[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]All of the chrome and bright work has been completely removed from the car and gathered together ready for assessment. A lot of the items
As we wait for the final touches to be made to the body preparation, Tommy has turned his attentions to rebuilding the front and rear
Marriage of the rebuilt limited slip diff to the rear axle cradle, ready for the installation of the new discs and calipers.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In recent months we’ve been reporting lots on the Bridge Classic Cars team working on bodywork preparation. With four separate Jaguar E-Type projects in their
The 4 speed gearbox is now ready to be taken over to Last Transmissions in Newbourne to be stripped down and completed overhauled ready to be
The rear differential has now been stripped, cleaned and repaired. All of the bearings have been replaced with a full set of new. We have
The half-shafts are now in our paintshop being stripped, prepared and painted. The red will go and they’ll be refinished in satin black.
Our ‘ready to fit’ shelves are starting to fill up as the front suspension components return from our painters.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This morning, we took delivery of the rear suspension’s larger components from Scott at B&R Bodyworks in Gt Blakenham. The smaller items we blast ourselves
With the suspension components and front frame now away being sandblasting Asa has been preparing the shell for cleaning.
With the front and rear suspension now removed and organised, it’s now time for us to blast all of the components separately. Once the parts
Our 1966 Jaguar E-Type shell is now completely stripped of all removable components. Before we can proceed with the blasting process or chemical immersion clean
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With the engine now running and removed, it’s time for the project to begin! And it didn’t take the team long to discover the enormity of
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Worked is now well underway getting our 1967 Jaguar E-Type stripped bare ready for the bodywork repairs to be assessed.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”6613,6614,6615,6616,6617,6630,6631,6632,6633,6634,6608,6607,6606,6605,6604,6603,6602,6601,6600,6599,6598,6597,6596,6595,6594,6593,6592,6591″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We are excited to announce that this week saw the start of our next big restoration project, our 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1. As John
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It was a 5:30am on Saturday morning. We were all present and on time at Bridge Classic Cars HQ ready for the long trek up to Holmesfield,
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]All of the chrome and bright work has been completely removed from the car and gathered together ready for assessment.
A lot of the items can be replaced with new, however some components are better to have re chromed, to keep the originality. Others are very difficult or very expensive to source new.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”10399,10400,10401,10402,10403,10404,10405,10406,10407,10408,10409,10410,10411,10412″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
As we wait for the final touches to be made to the body preparation, Tommy has turned his attentions to rebuilding the front and rear suspension components.
The original Dunlop calipers were removed and handed over to specialists at Past Parts in Bury St Edmunds who have cleaned them down, tested and rebuilt them.
Marriage of the rebuilt limited slip diff to the rear axle cradle, ready for the installation of the new discs and calipers.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In recent months we’ve been reporting lots on the Bridge Classic Cars team working on bodywork preparation.
With four separate Jaguar E-Type projects in their various stages of undress, the Jensen prototype and the MG-YT all requiring lots of bodywork attention it has been non stop in our workshops, and it’s been harder for us to keep on top of the workshop cleanliness.
For anyone who has been to our workshops on Deben Road in Ipswich you’ll see just how particular the team are on keeping the workshops spotless. With porcelain tiles and glass walls every spec of dirt and grime can be seen and we try to irradiate that as best we can! Having said that, when you have a workshop full of cars with metal being cut out, lots of welding being done and panels being replaced all over the shop it’s inevitable that it can not stay as spotless as we would like.
But more important than that is progress, we love progress…
The bodywork of our 1967 Jaguar E-Type was undoubtedly one of our biggest tasks to undertake but things are really starting to take shape. Here you can see the car when it arrived to us.
That’s not a pretty yellow ribbon by the way!
Here we have John starting to remove the Chevy engine ready for the big task to begin.
But here we are, a few months on. The body is really starting to take shape. The body has undergone some serious surgery but now we have a completely transformed car.
As you can see, we are not finished yet but you can already see a vast improvement. All of the rotten areas have now been completely removed and replaced with new. Now that the panels have been fitted we have been able to fully access what panels been to be replaced. Various panels have now been fabricated and we are in the process of fitting up once again.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”9720,9721,9722,9723,9724,9725,9726,9727,9728,9729,9730,9731,9732,9733,9734,9735,9736,9737,9738,9739,9740,9741,9742,9743,9744,9745,9746,9747,9748,9749,9750,9751,9752,9753,9754,9755,9756,9757,9758,9759″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
The 4 speed gearbox is now ready to be taken over to Last Transmissions in Newbourne to be stripped down and completed overhauled ready to be fitted to our restoration.
