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restoration

Watertight

November 17, 2020

The Amphicar is getting closer to being water worthy! We’ve installed a bow light with a stern light also optional, which can be taken on

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Bits And Bobs

November 10, 2020

The parts for our 1968 Triumph TR5 have arrived and our technician Mauro has set them all out to assess what’s there and If anything more needs to be ordered.

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Coming Soon

November 5, 2020

We’ve got a number of new cars gracing our workshop soon. Keep an eye out on our social media pages and website for their grand

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Primed And Ready

November 2, 2020

Our 1987 Mercedes 500SL has had its primer and flattening completed by our technicians Ant and Chris. This stage allows the bodywork to be perfected

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Meet The Team: John

November 2, 2020

In our second installment of Meet The Team Mondays, we talk to our Workshop Manager, John. John has been working with cars his entire career,

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Nissan 300ZX update

December 3, 2020

The Nissan is on the home straight in its restoration journey. It should be done before Christmas all being well!

It has just had its wheels refurbished, new wing mirrors, a thorough clean by Viper Auto Valets, the exhaust manifolds replaced to solve the leak as well as new exhaust studs. The next step is to piece it all back together and get it checked over for a final service.

Watertight

November 17, 2020

The Amphicar is getting closer to being water worthy! We’ve installed a bow light with a stern light also optional, which can be taken on and off when needed. This means when the Amphicar is out on the water at night, other ships can see it!

Adam, our electrical specialist has also redone the connection block. This has been refurbished to make them easier to access if any repairs or tweaking has to be done in future!

With these fixes made, the Amphicar is steadily getting closer to completion after its recent boat MOT. You can see the check list we were provided below:

Bits And Bobs

November 10, 2020

The parts for our 1968 Triumph TR5 have arrived and our technician Mauro has set them all out to assess what’s there and If anything more needs to be ordered.

Within this pile of goodies, you can find brake parts, clutch, seat belts, chrome parts such as door handles, rubber for the windscreen, injector pump, radiator, fan, headlights, copper fuel, and brake lines as well as a huge host of other bits that will go towards making our TR5 whole again!

Coming Soon

November 5, 2020

We’ve got a number of new cars gracing our workshop soon. Keep an eye out on our social media pages and website for their grand arrival.

1974 VW Beetle

We’ve got an exciting new competition vehicle coming in soon. Currently residing in Scotland, this beautiful Lime Green Beetle will be up for grabs in the near future!

Watch this space..

The 1972 Chevron B20 

We’re proud to represent a 1972 Chevron B20 Formula 2 race car. Although this, unfortunately, won’t be a giveaway car, it will be up for sale sometime in the near future on our website!

This beautiful vintage vehicle was originally designed as a single-seat racer for Formula 2.

We can’t wait to have such a unique vehicle in our workshop.

Primed And Ready

November 2, 2020

Our 1987 Mercedes 500SL has had its primer and flattening completed by our technicians Ant and Chris.

This stage allows the bodywork to be perfected and smoothened and allows the next layer of paint to stick.

This is the last stage before the colour paintwork begins.

Meet The Team: John

November 2, 2020

In our second installment of Meet The Team Mondays, we talk to our Workshop Manager, John.

John has been working with cars his entire career, starting as soon as he left school. This interest blossomed from working alongside his father who also took a fascination with cars and frequently visited race car meets with each other.

Following his childhood with cars, John’s career led him to work with Vauxhall for 29 years. After a sufficient amount of time working as a technician there, John moved on to making sports car replicas with Suffolk Sports. John then came to Bridge Classic Cars where he’s been ever since, making him one of our longest working members.

John is our Workshop Manager, meaning his role is to oversee and troubleshoot any projects going on at Bridge Classic Cars. We know that projects are always in safe hands with John as his time with us is coming up to 10 years.

Back at home, John has a number of motorbikes as well as his dream car, a Ford Escort RS 2000 MKI. John tells us that he’s always been into having his own cars and restoring them, “I’ve always had two or three motorbikes and cars at home to tinker with”.

Fun fact: The car that was most popular in the year of Johns birth was the Nissan Datsun 240Z

Next up on the Nissan

October 30, 2020
Fresh paintwork and new tires are on the agenda for the Nissan.

The 1996 Nissan Patrol arrived at Bridge Classic Cars needing a thorough once over to restore its adventurous spirit.

Last week it had its primer completed, allowing the next stages of paintwork to commence. The Nissan has now had its DH6 Safari Nissan Green and Volkswagen Zing Grey paint applied as well as having its chrome bumpers completed.

The front and rear disks and pads required checking when the Nissan arrived. These have since been replaced.

