Reassembling Our MGA
July 5, 2024
After Chris had finished repainting our 1960 MGA, Julian reassembled the car and fitted new steering rack gaiters.
MGA
A Rusty Boot
April 17, 2024
Mauro has been working on the rust on the boot area of our 1960 MGA. He also removed wax from the front inner wings.
Work Continues
April 12, 2024
Our 1960 MGA has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop. Mauro has removed the wax from the body of the inner wheel arches. He
Work Begins On A New Arrival
April 8, 2024
We have recently welcomed a 1960 MGA into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop and work has already begun. Classic car technician has been stripping the
Seeing Clearly
July 24, 2023
Our 1960 MGA has had a new windscreen fitted by classic car technician Jonn and workshop manager, John. The clutch was also bled and a
MGA Carbs
April 28, 2023
Classic car technician Steve has been working on the carbs of our 1960 MGA 1600. He stripped the carbs, cleaned them, and fitted new seals
Day 6 – MGA Update
April 23, 2021
Lots has been happening behind the scenes with our MGA, much of which has happened at our outsourced partners such as Scholar. Pouring fluid into
Day 5 – Cylinder Headed Welded
April 8, 2021
Richard Kimberley from Manningtree sent us back the cylinder head which has been welded to replace part of the ring that had corroded. He lined
Day 4 – Engine Clean And Prep
March 30, 2021
Our 1960 MGA engine has been cleaned and ready to be rebuilt. The crankshaft, conrods and engine block has been sent off to Scholar who
Day 2 – Removing Cylinder head
March 25, 2021
Ady has continued working on our 1960 MGA buy removing the cylinder head in his endeavour to fix the issue with the engine.
Workshop Walkabout
October 28, 2020
This morning we took a walk around the workshop to take a peak at how our engineers are getting on with the current projects. 1996
What’s on the agenda?
September 11, 2020
Here’s a sneak peak into a couple of classic cars we’ve been chatting about this week. First up, it’s this incredible 1990 BMW Alpina. A
Final Farewell Dear MGA
September 8, 2020
It’s a bitter sweet feeling when we say our final goodbye’s to a classic that’s been with us for a full restoration. Our gorgeous 1960
1960 MGA Test Drive
July 7, 2020
With our restoration really complete, the MGA’s owner, Mike came to give his car a test drive. It’s safe to say we think Mike is
1960 MGA Interior Trim: Soft Top Install
June 5, 2020
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
1960 MGA Soft-top Restoration Begins
March 23, 2020
Our MGA restoration continues as the soft-top is being stripped down. The metal components will be sandblasted and painted, while the fabric components will be
1960 MGA Restoration update.
March 17, 2020
Paul, Bob and Kath have all been making great progress on our beautiful 1960 MGA. Kath has now completed re-trimming the seats and dash surrounds.
1960 MGA Chrome Bumpers Fitted
March 10, 2020
Our 1960 MGA is really taking shape now. Having recently had new chrome bumpers fitted by Paul, our MG edges nearer to completion. Chris has
1960 MGA Dash Wiring
February 27, 2020
Bob, Bridge Classic Cars’ wiring wizard has been working on wiring up the dash and instrumentation of our 1960 MGA. He’s connected the wiring loom
1960 MGA Interior Gets Stripped Down.
February 24, 2020
Kath has been working on our lovely MGA restoration. She’s prepared the seats to be sandblasted and painted. Once this is done the seats can
MGA Restoration: Engine Bay Coming Together
February 21, 2020
Paul has been busy installing new components into our 1960 MG A’s engine bay. Paul has fitted the brake master cylinder, windscreen wiper motor, windscreen
MGA Paint Process
February 13, 2020
Chris is now so close to completing the paintwork on our 1960 MGA. All of the panels and main body have now been painted and
1960 MGA in the Paint Shop
February 6, 2020
Chris is making great progress on our lovely 1960 MG MGA. He’s now primed all panels in white primer with a guide coat over the
MGA Bodywork Progress
February 4, 2020
Our MGA restoration has been progressing nicely. The body has been down in our in-house trim shop with Chris. Chris has been checking body panel
1960 MGA Progress update
January 23, 2020
Work continues on our 1960 MGA. The body has now been fitted to the chassis which means Chris can begin work on the other MGA
1960 MGA windscreen
January 20, 2020
Paul has been continuing work on our 1960 MG A. He’s stripped down the windscreen and windscreen assembly. The metal components will be refurbished, ready
1960 MG A Suspension and rear axle
January 15, 2020
Paul has continued work on our lovey 1960 MG A. He’s fitted the rear axle with brakes. The leaf spring suspension and a fuel pump
1960 MG A restoration continues
January 8, 2020
Paul has been making good progress on our MGA chassis. He has repaired the front chassis section ready to be sent down to our paint
1960 MG A Differential repair
December 20, 2019
Paul has continued work on our MG A complete restoration. There was damage to the rear differential but Paul has now welded that up in
Reassembling Our MGA
July 5, 2024
After Chris had finished repainting our 1960 MGA, Julian reassembled the car and fitted new steering rack gaiters.
