Classic MGB specialist

This Just In – 1981 MG B GT LE

The Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ have just welcomed our latest guest. This 1981 MG B GT LE.

The classic 1970s sports car will be completely inspected and assessed by our restoration teams who will compile their condition report and carry out any necessary work.

Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates very soon on the 1981 MG B GT LE.

Coming Back Together – Rear Axle and Engine & Gearbox Back in the 1978 MG B GT.

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been given the delicate task of getting several key pieces of the 1978 MG B GT back into its freshly painted and perfected bodyshell.

Our technician Rob, who has done a lot of the work on the classic 1970s sports car, has been methodically working his way through the task.

To begin with, Rob fitted up the freshly painted rear axle and the leaf springs into place – with new polybushes throughout. The reason for this is not only does it have to go in there at some point, but with the car on the ramp it acts as somewhat of a counterweight to the engine.

With the rear axle in and bolted in, Rob could move to the front end of the car.

The newly refinished engine and gearbox were then hooked up to the engine crane, and inch by inch gingerly dropped into the shimmering blaze orange engine bay. The engine is just placed in at the moment, soon it will be firmly bolted into place after any adjustments that need to be made have been done.

Update – Working on the 1971 MG B Roadster

Our 1971 MG B Roadster, which was won last week through our Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, has been in the workshop to have a few of the final jobs done on the classic roadster before it heads off to its new home.

The team have swapped out the brake master cylinder for a brand-new replacement due to not being able to bleed the system. Once this was all fit up and plumbed in, our technicians could then work on replacing the wheel cylinders and resetting the pistons back into the front calipers correctly.

Finally, it was time to get the steering wheel realigned while also replacing the rubber boots on the track-rod ends.

Clean Look – Parts of the 1978 MG B GT Refinished

Some of the pieces of the 1978 MG B GT have been refurbished by the team before being handed over to our paint team at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk HQ.

The paint team have refinished the parts in hard-wearing and durable black as part of the restoration.

Gleaming – New Chrome Trim on the 1968 MG B GT

The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have been methodically fitting the new chrome trim around the roof and windows of the 1968 MG B GT.

Carefully, our technician Jon removed the old chrome trims from the car keeping them complete to use as reference. Systematically he worked his way around the sides of the car to remove them from the car and then once everything was off the car, cleaned up any debris which had gone into the cabin.

After that, he could begin to fit the new set of trims and making sure the all-important slip-clips lined up perfectly on the classic sports car.

Nostalgia – History of the 1971 MG B Roadster

Every car has a story. The series of events from the day its first owner stared wide-eyed at their new car to the teary-eyed day they said goodbye, a cycle that repeats throughout the years, decades and generations. So, when we find an extensive and in-depth history file in the car it always makes for amazing reading.

In this case, it’s the story of the 1971 MG B Roadster. Its previous owner has meticulously catalogued his work with the car but also did something we find utterly beautiful.

The previous had managed to track down the car’s original owner! The car was collected from a local MG dealer in Colwyn Bay in Wales on the 1st of January 1971, a British Racing Green with black interior 2-seater sports car. The first owner kept the car for a few years before then selling it to a friend who also adored the car for several years before selling it on.

Inside of the history folder is several handwritten letters between the previous owners to fill in the gaps in the car’s history.

There’s also a wonderful leather-bound photo album that documents the car’s aesthetic restoration in 1989/1990.

Again, it all goes to add to the incredible history of the car and show that each and every one of our classics has a story beyond our own with our cars.

Clean & Set Up – Sorting out a Running Issue on the 1963 MG B Roadster

Our friend Chris has brought his Iris Blue 1963 MG B Roadster in for the workshop team to have a look at a running issue on the classic convertible.

When out for a drive and trying to pull away from a junction, the car stalled and wouldn’t restart until the car had cooled down enough. At the moment, we’re experiencing very warm weather here in Suffolk so the team wanted to get the beautiful MGB back to Chris as quickly as possible for him to enjoy in the amazing Summer weather.

