Happy 60th Birthday Little MG A
June 18, 2021
Our 1960 MG A’s owner got in touch to tell us that it’s his classic’s 60th birthday, marking 60 years since it was first registered.
News
E-Type Into The Paint Booth
June 18, 2021
The body of our 1973 Jaguar Series 3 Roadster has made its way to our paint shop to start on the colour prep which includes
Last Night’s Live: The Results And BTS
June 18, 2021
Take a look at the Behind The Scenes (BTS) of last night’s live draw. Congratulations to Kevin Collett who won our Ford Anglia.
Bentley Continental’s New Seats
June 17, 2021
Lydia has been working on re-doing the seats on a Bentley Continental. She’s totally recovered them with new leather which she fitted after testing her
Behind The Scenes: Mercedes CL 600
June 17, 2021
The team headed over to Bentwaters recently to shot our Mercedes CL600, our recent competition car. Although an overcast day, the lighting was perfect to
Amphicar’s Gearbox Out Again
June 17, 2021
The gearbox has been crunching in our 1965 Amphicar so we’ve removed it to try and address the issues with the syncro-mesh when changing down
Aston’s New Steering Solution
June 17, 2021
Paul has been working on Craig’s 2005 Aston Martin DB9 which recently showed some severe signs in its power steering. The bushings had been wearing
XJS’s New Brakes
June 17, 2021
Our 1989 Jaguar XJS that has recently been finished is currently undergoing a pre-delivery inspection during which we’ve discovered it needs new brakes.
Chevvy On The Waiting List
June 17, 2021
We’ve got this fantastic 1957 3600 Chevrolet Truck in for a new clutch however we’re currently waiting on the parts to arrive. So until then,
Bristol’s New Exhaust
June 17, 2021
Mauro has been working on our 1973 Bristol which has had its exhaust manifold refacing due to leaking. He’s also added new spark plugs.
Ford Model T’s Custom Battery Box
June 17, 2021
We’ve also created a cover for the battery box on our 1915 Ford Model T. Brian put together the foam and leather, and then added
Barn Find E-Type’s Engine Re-works
June 17, 2021
Ady has been working on our 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5 Coupe. He’s taken the clutch mater cylinder off, identified that the pipe on the
Fiat 500 In The All Clear
June 17, 2021
Our Fiat 500 has passed in MOT with flying colours and has now been completed and awaiting collection. We’re delighted to see this little Italian
Triumph Dolomite’s Refurbishment
June 17, 2021
John recently completed the work on our Triumph Dolomite as the wheel cylinders were leaking and ceased, he replaced the dynamo, and then took apart
DB2/4 Paint Stripped
June 17, 2021
We’ve pulled in the helpful hands of Kath and Lydia to tackle the paint stripping on our Aston martin DB2/4 Mark I. Normally found in
Morgan 4/4 Arrival
June 17, 2021
This 1992 Morgan 4/4 has come in for a service and some amends such as a new exhaust, brakes to be checked, drain oil out
Jaguar E-Type Roadster Making Progress
June 17, 2021
Brian has been working on adding headrest brackets onto the seats by adding the chrome trim. He’s stapled the bottom of the frame, cut holes
Austin Mini Back Seats Completed
June 17, 2021
Our elusive 1989 Austin Mini has had its back seats completed. The mini itself is set to be in soon. Kath has been working on
Range Rover’s Stopping Starter Motor
June 17, 2021
Our lovely 1971 Range Rover Classic has come back in after a breakdown due to an issue with the starter motor. John, our head technician
Breaking Down The Problem
June 17, 2021
Scott has begun to take apart the brakes on our 1934 Riley Monaco to determine the issue. He’s stripped the brakes down and checked them
Riley Monaco In For Squeaky Brakes
June 17, 2021
This 1934 Riley Monaco has come in to address the squeaking brakes, which are making rather severe noises. We’ll start taking them apart to see
1997 TVR Chimaera Hood Repair
June 17, 2021
An enquiry has come in to repair the clear screen in the hood of a 1997 TVR Chimaera. Unfortunately this is not an easy job
1951 Riley Disassembly
June 17, 2021
We’ve started on the restoration on our Riley which is in for body refurbishment and paint. Currently the fabrication bay have taken the body from
Behind The Scenes – Helmingham Hall Live
June 17, 2021
We did an impromptu live at Helmingham Hall where we gave our viewers another peak at our 1989 Jaguar XJS and 1996 Mercedes CL 500
A Happy Winner: 1963 MGB Roadster
June 16, 2021
Congratulations to Chris Witherspoon who recently won our 1963 Iris Blue MGB Roadster with his lucky ticket number 1341! Almost as if it were fate,
Jaguar E-Type Still Has Its Roar
June 15, 2021
Our dusty barn find Jaguar E-type 1.5 coupe has been cleaned and started, and we’re delighted to discover it still has its roar intact. It
Stag Awaits Parts
June 15, 2021
Our 1973 Triumph Stag is awaiting parts such as wipers and a bumper before it can be reassembled.
