Wheels On The Road

January 12, 2021

Both the Morris Minor 1000 and the Peugeot 504 have had their road tests to check how they’re running. They’re both currently being stored up at our hangar to keep them safe and out of the way now all their major refurbishments have been completed. Both ran their road tests fine with only a few minor teething problems.

Peugeot 504 Is All Done

January 6, 2021

We’re delighted to announce our beautiful 1972 Peugeot 504 is ready to finally leave us! We just need to do a few final road checks but it’s otherwise completed and will be returned to its owner very soon.

Peugeot 504 Almost Ready To Go

December 24, 2020

We’re currently diagnosing an engine issue with our 1972 Peugeot 504. After going for its test drive, we discovered what we think to be an injector pipe leak. With everything else completed, the final job to do is to repair this pipe by taking the components apart and remanufacture the part.

Last week the 504 also had some new headlights fitted by our electrical specialist Adam. After rewiring and installing the lights, the 504 is ready to tackle those dark winter mornings.

Final Countdown For The 504

December 16, 2020

The 504 has had its final checks and tuning before its test run. These final tweaks are to ensure that the car is running smoothly however it’s not uncommon for test drives to uncover more smaller issues. Fingers crossed it passes with flying colours!

Friday Snapshot

December 11, 2020

Another week has flown by! Once again we’ve had photoshoots, new arrivals and spectacular developments on our current projects.

Behind the scenes and sneak peeks

On Tuesday we shot the second half of the content for our 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 race car replica. For this, we took it to the track at Bentwaters where our skilled F1 Test Driver, Mike O’Connor, put it through its paces.

We’ve also shot our new competition car, the Jaguar XJ6. Here’s a sneak peek at the XJ6 in motion. For these kinds of shots, we often get Ellie to drive and Freddie to shoot the car in motion. This allows moving shots to be done efficiently when it’s separate to a staged shoot with a model/talents such as the Jaguar race car above.

The XJ6 has already gone live and has proved to be incredibly popular with almost a quarter of the tickets having sold out in one day! Get your tickets quickly as the launch sale is ending soon!

New arrivals

We’ve had a beautiful red 1979 Chevrolet Corvette C3 arrive which will soon be a competition car. It underwent an intensive valet by our talented friend at Viper Auto Valets.

A stunning Jaguar XJ6 auto and a classic 1979 Daimler 4.2 Sovereign XJ6 Series III Automatic have also arrived this week, ready to be a competition cars. You can find more about the Jaguar and Daimler here!

1957 Grey Jensen 541R

The sill and footwell carpet has been cut and glued down as well as the carpet around the gearbox tunnel. Brian has fitted the front and rear footwell carpets on the passenger side too. Metal rails & air vent covers have been fitted to the scuttle panels. The passenger side scuttle panel and front footboard have both been fitted in place this week.

Although a lot of the carpets and back seats have been made, there’s still the front seats to make and fit.

Upon inspection, we identified some modifications needed on the grey Jensen’s doors to make sure all components align correctly.

Triumph TR6

Our 1973 Triumph TR6 has had new speakers and speaker holders made and installed by our technician Mauro who’s been working exclusively on the TR6. Adam, our auto electrics specialist has also been doing some work on the TR6, changing the sidelights to indicators to comply with UK road laws.

Peugeot 504

The new bonnet has been attached on the 504, the latches have been modified, gaps lined, bonnet painted and now fit! It’s so rewarding seeing this beautiful car looking whole again!

We’ve had a rubber mystery in the workshop, but luckily enough Gordan used his detective skills to figure out a nifty solution! The Peugeot 504 was in need of new rubber sills however we couldn’t find anywhere that sourced them. By matter of chance, in our Amphicar box of spare bits and bobs, we found some rubber extras that fit the 504 perfectly! A tip for anyone looking for Peugeot 504 rubber sills, head over to Gordons Imports and get some Amphicar rubber!

The Peugeot 504 has also been started for the first time in quite a while! This was its debut since being reassembled and its sounding good!