Jon, our workshop technician, test drove the car and confirmed the issue with the car near our workshop. From there, he began to inspect the car and found a cracked fuel hose which was replaced with a new piece and then began to look at the carburettors.

Jon removed the units from the car in order to strip them down on the bench after noticing an idle speed issue with the car and adjusting it while running. This helped the pulling away problem but didn’t resolve it. So, a thorough clean-up of the body and ports inside. He also cleaned up the carburettor piston and jets to make sure that no sediment or debris was blocking the fuel flow.

Then, the carburettors were fitted back onto the manifold of the classic MG B before Jon took it back out on a road test to check for the issue. All was ok on the road test while pulling away from a junction after the car was up to temperature and started multiple times while hot.

After that, the car was signed off and delivered back to Chris to enjoy the amazing weather!

Like New – Continuing the Metal Work on the 1978 MG B GT

The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have been making good progress on the body shell of the 1978 MG B GT in with us for restoration at our Suffolk HQ.

Our restoration technician Rob has been working on cutting out any form of corroded metal from the car to make sure everything is structurally right and lining up properly. Firstly, he worked on getting the rear valance of the classic MG B sorted.

The old valance was heavily corroded and warped so our team sourced a replacement panel and began the process of carefully removing the old piece in such a way as to not damage any of the mounting surfaces behind it. All of the surfaces behind the valance were cleaned and prepared ahead of the new piece firmly welded into place.

Next, Rob finished the work needed to the bottoms of the A-pillars. This needed to be done before the team could begin fitting and placing the new sills. With the old sills cut out of the car and the new ones trimmed and clamped they could be welded into place taking into account the new A-Pillar and the mounted door to ensure there was no overlap or conflict between any of the pieces.

Finally, Rob could cut out the rear arch. This was heavily corroded and in need of replacement. So carefully the spot welds were cut out and the original piece taken out before offering up the replacement arch.

Progress – Body Repairs to the 1978 MGB GT Continue

The restoration team at Bridge Classic Cars have made good progress on the body repairs to the 1978 MGB GT which is in for restoration.

The team have been systematically and methodically working through the classic sports car to get the shell into the best shape possible before it is taken into our body team to be refinished further.

Rob, one of our technicians, has been carefully removing any areas of the car which hold any current or questionable corrosion and replacing them with replacement panels or hand fabricated patch panels to ensure that the whole car is back to being in solid metal.

Included in that, is reskinning the doors. The outer skin on one particular door had become heavily corroded but the frame it was attached to was in solid condition. So, Rob carefully removed the old skin and fit up the new replacement stamping which will be welded in and finished.

This Just In – 1974 MGB GT V8

This stunning 1974 MGB GT V8 has just arrived into the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshops at our Suffolk HQ.

The car has come for various bits and pieces such as an oil change for both the engine and gearbox, a coolant flush and an MOT. But the team have also been asked to have a look into some electrical issues with the car which cause the car to suddenly lose power.

The team will look into the electrical issue to begin with on the car and assess the entire car to make sure everything is 100% on such an iconic classic sports car for its owner.

Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more on the 1974 MGB GT V8.

Refinished – Painting and Refinishing the Block and Parts of the 1978 MGB GT Engine

Once the engine and parts had been thoroughly cleaned by our restoration workshop for the 1978 MGB GT in with Bridge Classic Cars for restoration, they could be transferred over to the paint shop to be refinished.

Chris and the paint team worked on getting each piece cleaned and prepared before being taken into the paint booth. Each piece was individually painted whether in the maroon heavy-duty paint or the deep, silky black for some of the accessories.

Once everything had correctly cured, they were taken back into the restoration workshop for the engine to be reassembled ready for when the time comes to be reinstalled into the restored body.

