Collecting A Spitfire
April 15, 2024
Tony recently made the drive to Clacton to pick up a 1974 Triumph Spitfire. After loading it into the trailer, he delivered it safely to
spitfire
Service And Road Test
March 27, 2024
Our 1979 Triumph Spitfire has been in the hands of Jonn. Here are his notes: Get in and finish the service. Fit new points and
Inspection And Repairs
March 21, 2024
Jonn has been inspecting and making some repairs on our 1979 Triumph Spitfire. Here are his notes: Raise on ramp and finish Inspection. Carry out
Delivered
March 11, 2024
After a successful final road test, our 1978 Triumph Spitfire was loaded onto our trailer and delivered to lucky winner Barry Pendleton. Molly even made
More Painting
March 5, 2024
Mauro has been working on our 1976 Triumph Spitfire in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop. He has painted the seat frames in DTM satin black
Painting A Spitfire
March 4, 2024
Our 1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500 has recently been painted in the Bridge Classic Cars Paint shop.
Radio And speakers
February 29, 2024
Neil has been working on the radio and speakers of our 1968 Triumph Spitfire.
Spitfire Rear Carpet Piece
February 27, 2024
The piece of carpet for the rear shelf that was supplied with the kit for our 1976 Triumph Spitfire was incorrectly finished and didn’t fit.
On Goes The Bonnet
February 21, 2024
Rob has continued with the rebuild of our 1976 Triumph Spitfire. The headlamp bezels have been fitted and the bonnet has now been fitted to
Spitfire Work
February 15, 2024
Classic car technician Steve has been working on our 1968 Triumph Spitfire. He removed the broken hand brake pivot and fitted a replacement. He also
Spitfire Engine
February 8, 2024
The engine has been the centre of attention for Mauro and Rob lately. Mauro painted some of the engine components in black satin dtm while
Storage Car Work
February 7, 2024
One of our storage cars, a 1968 Triumph Spitfire was looked at by technician Steve recently. He cleaned the washer bottle as the pump was
Competition Prep
February 7, 2024
Classic car technician Neil has been servicing our 1979 Triumph Spitfire in preparation for it to eventually be won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.
The Rebuild Continues
January 29, 2024
Classic car technician Rob has continued making good progress putting our 1976 Triumph Spitfire back together. He has now fit the left-hand door, the windscreen
Paint And Reassembly
January 18, 2024
Our 1976 Triumph Spitfire has made a lot of progress recently. After having its body painted in Java Green, it left the Bridge Classic Cars
Wheel Arches
December 21, 2023
Rob has welded the inner wheel arches back onto the bonnet of our 1976 Triumph Spitfire. He did this before the outside of the bonnet
Polyester Priming
November 24, 2023
Our 1976 Triumph Spitfire has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop with technician Alan. Alan has been applying polyester primer to the doors,
Spitfire Bulkhead
October 25, 2023
Our 1976 Triumph Spitfire bulkhead has been modified by classic car technician Rob, to ensure the bonnet gaps are correct. Rob then finalised the door
The Restoration Begins
September 1, 2023
The restoration of our 1976 Triumph Spitfire 1500 has begun. This is another exciting project for us as it is for a returning customer who
Spitfire Carpets
May 31, 2023
Classic car technician Brian has been completing some interior work on our 1973 Triumph Spitfire. He began by glueing the carpets back around the footwell
A New Arrival
April 26, 2023
Our 1973 Triumph Spitfire has recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. It will now be assessed by the workshop team before eventually becoming
Work Continues – 1977 Triumph Spitfire
November 21, 2022
Classic car technician Jon has once again been investigating the running issues facing our 1977 Triumph Spitfire. After his initial investigations and subsequent work with
Just Arrived – 1977 Triumph Spitfire
October 24, 2022
There’s nothing quite like an eye-catching classic car arriving at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Our 1977 Triumph Spitfire certainly fits the bill to be
Spitfire’s New Hood
December 18, 2020
We’ve got a lovely triumph spitfire in at the moment that has had a new hood made up by our trim shop. This is the
Spitfire hood repair
December 3, 2020
We’ve been repairing the hood frame on our 1977 Triumph Spitfire. This involves straightening out the linkages and then drilling out old pop rivets. Once
Workshop Walkabout
November 25, 2020
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
Sealing up our Spitfire
October 2, 2020
Our 1971 Triumph Spitfire arrived with us last week with leaks all over the place. Ady, our specialist engine technician has been diagnosing the faults
New Arrivals!