A Rusty Boot
April 17, 2024
Mauro has been working on the rust on the boot area of our 1960 MGA. He also removed wax from the front inner wings.
Work Continues
April 12, 2024
Our 1960 MGA has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop. Mauro has removed the wax from the body of the inner wheel arches. He also removed the front seats and started stripping the paint to bare metal.
Work Begins On A New Arrival
April 8, 2024
We have recently welcomed a 1960 MGA into the Bridge Classic Cars workshop and work has already begun.
Classic car technician has been stripping the car ready for it to be painted very soon.
Seeing Clearly
July 24, 2023
Our 1960 MGA has had a new windscreen fitted by classic car technician Jonn and workshop manager, John. The clutch was also bled and a new master cylinder was fitted.
Our MGA hasn’t been in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for very long but, already, it is making great progress and we are looking forward to it going home to its owner soon.
MGA Carbs
April 28, 2023
Classic car technician Steve has been working on the carbs of our 1960 MGA 1600. He stripped the carbs, cleaned them, and fitted new seals before reassembling.
Now that work has begun on our MGA, it should be on the way to going back home to Spain in the near future.
Day 6 – MGA Update
April 23, 2021
Lots has been happening behind the scenes with our MGA, much of which has happened at our outsourced partners such as Scholar.
Pouring fluid into the combustion chamber of the cylinder head to determine the pressure ratio of the engine. We’ve had the head refaced, so this confirms that the compression ratio is still okay. The results of the test showed that the combustion chamber is functioning correctly.
Ady has been rebuilding the engine.
Ady and James have made the baffle for the engine sump which will stop oil surge whilst the engine is running.
The engine head has also been recently painted.
We’ve also ordered a collection of new components to be fitted into the engine.
Day 5 – Cylinder Headed Welded
April 8, 2021
Richard Kimberley from Manningtree sent us back the cylinder head which has been welded to replace part of the ring that had corroded. He lined up the gasket to determine how much needed to be welded. We will now be lap in the valves before sending it off to Scholar to be refaced.
Day 4 – Engine Clean And Prep
March 30, 2021
Our 1960 MGA engine has been cleaned and ready to be rebuilt. The crankshaft, conrods and engine block has been sent off to Scholar who has told us that the crankshaft needs to be totally replaced. The photos below show the extent of the wear on the bearings. The conrods also need to be resized, the bearings need tuning into the conrods and the camshaft bearings need to be fitted by Scholar as well as being honed and cleaned.
Day 2 – Removing Cylinder head
March 25, 2021
Ady has continued working on our 1960 MGA buy removing the cylinder head in his endeavour to fix the issue with the engine.
Workshop Walkabout
October 28, 2020
This morning we took a walk around the workshop to take a peak at how our engineers are getting on with the current projects.
1996 Nissan Patrol
The Nissan Patrol is almost ready to be set free on adventures again. Pete has given it a general ‘health check’ and service to ensure its exploration spirit is still intact.
The last stage on the Nissan is to ‘blacken’ the underside to protect it from rust and erosion, which is all the more important for adventurous vehicles like this Patrol!
1972 MGB Blaze Orange
Tamas has been working hard on the latest refurbishments to the MGB which has recently included a new radiator as the old one had developed some rust and holes.
The thermostat has also been refurbished along with its housing and the grill. Tamas has also installed new reversing lights as well.
The Rosytle wheels are currently in the hands of our paint specialist Darren who’s just finished applying the first layer of paint to neaten them up.
1960 MGA
The Red MGA has had a seasonal refurbishment with a heater being added to accommodate for the cold months approaching!
Paul tells us that “the car originally never had a heater in, so the parts have been shipped in from America.”
Its not uncommon to see our classic cars fitted with modern creature comforts such as heaters and radios.
1972 Peugeot 504
Scott has been working on fitting the doors, making sure the latches catch and shut efficiently.
Darren has also been working on the Peugeot, painting the engine bay. This needed two sets of paint, one for the inner parts and a separate colour for the outer parts to match the body of the car.
1957 Jensen 541R
The Jensen is still in the trimming shop where Brian is installing the leather padding that sits just above the windscreen. This piece followed the original design but still had to be cut and made by hand.
