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classic mercedes restoration

Still Going Strong – 1969 Mercedes 280SL (Pagoda)

October 10, 2022

It’s been a little while since our 1969 Mercedes 280SL (Pagoda) left the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. After undergoing an engine rebuild with us, it left the workshop to be returned to its owner a few months ago.

Since then, we have had some great feedback about the performance of the car and it sounds like it is very much at home being back out on the road.

Feedback from the owner includes:

“I have now done over 500 mainly motorway miles in the car and it is running well. Thank you again for the work you have done”.

and

“the car continues to run beautiful and was a pleasure to drive on a long trip to France a couple of weeks back”.

Hearing that a restored car is bringing enjoyment to its owner is something that makes us very happy. Classic cars like this are all about having the perfect driving experience so this is exactly the type of feedback we aim to achieve.

Guarded – Raptorgaurding the Inner Wings and Bulkhead of the 1987 Mercedes 500SL

April 21, 2022

The inner wings and several pieces of the bulkhead from the 1987 Mercedes 500SL have been finished in thick durable Raptorguard by the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop.

Alan, one of our painters, has been working on completing this task as part of the final paint stages on the classic Mercedes R107. This stage involved coating several key areas of the car with a thick, durable Raptorguard. This particular product seals the surface from any form of moisture that can find its way inside the metal. So, the team have finished the inside of the front wings and several key parts of the bulkhead and heater matrix.

With this done and now curing, the team can soon begin reassembly of the classic Mercedes 500SL.

Flawless Finish – Painting the Final Parts of the 1987 Mercedes 500SL

April 20, 2022

The final parts and panels for the 1987 Mercedes 500SL have been finished in the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint shop ready for reassembly on the car.

The team have taken their time to make sure each individual piece has been properly prepared, cleaned and primed before being taken back into the booth to be finished in matching Selenit Grey to the rest of the classic 1980s Mercedes.

Part of the process involved also painting several key parts of the car in a deep black before being masked off and finished in the glossy grey.

Final Finish – Painting the Doors and Quarter Panels of the 1987 Mercedes 500SL

April 11, 2022

The final panels for the 1987 Mercedes 500SL have been carefully and meticulously prepared by the paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars.

Alan, has worked on getting each panel individually prepared and then cleaned down before taking them into our in-house paint booth where they were to be finished in matching Selenit Grey to the rest of the car.

He laid down layer after layer of the deep, glossy grey to the doors and front quarter panels which marks the final major pieces of the 1987 500SL to be painted and the car will soon begin the rebuild of the car.

Colour Matched – Painting the Bonnet on the 1987 Mercedes 500SL

April 7, 2022

The bonnet of the 1987 Mercedes 500SL has been taken into the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop to be painted by our in-house paint team.

The piece has been beautifully prepared and readied to go into the booth with our painter Alan to shoot the layers of Selenit Grey needed to complete the deep, glossy paintwork which has been done to the body of the classic Mercedes.

The Pursuit of Perfection – The 1987 Mercedes 500SL in Colour

April 1, 2022

The 1987 Mercedes 500SL has been moved from the preparation area at Bridge Classic Cars into the paint shop and then, into our in-house paint booth/oven.

The paint and body team, along with the fabrication shop, have spent a lot of time getting the classic R107 ready for its date with the paint booth making sure each part, panel and piece was perfect before beginning the painting process.

The car is being finished in a classic Mercedes colour, Selenet Grey. Most notably seen on the classic 280SL Pagodas, it was chosen to compliment the beautiful burgundy red interior that the trim team have made for the car.

So, with the car ready it was time for Alan and Nick to go into the booth with the car and lay down the first coat onto the body of the SL. Starting with the engine bay.

Alan began under the transmission tunnel and worked his way up and across the firewall making sure every inch was covered to give each coat an even and flowing look. The inner wheel arches and front core support finished off the first stage. Then, Alan began to work getting the scuttle panel and windscreen surround shot in the dark, deep grey and worked his way back towards the boot on the classic Mercedes.

The rear quarter panels and rocker panels were coloured line by line. Each gently overlapping on the previous to give the consistent and uniform look needed to achieve the flawless finish that comes with Selenet Grey. But with the car having its first coat complete, it was time to let it settle and get the paint mixed for the next round.

The 2nd coat was done in the same order as the first. Alan making sure to get every exposed piece of bodywork coated properly for the uniform look. Again, it was all about consistency and movement in order to achieve the finish on the classic R107. And once the 2nd layer had flashed off, Alan waited for the prescribed time and then shot the 3rd coat to finish off the car.

With that, it was left in the ovens to completely cure and harden. Once it has completely hardened, it will be carefully transferred back to the preparation area in order for polishing and preparation for the next stage.

Prepped and Ready – The 1987 Mercedes 500SL Masked and Ready for Paint

March 25, 2022

The 1987 Mercedes 500SL has had all its fabrication work completed by the fabrication team at Bridge Classic Cars and been moved into the paint preparation area.

The car has had several crucial pieces of the car’s metalwork repaired by the fabrication shop. The paint and body team then worked on getting the car reprepared for the spray booth by sanding down the panels and masking the car ready for its date with the spray booth.

In-Place – Fitting the New Heater Matrix and Reinstalling the Dash on the 1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda

March 24, 2022

The brand new heater matrix has been installed into the 1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda by the workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars.

During testing, the original heater matrix was found to be leaking so the Bridge Classic Cars team sourced a new replacement. This was fitted in behind the dash by the workshop team and the various pieces of the dash assembly secured around it.

