Our director Craig has had his Mercedes 500SL in for restoration for a while now. There are many choices to be made when you’re not only restoring your classic but also redesigning it. Some of those choices are more interesting than others. One of the more fun choices in the customising process is choosing the colour of the interior. There were many options, all of which took on brown and orange tones to contrast with the bright blue exterior.
After taking a while to think and decide, Craig took the decision to go with… none of these options. But instead went for a rich Claret, a beautiful burgundy red!
December 18, 2020 4:03 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
There’s been a lot going with week already and its only Wednesday! Take a look at what’s been going on s far.
Range Rover Sport 2016
One of our directors, Gordon, had his Range Rover Sport’s tyres refurbished, ready for the cold winter months ahead. Now fully refurbished, Gordon’s Range Rover is ready to take on the elements.
Jaguars New Stripes
As seen in our blog yesterday, the 1967 Jaguar E-Type Race Car has now been finished! This has been an incredibly exciting project that has been in progress since 2016. Over the last few days, the finishing touches have been added such as the pinstripes on the bonnet and fine-tuning the engine. The bonnet itself has also be re-installed to make sure it fits after the recent engine works.
Craig’s Mercedes 500SL
Our other director, Craig, is in the process of choosing the leather for the interior and the spray finish for the fuel tank. It’s deciding details like this that make classic cars so personal to their owners.
Morris Minor
One of the more notable updates on the Morris Minor 1000 is the new hood. The trim shop has done a fantastic job yet again to make the perfect custom hood, allowing this Morris Minor to be more usable throughout the changing seasons. Our technician Scott has also been trying to figure out the reason for the play in its front wheels. The mystery is yet to be solved…
The front suspension has also been tightened, the curtesy light wiring is being installed and Adam is troubleshooting the electrics.
Grey Jensen 541R
Lots of little updates for the Grey Jensen 541R such as preparing the door rim before it goes to the trim shop, stripping the bonnet ready for paint, made the curtesy light switch by hand, installed the hand brake cables and panhard rod as well as the speedo drive.
Triumph TR5
Our 1968 Triumph TR5 is awaiting its interior but it has had its heater installed!
Blue E-Type
Our blue 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 is awaiting on a new steering rack, clutch slave cylinder and bumper to be fitted. The parts have been ordered so the E-Type should be looking good as new in no time!
Ford Transit
This lovely 1953 Ford Transit is almost ready to leave us now. We’re just waiting on some new 6 volt bulbs for the headlights and then it’ll be ready to go!
Blue Jensen
We’re giving the blue Jensen a general nut and bolt service. It came in to have its clutch, exhaust and breaks replaced which have been or are in the process of being fixed.
Peony Red Jensen
The Peony Red Jensen 542S has had its seats made up. The next step is to complete the set and install them. Our trim shop never fails to impress us with their stunning interior projects.
Peugeot 504
The Peugeot 504 has now had all its interior trim completed. The last few pieces include making and fitting the hood which had to have the leather glued to the frame once made up.
Black Jensen
The black Jensen is visiting our paint shop for some touch-ups and corrections in the paintwork.
1988 Nissan 300ZX
Ady our engine specialist has taken apart both exhaust manifolds on the Nissan 300ZX.
Amphicar
The fuel pump has been rewired, two bilge pumps are set to be added, the brakes have been bled, the grease nipples re-greased and the heater has been ordered.
Range Rover TDI
A new gear stick gaiter has been made and fitted by the trim shop. Our range rover is making steady progress to be completed soon.
Black Spitfire
Although we don’t have the Black Spitfire back with us, we do have the task of replacing the half shafts. We’re hoping we can order in new pieces however we may need to take these apart instead and refurbish them ourselves.
November 25, 2020 4:14 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
Kath has recently refurbished the sun visors in the Morris Minor 1000 as the old ones had deteriorated. This freshening up included drawing around the old visors, swing the edge and across the top and then carefully hand stitching around the metal rod. Once finished, it was ready for Scott to fit as seen below.