The rear differential has now been stripped, cleaned and repaired. All of the bearings have been replaced with a full set of new. We have completely re-shimmed the differential and re-machined all seals surfaces. The gaskets and seals have been replaced and the differential has been completely rebuilt.
Next job is to repaint the unit before it can be refitted back to the cage.
The half-shafts are now in our paintshop being stripped, prepared and painted. The red will go and they’ll be refinished in satin black.
Our ‘ready to fit’ shelves are starting to fill up as the front suspension components return from our painters.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This morning, we took delivery of the rear suspension’s larger components from Scott at B&R Bodyworks in Gt Blakenham.
The smaller items we blast ourselves in-house but the larger and less delicate components are taken to one of our many blasting contacts. Rather than having blast cabinets they have rooms dedicated to blasting and let’s face it, they are the experts in their field.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”7334,7333,7332,7331,7329,7328,7327,7326″ title=”Before”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”7469,7470,7471,7472,7473,7474″ title=”After”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
With the suspension components and front frame now away being sandblasting Asa has been preparing the shell for cleaning.
With the front and rear suspension now removed and organised, it’s now time for us to blast all of the components separately. Once the parts are all blasted and cleaned up, they’ll be re-prepared ready fitting back together.
Our 1966 Jaguar E-Type shell is now completely stripped of all removable components. Before we can proceed with the blasting process or chemical immersion clean we firstly need to strengthen the frail body shell to prevent any further weakness’ appearing.
The cleaning process is a fantastic method for removing all debris, rust, dirt and any fillers that have been applied to the vehicle over it’s lifetime. As the process is very tough and our body shell is relative weak in it’s current state Asa has built a bespoke strengthening frame that he has attached internally to the shell. This will prevent any weakness’ getting any worse.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With the engine now running and removed, it’s time for the project to begin!
And it didn’t take the team long to discover the enormity of the task in hand. Our black 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 is, without a doubt, one of our biggest projects to date.
But what a fantastically busy day we’ve had.
The car is well into being stripped, the axles have been removed ready to be stripped and we’ll soon be ready for Asa to step in to assess the bodywork, remove as much of the body waste as possible and get her ready for sandblasting.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”6727,6728,6729,6730,6731,6732,6733,6734,6735,6736,6737,6738,6739,6740,6741,6742,6743,6744,6745,6746,6747″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Worked is now well underway getting our 1967 Jaguar E-Type stripped bare ready for the bodywork repairs to be assessed.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”6613,6614,6615,6616,6617,6630,6631,6632,6633,6634,6608,6607,6606,6605,6604,6603,6602,6601,6600,6599,6598,6597,6596,6595,6594,6593,6592,6591″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We are excited to announce that this week saw the start of our next big restoration project, our 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.
As John was busy stripping the E-Type bare, our engine man Mark decided to see whether he could get it running, from first impression you’d think this was an almost impossible task. How could something that has been sitting around for so many years possibly start and run?
…enter Mark and John!
First he checked all of electrics to ensure that they were safe to power up.
Then, (and these are his words) he used the skills he gained as a teenager to break into the ignition lock so he could get it to crank.
The next task was to test for a spark.
John then downed his tools for a few minutes and helped Mark build a temporary fuel tank so they could fill the carbs with fuel.
A few minor adjustments and she burst into life!
At first, she didn’t run very well which was kind of expected so mark pulled the carbs apart, cleaned all of the rubbish and gunk out and started her up once more.
We now have a running engine…it won’t be staying in the car but it’s still great to see something this neglected jump back into life.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86y8wMDzH1Y”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”6592,6593,6594,6595,6596,6597,6598,6599,6600,6601,6602,6603,6604,6605,6606,6607,6608,6591″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It was a 5:30am on Saturday morning. We were all present and on time at Bridge Classic Cars HQ ready for the long trek up to Holmesfield, just outside Chesterfield. Gordon was the designated driver, which meant the rest of us were free to snooze!
Heading up there, the journey was fairly uneventful, very pleasant in fact. Perhaps the narrow roads and stunning views would’ve been appreciated much more if the van didn’t have a trailer stuck on the back of it but none-the-less we got there in one piece and as we turned the corner, there she was, hiding underneath a sheet in the front garden.
She’d come all the way from Jacksonville, Florida to a little village, just outside Chesterfield and now she’s on her way to sunny Suffolk with us to be brought back to life and enjoyed for many years to come.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”3133,3135,3137,3139,3141,3142,3143,3145,3146,3147,3148,3149,3150,3151,3152,3153,3154″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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.
