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1970 Bristol 411

2 Classics Go Home

March 22, 2023

Our 1986 Daimler DS420 and our 1970 Bristol 411 have left the Bridge Classic Cars workshop and are now on their way back to their

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Bristol 411 Progress

February 27, 2023

Classic car technician John has been working on getting our 1970 Bristol 411 running. A new air filter needed to be fitted, however, as the

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Exhaust Manifold

February 22, 2023

Our 1970 Bristol 411 has been in the very capable hands of classic car technician John. While working on this beautiful classic car, John prepared

Read More »

2 Classics Go Home

March 22, 2023

Our 1986 Daimler DS420 and our 1970 Bristol 411 have left the Bridge Classic Cars workshop and are now on their way back to their owner in the Netherlands.

Both cars have been completely transformed from how they looked when they first arrived with us and we are very excited to see them be reunited with their owner. The 1970 Bristol 411 was a right-hand drive vehicle before our team of classic car technicians converted it to a left-hand drive. Once converted it was rebuilt and eventually turned into the beautiful classic car you can see in the images below.

The 1986 Daimler DS420 originated in America before being brought to us. Since being in the workshop, its colour has changed from white to blue and various other issues have been resolved to get the car into the condition it leaves us in.

After a lot of time and effort, it is always great to see restored cars leaving the Bridge Classic Cars workshop and being returned to their owners.

We hope our customer enjoys their restored classics and we look forward to seeing them being driven on the roads in the Netherlands.

Bristol 411 Progress

February 27, 2023

Classic car technician John has been working on getting our 1970 Bristol 411 running.

A new air filter needed to be fitted, however, as the filter base plate has been modified, it fouled the throttle. To overcome this, John used the base plate from the original air filter and cut it down to the right size. He then drilled and located the breather elbow before painting the base plate black.

The modified base plate, breather connection, and filter were then all fitted and secured in the car.

John continues to work on our 1970 Bristol 411 and we are looking forward to progress continuing to be made on this beautiful classic car.

Exhaust Manifold

February 22, 2023

Our 1970 Bristol 411 has been in the very capable hands of classic car technician John.

While working on this beautiful classic car, John prepared the repaired offside exhaust manifold before fitting it back onto the car with new gaskets and bolts.

Once the manifold was fitted and secured, John ran the car up to temperature and checked for blow. Following the test run, he was pleased that everything was working as it should.

Work will continue on our 1970 Bristol 411 and we look forward to seeing its continued progress through the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.

Classic Car Technician In Action – 1970 Bristol 411

September 26, 2022

Our classic car technicians are always busy working on restoring classic cars.

Every now and again, we are able to get a few photos of them doing what they do best, and the below photos of Paul working on parts for our 1970 Bristol 411 are great examples of this.

A Repositioned Steering Arm For Improved Geometry – 1970 Bristol 411

September 22, 2022

Now that the 1970 Bristol 411 has been converted to a left-hand drive, our classic car technicians have repositioned the steering arm.

Doing this improves the steering geometry, which can make a big difference in how the finished car will drive when it is returned to its owner.

Repaired – Fixing the Stitching on the 1970 Bristol 411 Steering Wheel

August 30, 2022

The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the steering wheel of the 1970 Bristol 411 which is in our workshops.

The stitching on the backside of the steering wheel had come apart and begun to separate. So, the team have removed the steering wheel in order to pull the material back together and make it look as good as new for its owner.

Going Back Together – 1970 Bristol 411 Reassembly

July 28, 2022

The workshop at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ have begun the process of getting the interior of the 1970 Bristol 411 following its in-house LHD conversion.

The trim team recently installed the carpet set into the floor of the classic GT car, and from there the workshop team could start to put the seats and all other pieces into the car. Along with that, they can start to align all the panels as part of its aesthetic work and finish off getting the trims and wiring/plumbing routed in the engine bay.

Put Back – Dash Reassembled and Hoses Back in the 1970 Bristol 411

July 22, 2022

The 1970 Bristol 411 which is in with Bridge Classic Cars to have its left-hand drive conversion done has been worked on by the workshop to complete some of the smaller jobs.

The team have reassembled the dashboard with the various dials and switches fitted back into the wooden surround.

In the engine bay, the team have fit up several new hoses to the classic Bristols V8 engine. The first is the new power steering hoses for the PAS system as part of its left-hand drive conversion with a custom-made steering rack. The hoses for this were made by a local specialist company who we have a good relationship with and have all been properly tested before being fit to the car.

