
February 25, 2020
This week we’ve welcomed this beautiful classic Peugeot 504 Cabriolet into the workshop.
The first phase of this vehicles restoration will be as follows:
- Evaluate the engine condition and locate points where the oil is leaking. We can then rectify these leaks once the engine is out of the vehicle.
- We will be removing the engine and gearbox. Then we can clean and detail the engine block, gearbox and engine bay components.
- Remove all chromework and where necessary re-chome any damaged areas.
- Rectify all rust affected areas and let in new steel as nessasary.
- Prepare the car for paint and carry out a full respray in the factory ‘off white’ colour.
- Refurbish wheels and then refit engine and gearbox.
Coming In For Restoration Soon: 1972 Peugeot 504
February 10, 2020
This lovely 72 Peugeot 504 will be coming into our workshop in the coming weeks for restorative works. We will be addressing issues with the paintwork, interior, brakes and chrome.
Ferrari Dino in Suffolk
February 7, 2020
Friend of Bridge Classic Cars, Phil martin has sent us these wonderful pictures of his Ferrari Dino in Long Melford, Suffolk. These stunning vehicles were produced by Ferrari between 1967 – 1976. Named after Enzo Ferrari’s late son, these iconic classics have aged beautifully.
We love seeing classics such as this Dino out being enjoyed. Please do continue to send us in photos of your pride and joy, we love to see images like this, thanks Phil!
Daimler Dart Roof in the Trim Shop
January 20, 2020
Kath has been busy in Bridge Classic Cars’ Trim Shop. She’s been working on our Daimler Dart hardtop refurbishment.
Kath started by removing the old headlining off and stripping back the surface. She then prepared with foam and primed brackets and cut new boarding for the edging to ensure a seamless, tight roof lining.
The next stage was applying the brushed nylon headlining.
The roof will now head over to the paint shop for fitting of the rubbers, a final polish and inspection.
