Ford Transit – a few more black bits
June 12, 2024
A few more bits to be treated in black. The steering wheel has also undergone a transformation too.
ford transit
Our Transit Moving On
June 10, 2024
Lots of progress has been made with our Ford Transit MKII Tipper lately. Not only is its restoration journey going well, it now finds itself
Transit Lights And Exhaust
April 26, 2024
Steve has been continuing his work on our Ford Transit MKII Tipper. The rear fog light switch wasn’t working due to dirty internal contacts. Steve
Water Proofing
April 8, 2024
Steve has fitted the new waterproof connectors for the rear lights on our Ford Transit Tipper MKII. Once this was done, he moved on to
Transit Progress
February 15, 2024
Classic car technician Steve has continued his work on our Ford Transit MKII Tipper. He cleaned some old brake fluid sludge from the brake reservoir
Latest from the team, our Transit restoration
February 6, 2024
Here is a full run down on the works carried out recently on our Ford Transit Mk2. Tony has collected a new/old stock prop shaft
Brake Pipes
December 21, 2023
After completing even more zinc plating on several more components of our Ford Transit MKII Tipper, Steve fitted the brake servo and master cylinder under
The Wheels Are On
December 15, 2023
The wheels have been put on our Ford Transit MKII Tipper. Once they were back on, a team of technicians (and some marketing folk too!)
Distributor And Carburettor
December 13, 2023
Steve has been working on our Ford Transit MKII recently. After the distributor, carburettor, alternator mount thermostat housing, and inlet manifold were vapour blasted, Steve
More Zinc Plating
November 29, 2023
Steve has continued his zinc plating lately. He has been focussing on the front and rear suspension nuts, bolts, and washers. As well as the
Ford Transit Mk2 In Paint
November 9, 2023
The bumper of our Ford Transit Tipper MKII is all painted and now finished in a satin clear. The rear suspension springs have also been
Ford Transit Door Cards
November 1, 2023
The old door cards had been finished to a poor standard and Lydia felt were not fit for purpose. She has cleaned off the old
Installing new output shaft seal
October 31, 2023
James has been working on the finishing touches to our Mk 1 Ford Transit. The gearbox has been removed, the engine sump and rear main
More Paint Prep
October 13, 2023
Our Ford Transit Tipper MKII has continued its stay in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop. It has been with technician Chris who has been applying
Painting A Classic Transit
September 25, 2023
Our 1972 Ford Transit Tipper MKI has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop with classic car technician Mauro. After being primed, the vehicle was
Painting Our Transit Bed Frame
August 30, 2023
The bed frame of our Ford Transit MKII Tipper has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop with Mauro, as he has been giving it
Stripping A Classic Transit
August 25, 2023
Our 1972 Ford Transit Tipper may have only been in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for a few days but classic car technician Mauro has
A Classic Transit
August 22, 2023
Another new arrival has entered the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in the form of our 1972 Ford Transit Tipper. Although we already have a Tipper
Engine Stripping
August 4, 2023
The engine of our Ford Transit MKII Tipper has been in the care of classic car technician Steve recently as he has been stripping the
Transit Wheel Hubs
August 2, 2023
Classic car technician Alan has had the wheel hubs of our Ford Transit MKII Tipper in the Bridge Classic Cars Paintshop. After the hubs had
Work Continues On Our Transit
July 24, 2023
Classic car technician, Chris has been continuing work on our Ford Transit MKII Tipper. He has been repairing various issues on the chassis and bodywork
Transit Repairs
July 10, 2023
Classic car technicians Steve and Monty have been working on the restoration of our Ford Transit Tipper MKII. Steve cleaned the glove box and sprayed
Transit Wheels Primed
June 19, 2023
As part of the restoration to bring our Ford Transit MKII Tipper back to its former glory, classic car technician Mauro has been applying epoxy
Painting Transit Parts
May 25, 2023
The body of our Ford Transit MKII Tipper may be on its way to the sandblasters, but work has continued on other parts of the
Door Panels For A Transit
May 24, 2023
Our Ford Transit MKII Tipper may have been stripped, prepped, and sent to the sandblasters, but that doesn’t mean work on it stops in the
Ready For Sandblasting
May 22, 2023
Our Ford Transit MKII has been with classic car technicians Steve and Lydia recently as the strip-down continues. Lydia took the covers and foams off
Transit Strip Down
May 15, 2023
Classic car technician Steve has begun work stripping down our Ford Transit MKII Tipper. Before the workshop team gets stuck into restoring this commercial vehicle
You Can’t Brake Her Spirit
September 9, 2020
After five long years of sitting idle, this fantastic 1953 Ford Transit was brought back to life by our talented engine mechanics here at Bridge
She Lives!