September 10, 2020
We’re always excited to see fresh classics arrive at our workshop here at Bridge Classic Cars. So, here’s a first look at the new arrivals
Live Draw: 1976 Triumph Spitfire 1500 & 1988 Porsche 924S
May 29, 2020
Congratulations to our winners! Andrew Oswald, who won our 1976 Triumph Spitfire 1500 with ticket number 143 and Tajinder Hans, who won our 1988 Porsche
1977 Triumph Spitfire Respray
March 3, 2020
Our 1977 Triumph Spitfire is now in colour! Very rare to find a Spitfire finished in black but with the smooth lines and elegant shape
Collecting A Spitfire
April 15, 2024
Tony recently made the drive to Clacton to pick up a 1974 Triumph Spitfire. After loading it into the trailer, he delivered it safely to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Now that it is here, work can begin on bringing this classic Spitfire back to life.
Service And Road Test
March 27, 2024
Our 1979 Triumph Spitfire has been in the hands of Jonn. Here are his notes:
Get in and finish the service. Fit new points and condenser. Refit cap and rotor and try to start. Won’t fire. Investigate and found wire from condenser insecure and barely making contact. Strip and solder both wires from condenser and to points into contact. Adjust points and try to start again. Ok now. Take outside and warm up. Set idle speed and carry out road test. Not too bad now but will require throttle cable (on order) as its very stiff.
Inspection And Repairs
March 21, 2024
Jonn has been inspecting and making some repairs on our 1979 Triumph Spitfire.
Here are his notes:
Raise on ramp and finish Inspection. Carry out repairs. Grease all points.strip front brakes. Remove pads and clean/lubricate ready for refitting. Work caliper pistons in and out to free off. Rebuild both sides and pump pedal and recheck. Seem ok now. Refit wheels. Strip rear brakes inspect and clean. Refit drums and adjust. Refit wheels. Inflate tyres to correct psi and torque up wheels. Check handbrake, ok now. Fit grommet to fuel feed pipe at rear of engine.fit new washer pump and test. Can’t get washer pump to actually pump. Strip and check pump. Pack with grease inside to help bleed system. Refit and test. Eventually get it working ok. Get off ramp and take to body shop to align bonnet.
Delivered
March 11, 2024
After a successful final road test, our 1978 Triumph Spitfire was loaded onto our trailer and delivered to lucky winner Barry Pendleton.
Molly even made the trip to see the delivery in person!
More Painting
March 5, 2024
Mauro has been working on our 1976 Triumph Spitfire in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop.
He has painted the seat frames in DTM satin black as well as painting the rocker cover and air filter box in DTM silver.
Painting A Spitfire
March 4, 2024
Our 1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500 has recently been painted in the Bridge Classic Cars Paint shop.
Radio And speakers
February 29, 2024
Neil has been working on the radio and speakers of our 1968 Triumph Spitfire.
Spitfire Rear Carpet Piece
February 27, 2024
The piece of carpet for the rear shelf that was supplied with the kit for our 1976 Triumph Spitfire was incorrectly finished and didn’t fit. It required a complete remake to make it sit in the vehicle as it should. Lydia cut out the new piece of carpet and shaped it in the vehicle, before adding pleats to improve fit. She then glued this to the car and secured the new edging under the carpet piece which sits on top.
On Goes The Bonnet
February 21, 2024
Rob has continued with the rebuild of our 1976 Triumph Spitfire.
The headlamp bezels have been fitted and the bonnet has now been fitted to the car too. The door seals and B post capping finishers were fitted and the hood frame was bolted on.
Rob cleaned the hood frame catches and fitted them.
Spitfire Work
February 15, 2024
Classic car technician Steve has been working on our 1968 Triumph Spitfire.
He removed the broken hand brake pivot and fitted a replacement. He also replaced the worn o/s/f top ball joint that was causing corrosion to the joint.
The o/s/f track end boot was split so this was replaced. The n/s/f complete track rod end was also replaced as the old one had excessively worn.
Steve then adjusted the tappets and fitted a new rocker cover gasket. While working on the car, Steve noticed a hair line crack on the gearbox rear housing so he has marked this for repair.
Spitfire Engine
February 8, 2024
The engine has been the centre of attention for Mauro and Rob lately.
Mauro painted some of the engine components in black satin dtm while Rob unmasked the engine block and thoroughly cleaned it. The crankshaft and rear seal plate were fitted and the steering column was built up with new bushes, switches and reconditioned hardware before being fitted to the car.
The door handles were fitted with new lock barrels and keys and fitted to the car.