Now with the heater matrix in place inside the classic Mercedes, the workshop technicians can begin testing the car once again.

Out the Box – Brand New Heater Matrix for the 1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda

March 16, 2022

The brand new heater matrix for the 1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda has arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in Suffolk ready to go back into the car.

Previously, our workshop technicians discovered a leak under the dash of the classic Mercedes Pagoda and upon inspection discovered the heater matrix was leaking from a previous poor repair on the piece. The original was sent to a specialist to be refurbished but the workshop took the decision to source a brand new component for the car to make sure that everything works exactly as it should when the coolant system is repressurised.

Getting to the Root – Fixing the Rust Areas on the 1987 Mercedes 500SL

March 10, 2022

The 1987 Mercedes 500SL has been transferred from our body shop to the fabrication shop at the Bridge Classic Cars workshops.

During the preparation of the body for paint, our body shop noticed some areas of corrosion in some key places. These are being cut out and addressed by our fabricators so the classic Mercedes R107 is in perfect condition to go back into the body shop to have those areas prepared again for paint.

Discoveries – Finding a Leak on the 1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda

March 8, 2022

The 1969 Mercedes 280SL had begun the final stages of its testing since the engine and gearbox rebuild at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshops at our Pettistree HQ. During that testing, our restoration technicians discovered a leak.

Part of the tests on the classic Pagoda was to pressurise the cooling system of the car. During that crucial test, our technician John discovered a leak coming from underneath the dashboard. Removing various pieces of trim, he discovered the heater matrix for the car was leaking due to previous poor repairs at some point in the car’s life. With that, the heater matrix was removed from the car to be fully inspected.

After the inspection, it has been sent away to a Radiator and Heater Matrix specialist to be refurbished for the car.

Updates – Preparation and Discoveries on the 1987 Mercedes 500SL

February 25, 2022

The 1987 Mercedes 500SL in the Bridge Classic Cars body shop having its engine prepared has turned up some new discoveries.

Our body and paint technicians have been working on getting the engine bay of the classic Mercedes into the same shape as the outside of the car but upon further inspection during sanding, some areas have some rust issues and previous poor repairs.

These will need to be addressed before the rest of the engine bay is finished in primer ahead of its colour coat.

Alongside that our technician, Mauro, has removed several pieces of the suspension in order to get to the harder to reach areas of the classic Mercedes. This is is to make sure every area of the car is inspected, prepared and primered.

In the Booth – Priming the Panels on the 1987 Mercedes 500SL

February 22, 2022

The rest of the panels from the 1987 Mercedes 500SL which is in with Bridge Classic Cars for restoration have been in the in-house spray booth to be finished in bright white primer.

Chris, one of our amazing painters, has been getting the first layers of finishing primer onto the pieces of the classic Mercedes. This is all being done in preparation for the car to be completely refinished in the Mercedes Pagoda colour, Selenit Grau.

It’s all moving quickly now on the restoration of this beautiful Mercedes R107 and we can’t wait to show you the next step!

Preparations – Preparing and Inspecting Components for the 1987 Mercedes 500SL

February 22, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars body team have been working on getting the parts and pieces from the doors of the 1987 Mercedes 500SL prepared and catalogued before being painted and put into storage.

Mauro has been working on checking each of the components before then carefully disassembling and refurbishing anything that needed to be reworked before final assembly on the classic Mercedes.

Primed and Ready – The 1987 Mercedes 500SL in Primer

February 18, 2022

The stunning 1987 Mercedes 500SL which has been in the Bridge Classic Cars body shop getting prepared for its paint job has been transferred into the spray booth for the first layers of finish primer to be laid onto the iconic classic Mercedes.

Chris, one of our paint technicians, has taken the R107 into the booth and thanks to the hours of preparation on the body by our body team, flawlessly laid down the first in a long process of getting the car into its final colour of Selenit Grau.

Chris treats every coat of primer like it is a final layer of colour or clear and all the paintwork that comes out of the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop is held to the same exacting standards.

We’re excited to show you the next step in the restoration of the 1987 Mercedes 500SL very soon here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.

Final Checks – Retorquing the Cylinder Head of the 1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda

February 18, 2022

The engine for the 1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda has begun its final phase of testing at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in Suffolk.

As part of the process, after the engine has been run up to temperature and left to cool several times, the cylinder head on the 2.8-litre straight-six. This is retorqued in the correct sequences and settings to make sure that the newly rebuilt cylinder head is sitting flat and even to the top of the engine block and the gasket is fitting correctly.

With that done and rechecked, the testing of the 1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda can continue.

Closer and Closer – Final Pieces of Body Preparation on the 1987 Mercedes 500SL

February 17, 2022

The final process to get the 1987 Mercedes 500SL restoration ready for its first coats of paint has been completed by the Bridge Classic Cars body shop.

Mauro has been working on getting the last few pieces of the classic Mercedes ready for its date with the paint booth. Mauro has been meticulously going through the whole car piece by piece to make sure everything is in perfect shape before the first layers of final primer are laid onto the body and panels. This involved several hours of sanding in places with very limited access but needed to be done for the best finish possible.

Along with that, Mauro removed the final parts and pieces from the doors of the 500SL to be able to sand inside the doors so the paint shop can get the best finish possible inside and out.

We’re so excited to see the 1987 Mercedes 500SL finally go into the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop for the first steps of its paint process.