Next, the team could route the new radiator hoses. This were changed over as standard procedure and some small changes to routing due to the PAS system.

Finishing Touches – Final Dash Panels on the 1970 Bristol 411

July 20, 2022

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been fitting up the final trimmed panels onto the dash of the 1970 Bristol 411.

Brian, one of our in-house trimmers, has been up new dash ends and corners to go along with the leather trimmed panels which cap the bottom edge of the dashboard in the classic Bristol. Each of these pieces has been entirely made and trimmed by hand by the in-house team and now installed on the car.

Capped Off – New Dashboard Panels for the 1970 Bristol 411

July 19, 2022

The 1970 Bristol 411, which is in for a left-hand drive conversion by Bridge Classic Cars, has had its dashboard finished off by the in-house trim team.

The team have made new dashboard caps for the underside of the classic Bristol’s wood and leather dash. These were trimmed and shaped by Brian before being trimmed in matching black leather and fitted to the car. Also, the team have installed the glovebox light back into the car.

From the Inside – Painting the Battery Box on the 1970 Bristol 411

July 13, 2022

While the 1970 Bristol 411 was in the Bridge Classic Cars paint booth, the team finished off the painting jobs by finishing the battery box, hidden away in the inner wing.

The floor of the battery base had been replaced by the team previously as part of some corrosion repairs. This was then prepared and primed by the paint and body team, before being finished in deep hard wearing black to finish off its look.

Keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page very soon for more updates on the 1970 Bristol 411 very soon.

Underside – Painting the Sills on the 1970 Bristol 411

July 12, 2022

The 1970 Bristol 411 had some work done to repair some areas of corrosion on its sills. The Bridge Classic Cars team cut out any of the questionable areas and replaced them with hand-fabricated pieces which were then welded into the car.

Now, the whole car has moved in our in-house Paint Shop for the paint and body team to treat, prime and painted the sills on the classic GT car. The team were careful to mask off any areas where the paint was in perfect condition and only work on the bare metal areas.

Small Details – Fitting Pieces Back into the 1970 Bristol 411

July 6, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars workshop have been fitting back and wiring up some of the smaller features in the cabin of the 1970 Bristol 411.

The team have wired up the headlight switch on the floorboard of the classic GT car and all of its wiring carefully routed beneath the carpet set.

Then, the team could fit the beautiful wooden glovebox back into the dashboard

Stopping Power – Overhauling the Rear Brake Calipers on the 1970 Bristol 411

July 5, 2022

The 1970 Bristol 411, which is for restoration and left-hand drive conversion at Bridge Classic Cars, has had its rear brakes completely overhauled by the team in the workshop.

The technicians at our Suffolk HQ have completely gone through the rear callipers on the car before getting reinstalled back on the classic GT. After double checking the tolerances, the team confirmed everything would work on the classic Bristol.

In & Out – Fitting the Sound Deadening and Cabin Vents to the 1970 Bristol 411

June 29, 2022

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on the interior of the 1970 Bristol 411 which is in for its left-hand drive conversion.

The team have fit new original-style sound deadening into the floors and tunnel of the classic Bristol as part of the restoration side of the project. Also while fitting the sound deadening to the car, the team refurbished and refit the cabin vents which sit in the footwell kick panels.

Bound – Binding the Carpet Edges of the 1970 Bristol 411

June 24, 2022

The new carpet set for the 1968 Morris Minor Van has been taken up from the workshop to the trim shop in order for the team to finish off the pieces for the car.

Lydia, has taken the individual pieces which were made Brian to create the neat hand-bound edges which run all the way rough each carpet panel that make up the entire set. Now with these finished, they can go back down into the workshop to be installed into the car.

Full Set – Making the New Carpet Set for the 1970 Bristol 411

June 24, 2022

The trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on carefully removing the original carpets from the 1970 Bristol 411 in order to template replacement pieces as part of its restorative works.

Brian, one of our trimmers, has been removing the pieces from the classic GT in order to separate them into their basic parts for pattern making and to work out the plan of how they all lay into the cockpit of the car.

Once out, the original pieces are laid onto new carpeting and carefully cut, test fit and then bound before being put back into the car over the top of the replacement sound deadening material.

Underfoot – New Rear Carpets on the 1970 Bristol 411

June 20, 2022

The trim team have been working on making the brand new carpet set for the 1970 Bristol 411 which is in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop for light restorative work and left-hand drive conversion.