During its restoration, the gears had been removed to allow for a full check-up. As detailed here, Pete added red paint to the pieces which allowed him to carefully assemble and realign the gears, making for a perfect and careful re-installation.

The Nissan has also had its tires refurbished, making it one stage closer to being road ready.

The next step in this Nissan’s journey is to receive its trim work for new carpets.

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.

Nine Lives For Our Big Cat

October 28, 2020
The 1967 Jaguar MKII lives on to purr another day.

This 1967 Jaguar MKII arrived after having been broken into and its interior gutted. After some careful surgery, the Jaguar’s interior was repaired to its previous pristine condition.

The next stage was restoring the paintwork that had suffered over the years. A small job for Chris in our paint-shop, he’ll have this beautiful classic looking her very best in no time.

With the paintwork done, the Jaguar can move onto its final stage of restoration; nursing those bumps and scratches out.

Slick New Oil Filter For Our E-Type

October 20, 2020

This stunning V12 Jaguar E-Type is being worked on today in the Bridge Classic Cars Workshop. The old, original oil filter wasn’t quite up to the job of keeping this beautiful V12 singing.

To fit an upgraded, modern oil filter we have had to adapt the oil filter housing to accommodate the larger cartridge-style filter.

Whilst in our workshop we have fitted a customer supplied bumper and addressed a few other running issues.

The MGTD ‘to do’ list is almost complete

October 14, 2020

Pete has been working on our beautiful classic 1951 MG TD. Pete has just finished fitted the new steering rack into the car. ‘The steering rack presented a few challenges”, Pete explains. “Due to the length of rack, I’ve had to dismantle the rack before installation. Once it’s in position it can then be re-assembled”. Superb ingenuity Pete! Working on cars of this era presents many challenges. But no job is too daunting for our expert team!

After completing the steering rack, Pete has installed a brand new stainless steel exhaust. The new exhaust sounds lovely, we cannot wait to hear what the vehicles owner thinks!

1949 MG YT – Concours d’Elegance Preparation

August 21, 2020

This beautiful 1949 MG YT is back with us at Bridge Classic Cars. We had the pleasure of restoring this car for the MacDonald family.

The YT has been entered into the Concours d’Elegance at Blenheim Palace this year with the preparation of the vehicle entrusted to us.

There was a fuel leak which Ady has fixed by fitting a new carburettor needle valve and seat.

Along with fixing some of her internal complaints, some aesthetics have also been corrected in our specialist paint shop by expert painter Darren. “I’ve polished out some minor scratches in the paint work and worked on some localised rust marks.”

The car will also been fully detailed by Viper Auto Valet and perfected in preparation for display at Blenheim Palace.

We love seeing this car back at the workshop, we’re honoured to have the pleasure of working on such a special car. The story of this car is simply incredible!

1961 Morris Mini Deluxe Leaves the Paint Shop

August 10, 2020

Another major stage in the restoration of our 1961 Mini has been hit. Darren has completed painting the body shell. After a polish it’s looking absolutely stunning in the sunlight.

Our Mini has been painted in the original cherry red paint colour. This is a much stronger red than the more maroon tone of the Mini 30’s cherry red paint.

Smashing work, Darren. When paired with the cream wheels and details, this little mini will look incredible.

1960 Jensen 541R Door Modifications

August 7, 2020

Dave has been working on our 1960 Jensen 541R restoration. He has taped up the side rear windows to test fit into the car for a trial fit.

The rear windows are fitted in place after some polishing and filing. Dave is now bolting these fixed windows in position.

Dave has had to modify the doors on our Jensen to allow the glass to move freely up and down through the door. He has had to cut out a strip of metal at the top of the door, move it back a few millimetres and then weld the metal back into the correct position.

1973 Triumph TR6 Restoration Update

August 5, 2020

Mauro has been working on our Triumph TR6 restoration. He’s made fabulous progress over the past week, the car is really starting to take shape now.

Mauro has recently fitted the Heater box with a new matrix. He has also installed the fuel tank and uprated Bosch fuel pump.

With the chrome work and black exterior elements now installed, the rich Magenta colour is looking simply gorgeous.

1967 Jaguar E Type Racecar Update

July 27, 2020

Tom has been making superb progress on our Jaguar E-Type Race car. The ethos of this build has always been to keep weight to a minimum, delivering the rawest possible E-Type racing experience whilst highlighting the incredible skill of our engineers. This car will meet all road legal requirements whilst being hugely competitive on the racetrack.

Tom has installed the custom rear quarter lights.

We created a template to shape the rear window perspex perfectly to the window frame before cutting to size.

The wiper motor is now installed.

Front headlights have been test fitted with custom moulded lightweight perspex. These still need to be trimmed to shape and fitted with sealing rubbers.