Scott, one of our other technicians has been doing a lot of work on the Morris Minor such as:
Fitting the rear bumper
Applying a new seal on the differential and putting the prop shaft back on
Installing the gearbox tunnel
Adding door cards and interior handles
Fitting the carpet and rear seats
Bolting the front passenger seat
Installing new mirrors
Adding a new exhaust
Adding the wooden floor into the boot
November 20, 2020 3:58 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
The door panels have been made up in the trim shop and fitted into the 504. It’s really satisfying to see everything come together with this project.
Fitting these door panels include measuring up the leather, allowing holes for the handles, buttons and window winders, adding in fluting and then fitting it all in place at the end.
The Peugeot has also had newly restored will installed from Wheelworx in Bury St Edmunds.
November 20, 2020 10:44 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Our trim shop is not only incredibly unique but it is also relatively new! The trim shop, as a functioning entity has only really existed since this year. Although we’ve had a trim specialist before, we never had a specific team and workshop dedicated to it until 2020! Both Kath and Brian have joined the Bridge Classic Car family this year and have been invaluable.
It’s rare to have an in-house trim shop at a classic car restoration workshop as many companies prefer to outsource, which comes with its own problems and communications. We, however, are very lucky to have ours in-house which not only saves time and miscommunications but also means everything is made to fit and can be fitted and tested immediately. This makes for swifter restorations and ultimately a better workflow. Anything that’s needed can be made and modified as needed.
Meet Kath
Vibrant and talented, Kath is one of our Trim Shop Trio.
Kath describes herself as arty and crafty, with always having a creative background. Kath holds a selection of qualifications from Interior Design to Spatial Design and history in painting and decorating as well as previous car trim work. Kath then joined the team in January 2020.
“I’ve always enjoyed making things and being creative. I like being hands-on.”
Kath loves VW’s and has always had a soft spot for them. She’s done up her own VW campervan before but currently owns a beautiful red VW Beetle which is her pride and joy.
Kath says she enjoys working in an in-house trim shop rather than outsourcing it as she did before, as you get more of a personal connection with the projects, “You’re never doing the same thing twice!” Kath tells us, “I love everything here, it’s so satisfying learning where everything fits and seeing it being installed.”
Meet Brian
Brian was the second Trim Shop specialist to join Bridge Classic Cars who started in March 2020.
Brian originally started working on Micralite planes but later moved to trim work and interior car design. Brian also worked with Kath at their previous workplace outsourcing interior trim, so made the perfect team when they both moved to Bridge Classic Cars!
Brian has always worked with interior trim and really enjoys being a part of the team.
“It’s great to see cars go from parts to being roadworthy. You have such a big part in keeping these old cars going.”
Brian says he’s always loved hot hatches but currently has a new mini but has his sights set on buying an original mini to do up too. “Working with cars like these, at some point you want to get your own!” Brian tells us.
Meet Rosie
The third and final member of the Trim Shop is Cockerpoo puppy, Rosie!
As an invaluable member of the team, Rosie offers morale and team spirit for not only the trim shop but for the whole of the Bridge Classic Cars team!
Rosie is now 9 months old as she was born on Valentine’s day. She certainly has a talent for spreading the love!
Rosie’s favourite part about being in the trim shop is getting visits from other members of the Bridge team who frequently give her cuddles and attention, she’s a real team player!
November 16, 2020 11:49 amPublished by Craig Ranson
The trim shop has made the centre console for the radio. This entails measuring each section, cutting out those sections from the leather, and then from those pieces, creating a gaiter for the gear stick and an outer shell for the radio console.
The next step was to make and fit the carpets which includes bolting them down and adding deadening to the tunnel.
The speaker panel was next to be made and fitted. As well as the leather, the speaker panels also needed foam padding adding to it.
Once again, the trim shop has done an amazing job fitting the new interior to the TR6. With the seats added back in, it’s looking really smart!
November 13, 2020 12:38 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
We’ve got another new kid on the block and this time it’s a unique 1979 Morris Austin Mini Clubman with bespoke finishing! This beautiful Mini is set to be an upcoming competition car, so keep your eyes peeled for its release!
The mini had been with Roger Moorhouse from Roger Moorhouse Classic Car Repairs in Norwich for 15 years where no expense had been spared in its restoration.
This beautiful forest green Mini Clubman holds bespoke details such as the gold alloy wheels, wood vinyl interior, and pristine green and cream interior furnishings. A fun yet practical drive for family outings and roadtrips!
