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January 14, 2022

State of Play – Close Up on the Wings of the 1951 Riley RMB

January 14, 2022

Our master fabricator here at Bridge Classic Cars, Clinton, has sent through some close-up and detailed photos of the wings of the 1951 Riley RMB to illustrate the state of the panels before our teams begin working on them.

The level of corrosion and warpage on the original pieces is clear to see in the photos and takes a highly skilled and talented fabrication specialist to get the metal to be in the right shape and fitment. This is a photo of a single piece from the 1951 Riley RMB to highlight just how much work goes into each and every restoration that comes through the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop.

Next Floor Up – Repairing the Floor and Tunnel on the 1987 Daimler Double Six

January 14, 2022

Our in-house fabricator, Monty, is continuing his work on getting all of the affected metalwork out of the 1987 Daimler Double Six which is in with Bridge Classic Cars for restoration.

On this update, Monty has been working on a section of the passenger footwell and bottom of the gearbox tunnel. As you see from the first photo, it had become heavily pitted and corroded. So, Monty began the task of precisely removing it from the car in order to use it as a template for a series of replacement pieces he would need to make for the car.

After cutting the pieces out on the bench, Monty could then begin putting them into the car piece by piece to ensure the best fit with the most minimal amount of original material removed as possible but also ensuring it was strong and secure.

With this section of the 1987 Daimler Double Six completed, Monty can now move onto the next area of the car.

Rearward – Fitting Up the New Rear Seat Cover to the Base of the 1956 Jensen 541

January 14, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop has made every piece of the interior for our Jensen 541’s by hand. And the 1956 Jensen 541 we have in for restoration is the next car in that line of bespoke interiors.

Brian and Lydia have been working together to get the rear seat finished for this amazing project. In the last update, Lydia had finished making the new seat cover entirely by hand and bespoke for this particular car. Now, Brian has made the new seat base and foams for the car. Again, these are unique and bespoke for the car to ensure the best fit and finish for the final product.

The interior of this particular 1956 Jensen 541 is going to look absolutely phenomenal when it’s finished and we cannot wait to show you.

Closing In on Perfection – Working on the Bonnet of the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk1

January 14, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint team have been hell-bent on achieving perfection for the bonnet of the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk1 that is in with ourselves for full restoration.

Alan, one of our incredibly talented painters and bodywork specialists, has spent hours perfecting every line and curve on the single-piece clamshell that makes up the whole front end of the classic Aston Martin.

This piece is crucial because it is one single piece and has no adjustment as you would do with a front end made of several pieces. So, each of the body lines and curves must sit perfectly with the rest of the body which is in our workshop with Scott, one of our restoration technicians.

So, Alan has been meticulous working on sections to get them perfect.

Starting Up – Beginning Work on the 1905 Riley 9HP

January 14, 2022

Bridge Classic Cars has the honour of beginning the restoration on this incredible 1905 Riley 9HP, believed to be one of just three remaining in the world. Our in-house restoration teams have this once in a lifetime opportunity to work on this amazing project.

The rebuild and assessment of the project will be headed up by our most experienced technician, Dave. Daves wealth of knowledge and experience across all eras of classic and vintage cars makes him our strongest team member to assess the car. Using reference photos from our visit to the National Motor Museum, which houses the only complete car publicly accessible, Dave and Gordon could begin to go through the parts and components we have amassed for this very special project.

It’s a very exciting prospect of working on such a rare and unique piece of automotive history for us all here at Bridge Classic Cars. So, expect to see some more updates on the 1905 Riley 9HP soon here on the Bridge Classic Cars newspage.

Progression – Working on the Wings of the 1951 Riley RMB

January 14, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house fabrication shop is working on the wings for the 1951 Riley RMB that we have in for restoration by our amazing teams.

The car is currently with our incredible fabricator Clinton, who has been working on repairing the wings for the classic Riley. He has carefully removed rusty or corroded sections of the wing of the Riley in order to repair them and thanks to his skill and talent, completely disappear into the existing metal.