Tom has custom made a fuel pipe breather that is fitted within the fuel pipe line. This allows air to escape as the vehicle is being refuelled.

The E-Type handbrake has been sandblasted and powder coated by Darren and Chris in the paint shop. It’s now ready to be fitted into the car.

Tom has fabricated a custom seat frame from steel tubes. The seat runners have been installed onto the steel frame.

We have now fitted the rear window and rubbers. Picture left is the window being test-fitted, picture right is the completed job.

Last but by no means least for today’s E-Type update. The old wheel spinners have now been replaced with new, chrome spinners.

Great work, Tom. We’re inching ever closer to completion now. The next major task is to complete the wiring.

Surf’s Up: Our ‘Surf Blue’ 1967 Austin Mini 850 Mini

June 15, 2020

Darren has now completed painting our Austin Mini. He’s now completed the external painting in ‘Surf Blue’. This colour choice works so well on a Mini of this age, simply gorgeous. The cream roof compliments the blue superbly.

Wonderful work, Darren.

It’s now heading back to Ted at the Mini Centre to continue restoring this lovely classic. This Mini is being converted to run on a completely electric motor. We cannot wait to see this vehicle when Ted completes the restoration.

1971 Land Rover Range Rover Arrives at the Workshop

June 11, 2020

This 1971 Range rover is in our workshop for a service, improve how it runs and to fix a few niggles. The speedo gauge flickers and the clutch is reportedly very light. First up, Ady, Bridge Classic Cars’ engine specialist will be investigating the engine.

1988 Nissan 300ZX Restoration

June 5, 2020

This late 80’s Japanese sports car is being put back on the road and needs a bit of love to get her ship-shape.

Paul has been tasked with undertaking the restoration of this lovely vehicle.

The 300ZX’s rear brake calliper has a very corroded piston and bore. Both the rear and front brakes are showing significant corrosion and are in need of a complete overhaul.

The shock inserts needed replacing so we’ve sourced and installed new. The alloy wheels have been professionally refinished and treated to fresh new rubber. They look absolutely stunning and work perfectly with the styling of this 300ZX.

Paul has discovered the source fo the coolant leak. The top hose connector has corroded (pictured below). This will need replacing with new.

Mini 850 Electric Car – very close to paint

May 13, 2020

Our 1967 Austin Mini 850 is very close to paint preparation stage now. With the majority of the new panels and repair work having now been completed Darren will look at final stages of re-shaping. When he is happy the car will move on to paint preparation before we apply the new Surf blue and Old English white.

Porsche 924S Arrives From Pie Performance

May 6, 2020

The latest car to arrive at Bridge Classic Cars is this incredibly well presented Porsche 924S. We purchased this vehicle from Porsche Specialists, Pie Performance in Suffolk.

Our Porsche is the latest car to be offered up as a competition. One lucky winner will have this car delivered. Tickets are limited to 1500, and at only £9 a ticket the odds of winning are really quite realistic.

Follow the link below to check out the competition in more detail: https://bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/competitions/product/1988-porsche-924s/

Above- We collected the car using our covered transporter. Below- a selection of images taken outside our showroom at R.A.F. Bentwaters.

Restoration Recap: 1949 MGYT

May 6, 2020

We took a look back at one of our favourite restoration projects, the 1949 MGYT. This car already has such a rich history and priceless sentimental value. Read the story of our 1949 MGYT restoration below…

Jensen Perspex Ready for Fitting

March 12, 2020

The perspex is now ready to be fitted to both of our Jensens. Using the old perspex as a template, the fresh perspex was made to the exact same shape as the original was.

These are now ready to be fitted to both cars.

Stripping our Peugeot 504 Cabriolet

February 27, 2020

Work begins on the 1972 Peugeot Cabriolet. The car is in our workshops today being stripped down ready for paint preparation to commence. The chrome work has been removed, including the door handles and lights.

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.

E Type Convertible Roof Fabrication

February 24, 2020

Dave and Andy have been working on the convertible roof for our Jaguar E-Type. The original metal component to the roof is being sandblasted and repaired before it goes down to our Trim Shop to be upholstered with the new convertible roof fabric.

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.

1972 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 Final Fitting

February 11, 2020

Our beautiful Series 3 Jaguar E-Type is now so close to completion.

The interior restoration has been completed, it’s now a task of reinstalling the final few pieces of interior trim and completing the wiring and electrical systems.

Bob has diagnosed a few minor niggles within the electrics which he will be working on this week. Bob will also be fitting an immobiliser to this lovely Series 3 E-Type

Bridge Classic Cars are award winning Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance specialists. Your pride and joy is in safe hands with our expert Classic Car Technicians. Take a look at our awards here.

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