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November 19, 2021

First Signs of Life – Firing Up the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

November 19, 2021

It’s Alive! The beautiful 5 litre V12 that sits at the heart of Fern Grey has cracked into life for the first time since its rebuild. This is a milestone for the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster that we have been building at Bridge Classic Cars.

The engine has been completely rebuilt but this was the first time it had been run since returning to our workshop and being installed in the nose of this unique, one of a kind E Type. The engine still has open headers so it sounds like an absolute animal whilst being run in the workshop with all those involved in the build to witness such a massive moment.

Scott and John have worked incredibly hard to get Fern Grey to this point and it was such a sight and sound to hear the engine run for the first time.

Class Act – Repairing the Drivers Seat on the 1968 Jaguar MkII 2.4

November 19, 2021

Brian has been working hard on the driver’s seat of the 1968 Jaguar MkII 2.4 that is in at Bridge Classic Cars.

One of the jobs we had been asked to do by the owner was to repair the back of the driver’s seat on this amazing classic Jaguar. The back of the red leather seat had begun to come loose from the frame. This isn’t a problem for our incredible in-house trim shop who removed the seat and began to strip everything back down.

Brian removed the original coverings of both the seat back and the side panels to use as a pattern for the new red leather covers. Our expert in-house trim team worked on wrapping the pieces in new leather and securing them to the original seat frame.

As you can see, the results are phenomenal.

Moving Forward – The 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster Gets Closer to the End

November 19, 2021

Our in-house restoration technicians have been hard at work on Fern Grey, the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster, which is being built and restored in-house by Bridge Classic Cars here in Suffolk.

Whilst John, our workshop manager, has been working on getting all of the wiring on the E Type preparing it for its first fire up. Our other technician Paul has been working alongside Scott to begin to fit the brightwork and body trim back onto this stunning Fern Grey Jaguar.

One of the big bits of the update is that the fuel tank is now in the car and wired/plumbed up also in preparation for the first fire up of that newly built 5 litre V12.

Expect to see a lot more very soon as parts of Fern Grey are in multiple departments here at Bridge Classic Cars currently so keep an eye here on the Bridge Classic Cars blog.

Beneath the Skin – Preparing the 1977 MGB Roadster for its New Panels

November 19, 2021

This 1977 MGB Roadster is in at Bridge Classic Cars for restoration. With the body panels in the paint shop and the interior in the trim shop, Scott bought the rolling shell into the main workshop to begin preparing the shell for the new panels.

It begins with removing all the panel bonding material from underneath where the new pieces will sit. Also, this needs to be cleaned back to prepared with anti-corrosion coatings to protect the shell underneath. Carefully, inch by inch, Scott has been removing the coatings and also having to remove some areas of corrosion on the shell. It’s a slow and meticulous job but is crucial to have a successful restoration.

Expect to see more soon on the restoration of the MGB Roadster across all of our in-house restoration teams.

In the Woodwork – Ashbocking Joinery Working on the Doors of the 1951 Riley RMB

November 19, 2021

Some of the coachwork for the 1951 Riley RMB that is in with Bridge Classic Cars for restoration has been sent off to a local joinery specialist to be remade in brand new timber.

The wooden components of the Riley were in a bad way. Thankfully, Bridge Classic Cars have many local specialists around us. So, when the joinery for the car was ready to be sent away to be remade it went to Ashbocking Joinery here in Suffolk.

They have entirely remade sections of the bodywork of the Riley from scratch. Their work looks outstanding! It’s always amazing to see other trades with the same approach, care and passion for their craft as we have for restoring classic cars.

Lean In – Fixing the Armrest of the 1968 Jaguar MkII 2.4

November 19, 2021

This 1968 Jaguar MkII 2.4 is in with Bridge Classic Cars for our amazing in-house restoration teams to have a look and some work for its owner.

First is a trip to the trim shop where Brian has been working on fixing the drivers armrest. Brian carefully removed the door card from the car to take it into our trim shop and begin working on fixing the issues.

Brian got to work on carefully and methodically removing the old coverings, making sure not to cut or tear any of the original material so as to use it as a template for the new piece. Once the inner piece of the armrest was cleaned up and prepared, Brian could then begin making the new covering for the armrest itself.

Using the original piece for reference, Brian went through our leather stock to find the closest material in terms of colour and grain to the original. Once the hide had been selected then Brian could begin to transfer the templates and cover the armrest bolster with all new foam topping.

Finally, installed back onto the car it looks phenomenal.

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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