TR5 Fine Tuning
June 15, 2021
Our 1968 Triumph TR5 is on the home straight with just a handful of fine tuning tweaks that need to be carried out. We’ve noticed
1960 Morris Minor’s Bump
June 15, 2021
This charming 1960 Morris Minor has come in to attend to a major bump and dent on its rear wheel arch. This classic unfortunately got
DB9 Aston Martin Seats Recovered
June 14, 2021
Kath has been recovering the seats in Craig’s Aston Martin DB9 which were looking worn and in need of sprucing up. They have now been
Happy 60th Birthday Little MG A
June 18, 2021
Our 1960 MG A’s owner got in touch to tell us that it’s his classic’s 60th birthday, marking 60 years since it was first registered. Happy birthday MG A!
E-Type Into The Paint Booth
June 18, 2021
The body of our 1973 Jaguar Series 3 Roadster has made its way to our paint shop to start on the colour prep which includes coating it in epoxy primer. You can see the before and after video below.
Brian has also been fitting the second squab cover to the frame. He’s pulled the cover over the frame and stapled the front section to the bottom of the frame. Brian then stapled the rear flap to the bottom of the frame, fitted the brackets to the base of the seat, cut holes in the sides for the brackets to fit into and then bolting the squab to the base of the seat.
He then moved onto fitting the headrest stalk to the new headrest foam, fit the cover to the foam and stapled the cover to the headrest stalk. Brian then glued the vinyl to the headrest plates and screwed the headrest plates to the headrests.
Last Night’s Live: The Results And BTS
June 18, 2021
Congratulations to Kevin Collett who won our 1959 Ford Anglia with his lucky ticket number 2709! Kevin is now the proud owner of a quirky little Ford Anglia and we wish him many happy miles in it!
Take a look behind the scenes on last night’s live as Charlotte talked about the Ford Anglia and our Mercedes CL 600 which is still up for grabs, she introduced the Jaguar MK1 and teased with a yellow VW T2 Campervan!
Bentley Continental’s New Seats
June 17, 2021
Lydia has been working on re-doing the seats on a Bentley Continental. She’s totally recovered them with new leather which she fitted after testing her template patterns. After many weeks of sewing, gluing, measuring, testing, fluting, adding calico and piping, the seats are now finished.
Behind The Scenes: Mercedes CL 600
June 17, 2021
The team headed over to Bentwaters recently to shot our Mercedes CL600, our recent competition car. Although an overcast day, the lighting was perfect to capture the sheer light interior trim which contrasts with the mahogany beautifully. The paint, which is a subtle pale blue silver, sparkled under the light.
Amphicar’s Gearbox Out Again
June 17, 2021
The gearbox has been crunching in our 1965 Amphicar so we’ve removed it to try and address the issues with the syncro-mesh when changing down gears.
Aston’s New Steering Solution
June 17, 2021
Paul has been working on Craig’s 2005 Aston Martin DB9 which recently showed some severe signs in its power steering. The bushings had been wearing on one side, showing that the power steering mechanism had been sitting unevenly. We are now endeavouring to solve this by replacing the bushings and bearings.
XJS’s New Brakes
June 17, 2021
Our 1989 Jaguar XJS that has recently been finished is currently undergoing a pre-delivery inspection during which we’ve discovered it needs new brakes.
Chevvy On The Waiting List
June 17, 2021
We’ve got this fantastic 1957 3600 Chevrolet Truck in for a new clutch however we’re currently waiting on the parts to arrive. So until then, its on show sat on the ramp.
Bristol’s New Exhaust
June 17, 2021
Mauro has been working on our 1973 Bristol which has had its exhaust manifold refacing due to leaking. He’s also added new spark plugs.
