classic car workshop

A New Arrival

Over the weekend, a very special project arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ. This Cobra project has been in the works for the

Read More ยป

Christmas Clean Up

As we prepare to shut for Christmas, our workshop team are doing a thorough festive clean. Although we always keep our workspaces clean and sanitised,

Read More ยป

The Jensen fan

New fan brackets have been added to the 1957 Grey Jenson 541R Our engineer Paul has hand crafted a pair of brackets to bolt onto

Read More ยป

Toyota MR2 Initial Inspection

John has finished up the report.

He has stripped and cleaned nearside front brake and found the sliders have seized.

Remove and free off before reassembling.

Wire brush all flexi hose ferrules. Strip alarm wiring. Trace through car and disconnect from loom. Cut wires and remove complete system.

Check that car still starts and runs, ok. Check alternator charge; 8.9v which is very poor. Warning lights on dash probably due to battery voltage or lack of it.

Refit wheels.

A New Arrival

Over the weekend, a very special project arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ.

This Cobra project has been in the works for the past 30 years with its previous owner, but now the current owner has bought it to our Pettistree workshop to get the car working and fitted out before then moving onto the next phase of work.

We’re excited to get started on this Cobra and make sure you check out the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more on the Cobra project very soon.

Extension work continues: site clearance

The site is now being cleared ready for grounds-work to commence next month.

The old barn has now been demolished, the rubbish will follow very soon and then the new fencing will be erected to close off the area.

We can’t wait to get started now

Christmas Clean Up

As we prepare to shut for Christmas, our workshop team are doing a thorough festive clean. Although we always keep our workspaces clean and sanitised, spending extra time on Friday afternoons, we know it’s essential to give our workshop a deep clean before we head home.

We couldn’t forget to share with you Rosie looking very festive! There’s no need for reindeer here as we’ve got plenty horsepower between all our cars, but we do have the important edition of a Christmas pup who provides festive cheer whilst we prepare the workshop for Christmas closure. You can see our opening times here.

The Jensen fan

New fan brackets have been added to the 1957 Grey Jenson 541R

Our engineer Paul has hand crafted a pair of brackets to bolt onto the Jensen’s fan. These have been made from a sheet of metal which Paul has measured, shaped, drilled and painted, ready to be bolted onto the final product.

Craftmanship like this means that all our projects are bespoke and personal and fit the car which enables a perfect match.

Before

After

The brackets and fan were then later fixed together. This will now be inserted into the engine.

Not long after, the fan had been fitted into the Jensen’s engine and was ready to purr.

Another Whirlwind Week Here At Bridge Classic Cars

From new projects and photoshoots to finished restorations, the workshop has been bustling this week.

This week we’ve had lots going on in and out of the workshop. Most notibly, our 1996 Nissan Patrol has been completed. We have worked on the full restoration from start to finish, we cannot wait for it’s owner to see her looking her very best once more.

Before

After

We’ve had a 1977 Triumph Spitfire come in from our friend Lee at Auto shack that’s in need of a new hood. There’s no task too big or small for our classic car technicians. This Spitfire will enter the Trim Shop next week to have it’s new hood fitted.

We’ve also had two requests to value cars, one of which being a 1969 Mercedes 280SL and another being a 1986 Toyota Celica GT. We offer valuation services to inform customers on what their car is worth, be that for personal or insurance reasons.

There’s an exciting opportunity coming up with an Alfa Romeo Montreal that we’ve been asked to restore. Keep an eye out for updates on that when it comes in!

We’ve also got a 1980 MGB GT coming in soon. We took a look at it recently and replaced the adjusted the distributor as it was getting too hot but it seems to need some more TLC which we’re looking forward to doing!

Here at Bridge Classic Cars, we’re all about family and community. That’s why Gordan and Craig’s 2008 Range Rover Sport has been bought and passed onto our technician Pete. He took it out for its first spin earlier in the week to Milsoms in Ipswich. We’re glad to see it still lives on in the Bridge family.

We’ve had a gentleman enquire about us restoring his 1947 Norton motorbike which has been 50% built but just needs finishing. We don’t get many bikes in but its a real treat when we do!

This morning we went to our hanger at Bentwaters to do some filming. Our marketing team Freddie and Ellie shot some content which you will see going up on our website soon! In the meantime, take a look at some behinds the scenes shots below.

You can see the rest of the works done this week on our Triumph, Jensen, and Jaguar, here.

Workshop Walkabout

This morning we took a walk around the workshop to take a peak at how our engineers are getting on with the current projects.

1996 Nissan Patrol

The Nissan Patrol is almost ready to be set free on adventures again. Pete has given it a general ‘health check’ and service to ensure its exploration spirit is still intact.

The last stage on the Nissan is to ‘blacken’ the underside to protect it from rust and erosion, which is all the more important for adventurous vehicles like this Patrol!

1972 MGB Blaze Orange

Tamas has been working hard on the latest refurbishments to the MGB which has recently included a new radiator as the old one had developed some rust and holes.

