Seat Repair
A seat from a Renault Clio has just arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Lydia is going to be working on it to make some repairs. Once she is done, the seat will look new again and will be ready to go back into the car.
Tag Archive: interior trim
Interior Trim – Bridge Classic Cars
Here at Bridge Classic Cars, our interior trim team of Brian and Lydia can bring the interior of your car back to life. We know that for a lot of people, your car isn’t just a mode of transportation; it’s where you spend a lot of time, and something that you want to show off in all its glory.
Lydia and Brian understand that every detail counts and are committed to making your car or bike look as if it has just rolled off the production line.
Interior Trim Services Offered at Bridge Classic Cars
Our skilled team can undertake almost any automotive interior trim work. Services include:
- Seat cover repairs
- Full car re-trim
- Rock n Roll beds / camper interior / insulation/carpet lining
- Steering wheels
- Carpet sets / over mats
- Motorbike seats
- Tool bags / spare wheel covers
- Dashboard centre consoles/handbrake and gearstick gaiters
- Headlining
- Hood bags / tonneau covers
- Door cards / panels
Testimonials
Your vehicle deserves the best, and at Bridge Classic Cars, our interior trim team deliver excellence in every detail. Here is what some of our previous customers have said about Brian and Lydia’s work:
“I’m enjoying every update. I’m impressed with what Lydia and Brian are doing. I like the leather and vinyl combo very much. So pleased with the rear seat now. The paintwork looked great as well and I’m sure when it gets its final touch-up, alignment and the few flaws attended to that it is a real work of art. I would appreciate it if you can complement the staff that is doing this great work for me.”
“Absolutely delighted with the renewed headlining – superb job displaying tremendous skill and the considerable care taken not to harm the vulnerable materials of this 80-year-old unrestored Alvis“
“The replacement biscuit-coloured leather in my BMW has matched well with the original colour, it all fits well“
Contact Us For Interior Trim Work
No matter what interior trim work you are looking to have completed, please contact us via info@bridgeclassiccars.co.uk or give us a call on 01473 742038 (Tuesday – Friday 0800 – 1700).
To The Core – Stripping Back More Interior Pieces on the 1958 Jensen 541R
The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on stripping back more interior pieces from the 1958 Jensen 541R.
Lydia, one of our trimmers, has carefully been taking apart the original pieces all the way back to their core components in order to inspect and assess the structure underneath. Each of the pieces was taken off and visually checked over individually.
August 2, 2022 8:14 am
Hard and Fast – Fitting the Bulkhead Cover to the 1970 Bristol 411
The interior trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have finished the brand-new bulkhead cover on the 1970 Bristol 411.
The team have handmade this piece to work alongside the work the restoration technicians have done as part of the car’s custom left-hand drive conversion. The edged bulkhead cover had to have its fasteners accurately placed onto the piece and then lined up with the pre-installed locks that hold the cover down.
May 24, 2022 11:25 am
Finished Up – Refoaming and Recovering the Rear Seat of the 1978 MGB GT
The rear seat of the 1978 MGB GT in for restoration at Bridge Classic Cars has been refoamed and recovered by our in-house trim shop to match the rest of the car.
Whilst the body is in with our body shop, the interior is being revamped by the team in the trim shop. Lydia has completely remade the foam for the rear seat of the classic MGB. This was all for recovering the rear seat in black leather to match the front seats of the car.
Each piece has been finished by hand to make sure the best fit and finish for the piece is achieved.
Now with this piece finished, it will be wrapped and put into storage for when the car is ready for reassembly.
March 16, 2022 10:43 am
Quick Fix – Repairs to the Seats on the 1958 Morris Minor 1000
The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars have worked their magic on the 1958 Morris Minor 1000 that is in with us.
The team noted some small tears and holes in a few of the seats so created small patch pieces to lay over them and fix them into place. Although they’re not exactly the same colour, they’re the closest piece to the original that we have in stock for smaller pieces to be used as repairs and will stop the area around the damage from deteriorating any further.
March 1, 2022 9:36 am
Keeping the Noise Down – Putting Sound Deadening in the 1970 Dodge Charger
After Kath had mocked up the rear seats into the Charger, it was time to start getting the carpets into the car.
However, underneath the carpet is where to most important bit of the interior is. The sound deadening. It’s crucial in making long journeys more enjoyable just due to its job of cutting down the cabin noise.
Kath carefully laid out the material across the floors of the car to make sure each piece was just in the right place to give the best result. All of this needed to be done before fitting up the carpets, which will be happening next!
October 25, 2021 11:33 am
Coming Soon – Dashboard on a 1966 Ford Thunderbird
Bridge Classic Cars will soon be welcoming a new car into our in-house trim shop. Soon, this bright yellow big block 1966 Ford Thunderbird will be coming in to have its dash pad assessed by our trim team.
As you can see, its seen better days. But, our trimmer can work wonders.
Keep an eye on the news page to see more on this amazing American icon.