September 3, 2020
The 1953 Ford Transit van that arrived with us yesterday has spent the morning with our expert classic car technician Pete. After five years of
New Arrival – 1953 Ford Transit Van
September 2, 2020
An exciting delivery arrived at Bridge Classic Cars this afternoon. The team got to meet one of the first ever Ford Transit Vans, introduced originally
Ford Transit – a few more black bits
June 12, 2024
A few more bits to be treated in black. The steering wheel has also undergone a transformation too.
Our Transit Moving On
June 10, 2024
Lots of progress has been made with our Ford Transit MKII Tipper lately. Not only is its restoration journey going well, it now finds itself in a new home of sorts.
Now that The Classic Lounge is almost finished and ready to open, the building formerly known as The Atelier is becoming an extension of our very busy workshop.
As you can see from the photos below, our Transit looks great and will continue to look better and better as it spends more time in the new workshop.
Transit Lights And Exhaust
April 26, 2024
Steve has been continuing his work on our Ford Transit MKII Tipper.
The rear fog light switch wasn’t working due to dirty internal contacts. Steve removed the switch and cleaned the contacts to rectify the issue.
He also temporarily fitted the exhaust to check the fitment before welding on a new rear box mount and spraying system.
Water Proofing
April 8, 2024
Steve has fitted the new waterproof connectors for the rear lights on our Ford Transit Tipper MKII.
Once this was done, he moved on to cut the doorstep retaining strip to length and drilled it ready for painting.
Transit Progress
February 15, 2024
Classic car technician Steve has continued his work on our Ford Transit MKII Tipper.
He cleaned some old brake fluid sludge from the brake reservoir before zinc plating wheel nuts, wheel spacers, air filter clamp, brake pins, bell housing nuts and bolts, and gearbox mount nuts bolts and washers.
Latest from the team, our Transit restoration
February 6, 2024
Here is a full run down on the works carried out recently on our Ford Transit Mk2.
Tony has collected a new/old stock prop shaft whilst on his travels and it is now safely back with us here at Bridge Classic Cars HQ.
Mauro has been working on some of the smaller components to get them black up and ready for refit.
Steve has been fitting up the windows and quarter lights. We have replaced the lower mounting point for the offside quarter light frame. He has also blasted the mirror casings.
Meanwhile, Lydia in the trim-shop has cut out the plastic liner for the door cards and stuck this to the door. She has then made some minor adjustments to the door card to allow it to fit correctly under the top rail, and then put the door card clips in.
The fuel tank is in need of repair so Steve has photographed the unit to send over in preparation for the repairers.
Brake Pipes
December 21, 2023
After completing even more zinc plating on several more components of our Ford Transit MKII Tipper, Steve fitted the brake servo and master cylinder under the bonnet, along with all of the brake pipes.
The Wheels Are On
December 15, 2023
The wheels have been put on our Ford Transit MKII Tipper.
Once they were back on, a team of technicians (and some marketing folk too!) moved it from one ramp to another, ready for the next stage of its restoration to begin.
Moving it wasn’t quite as simple as you might expect though, as the steering wheel was unable to be fitted, as Steve is still waiting for some parts to arrive before that can go back on.
As much as he would normally wait for the steering wheel to be fitted before moving the Tipper, unfortunately, the parts required are still a couple of weeks away so, despite being more challenging than we hoped, it was moved onto its new ramp and work will continue to bring this classic Transit back to life.
Steve has also started to fit up the front and rear brakes and suspension.
Distributor And Carburettor
December 13, 2023
Steve has been working on our Ford Transit MKII recently.
After the distributor, carburettor, alternator mount thermostat housing, and inlet manifold were vapour blasted, Steve zinc plated the parts required ready for assembly.
The carburettor and distributor have been reconditioned and reassembled ready to be fitted back to the engine.
More Zinc Plating
November 29, 2023
Steve has continued his zinc plating lately.