The new pieces have been entirely hand-formed by Clinton in cour in-house fabrication shop for the Riley RMB using traditional techniques and practices. As you can see, the results are absolutely fantastic.

Clear Out – Rebuilding the Carburettors of the 1959 MGA Twin-Cam

January 14, 2022

The 1959 MGA Twin-Cam that is currently in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in our Pettistree, Suffolk HQ isn’t running quite right. So, our incredible team of in-house technicians have been working on the beautiful light blue sports car.

Jon, one of our in-house restoration technicians, has been working on the car along with our other John (workshop Manager). During the inspection and assessment of the car, John noted that there was a misfire when the engine was under load. It was time to look into the issue.

Jon, as a matter course, decided to check the carburettors on the MGA. These aren’t the easiest to get out of a Twin-Cam due to the two large banks on the cylinder heads. Finally, Jon managed to release the set of carburettors from the engine bay and get them onto the workbench. After carefully pulling the units apart, he found quite a few valves and galleys to be full of sediment and sludge. So, with new rebuild kits in hand, Jon began the process of carefully clearing and cleaning each of the carburettors ready to put them back together and back on the car.

Once he had cleared out any form of dirt or sediment from every part of the carburettors, Jon put them back together on the bench. With these carburettors, there is a very specific way of putting them back onto the car. The top bolts for the carbs to fix to the manifold have to be put in off the car or else it is a nightmare to get them in the designated holes. Once the top bolts were in place with their nuts in place behind the flange on the manifold, Jon could use the inspection cover in the front wheel well to get the bottom bolts onto the carburettors.

Now that the units are back on the car, it can be roadtested by John, our workshop manager, to see if the misfire has been cured.

Behind the Scenes – Live Draw of the 1972 Triumph Spitfire and REC Spitfire Watch

January 14, 2022

Bridge Classic Cars Competitions has given another lucky winner the chance to own their dream classic car. On the 13th of January 2022 on our Facebook page. The winner was announced live for all to see.

We began the live draw in our brand new workshop extension at our Suffolk HQ. A gleaming white and spacious setting to best show off the cars we will be bringing you very soon and maybe some special pieces we have in our workshop. As Hayley welcomed everyone joining us across the internet, the cars were laid out for everyone to see. Our 1964 Triumph TR4, the 1972 Triumph Spitfire and the gorgeous Aztec Gold 1976 Mercedes 350SL.

Also, in the new extension was something very special we have in at Bridge Classic Cars. The 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10. We wanted to give all of our followers a look around the car which is such a rare sight here in the UK, we need to show everyone.

Then, Craig showed everyone watching along around our restoration workshop. Projects we are working on for our amazing clients and also preparing the upcoming competition cars which hide amongst the other cars. We showed off some of our most incredible projects such as Fern Grey, the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster, and the ground-up restoration of the 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk1 which is also being worked on in the workshop.

But, it was time for the main event. Finding out whose Thursday night was about to get a lot better. First up was the REC Spitfire Watch, which thanks to the random number generator, was won by ticket 448. This ticket had been bought by Barry Marshall who will soon be receiving his incredible limited edition REC Watch. Finally, it was time for the big one. All of us discovering who was the lucky new owner of the 1972 Triumph Spitfire. As the number generator was reset, the comments began to flow in. Wishing each other luck and letting us know the stream was fully working and clear. Then, Hayley put in the numbers to be chosen between. And with the click of a single button, the fate of the Spitfire was sealed. It was now the pride and joy of Phil Holland, who had bought ticket 126.

As Hayley rang him, you could hear the excitement and surprise in his voice. He had owned a Spitfire in his younger days and couldn’t wait to relive those memories in his new Spitfire.

You can rewatch the live draw and the walkaround by clicking the link below!

Click here to rewatch the live draw of the 1972 Triumph Spitfire and REC Spitfire Watch

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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