October 21, 2021 11:54 am
Falling into Place – Fitting the Headliner to a 1970 Dodge Charger
It’s been an absolute treat to have one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time in the trim shop of Bridge Classic Cars. This 1970 Dodge Charger. The 2nd generation Chargers are without a doubt, one of the best-looking muscle cars built.
This particular 1970 Charger is in with our expert in-house trim team to be fitted out with a brand new interior. First up, Kath began to fit the headliner to the Charger. Covering such an expanse in fabric can be daunting, but for the Bridge Classic team, it’s not a problem. Working through the car methodically allowed Kath to stretch and pull the headliner into shape and give it the best finish possible.
Each of the ribs was carefully moved into its position millimetre by millimetre to ensure it was level and square. These spars allow the fabric some element of give but also when they are correctly installed, gives the best finish with no ripples or waves.
Whilst installing the headliner, Kath did note a small area of corrosion on the shell by the back window. It had been treated and wasn’t structural. In any case, we always let our clients know and suggest a course of action. At this time, it will be underneath the headliner. As said, it’s not in a structural location, it has been treated and on inspection by our body shop team, it is perfectly fine for years to come.
Updates on the rest of the interior will be up very soon so keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars blog.
October 6, 2021 3:20 pm
Your Choice – Narrowing Down Colour Choice on the 1956 Jensen 541 Interior
Another piece of the puzzle
Brian has been re-covering another piece from the 1963 Bentley S3 Continental. This time, the glovebox.
He started the process by removing the original covers from the metal box that makes the glovebox. He then used these original pieces as patterns on the new fabric, headlining fabric for most with one piece of leather. The headlining fabric pieces were glued onto the inside of the glovebox first, with the back piece having board underneath the material to give it structure and stability. Once this was all glued into place, Brian put the leather piece onto board as well, before glueing it onto the metal. All the material was wrapped around the edges to give a neat finish. Another piece of the Bentley interior finished!
Headlining work begins on the BMW.
Brian has been getting on with renewing the headlining in the 1990 BMW 750iL. He started off by removing all the panels and parts that went onto the headlining and were holding it in place. Once these were all taken off, the board with the headlining on could come out via the boot of the car. Brian could then start taking the original headlining fabric off the board.
Another re-covering for the Bentley.
Brian has been re-covering these rear quarter backboards for the 1963 Bentley S3 Continental. They came to us as bare wood, without the original leather on. Brian put some poly-flex filler on parts where it wasn’t flat and sanded this down. He then cut some 3mm foam out for the top part and glued this onto the wood. New leather was marked out and cut out to cover this foam and was glued below the foam and underneath at the sides.
Dash tray work on the Aston.
Brian has been continuing the interior trim work for the 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4.
This time, he’s been working on a pair of dash trays and a pair of under dash panels. For the dash trays, Brian started the process by taking off the rubber lip that went around the hole, then took off the original fabric pieces. He cleaned off as much original glue from the metal frame of the under dash panels. He then lay out the new headlining fabric chosen for the car, and placed the original fabric pieces on top of it, using them as patterns. Once marked out around, Brian cut out the new fabric and the first piece to glue onto the metal was the centrepiece. Glue was applied to the back of the fabric and to the metal and then Brian slowly attached the fabric to it, after the glue had gone tacky, making neat cuts around the hole so the material sat nicely. The inside sides were also covered in headlining fabric. Brian then cut out grey leather for the outside of the under dash panels. These pieces were glued on, then the finishing touch was to place the rubber lip back on.
For the under dash panels, Brian simply took the original headlining fabric off them, sanded down the excess old glue, used the original fabric pieces as patterns on the new headlining fabric, cut out, and glued the new material onto them.
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.
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.
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!
Bentley Continental Seats Re-covered
Lydia has been working on recovering a pair of Bentley Continental seats. She has done the whole process from start to finish by hand. She’s replaced the foam, cut new leather from templates she’s made from the old cover, fitted, stitched and glued the new seats together with a keen attention to detail.
Alfa Romeo Trim
We’ve received some footwell carpet for a 1989 Alfa Romeo Spider which Lydia has sewn vinyl sides on.
Before:
After:
Clear Vision On The TR7
Tom has fitted the Cibie front fog lights, allowing for clear vision on foggy roads.
Tom has been trying to diagnosis the issue with the steering on our recent TR7. The steering wheel isn’t self centring, so Tom has gone through the steering components bit by bit to try and understand the root cause of the issue. He’s taken off the tyres and removed the wheels to gain aces to the tracking rod ends which he’s loosened as well as loosening the steering rack and removed the joints from the steering rack column.
Alvis Hood Renovation Begins
Our 1940 Alvis came in last week to have its hood restored and that process has begun today. Brian and Lydia have been taking apart all the pieces including the rear panels and seats so that they don’t get damaged in the process. Lydia has been marking out where the stitches are on the fabric.
