More priming for the E-Type!
The 1973 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Series 3 has had another layer of primer sprayed on. This comes after sanding and repair work was done to the car last week. The body of the car and the doors were primed on this occasion.
Tag Archive: classic cars
Continuing prep work for the Honda.
Chris and Lydia have been continuing their work on the 1998 Honda Integra Type R in the paint shop.
As before, Chris has been spraying primer onto various panels from the car, including the front and rear bumpers, the sills, the registration plate panel, the spoiler and the wings.
Lydia has then been sanding down this primer, using either a block sander, DA sander or by hand. She covered each panel in black guide coat beforehand to help see how much sanding needed to be done. You can read about last week’s work on them here. https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/more-stages-of-the-prep-work-for-the-honda-integra/
Progress on Aston Martin panels!
Brian has been re-covering more panels for the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4.
This time it’s been the lower A posts, the dash side panels, the rear seat front rail and the boot side panels. He took the original leather off all of them and cleaned off any old glue that was left behind. He then used the original leather pieces as patterns on the new leather, marked out around them and cut them out. The new leather pieces were then glued onto their associated panels, and any foam was added where need be.
Engine re-paint for the purple MG B GT!
Chris has been re-painting the engine for the 1973 purple MG B GT V8.
He painted the engine in sections, masking up along the way with tape.
Small repair on the Honda Integra.
James has been working on the 1998 Honda Integra Type R.
He’s repaired a section on the lower quarter panel by fabricating and welding. It’s now ready to be re-fitted back onto the car.
Small adjustment for the red Jensen!
Kath has been laying the carpet back down in the peony red 1960 Jensen 541S. The pedals needed some adjustment, so the sound deadening and carpet were glued back down after this was done.
Finishing the front squabs for the Aston!
Kath has been finishing up the fitting of the front squab seat covers for the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4.
At the end of last week, she completed the first front squab, which can be read about here. https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/the-start-of-the-aston-martin-seat-fitting/ It was exactly the same process for this second front squab seat.
Work on the Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5!
Scott has been working on the 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5 4.2.
He’s replaced the brake line that connects to the rear axle, bled the brakes, the bushes have been replaced in the steering column, because they were worn out, he’s lock wired any bolts that needed to be, fitted a new radio and replaced the fuel line because it had been badly fitted before!
Getting busy with the 1975 Triumph!
Dave has been carrying out work on the 1975 magenta Triumph TR6. Here’s a list and a look at what he’s been up to!
There were problems with the horn so a new plate was ordered, the earth coil needs re-instating, replaced the fuel filter in the boot, the pipe got replaced, the fuel was drained a couple of times because of debris in it, Dave lubricated to free up the butterflies in the engine bay, each injector was removed to get the air out of the pipes, he set out linkage in sequence, which was done with a vacuum metre, there was oil in the distributor, so Dave cleaned it out, and put it all back together again, the clutch had to be made longer and now works fine, the wiper motor needs attention, and he’s set the points up!
Bentley dash panels get a new lease of life!
Brian has been re-covering more panels for the 1963 Bentley S3 Chinese Continental.
This time, he’s done the panels that go underneath the dash, the dash rail panel, corner panel, the metal plate that goes with it, padded dash panels, and front-seat support wood.
He stripped the original leather off all of them, and any old foam that was underneath. Then sanded off the old glue. Most of the metal panels had 3mm foam glued onto them first, before adding the new leather on top and glueing underneath. The rest of the panels just had the new leather glued directly onto them.
More stages of the prep work for the Honda Integra!
Lydia has been helping Chris in the paint shop with the 1998 Honda Integra Type R panels.
Chris has been priming them, and then Lydia has been coating them in black guide coat, which shows the imperfections in the primer surface when sanded down. She sanded each panel down until no guide coat could be seen anymore. This was done with a mixture of blocking, using a DA and sanding by hand. Lydia then went over each panel with a grey scotch pad lightly and cleaned off any sanding dust with pre-clean.
New stereo box for the 1954 Jaguar!
Tamas has fabricated and welded together a new stereo box for the white 1954 Jaguar Mk VII. Kath has then covered it in dark red leather, ready to go in the car!
The start of the Aston Martin seat fitting!
Kath has been starting to fit the front squab seats and their carpet backs to the frames.
She began by stapling the sides of the front squab to the wooden part of the frame. She then trimmed back the foam on the flutes, to lay nice and flat on the back. Then she stapled the front of the squab to the wood of the seat frame, making sure it fitted nicely. Piping was then stapled around the back edge. The carpet back was placed on top of this, just inside the piping.
The first front squab is now ready! Exactly the same process will be carried out for the second one.