Brian tells us ‘It’s quite a fiddly job to fit this panel’.
We can’t wait to see the Jensen completed with its smart new leather from our trim experts.
1965 Amphicar
Our classic car electrician Adam has been working on tidying up the Amphicar’s wires and installing a second pump to ensure enough water is removed from within the vehicle. This means a custom made pump bracket will have to be designed and fitted when the second pump is installed.
1987 Mercedes 500SL
Our engineer Anthony is currently applying a filler to the engine bay to smooth out any bumps.
A keen eye for detail from Anthony is needed to ensure that the Mercedes doesn’t leave the fabrication bay with any imperfections.
What’s on the agenda?
September 11, 2020
Here’s a sneak peak into a couple of classic cars we’ve been chatting about this week.
First up, it’s this incredible 1990 BMW Alpina. A very rare car indeed, Alpina are a Baverian based manufacturer in Germany who specifically develop high performance BMW’s.
We’ve been chatting about this beauty this week as the owner is looking for a buyer and we’re all ears for it.
We’ve also been chatting about about this lovely little sports car- a 1961 MGA 1600 MK1 ‘Deluxe’. Acclaimed to be one of only nine other genuine RHD cars left.
Whilst much of the MGA is sound, other parts are in need of some attention. So we hope to be welcoming this little beauty into our workshop soon to give her some well earned TLC.
Final Farewell Dear MGA
September 8, 2020
It’s a bitter sweet feeling when we say our final goodbye’s to a classic that’s been with us for a full restoration. Our gorgeous 1960 MG A has been with us for over a year, so we’ve got pretty used to seeing this beautiful car every day.
We’ve completed many an MG restoration over the years, but none quite tugged on our heartstrings quite like this one. Not least because of how beautiful the car is itself, but the owner Mike too, who’s won us over with the love he holds for this very special piece of history.
Mike is clearly besotted with his MGA, and rightly so. We too couldn’t help but swoon over the pictures of the MGA from back in her prime in the 70’s. “I was driven in this MGA on my wedding day, by my best man” Mike told us, “so it holds a very special place in my heart”.
After years searching for his beloved MG A, Mike eventually tracked her down. She’d spent 26 years stored in a barn, and although we could all see her potential, a lot of work needed to be done.
Mike had met the Bridge Classic Cars team years before, so knew we were the ones he wanted to bring his precious MGA back to life. We started work on the MGA by stripping the car bare and removing the engine to complete a full engine rebuild.
With the engine parts restored, any parts that couldn’t be restored replaced and a fresh coat of paint on the engine block, the engine was then fully reassembled and looked a treat.
The car’s shell was treated to a good rub down and primed, ahead of going into our specialist paint shop here at Bridge Classic Cars. With so much nostalgia attached to this car, Mike decided to keep her in the original signal red he knew and loved.
The MGA had a lot of mechanical and electrical work to have done to get her into full working order. Restoration work was carried out by Bridge Classic Car’s specialists technicians on the dashboard, suspension, gearbox and brakes.
It was then time for the Bridge Classic Cars specialist trim shop to work their magic on the cars interior. For a full interior restoration the MG A was given newly upholstered chairs, flooring, door and boot panels.
Not forgetting the MGA’s iconic soft top, which was also treated to a custom made roof by Bridge’s specialist trim shop team. All in-keeping with the original design of the car, but with a black roof, as per Mikes request.
With the final finishing touches added to this stunning car, including chrome bumpers, wing badges, a new windscreen and a spare tyre cover, the 1960 MG A was really starting to look like herself again.
As the entire car was undergoing a full restoration, most members of the Bridge Classic Cars family play a part in putting this beauty back together again. We are so chuffed with the final result – as is Mike!
Mike came to collect his pride and joy and was overwhelmed with the special memories this classic car brings back to him.
Mike marked the occasion with a special poem, written especially for us at Bridge Classic Cars.
From a barn to a palace – Bridge Classics.
From a palace to a crown.
The crown fits an Austin Princess,
But who now wears the crown?
1960 to 2020 – the story goes,
The crown was replaced by an octagon (no less!)
In which the immortal letters MG are found,
And in 60 long years,
She faithfully conveyed seven proud owners-
With assorted histories of lives lived and journeys made.
And where is she now?
Why back with me my lads and lassies,
My very first car!
Oh, what a star.
Come back from afar.
Thank you all, at Bridge Classic Cars’
We all wish Mike many more joyous road trips in his beautiful 1960 MG A, it’s been an absolute pleasure for us to restore. Happy driving Mike!
1960 MGA Test Drive
July 7, 2020
With our restoration really complete, the MGA’s owner, Mike came to give his car a test drive. It’s safe to say we think Mike is rather pleased with his beautiful, restored MGA.