Brian, one of our trimmers, has carefully taken the carpet set under the rear seats out of the car and up to our in-house trim shop in order to template and remake the pieces.

After they had been cut out of new material, the pieces were taken back down to be fitted into the car. The carpet panels need to go into the car in a specific order to sit correctly and fit perfectly inside the cabin of the classic V8 British GT car.

Hard and Fast – Fitting the Bulkhead Cover to the 1970 Bristol 411

May 24, 2022

The interior trim team at Bridge Classic Cars have finished the brand-new bulkhead cover on the 1970 Bristol 411.

The team have handmade this piece to work alongside the work the restoration technicians have done as part of the car’s custom left-hand drive conversion. The edged bulkhead cover had to have its fasteners accurately placed onto the piece and then lined up with the pre-installed locks that hold the cover down.

In Place – Fitting the Oil Filter, Power Steering Pump and Servicing the Brakes on the 1970 Bristol 411

May 20, 2022

The workshop team have completed the next round of jobs on the classic Bristol 411 in for a left-hand drive conversion at Bridge Classic Cars.

The first stage was to mount the oil filter housing to the opposite side of the engine bay after the conversion. The team have made sure that each component will not interfere with each other and also have enough space to be able to be safely worked on during the service of the car in the future.

Then, the team have carried out the final test fit of the power steering pump to the engine of the classic Bristol using the specially fabricated brackets. These will be taken off the car and finished in matching black to the other bracketry in the engine bay.

Next up, the team will be performing a full brake service on the classic GT car with a full inspection of seals, lines and pistons.

Mounted – Securing the New Power Steering Pump on the 1970 Bristol 411

May 20, 2022

The restoration team in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop at our Suffolk HQ have begun to fix the position of the new Power Assisted Steering Pump as part of the carts left-hand drive conversion by our workshop.

With the pump in place, the team could begin to inspect and assess the areas around the pump to make sure that the all-important belt isn’t interfered with or is in the way of anything else. For this, the team have made a custom set of brackets to hold the pump on the engine and perfectly in line with the other pulleys which will drive it.

Continual development of our Bristol LHD conversion

May 19, 2022

More images have made their way over to Gary and the guys at Re-Go Autoparts as we continue with the development works on our 1970 Bristol 411. Faced with a lot of challenges so far, Gary has been paramount at assisting with our needs and working alongside us to achieve the desired outcome.

A brief history of Re-Go Autoparts – established in 1985, Rego Autoparts is synonymous with high-quality remanufactured steering components. The Lenco brand carried by the owners of Rego Autoparts has been trading since the 1970’s.

Specialists in the left-hand-drive market, Lenco has comprehensive catalogues listing models of every car manufacturer from Alfa to Volvo, for steering racks, steering boxes and steering pumps.

Lenco is a Certified TecDoc Data Supplier. Since 2004 we have continued to uphold the standards for ISO9001 with incorporation of TS16949, ISO14001 and ISO18001.

Lenco reconditions steering components made by all O-E-manufacturers, e.g. TRW, Koyo, Saginaw, ZF, SMI, Mando, Atsugi, Hitachi, Young-Shin etc.

Specializing in supply to large distributors who in turn service buying groups, wholesalers and garages, Lenco has an extensive range of reconditioned stock in mainland Europe enabling supply of orders quickly and efficiently.

Lenco has a vast stock of ‘old core’ units covering the majority of its catalogue applications, enabling us to supply rare and high-demand applications without hassle. In the unlikely event that we do not have an old unit to recondition, we can recondition the customer’s unit.

Lenco has remanufacturing facilities in the UK and Belgium. In addition to the factories there is a logistics warehouse in Belgium handling the stock and distribution of the combined factory outputs.

Every unit produced by the factories is tested and warranted with a 2-year unlimited mileage.

Unseen – New Hardura for the Firewall of the 1970 Bristol 411

May 18, 2022

The interior team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on finishing the firewall/bulkhead on the 1970 Bristol 411 which is having its left-hand drive conversion done at our Suffolk HQ.

The firewall and under dash area of the classic Bristol has been finished off, for the most part, which means the interior team can begin its finishing work. The finishing touch for the modified firewall is the hand-cut and edged hardura panel. This, has been templated and made specifically for the Bristol to work around the various changes which have been made by the restoration workshop.

Key Points – Progress on the 1970 Bristol 411

May 17, 2022

The restoration team in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ have been making progress on the 1970 Bristol 411 in for its left hand drive conversion.

