Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars
Since we have sent the Riley’s frame away to be dipped, we started work on the body.
We have begun to go far deeper into the 1951 Riley RMB that we have in with us here at Bridge Classic Cars. Our in-house technicians knew that the car was in very rough shape to begin with but the extent of the decay is only coming to light the more layers we peel away on this car.
But, fear not. Everything is fixable with the right skillset. Which thankfully our in-house fabricator James has in spades.
What he has uncovered on the Riley RMB is a series of cut corners to say the least. These were common place years ago but not something that would preserve the longevity of the car, which is what we at Bridge Classic Cars pride ourselves on.
James carefully undid and unwrapped the layers of porous metal that had been fixed one over another to make sure that he, and the other master fabricators that we have, could get at the root cause. This will need to be done before any work can be started on the handmade wooden frames that make up the roof structure, which have unfortunately perished through the many years this car had been enjoyed.
The other issue that the Riley has presented us with is the lack of datum points to create the handmade templates needed for each part. No bracket, panel or edge were symetrical side to side. Each had variations in side, depth and thickness to some lesser or sometimes extreme degree. No problem for our team, just careful removal and methodical approaches to each challenge that a restoration brings.
But that is in essence what we do with vehicle restorations here at Bridge Classic Cars, give new life to classic cars so that they can be enjoyed not just for prosperities sake but for enthusiasts for generations to come.