It’s had to have a few interior touch-ups to get the leather looking perfect. Our Trim Shop specialists Kath and Brian have been handling those refurbishments which include a new gear stick gaiter, gluing vinyl back onto the rear board pannels, and fixing any loose material.
November 12, 2020 11:17 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Our trim experts have taken apart the 1972 Peugeot 504’s back seats in order to make the new ones.
Kath, one of our trim experts has unstitched the old seats and measured up the old parts onto new leather. Once this is done, the new parts are stitched together and flute lines added.
The flute lines need to be carefully added so that they line up with the ones on the back squab cover as seen here:
The Jensen 541R receives new interior trimmings in its latest restoration step.
The Jensen 541R’s next pitstop in its renovation journey has been in the trim shop where it had the full works done.
The makeover included fitting the side window panel, rear seats, rear quarter and side panels installed, side scuttle panel, ashtray in the rear side panel, chrome panel trim, center panel, leather into the rear pockets, and the parcel tray leather fitted.
Kath and Brian, our interior trim specialists took time to modify each piece of leather interior, measuring it up by hand to fitting each bespoke trimming. Aside from the centre panel, which retained the original design, everything else had to specially designed for this Jensen, making it one of a kind!
With new trimmings now fully installed, the Jensen is starting to resemble the beautiful car it used to be.
Kath and Brian have been working on our 1960 MGA interior. They firstly fitted the metal hood frame to the car.
Then Kath has covered the front header rail in fabric and stapled and glued into place.
Once the header rail was in place, Kath and Brian fitted the main hood cover over. They inserted the metal bar into the rear section, ready to clip onto the car. They then pulled the cover over and attached to the header rail ensuring that the tension was perfect before fully securing.
Kath then made some flange covers to cover up the copper ‘O’ ring.
She then finished off the soft top roof with final trim sewing and securing the header rail.
Next up, Kath and Brian marked out where the fixings attach to the hood, then fitted the roof to the car from the rear.
They then adjusted the front corners of the soft top and completed the job by fitting the front end cover.
Superb work, Kath and Brian. The attention to detail and craftsmanship in this hood is absolutely superb!
Kath and Brian has done a wonderful job transforming the roof lining of our Jensen 541R. There’s a lot of black components on this Jensen specification. The roof lining however is finished now in this sumptuous perforated cream headlining fabric, expertly trimmed by our Trim Shop team. They begun by fitting the restored roof bars into the roof of the car, using the old headlining as a template, it was a challenge to get the fabric to fit perfectly without any creases. This required the fabric to be kept taught from all angles. It’s now finished and looking wonderful.
Kath has done a lovely job restoring the hardtop for our customers Lotus Elise. She’s applied the brushed black nylon to the roof and re-insalled the plastic trim. The roof is now looking fabulous! Great work Kath!
Does your interior need a freshen up? Get in touch today to see how we can help rejuvenate your vehicle.
February 26, 2020 12:18 pmPublished by Craig Ranson
Our Triumph TR5 is currently having it’s interior trimmed at our in-house trim shop.
Kath has made webbing straps to attach to the seat frames. She then begun stuffing the side bolsters and seat backing with foam, moulding the foam position to fully fill the available space.
The final stage will now be to stitch back up the leather outside of the seat and install components back together. As always, Kath’s attention to detail is second to none. Stay tuned to see our TR5 Restoration progress!
February 11, 2020 9:12 amPublished by Craig Ranson
Kath has made a wonderful repair to this BMW’s rear bolster.
In order to perfectly match the leather, Kath has come up with an ingenious solution. She’s elected to cut out the damaged area at the bottom of the bolster and stretch the leather over, before stitching it back together. This means that when this panel returns back into the vehicle, the leather will have the same ageing and colour as the rest of the interior and will look pristine once more.
Does your interior need some attention? Get in touch with our friendly team today to see how we can help.
Kath has continued work on the Morris J Type Interior trim complete restoration. She has continued wrapping the seats in brand new black leather. Soon we’ll have the interior matching the external quality of this lovely little vehicle.
January 13, 2020 11:40 amPublished by Craig Ranson
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