Ford Model T’s Custom Battery Box
June 17, 2021
We’ve also created a cover for the battery box on our 1915 Ford Model T. Brian put together the foam and leather, and then added the buttons with make this beautiful dimpled effect.
Barn Find E-Type’s Engine Re-works
June 17, 2021
Ady has been working on our 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5 Coupe. He’s taken the clutch mater cylinder off, identified that the pipe on the radiator needs re-soldering, the radiator needs reconditioning, the servo needs to be replaced, and both front callipers have been stripped, cleaned and put back on. Ady has also discovered the the near side rear calliper is leaking on the E-Type too.
The clutch slave cylinder and flexi pipe have been renewed, new fuel pump has been fitted and the carv fuel bowels have been cleaned out.
Fiat 500 In The All Clear
June 17, 2021
Our Fiat 500 has passed in MOT with flying colours and has now been completed and awaiting collection. We’re delighted to see this little Italian Fiat back on the road.
Triumph Dolomite’s Refurbishment
June 17, 2021
John recently completed the work on our Triumph Dolomite as the wheel cylinders were leaking and ceased, he replaced the dynamo, and then took apart the brakes to be refurbished.
DB2/4 Paint Stripped
June 17, 2021
We’ve pulled in the helpful hands of Kath and Lydia to tackle the paint stripping on our Aston martin DB2/4 Mark I. Normally found in the trim shop, Kath and Lydia have been showing off their ability to jump between disciplines. Using a rough pads, Lydia and Kath have been scraping off all the paint.
They started by masking up all the open places on the car where chemicals could potentially drip through. They then used blades to scratch the surface to help the nitromors paint stripper work in better. The next step was to apply paint stripper onto the roof of the car which was then covered with plastic while it worked itself into the paint. They did the same on the sides and then scraped the paint off. Once the team got down to the red oxide, they could use thinners to scrub the rest of the paint off the car.
Now that its done, the car is sat in its original bare metal and its ready for the next stage.
Morgan 4/4 Arrival
June 17, 2021
This 1992 Morgan 4/4 has come in for a service and some amends such as a new exhaust, brakes to be checked, drain oil out of the differential, lubricate parts and address a bottom hose leak.
Jaguar E-Type Roadster Making Progress
June 17, 2021
Brian has been working on adding headrest brackets onto the seats by adding the chrome trim. He’s stapled the bottom of the frame, cut holes for the brakes and fitted them.
The fabrication bay have also completed stripping the body to bare metal so that its now ready for paint prep.
Chris has begun coating panels and parts in to epoxy primer in preparation for colour.
Austin Mini Back Seats Completed
June 17, 2021
Our elusive 1989 Austin Mini has had its back seats completed. The mini itself is set to be in soon. Kath has been working on refurbishing the back seats. She’s added pipping and a skirt around the edges and then fit the cover over the foam base. She then sewed up the cover for the squab and taken off the rust from the wire frame. She added in 12mm of scrim foam on the front and 3mm on the back. After gluing the foam to the frame, Kath then cut out the pipping, back flap and side skirt. After fitting new foam and the new cover on, Kath could sew up the final pieces.
Range Rover’s Stopping Starter Motor
June 17, 2021
Our lovely 1971 Range Rover Classic has come back in after a breakdown due to an issue with the starter motor. John, our head technician has been working on trying to understand the issue. He’s set to replace the starter motor fitted due to a failure of the old starter motor solenoid not engaging. It was not repairable so a new replacement has been found.
Breaking Down The Problem
June 17, 2021
Scott has begun to take apart the brakes on our 1934 Riley Monaco to determine the issue. He’s stripped the brakes down and checked them over, cleaned and greased them. He discovered that they still squeaked, so he filed the leading edge of the shoes to a chamfered edge. Unfortunately, Scott found that the squeaking still persisted so he decided the squeaking must be due to when the shoes were relined, the material used was too hard. The brakes are set to be sent away to be relined again.
Scott has also made up a block to go on the clutch pedal to make it easier for the owner to use the clutch.
Riley Monaco In For Squeaky Brakes
June 17, 2021
This 1934 Riley Monaco has come in to address the squeaking brakes, which are making rather severe noises. We’ll start taking them apart to see what the issue is.
1997 TVR Chimaera Hood Repair
June 17, 2021
An enquiry has come in to repair the clear screen in the hood of a 1997 TVR Chimaera. Unfortunately this is not an easy job and therefore means could be quite costly in time and labour.