He has been focussing on the front and rear suspension nuts, bolts, and washers.
As well as the zinc plating, Steve has also fitted the front springs as well as the front and rear axles.
Ford Transit Mk2 In Paint
November 9, 2023
The bumper of our Ford Transit Tipper MKII is all painted and now finished in a satin clear. The rear suspension springs have also been in the paintshop and have had black dtm applied.
Chris has also fixed and painted the grill.
Ford Transit Door Cards
November 1, 2023
The old door cards had been finished to a poor standard and Lydia felt were not fit for purpose.
She has cleaned off the old door cards and removed foam that had been incorrectly and poorly stuck down. New vinyl was cut and laminated onto scrim foam. This meant that the stitched design now stood out well from the rest of the vinyl , without looking garish like the previous design.
She then applied the new vinyl to the panels and cleaned off my pencil marks.
Installing new output shaft seal
October 31, 2023
James has been working on the finishing touches to our Mk 1 Ford Transit. The gearbox has been removed, the engine sump and rear main oil seal plate have also been removed.
All parts were fully cleaned and decreased, then reassembled with new gaskets.
New oil was added and the gearbox refitted with a new output shaft seal installed correctly.
Then it was run up and checked for leaks.
All OK.
More Paint Prep
October 13, 2023
Our Ford Transit Tipper MKII has continued its stay in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop. It has been with technician Chris who has been applying polyfan to the doors.
After he had finished working on the doors, the cab of our classic Transit Tipper also had polyfan applied.
Our MKII Tipper will stay in the paintshop for a little while longer before it moves on to the next stage of its restoration.
Painting A Classic Transit
September 25, 2023
Our 1972 Ford Transit Tipper MKI has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop with classic car technician Mauro. After being primed, the vehicle was ready for Mauro to begin the painting process.
As you can see from the photos below, with a new coat of paint, this classic commercial vehicle is already looking good, so we are excited to see it continue to progress through its restoration.
Painting Our Transit Bed Frame
August 30, 2023
The bed frame of our Ford Transit MKII Tipper has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop with Mauro, as he has been giving it a fresh coat of paint.
After applying epoxy primer to the bed frame, he went on to paint it black using DTM paint.
Once the freshly painted bed frame is reunited with the rest of our Transit Tipper, it will be a positive step forward on the restoration journey of the vehicle.
Stripping A Classic Transit
August 25, 2023
Our 1972 Ford Transit Tipper may have only been in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for a few days but classic car technician Mauro has already been hard at work stripping it, ready for repairs to be made to its paint.
Once the strip down is complete, work will continue on our Transit Tipper and we are very much looking forward to seeing its great looks improve further.
A Classic Transit
August 22, 2023
Another new arrival has entered the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in the form of our 1972 Ford Transit Tipper. Although we already have a Tipper in the workshop, this one looks very different and is in a much more usable condition!
While it is in the workshop, we will be doing some paint repairs and investigating an oil leak and noise coming from the vehicle.
Engine Stripping
August 4, 2023
The engine of our Ford Transit MKII Tipper has been in the care of classic car technician Steve recently as he has been stripping the engine. While stripping the engine, Steve found that the coolant passages were blocked and it had a damaged bore so will need reboring along with new pistons.
Steve also found the old gasket sealer at the bottom of the sump, before various engine parts were vapour blasted.
The heater box was stripped, cleaned, and its internal parts were recommissioned before the centre dash console was cleaned too. The heater vents also underwent a big clean.
While Steve was working on the engine, classic car technician had the wheels of our Tipper in the paint shop where he primed them ready for painting.
Transit Wheel Hubs
August 2, 2023
Classic car technician Alan has had the wheel hubs of our Ford Transit MKII Tipper in the Bridge Classic Cars Paintshop.
After the hubs had been primed and painted, they look much improved and will no doubt look great when they are finally put back on the vehicle as its restoration continues.
Work Continues On Our Transit
July 24, 2023
Classic car technician, Chris has been continuing work on our Ford Transit MKII Tipper.
He has been repairing various issues on the chassis and bodywork ready for the restoration of this hard-working commercial vehicle to continue.
Transit Repairs
July 10, 2023
Classic car technicians Steve and Monty have been working on the restoration of our Ford Transit Tipper MKII.
Steve cleaned the glove box and sprayed the corner brackets as well as cleaned and sandblasted the gear lever. He also sandblasted the steering arm ready for painting.