The team have begun the work by rebuilding and fitting out the modified firewall/bulkhead with the necessary systems moved from one side of the firewall to the other. This has been done for the next stage where the team have fitted up the heater hoses and pipes from the heater box under the dashboard of the classic Bristol.

After this, the team moved to the underside of the car to begin work on several jobs that need to be completed. The first, was to fit the newly fabricated jacking plates onto the car. These could now be fitted after the repairs carried out to the sills of the car and everything being structurally sound.

Next, was a quite badly corroded area in the battery compartment of the classic Bristol. This was cut out with a new plate welded in its place to strengthen the floor of the area.

Whilst under the car, the team noticed some corrosion to boot floor support which had been filled with fibreglass but corroded through to the boot floor on the near side rear of the car. This area was carefully marked and cut out of the car in preparation for the new piece to be templated and welded into the car making the boot floor stronger and sealed.

Finishing Work – Cleaning Up the Welds on the New 1970 Bristol 411

April 29, 2022

The restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on finishing the welds on the 1970 Bristol 411’s new sills.

The fabrication team have been working alongside the restoration technicians to get the new sills into the classic Bristol. Although as much is done as possible during the process of welding to ensure the pieces sit properly and flush, some finishing is needed to make sure there is no valley between the two pieces. This is achieved with subtle heat and a series of body working tools.

Along with that, the team have started to fabricate the new closing panels underneath the 1970s GT car.

Finishing Up – Finish Welding the Sills of the 1970 Bristol 411

April 28, 2022

The workshop and fabrication teams at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop have been working together on the repairs to the 1970 Bristol 411.

After beginning to weld the newly fabricated sill into the classic Bristol, the team have now begun to finish welding the new metal in the car. This needs to be done very carefully so as to not affect the existing metal around it and cause any form of heat warping. So, the fabrication team are systematically welding the panels into the car allowing it time to cool and shrink back into place.

Once this is complete, the team can move on with the work needed to be done on the 1970 Bristol 411.

New Metal – Replacing the Sill of the 1970 Bristol 411

April 27, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars restoration team have replaced the sill on the 1970 Bristol 411 after finding corrosion hidden behind and on the sill itself.

The team cut the sill back and treated the solid metal. Then, our in-house fabrication team hand-formed a new sill and patch panel for the inside of the rear arch which had also been removed due to corrosion. These were then carefully trimmed and then welded into position following the original pieces as guidelines.

With this job now completed on the classic Bristol, the team can move on to the next phase of work.

On the Inside – Inspecting and Repairing the Corroded Sill of the 1970 Bristol 411

April 26, 2022

The restoration workshop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on inspecting, preparing and repairing some corrosion to the inner sill of the 1970 Bristol 411.

Our technician Paul, who has been working on the project, discovered the areas after completing the inspecting and preparation of the (now) driver’s side sill and moving onto the (now) passenger side.

After carefully the outer skin of the sills to inspect what was behind, Paul noticed they have become quite heavily corroded in places. So, the team have decided to repair these areas with new hand-fabricated pieces for the classic Bristol. This process also involves cleaning out the sill area and preparing it for welding. Whilst doing that, the team discovered what appeared to be a large piece of mastic/sealant. This was completely removed and the area it was inspected.

The new pieces will be made specifically for that section of the car and welded in.

Closing Up – Replacing the Sill Straps and Closing Panels on the 1970 Bristol 411

April 21, 2022

After carefully opening up the sills of the 1970 Bristol 411 and thoroughly inspecting them, our technicians have begun the process of sealing them back up in the car.

The workshop at Bridge Classic Cars have hand fabricated new sills straps and new closing panels for the classic Bristol after inspecting the inner sills for any form of corrosion. The originals had to be cut out of the car and couldn’t be reused so our fabrication team made brand new, tight-fitting and durable panels to replace them.

The original flanges were cleaned up and straightened to give a good mounting surface for the workshop to weld the new panels back into place and seal up the underside of the classic Bristol.

Getting Stronger – Inspecting and Strengthening the Sills of the 1970 Bristol 411

April 14, 2022

The restoration technicians from the Bridge Classic Cars workshop have been working on inspecting inside and then strengthening the sills of the 1970 Bristol 411.

The team cut off the chassis cover in order to inspect the structural pieces of the frame on the classic Bristol, inside was found to be in generally good condition but they did notice the strengthening rail, which pinches the two seams together, had corroded quite heavily. So, the team have fabricated a new replacement piece to put back the strength and rigidity to the piece.

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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