Brian has been stripping off al the old material from the front trim panels and recovering them in a new material to match the headliner. He has also removed and recovered the side trim panels and b post panels.
TR5 Trim Continued
Kath and Brian have continued their work with the 1968 Triumph TR5 and are now tackling the rear quarter.
Kath has added foam over the raised section in the boot and positioned the carpet over the foam to get an idea of how it would fit. Once happy, Kath could then glue the foam sections down and pack it out around the fuel tank. Once the foam is stuck down, Kath could then lay in and glue down the carpet in sections, pulling the carpet over the edge and down into footwell so that it fits tight. Once in place, Kath could trim around the corners, and get started on the hand brake gaiter section.
The hand brake gaiter section needed to have foam packed around the hand brake with an 11mm scrim foam piece so that the get carpet fits nicely. Once in position, the carpet can be glued down, making sure the fabric is pulled taught to ensure a fitted finish.
The next step was to fit the rear quarter panels and the door panel which clips onto a board. Kath found that she needed to adjust the panel around the wheel arch and the bottom section for seat belt eyelet first before fitting the sections. Once she had fitted the drivers side rear, Kath could then fit the passenger side and attach the carpet fasteers to footwells so that the mats don’t move about.
Finally, Kath could secure the carpet down in the upper foot well around the pedals and focus on the rear cockpit panel which needed to be screwed into place. Kath cut holes out for the hood mechanism and fit the hood mechanism in place so that it’s ready for the hood.
Brian started on the seats and their frames. He began by fitting the rubber diaphragm to the base seat and added foam around the front edge. He then glued the base cover to the upper foam and secured the lower foam in place underneath. The next step was to glue the base foam and cover to the seat frame and add extra foam around the front edge. By pulling the cover tight around the frame and clipping it in place, Brian could then glue the rear flap to the frame.
TVR’s New Wardrobe
The TVR is having a new carpet fitted so our trim shop has removed everything and has begun fitting the new pieces provided to us by the customer.
Jaguar XK150 Trim Commences
This iconic motor recently came in with us and is here for a partial re-trim. The carpets that are being fitted have been bought from elsewhere but are being fitted by our specialist trim shop team. Brian is currently taking a lead with the work and fitting the carpets into the vehicle.
Brian has been glueing the sound deadening into the gearbox tunnel section and glueing vinyl to sides of the dash. He’s also been glueing the moquette material to the rear wheel arch section and front of the rear seat section. The foam has been glued to the rear ‘diff’ tunnel and fitted rear seat bases as well.
He’s then cutting the rear seat back boards into shape, glued the foam to the boards and then stapled covers to the boards. The rear seat pads have been fitted in place as well. Once Brian had glued the sound deadening to the tunnel, he could then glue the carpet section on top.
Carpet Modifications On The Mini
Our trim shop are continuing to work with the 1961 Morris Mini Deluxe. Currently Kath is working to modify the main footwell carpet to allow for the headlight dip switch to sit comfortably in the trim. Kath has had to measure up hole and where it will sit on the carpet.
Trim Enquiries
We’ve had another trim related enquiry from a customer who is interested in fitting these new Jaguar XJ seats into their 1971 Mustang however they’re like the seats re-designed and re-covered to match the mustang.
TVR Trim
We may soon be welcoming this 1987 TVR 350i in for some trim work. The client who contacted us is currently in the process of purchasing this beautiful TVR. We look forward to hearing more about this possible project.
The following is what the client has enquired about:
- New folding hood and targa panel recover, new seals on doors & hood, new rear window. Fitted in a navy blue.
- Full re-carpet
- Steering wheel retrim in black leather.
Claret Interior For The Mercedes 500SL
Craig has recently decided on a colour for the interior of his 1987 Mercedes 500SL. The trim shop has just started tackling the trim which will be done in a Claret red.
Lydia has been prepping the windscreen panels for recovering, which have been done in the claret leather. The sanding and filling of the front window panels has been completed, allowing for Lydia to get started on the next step. The cover is first marked out in paper, then leather and then sewn and glued together.
Across The Colour Wheel
Our 1979 Arrow Ferrari Daytona replica has some big colour related changes coming it’s way. It’s been sat comfortably in a stunning red however shades of green are on the horizon that is sure to turn passers-by a similar shade of envy.
We understand that the exterior colour is likely to be an Aston Martin Sage Green which means the interior is likely to be a similar shade to match. As it stands, the choices are likely to be between the patches below.
We’re excited to see this what this already stunning red Ferrari Daytona will look like after it’s dramatic jump across the colour wheel.
Little Eva’s New Interior
Our 1961 Morris Mini Delux has had some extra refurbishments recently. It needed the carpet neatened and new footwell mats.
Our trim shop made templates, marked out the correct measurements on the carpet material, cut it out and marked out the binding, they then sewed on a heel mat to the footwell mats and fitted all the pieces in. The base carpets also needed regluing.
The finished work has left Little Eva looking very smart.