Paul has now fitted the seatbelts and will continue test driving the car to ensure she is running perfectly before it returns to Mike.
1960 MGA Interior Trim: Soft Top Install
June 5, 2020
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!
1960 MGA Soft-top Restoration Begins
March 23, 2020
Our MGA restoration continues as the soft-top is being stripped down. The metal components will be sandblasted and painted, while the fabric components will be re-upholstered in our trim shop.
1960 MGA Restoration update.
March 17, 2020
Paul, Bob and Kath have all been making great progress on our beautiful 1960 MGA. Kath has now completed re-trimming the seats and dash surrounds. Bob has wired up the dash and instruments and Paul has fitted splash guards, full stainless steel exhaust and a new radiator fan and wiring. We’ve also got most parts assembled for the new heater unit.
The next stages will be to assemble and fit the heater unit and fit the new windscreen, complete with fresh chromework.
1960 MGA Chrome Bumpers Fitted
March 10, 2020
Our 1960 MGA is really taking shape now. Having recently had new chrome bumpers fitted by Paul, our MG edges nearer to completion.
Chris has now painted the MGA’s wheel arch lining ready for Paul to fit up to the car now.
1960 MGA Dash Wiring
February 27, 2020
Bob, Bridge Classic Cars’ wiring wizard has been working on wiring up the dash and instrumentation of our 1960 MGA. He’s connected the wiring loom from the engine bay, through the bulkhead and back into the vehicles cockpit.
Great work, Bob!
Is your classic vehicle in need of auto electrical assistance? Get in touch with our workshop today on 01473 742038.
1960 MGA Interior Gets Stripped Down.
February 24, 2020
Kath has been working on our lovely MGA restoration. She’s prepared the seats to be sandblasted and painted. Once this is done the seats can then be re-upholstered to the original specification.
MGA Restoration: Engine Bay Coming Together
February 21, 2020
Paul has been busy installing new components into our 1960 MG A’s engine bay. Paul has fitted the brake master cylinder, windscreen wiper motor, windscreen wiper reservoir, front wiring loom and the bulkhead chrome.
MGA Paint Process
February 13, 2020
Chris is now so close to completing the paintwork on our 1960 MGA. All of the panels and main body have now been painted and cured. Chris will fit up the panels onto the car before giving her a good polish. Stay tuned to see the fully assembled rolling chassis back in the workshop soon for it’s restoration to continue.
Great work, Chris!
1960 MGA in the Paint Shop
February 6, 2020
Chris is making great progress on our lovely 1960 MG MGA. He’s now primed all panels in white primer with a guide coat over the top. Chris has also applied colour-matched raptor paint to the underside panels to prevent future rust and corrosion.
The MGA will be entering the final stages of paint very soon and emerging reborn with stunning red paintwork. Great work, Chris!
MGA Bodywork Progress
February 4, 2020
Our MGA restoration has been progressing nicely. The body has been down in our in-house trim shop with Chris. Chris has been checking body panel fitment and making any nessasary adjustments for perfect panel gapping.
From this stage, the panels have been thoroughly prepared. Chris has sanded and filled in the panels multiple times to make sure the surface is perfect before it goes into paint.
Great work, Chris! We can’t wait to see how this MGA looks after painting!
1960 MGA Progress update
January 23, 2020
Work continues on our 1960 MGA. The body has now been fitted to the chassis which means Chris can begin work on the other MGA panels, making sure the panel gapping and alignment is perfect before they go into the final stages of paint.
Once the MGA is out of the paint shop, Paul can continue work on the mechanical restoration. Great work, guys!
1960 MGA windscreen
January 20, 2020
Paul has been continuing work on our 1960 MG A. He’s stripped down the windscreen and windscreen assembly. The metal components will be refurbished, ready for new glass to be fitted.
1960 MG A Suspension and rear axle
January 15, 2020
Paul has continued work on our lovey 1960 MG A. He’s fitted the rear axle with brakes. The leaf spring suspension and a fuel pump have also recently been installed onto the car. The MG is now ready for the half shafts and brake drums to be fitted next.
1960 MG A restoration continues
January 8, 2020
Paul has been making good progress on our MGA chassis. He has repaired the front chassis section ready to be sent down to our paint shop. He has also templated up the old wood in preparation for brand new wooden panels to be fitted. We’ve found corrosion on the rear section of the drive shaft tunnel so this will either need restoring or replacing.
1960 MG A Differential repair
December 20, 2019
Paul has continued work on our MG A complete restoration. There was damage to the rear differential but Paul has now welded that up in preparation for its refit into the car.