Rob then made the dashboard mounting plates and fitted them to the rear of the dashboard.
Storage Car Work
February 7, 2024
One of our storage cars, a 1968 Triumph Spitfire was looked at by technician Steve recently.
He cleaned the washer bottle as the pump was blocked and the hand brake had a broken pivot. Steve also noted that the rear shoes were wearing thin.
Competition Prep
February 7, 2024
Classic car technician Neil has been servicing our 1979 Triumph Spitfire in preparation for it to eventually be won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.
The Rebuild Continues
January 29, 2024
Classic car technician Rob has continued making good progress putting our 1976 Triumph Spitfire back together.
He has now fit the left-hand door, the windscreen chrome insert, and the door weather strips and top cappings.
Rob also painted the brake callipers and rebuilt them with new pistons and seals before refitting them to the car. He then blasted, painted and refitted the window guide channels before stripping the brake pressure valve to clean and paint it.
Paint And Reassembly
January 18, 2024
Our 1976 Triumph Spitfire has made a lot of progress recently. After having its body painted in Java Green, it left the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop and went back to Rob in the main workshop.
Rob has now begun the process of reassembling the car. After reassembling the rear brakes with new and reconditioned parts, the bodyshell was refitted and bolted down.
The new and reconditioned parts have also started to be fitted as the restoration of our classic Spitfire continues.
Wheel Arches
December 21, 2023
Rob has welded the inner wheel arches back onto the bonnet of our 1976 Triumph Spitfire. He did this before the outside of the bonnet was painted.
More parts are being cleaned and blasted before Rob electroplated them.
Polyester Priming
November 24, 2023
Our 1976 Triumph Spitfire has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop with technician Alan.
Alan has been applying polyester primer to the doors, boot lid, and bonnet. The first stage of this was to reapply epoxy primer to give them corrosion protection. Then all of the parts were sprayed with polyester primer.
Spitfire Bulkhead
October 25, 2023
Our 1976 Triumph Spitfire bulkhead has been modified by classic car technician Rob, to ensure the bonnet gaps are correct. Rob then finalised the door gaps before repairing the anti-roll bar brackets on the chassis.
The boot lid was repaired and trial fitted before the front wheel arches were removed from the bonnet to allow the paint shop to paint the underside of the bonnet.
Alan from the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop then stripped the panels back to bare metal ready for epoxy primer to be applied. The chassis has been epoxy primed and painted in java green.
The Restoration Begins
September 1, 2023
The restoration of our 1976 Triumph Spitfire 1500 has begun.
This is another exciting project for us as it is for a returning customer who currently lives in France. It is for this reason that the left-hand drive configuration will stay with the vehicle.
We have already restored three classic cars in our customer’s garage, and we are very much looking forward to making progress on the 4th. Undoubtedly, this one is going to be a stunning car when it is complete.
The restoration has been started with classic car technician Rob getting to work on stripping down the car.
Spitfire Carpets
May 31, 2023
Classic car technician Brian has been completing some interior work on our 1973 Triumph Spitfire. He began by glueing the carpets back around the footwell cross members and then glued the footwell carpets in place too.
The tunnel carpet was fitted under the trim panel before Brian trimmed the binding on the cockpit carpet. He went on to add some extra foam over the tunnel area and repaired the gearshift gaiter.
A New Arrival
April 26, 2023
Our 1973 Triumph Spitfire has recently arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. It will now be assessed by the workshop team before eventually becoming a competition car on Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.
During our travels around the country picking up and delivering classic vehicles, we visited Paul Williamson Cars up in Scotland who had the Spitfire in the showroom.
We have had several Spitfires in the workshop over the years and this one looks to be a great example.
Work Continues – 1977 Triumph Spitfire
November 21, 2022
Classic car technician Jon has once again been investigating the running issues facing our 1977 Triumph Spitfire. After his initial investigations and subsequent work with the brake fluid being used in the car, he has had to continue his work to find the cause of the running issues being experienced.
Jon stripped the carbs so he could thoroughly inspect them. He found dirt in both float bowls so these were blown out before Jon cleaned them out ready for reassembly.
The fuel lines were also blown out and the filter was removed and cleaned too. Jon found a small leak at the gearbox end of the fuel line so he fitted new seals to rectify the issue.
After this was all done, Jon balanced the carbs and rechecked and adjusted the ignition timing. Although Jon was keen to take our 1977 Triumph Spitfire out for a test drive to ensure everything was moving in the right direction, unfortunately, the weather was not suitable on his first attempt.