Rebuilt – Rebuilding the Distributor and Carburettors of the 1978 MGB GT

The restoration technicians in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ have been busy rebuilding and cleaning up the distributor and carburettors of the 1978 MGB GT.

Rob began by carefully disassembling the distributor on the classic MGB. The internals of the distributor was assessed and inspected, with the decision being to entirely rebuild the whole component and clean up the casing.

The next job was to work on stripping down the SU carburettors and manifolds to assess them. Once the assessment was complete, our technician Rob cleaned up each and every piece of the carburettors before beginning the process of rebuilding and recommissioning the vital intake components.

With these jobs complete, Rob could begin to prepare the engine block for refurbishment and paint.

Checking Over – Inspecting the Pieces Removed from the 1978 MGB GT

The Bridge Classic Cars workshop team have been working on inspecting pieces from the 1978 MGB GT which were removed before it entered the body shop.

Our restoration technician Rob has been going through each of the parts to decide if new parts will be required or if they can be refurbished for use in the restoration of the classic sports car.

Tracked and Ready – Tracker Fitted to the 1975 MGB GT V8 and Loaded Up for Its New Home

With the 1975 MGB GT V8 off to its new home with its lucky winner Roger, the team at Bridge Classic Cars organised having a state of the art tracker fitted to the classic MGB for security.

It’s a request we are getting more and more frequently to fit trackers to the classic cars that come through our restoration workshop. So, we work closely with a specialist company who instal and set up the system into the cars for their owners.

With the tracker secured and hidden in the car, the team could load up the classic V8 sports car into our enclosed trailer for the journey to its new home.

Behind The Scenes – Shooting the 1973 MGB GT V8

The freshly rebuilt V8 burbled in the winter air outside of The Hangar. The Bridge Classic Cars team had been waiting a long time to shoot this particular car, the 1973 MGB GT V8.

With all of the work complete on the car, including the engine rebuild, a new clutch, new wheels and tyres, it was time for the car to go through its photo and video shoot. As the Bridge Classic Cars team set off across the airfield, the GT V8 looked incredible in the bright, low sun.

This particular car has some upgrades which really go to help the useability of the car. The car had previously been fitted with a 5-speed gearbox so the Bridge Classic Cars replaced the ageing clutch to help its next owner use the car more easily. That and the completely rebuilt all-aluminium V8 which ran faultlessly lap after lap during the filming thanks to the newly fitted electric fans.

As Hayley drove the car that morning, we could all tell this was going to be something very special for its next owner.

Blackout – Refinishing Trim Pieces for the 1978 MGB GT

The paint team at Bridge Classic Cars have some of the trims and pieces from the 1978 MGB GT in the paint booth to be refinished.

Whilst the body of the MGB is having its metalwork completed, the paint team took the opportunity to refinish several of the trims and fixings in a new heavy-duty black finish for the classic sports car. This not only is aesthetic but also will help protect the pieces, which were taken back to bare metal, while they’re in storage until reassembly begins.

New Fan Switch – Fitting the New Fan Switch in the 1973 MGB GT V8

The 1973 MGB GT V8 is back in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop to get a new fan switch fitted.

The technicians noted that the original fan switch wasn’t controlling the electric fans correctly so a new switch was put on order and recently arrived.

After the new switch arrived, it was installed into the car and the coolant topped back up before the car was run up and tested.

Capping it Off – Fitting the Door Cards and Door Caps to the 1977 MGB Roadster

The 1977 MGB Roadster which is in the in-house Bridge Classic Cars trim shop has been under the care of our master trimmer, Brian.

Brian has been finishing off the doors of the MGB Roadster as part of its interior refit. Brian carefully put the in-door webbing into the doors, which helps with sound deadening, and then began the process of fitting up the door cards into the 1970s roadster.

With the door cards firmly in place and looking phenomenal in the car, Brian could then attach the door caps to finish off the work on the doors that has been done by our incredible in-house trim team.