While Steve was working on the interior components of the transit, Monty was working on repairing some of the panels that needed attention.
Transit Wheels Primed
June 19, 2023
As part of the restoration to bring our Ford Transit MKII Tipper back to its former glory, classic car technician Mauro has been applying epoxy primer to the wheels and drums.
Once the restoration of this old workhouse is complete, it will be going back to the construction company that owns it in as new condition.
This will be a great moment for both us and them, as it will be exciting to see our Transit Tipper be like it once was many years ago. For now though, the wheels are on their way to looking much better!
Painting Transit Parts
May 25, 2023
The body of our Ford Transit MKII Tipper may be on its way to the sandblasters, but work has continued on other parts of the vehicle in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Parts of the seats and some of the other components have been in the paintshop being prepped, primed, and painted black ready to be re-installed to our Tipper when the time comes to rebuild it.
Door Panels For A Transit
May 24, 2023
Our Ford Transit MKII Tipper may have been stripped, prepped, and sent to the sandblasters, but that doesn’t mean work on it stops in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
In fact, classic car technician Brian has been making new boards for the door panels ready for when our Tipper comes back to the workshop and our restoration work continues. After Brian had cut out the boards from plywood, he cut the holes that were needed out too.
Ready For Sandblasting
May 22, 2023
Our Ford Transit MKII has been with classic car technicians Steve and Lydia recently as the strip-down continues.
Lydia took the covers and foams off the frames before taking the frames apart and sandblasting them. This was in preparation for Chris in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop to paint the frames. Lydia also took the covers apart as new vinyl is wanted which is being sewn to the original fabric faces.
While Lydia was working on the seats of our Transit, Steve carried on stripping the main body of the vehicle. A tool had to be made in order to remove the steering Pittman arm.
An adapted trolley was used to move the stripped Transit ready for it to be taken to the sandblasters.
Transit Strip Down
May 15, 2023
Classic car technician Steve has begun work stripping down our Ford Transit MKII Tipper.
Before the workshop team gets stuck into restoring this commercial vehicle back to its original specifications, it needs to be stripped right back so a full assessment can be made of its current condition.
Stipping a vehicle like this is a time-consuming process as parts are removed, labelled, and any work needed on each component is noted.
Steve will continue his work stripping down our transit and it will be an exciting project to see what the future holds for our Ford Transit MKII Tipper.
You Can’t Brake Her Spirit
September 9, 2020
After five long years of sitting idle, this fantastic 1953 Ford Transit was brought back to life by our talented engine mechanics here at Bridge Classic Cars.
This week, she’s has a full refurbishment of her wheels and brakes. The brakes kept sticking, so now the engine is running smoothly, it was time to get her wheels and brakes doing the same.
No one can break this little vans spirit now!
She Lives!
September 3, 2020
The 1953 Ford Transit van that arrived with us yesterday has spent the morning with our expert classic car technician Pete.
After five years of back and forth trips to mechanics, this unique Taunus Transit still wouldn’t fire up.
But, after a thorough diagnosis and via process of elimination, the talented team here at Bridge have solved the mystery.
“The magic eye was not fitted correctly on the distributor,” explained Pete. “It needed pushing down further so the rotor arm could be fitted correctly. The firing order was also wrong, so we’ve sorted that”.
Pete and Tamas have since done several workshop tests, including taking her out for a test run and she’s now driving well. There’s only a few more final checks to make before we can give her the all clear, but what a amazing turnaround – great work team!
New Arrival – 1953 Ford Transit Van
September 2, 2020
An exciting delivery arrived at Bridge Classic Cars this afternoon. The team got to meet one of the first ever Ford Transit Vans, introduced originally in 1953 as an FK 1000 but later as a Taunus Transit from 1961.
It’s one of only three others in the world, one of which is at the Ford Heritage Centre in Essex. This one is particularly special because of it’s window surrounds, the only one of it’s type. It may remind you of the VW Transporter, which it was designed to rival.
It’s owner has tried everything from new carburettors to new coils, but it still just doesn’t run. “We’re going to take a closer look and find out what’s going on” explains our workshop manager John. “I predict the fault may be electrical.”
We’re hopeful that the Bridge Classic Car’s magic touch will have this special van on some great British road trips again very soon!