Putting it back together for the 1963 Jaguar!
As you may know, the engine bay of the white 1963 Jaguar Mk II 3.4 has recently been re-painted. You can read about it here. https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/engine-bay-re-spray-for-the-jaguar/
Paul has had the job of putting everything back in the engine bay, that was taken out for the re-painting!
Mercedes 280SL drive-out
The sun was shining here in Suffolk this afternoon, the perfect weather for a lovely run out in the 280SL. Craig headed up to Rendlesham to experience the issues with the engine running.
It’s one of those classics that oozes class and sophistication. Lots of smiles and admiring glances as we drove through the villages…we assume it was for the car and not Craig!
The car is in with us for a full engine rebuild. Work will commence very soon.
Getting the Ford Escort Ready to Run!
Today, the interior wiring was completed on our 1969 Ford Escort Twin Cam. Along with completion of the interior fit out. All other wiring was then checked over for any issues; things like poor earths, bad connections etc.
Small change for Jag E-Type!
James has been busy repairing one of the protective covers for the brake and fuel lines, which sits underneath the back of the Jaguar E-Type V12. This one had gone misshapen and had some corrosion, from moisture being let in along a damaged edge, which is why it needed work doing to it. The other one is in much better condition.
James fabricated and spot welded the corroded one to get it back into its former glory!
Cleaning and Preparing Honda Integra Parts
Lydia has taken a step away from the trim shop to join James C and James P in the preparation area. Parts for the Honda are now in the process of being cleaned and prepared. The door handle surrounds and wing mirrors are being prepared, ready for paint.
Integra Sanding And Fabricating
Pricey and Lydia have been working on our Honda Integra. Lydia has been sanding down various panels in preparation for paint whilst James has been taking apart the internal panels around the arch and fabricating new parts.
Subaru bodywork restoration
This beautifully kept 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX STi in for what started out as a small rust repair. Leaving no stone unturned James has noticed corrosion into the arch and sill and has taken a ‘belt and braces’ approach to make sure this modern classic is fighting fir for many years to come. James has cut out any compromised metal and has fabricated a new driver’s side arch and part of the sill.
Here’s what Freddie’s car usually looks like…
And here is the work in progress… We have elected to replace the rusted bumper brackets with new genuine Subaru parts.
XJS Bored Radiator
Our Jaguar XJS has had its radiator bored out again to make it run more smoothly.
Toyota Hilux Trim Update
We’re currently re-covering the sun visors and ceiling lining. Kath is working at recovering these, creating the patterns and fabric, gluing it down and making new boards.
Green E-Type Back Axel And Welding
Scott has been working on our 1968 Jaguar E-Type 4.2 by removing the rear axel and stripping it down ready to rebuild it. He’s also carried out a lot of welding to make the car safe for its MOT. We expect that in the future this car will need new floor pans and sills as we have repaired these to comply with MOT standard but to ensure the cars long life, more amends may be on the horizon.
Tesla Mini Running At London Classic Car Show
The Surf Blue Mini that we worked on with Ted from Team C Racing for Electric Classic Cars has been up and running at the London Classic Car Show.
We’re delighted to see it up and running after its long restoration story.
June 29, 2021 10:43 am
Ford Model T’s Rear Box Covers
Brian has made up some covers for the rear box pillars on our 1915 Ford Model T. He’s done this in the same style as the seats, making it out of leather and buttons to create this luxurious effect.
He began by making up buttons for the rear box covers, marking out the button holes and drilling them into the wood. He then fit wooden sections to the shelf so that it will stay in place and fit neatly onto the pillar. He then glued the foam to the wood and proceeded to cover the foam and board in the leather. Once that was done, he could then fit it to the Model T.
Lada’s New Percussion
Scott has been fitting new rear drum brakes onto the Lada. We’ve been waiting for the new drums to arrive from Russia and now that they are here, we are able to fit them.
Jaguar MKVII Engine Progress
We’ve taken apart the exhaust port and fitted new valves onto the cylinder head of our 1954 Jaguar MKVII.
Jaguar MKVII Air Flow Alterations
Ady has been working on our 1954 Jaguar MKVII and has recently turned to address the air flow. He has opened up the throat on the inlet side to gain 2mm for more air flow and done the same on the exhaust.
White E-Type In For Paint Prep
Our 1973 White E-Type Roadster is in the paint booth and being prepared for paint. Matt has been getting it read for epoxy primer by removing excess sealer and cleaning the welds. This E-Type, which used to be white, will soon be a new shade…
Grantura Paint Touch Up
We’ve added a small paint touch up on our 1962 TVR Grantura as the door had been rubbing on the sill. Chris, our paint shop manager, has address the issue.
