classic car trim suffolk

Tr6 fully covered

Our trim shop expert, Kath, has been busy making multiple covers for the magenta Triumph TR6. The hood and tonneau now have covers that have

Read More ยป

Custom Trim

Whether it’s a specific design or a certain fit, we can make it. All of the work done in the trim shop is made by

Read More ยป

To The Core – Stripping Back More Interior Pieces on the 1958 Jensen 541R

The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on stripping back more interior pieces from the 1958 Jensen 541R.

Lydia, one of our trimmers, has carefully been taking apart the original pieces all the way back to their core components in order to inspect and assess the structure underneath. Each of the pieces was taken off and visually checked over individually.

Recreating the Past – Removing and Inspecting the Original Seat from the 1905 Riley 9HP

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop has begun the process of carefully taking apart the original interior of the 1905 Riley 9HP in order to recreate and understand the car better.

The original leather was brittle and stiff, so Brian carefully began to remove the trim pieces in order to best remove it from the car as complete as possible to use as a reference when it comes to making the new piece. Each item that has come off the car has been meticulously catalogued and stored for the restoration project even the original springs and hessian backing of the seat and all the hardware.

This is a very exciting part of the project and we’re excited to show you more progress on the 1905 Riley 9HP soon here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.

Ferrari Daytona Seats Finished

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.

Suited And Booted

Our 1960 Black Jensen 541R has had its new boot door trim fitted by our talented trim shop team!

As ever, the process to get this boot trim fitted included careful measuring out of the material, binding the edges and glueing into place. This is all done by hand, making each installation bespoke.

The Jensen has also received new bolts for its bumper as the old components were not fitted nor attached as they should be. The easier resolution to this problem was to replace the fixtures to allow the bump to it tighter to the body.

Tr6 fully covered

Our trim shop expert, Kath, has been busy making multiple covers for the magenta Triumph TR6. The hood and tonneau now have covers that have been created out of black vinyl. Velcro has been sewn on and all the individual parts are then sewn together. Kath has also made a bag for the jack which followed a similar pattern to the tool bag.

Meet The Team: The Trim Shop

Our trim shop is not only incredibly unique but it is also relatively new! The trim shop, as a functioning entity has only really existed since this year. Although we’ve had a trim specialist before, we never had a specific team and workshop dedicated to it until 2020! Both Kath and Brian have joined the Bridge Classic Car family this year and have been invaluable.

It’s rare to have an in-house trim shop at a classic car restoration workshop as many companies prefer to outsource, which comes with its own problems and communications. We, however, are very lucky to have ours in-house which not only saves time and miscommunications but also means everything is made to fit and can be fitted and tested immediately. This makes for swifter restorations and ultimately a better workflow. Anything that’s needed can be made and modified as needed.

Meet Kath

Vibrant and talented, Kath is one of our Trim Shop Trio.

Kath describes herself as arty and crafty, with always having a creative background. Kath holds a selection of qualifications from Interior Design to Spatial Design and history in painting and decorating as well as previous car trim work. Kath then joined the team in January 2020.

“I’ve always enjoyed making things and being creative. I like being hands-on.”

Kath loves VW’s and has always had a soft spot for them. She’s done up her own VW campervan before but currently owns a beautiful red VW Beetle which is her pride and joy.

Kath says she enjoys working in an in-house trim shop rather than outsourcing it as she did before, as you get more of a personal connection with the projects, “You’re never doing the same thing twice!” Kath tells us, “I love everything here, it’s so satisfying learning where everything fits and seeing it being installed.”

Meet Brian

Brian was the second Trim Shop specialist to join Bridge Classic Cars who started in March 2020.

Brian originally started working on Micralite planes but later moved to trim work and interior car design. Brian also worked with Kath at their previous workplace outsourcing interior trim, so made the perfect team when they both moved to Bridge Classic Cars!

Brian has always worked with interior trim and really enjoys being a part of the team.

“It’s great to see cars go from parts to being roadworthy. You have such a big part in keeping these old cars going.”

Brian says he’s always loved hot hatches but currently has a new mini but has his sights set on buying an original mini to do up too. “Working with cars like these, at some point you want to get your own!” Brian tells us.

Meet Rosie

The third and final member of the Trim Shop is Cockerpoo puppy, Rosie!

As an invaluable member of the team, Rosie offers morale and team spirit for not only the trim shop but for the whole of the Bridge Classic Cars team!

Rosie is now 9 months old as she was born on Valentine’s day. She certainly has a talent for spreading the love!

Rosie’s favourite part about being in the trim shop is getting visits from other members of the Bridge team who frequently give her cuddles and attention, she’s a real team player!

Custom Trim

Whether it’s a specific design or a certain fit, we can make it. All of the work done in the trim shop is made by hand and designed perfectly for your motor.

One of our clients is making the hard choice between these 4 designs for the interior of their 1982 Porsche 911.

In The Trim Shop: Jensen 541R Interior

Brian, one of our Classic Car Technicians who specialises in Interior Trim has been making superb progress on the interior of our 541R.

Brian has fabricated new footpanels with back supports screwed in. He’s also stripped down the old scuttle panels.

He’s cut new scuttle panels and drilled correctly placed holes.

Brian has dismantled the original under-dash panels and is making new under-dash panels from millboard. He’s stripped down the original door panel infills and trimmed in black leather. The attention to detail is second to none. Beautifully done, Brian.