The best and most effective option on this occasion is to fit a new hood that is pre-made.
This may be the route the owner opts to choose at a later date. We will wait to hear and hopefully look forward to seeing this stunner in our trimshop sometime in the future.
1951 Riley Disassembly
June 17, 2021
We’ve started on the restoration on our Riley which is in for body refurbishment and paint. Currently the fabrication bay have taken the body from the chassis and started to strip the wooden frame. Once everything has been stripped and refurbished, we will then endeavour to repaint the body.
Behind The Scenes – Helmingham Hall Live
June 17, 2021
We did an impromptu live at Helmingham Hall where we gave our viewers another peak at our 1989 Jaguar XJS and 1996 Mercedes CL 500 which were won just a few days later by two lucky winners.
Helmingham hall set as the perfect backdrop to our video and gave us the chance to not only show you the two cars again, but also glimpse a behind the scenes at Ellie photographing our upcoming 1959 Jaguar MK1.
You can take a look at all our shots from the shoot here as well as some portraits of Charlotte:
A Happy Winner: 1963 MGB Roadster
June 16, 2021
Congratulations to Chris Witherspoon who recently won our 1963 Iris Blue MGB Roadster with his lucky ticket number 1341!
Almost as if it were fate, Chris tells us that he saw the MGB drive past his house just before the live draw, and as it turned out, he was the lucky winner! We’re delighted to see it go to someone who plans to cherish it and enjoy it. What a perfect summer car! We’re told that Chris has already bought lots of extras for the car and explained to us that he’d been looking to buy a summer convertible anway – what perfect timing!
At the hand over, Chris told us that he’d never won anything in his life. We can’t think of a better ‘first win’ to have!
An overwhelmed and excited Chris also told us that he aims to drive his daughter to her wedding in the car and we can’t think of a better wedding vehicle than our little blue MGB!
We wish you many happy miles in your new classic, Chris.
Jaguar E-Type Still Has Its Roar
June 15, 2021
Our dusty barn find Jaguar E-type 1.5 coupe has been cleaned and started, and we’re delighted to discover it still has its roar intact. It started up with little trouble. We can now start to assess what needs to be done and compile a list of amends for the client.
Stag Awaits Parts
June 15, 2021
Our 1973 Triumph Stag is awaiting parts such as wipers and a bumper before it can be reassembled.
TR5 Fine Tuning
June 15, 2021
Our 1968 Triumph TR5 is on the home straight with just a handful of fine tuning tweaks that need to be carried out. We’ve noticed a few small running issues and exhaust troubles that we will address next.
1960 Morris Minor’s Bump
June 15, 2021
This charming 1960 Morris Minor has come in to attend to a major bump and dent on its rear wheel arch. This classic unfortunately got his by another car that pushed it into the curb and bent the wheel on the other side too.
We sold this Morris a few years ago, and whilst its sad to see it back in this condition, its nice to have it under our roof and in the safe hands of our technicians.
We’ll need to address the damage to see how we will attempt to fix it.
DB9 Aston Martin Seats Recovered
June 14, 2021
Kath has been recovering the seats in Craig’s Aston Martin DB9 which were looking worn and in need of sprucing up. They have now been completed after a few weeks of hard work addressing the worn interior. When we took this project to a recent show, we presented the passenger seat (the only one finished at the time) next to the car, and it was lovingly nicknamed the ‘ejector seat’.
Kath begun by removing the cover slowly. Prior to this, the airbags had been disarmed by Aston Martin. She then unclipped the handle mechanism and removed the airbag. After removing the retainers from the inside of the metal frame, Kath could then remove the squab which was held in place with velcro. She then removed the switches and cable ties, and gently pulled the cover out from around the wire. Once all the components were taken out, Kath could mark up the leather for the new cover.
Kath then began to unpick the leather parts and puts the retainers to one side to use later. For each leather cover, Kath will unpick, draw around the parts and make new pieces based on those patterns. She adds in Velcro and the retainers as she begins to remake all the covers. Working through all the squabs, bases and backrests of both the passenger and driver’s seat, Kath also had to sew on new pockets and seatbelt covers. The process of each seat was the same however the process of doing both needed a keen eye for detail to ensure the sleek stiff leather fitted perfectly along with the switches and airbags.
During the renovation of the driver’s seat, Kath amended the exposed metal bar on the bolster base and repaired the holes in the foam bolster.