During his investigations, Jon bypassed the ballast resistor in the wiring loom by running the power wire directly to the coil. Doing this got the car running perfectly. Jon found an ignition-fed live wire which he traced back to the rear of the fuse box where he soldered the wire from fuse number 1 to the coil-positive terminal.
Jon tested everything and all was working as expected. The last thing to do was to tidy up the wiring and to refit the components.
Now that Jon has been spending some time with our Spitfire, it looks to be making good progress and will soon be back with its owner and on the road again.
Just Arrived – 1977 Triumph Spitfire
October 24, 2022
There’s nothing quite like an eye-catching classic car arriving at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Our 1977 Triumph Spitfire certainly fits the bill to be an attention-grabbing vehicle.
Not only does it stand out in its yellow colour, but it’s also a beautiful-looking classic car.
It has come in for our classic car technicians to investigate some running issues so hopefully, it won’t be too long before it is back out on the road where it belongs.
Spitfire’s New Hood
December 18, 2020
We’ve got a lovely triumph spitfire in at the moment that has had a new hood made up by our trim shop. This is the only modification we’ve done to this spitfire as its going elsewhere for the rest of its restoration journey.
Kath had to hoover out the back of the spitfire to prepare it for its new restoration work.
Kath first had to cut holes out of material to make the hood. The front latches have been screwed in place. Kath then bolted the hood frame to car and attached the rear plate to the hood with 3 fasteners.
The next stage was to fit stud button fasteners to rear body so that the hood can be secured in place. Kath then had to clip the cover around the hood bars inside, pull the front material over the header rail and clip in place.
A crucial step in this process was to leave it over night to stretch and then continue in the morning. Once everything was clipped down and glued in, Kath then had to fold back the hood to trim off excess material. She then riveted a metal channel into the rail and inserted a rubber seal inside channel.
Spitfire hood repair
December 3, 2020
We’ve been repairing the hood frame on our 1977 Triumph Spitfire. This involves straightening out the linkages and then drilling out old pop rivets. Once these steps have been completed, we ensure it fits back on the car without any further modifications.
Workshop Walkabout
November 25, 2020
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.
Sealing up our Spitfire
October 2, 2020
Our 1971 Triumph Spitfire arrived with us last week with leaks all over the place. Ady, our specialist engine technician has been diagnosing the faults and working out what needs to be done.
“I’ve taken the sump off and taken the cover off the engine” Ady explains, “then cleaned an replaced all the seals”.
We won’t know until the engines all put back together if this has solved the problems, but we hope it has. Check back in again soon for what happens next!
New Arrivals!
September 10, 2020
We’re always excited to see fresh classics arrive at our workshop here at Bridge Classic Cars. So, here’s a first look at the new arrivals joining us this week.
First up, it’s our 1996 Nissan Patrol. In for a paint job, re-chroming and body preparation.
Our 1958 Jensen 541R has arrived with us with gearbox issues. The specialist technical team are on hand to diagnose the faults and get her back up and running.
These Ford Escorts are both sitting comfortably at the Hanger in Bentwaters.
The light blue Ford Escort RS Turbo belongs to a customer, she’s being kept with us in our secure storage facility where we watch over many of our customers prized possessions.
The other is our very popular 1979 Ford Escort RS2000 that believe it or not, is a competition prize where one lucky winner will be handed the keys to this beauty! For more information on our competitions click here.
Lastly, this stunning 1971 Triumph Spitfire has come to us to sort a couple of problems out. Firstly, to investigate a strange noise coming from the engine along with fixing some oil leaks.
It’s great to follow a classic cars journey from their first day with us, to when we say goodbye.
Make sure you check back on our current projects page for all the latest updates on everything we’re working on at Bridge Classic Cars.
Live Draw: 1976 Triumph Spitfire 1500 & 1988 Porsche 924S
May 29, 2020
Congratulations to our winners!
Andrew Oswald, who won our 1976 Triumph Spitfire 1500 with ticket number 143 and Tajinder Hans, who won our 1988 Porsche 924S with ticket number 1239.
To be in with a chance of winning your very own classic, head to bridgeclassiccars.co.uk/competitions
1977 Triumph Spitfire Respray
March 3, 2020
Our 1977 Triumph Spitfire is now in colour!
Very rare to find a Spitfire finished in black but with the smooth lines and elegant shape black really does finish off the car beautifully.
Whilst in the early stages of preparation we discovered heavy corrosion in the doors. New metal had to be applied to the doors and the boot area.
The car was then prepared and treated in epoxy primer before the black top coat was applied.
