May 13, 2019

On our travels…

Monday’s are a good day for the staff here at Bridge Classic Cars. In theory, Monday is a day where the technicians are not required

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Priming our E-Type bodyshell

Prostrip automotive restoration specialise in removing paint, rust and other contaminants from all types of vehicles and substrates involving steel and aluminium, ranging from classic

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Francis Barnett Restoration Progress

Our Francis Barnett trials bike restoration is progressing well, the paint and parts for restoration are all away being worked on.

The engine however has problems. The big end is shot and likewise the small end. Piston two is in a bad way, it has been fitted omitting the top ring (its a three ring piston) as the top ring groove has seen a ring break up at some point and the lower piston skirt is also damaged. The bore looks ok so we are thinking that the cylinder is a replacement. But here’s the problem, the pistons for this engine are very hard to find. So two is a connecting rod/big end kit.

Still going through the other parts of the engine which looks to have a few but less significant problems. 

In summary, the frame has been broken in to its 4 pieces, 5 if you include the swing arm, 2 rather large chassis dings have been filled with braze and taken back, number board mounts have been reinstated to the left subframe diagonal, brake pedal has been straightened up and the toe pad brazed back on (it was holding on by its finger nails). The brake pivot post straightened and re-drilled for the brake lever retaining bolt, someone had welded a washer in place to keep the lever on the pivot. New rear guard mounting brackets have been fitted and the left foot rest straightened up. The right hand foot rest doesn’t belong to this bike so we are trying to source the correct item currently. We have also reinstated a deflector bar that has been lost at some point.

On our travels…

Monday’s are a good day for the staff here at Bridge Classic Cars. In theory, Monday is a day where the technicians are not required to work. You see, we work a four day week here, Tuesday to Friday with the team being able to enjoy a three day weekend; Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Having said that, a lot of the team choose to work Monday’s so they can get a lot of their projects pushed forward.

For other’s it’s a day to spend with the family. Going out and about in Suffolk. It’s normally a day we get to capture some of the incredible sights of Suffolk and the fantastic cars also out enjoying a Monday off…

Here we are in Felixstowe where we spotted this stunning Ferrari.

And then, we captured the little MG enjoying a spot of lunch in Rendlesham.

1956 Ford Consul: Body Repairs Complete

The body work repair is now complete on our 1956 Ford Consul. The corroded areas have been cut out and replaced with new metalwork. Next stage will be to get the car up and running and mechanically sound before heading into our paint shops to be prepared and painted.

We will also be manufacturing a new carpet set whilst here before returning the car back to the owner to be completed.

BMW Car Magazine – May 2019

Today, we welcomed BMW Car Magazine to Bridge Classic Cars to photograph for an upcoming feature on our 1973 BMW 2002 Targa.

Unfortunately due to copyright restrictions we are unable to show you the full photo shoot until the magazine has been published but it was fantastic to have them here and see their photographer Matt Woods in action.

Automotive Photographer Matt Woods is based here in East Anglia and has been a professional photographer for more than 16 years. matt has built a reputation for exceeding client expectations and has been commissioned by leading brands and magazines around the world.

We are desperate to show some of his work on our car so hopefully it won’t be too long until the magazine feature gets released…

Priming our E-Type bodyshell

Prostrip automotive restoration specialise in removing paint, rust and other contaminants from all types of vehicles and substrates involving steel and aluminium, ranging from classic cars to vintage motorcycles. Their vast in-house facility ensures they have the correct and most cost effective process to suit your application.

Prostrip Ltd. Has developed Phos-Strip™ a chemical dip process for the removal of paint, rust and under seal from complete car shells or individual panels. Its chemical formulation strips away contaminants from all internal and external areas.

Our 1967 Jaguar E-Type body shell has now been through the Prostrip treatment.

We’ll now apply primer to the exposed shell to prolong any deterioration whilst we store the shell ready for the restoration to commence.