The thermostat has also been refurbished along with its housing and the grill. Tamas has also installed new reversing lights as well.

The Rosytle wheels are currently in the hands of our paint specialist Darren who’s just finished applying the first layer of paint to neaten them up.

1960 MGA

The Red MGA has had a seasonal refurbishment with a heater being added to accommodate for the cold months approaching!

Paul tells us that “the car originally never had a heater in, so the parts have been shipped in from America.”

Its not uncommon to see our classic cars fitted with modern creature comforts such as heaters and radios.

1972 Peugeot 504

Scott has been working on fitting the doors, making sure the latches catch and shut efficiently.

Darren has also been working on the Peugeot, painting the engine bay. This needed two sets of paint, one for the inner parts and a separate colour for the outer parts to match the body of the car.

1957 Jensen 541R

The Jensen is still in the trimming shop where Brian is installing the leather padding that sits just above the windscreen. This piece followed the original design but still had to be cut and made by hand.

Brian tells us ‘It’s quite a fiddly job to fit this panel’.

We can’t wait to see the Jensen completed with its smart new leather from our trim experts.

1965 Amphicar

Our classic car electrician Adam has been working on tidying up the Amphicar’s wires and installing a second pump to ensure enough water is removed from within the vehicle. This means a custom made pump bracket will have to be designed and fitted when the second pump is installed.

1987 Mercedes 500SL

Our engineer Anthony is currently applying a filler to the engine bay to smooth out any bumps.

A keen eye for detail from Anthony is needed to ensure that the Mercedes doesn’t leave the fabrication bay with any imperfections.

Workshop Walkabout

We had a walkabout this workshop this afternoon to see what everyone’s up to.

One of our classic car technicians Pete has the 1996 Nissan Patrol up on the ramp. “I’m working on the front disc brakes” he explains “the inner seal on the hub has gone.”

Pete’s lined up the front-wheel-drive axel, marking out exactly where each component goes, so it can go back together the exact same way.

The seats on our 1972 MGB Roadster are back from Kath in our in-house trim shop. Tamas is now fitting the seats back into car. “I’m also removing the wheels ready to go into paint” Tamas tells us “as well as refitting the luggage rack back onto the boot”.

Another MG also in the workshop, is our stunning 1960 MGA. Keen to modify the car, her owner is opting for heating to be installed. Some classics would have these modern ‘essentials’ as optional extras back in the day.

“We had to order the heater box from America” our expert Paul explains. “We’re also doing some minor improvements on the gearbox and pistons.” Paul’s also added another mirror that the customer’s asked for. Along with changing the rubber trim around the boot and bonnet from grey to black.

Classic car technician Scott’s continued fitting various bits and pieces onto our 1957 grey Jensen 541R. “I’ve been making the cable ends for the grill flap mechanism” he tells us. The front grill on the 541R opens to act as a cooling aid for the engine. The driver controls this mechanism from the front seat.

Scott’s also fitted the new windscreen washer system this week. Including new washer bottle, pipework and washer jet system.

Our impressive 1967 Jaguar E-Type Race Car has reached a milestone moment today! Our Director Gordon and workshop manager John got her engine roaring and even got flames firing out the exhausts!

This is a very exciting moment here at Bridge. After quite an exhaustive restoration, it’s a beautiful thing to finally have a car up and running again.

Gordon even managed a quick test drive round the car park!

In the trim shop our interior experts Kath and Brian are making great progress on our 1960 Black Jensen 541R. The back seats, front seats and centre console all now in position.

Rosie the dog even came to say hello!

Our car electrician Adam has been working on the 1965 Amphicar’s wiring. “I’ve been tidying up the engine bay wiring” Adam explains. “All the engine accessories and wiring wasn’t waterproof. Which for an Amphicar- is pretty important!”

Interestingly, the Amphicar’s engine is in the boot, much like boat engines are. Whereas under the bonnet, is where the fuel tank and storage space is.

Our engine expert Ady’s is getting ready to put the engine back in our 1972 Peugeot 504.

He’s also done some engine work on the 1953 Ford Taunus Transit Van. “It was running a bit rough. So, I’ve done a few engine tweaks and am hoping to do an oil and filter change next.”

Last but certainly not least, our body shop expert Anthony has been working on our 1987 Mercedes 500SL. “We need to get the underseal off the metal shell” explains Anthony. “It’s really tough to remove so we use a method of literally burning it off, it’s almost like melting it.”

Phew! What a busy week we’re having here at the workshop. As we fast approach the weekend I think everyone earned a well deserved break. Well done Bridge Class Cars team!

1971 Range Rover Carburettor Service

Ady, Bridge Classic Cars’ engine specialist has serviced and cleaned up the leaking carburettors in our 1971 Range Rover. He has replaced the seals and gaskets and re-installed into the vehicle. This has massively improved the engines running.

Ady has noticed a slight radiator leak so this will be investigated further by our good friends and radiator experts, Shelldrake and Wells in Ipswich. This is the final task to complete before the vehicle is running beautifully once more. Great work, Ady!