Morris Minor

The Morris Minor 1000 is ready for a test drive! It will be the first time it’s been started and driven in a while so it’s going to be an exciting development! To get the Morris ready for its start-up, our engine technician Ady has cleaned the carburettors and given it a pre-startup service.

Workshop Walkaround

December 9, 2020

Grey Jensen gets furnished

Our trim team has been fitting the rear centre section in place, cutting out sound deadening and glueing it to bodywork behind where seats go.

The rear squab section has also been fitted in place, the carpet has been cut to be placed in front of the rear seat base, the rear seat section has been fitted in place, and the leather has been glued to the seat subframes.

Sound deadening has been installed in the rear footwell & tunnel sides, passenger side, passenger side bulkhead, and the front footwells.

The door frames are also undergoing some modifications so that the window glass sits more comfortably. The doors will need to be taken apart and re-welded back together.

Peony Red Jensen

Our Peony Red 1960 Jensen 541s has had new door catch fixing plates installed. Our technicians have also made a cover to go over them to stop them from falling down into the sills of the car. They have then been welded into position.

TR6

The Triumph TR6 is on the road to recovery with the final tweaks being done. The engine levels have been checked as have the gearbox and rear axels. This stage is mostly a pre-drive service to make sure everything is in the right place and ready for the car to be driven for the first time. The battery holder needs to be installed and the engine to be tuned. Once these last details are done we can turn it on and see how it drives and address any teething problems that may arise.

Amphicar

The Amphicar is currently going through another in-depth stage of troubleshooting the electrics. Much like the TR6, our technicians’ are applying the final checks in preparation for starting the car up for the first time.

Peugeot 504

The Peugeot 504 is almost finished! The exhaust and break lines have been installed as well as the seat belts which have been added by our technician Scott.

Black Jensen

The black 1960 Jensen 541R has come out of paintwork recently to address the corrections made. All the chrome has now been re-installed so it’s looking shiny and new!

1984 Lada 1200

Our Lada is one of our most recent patients. We diagnosed it with rusting sills and floor, which is being addressed and corrected by one of our fabricators, Ant. These refurbishments are done through a series of stages that include welding and applying filler to resolve the ageing. Think of it like getting a dermatological facial!

1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12

Our blue jaguar e-type is awaiting its chrome bumper and new steering rack to be fitted. The sun roof has also been fixed. This included taking apart the faulty switch and cleaning the components and then insulating the terminal. Once fitted back together, the sun roof was back to working perfectly again.

Gold Jensen

Our gold and red 1962 Jensen 541S has had its oil changed and water purged from the engine by our engine specialist, Ady.

Austin 7 Nippy

Ady is also working on the Austin 7 Nippy engine which is currently at COLTEC to be assessed.

Nissan 300ZX

The exhaust has been reinstalled into our Nissan as well as the link pipe between the two exhaust manifolds.

Replacing the window rubbers

December 9, 2020

We are currently on the look out for new window rubbers for our 1972 Peugeot 504.

Proving quite tricky to find at the moment but we will!

Workshop Walkabout

November 25, 2020

There’s been a lot going with week already and its only Wednesday! Take a look at what’s been going on s far.

Range Rover Sport 2016

One of our directors, Gordon, had his Range Rover Sport’s tyres refurbished, ready for the cold winter months ahead. Now fully refurbished, Gordon’s Range Rover is ready to take on the elements.

Jaguars New Stripes

As seen in our blog yesterday, the 1967 Jaguar E-Type Race Car has now been finished! This has been an incredibly exciting project that has been in progress since 2016. Over the last few days, the finishing touches have been added such as the pinstripes on the bonnet and fine-tuning the engine. The bonnet itself has also be re-installed to make sure it fits after the recent engine works.

Craig’s Mercedes 500SL

Our other director, Craig, is in the process of choosing the leather for the interior and the spray finish for the fuel tank. It’s deciding details like this that make classic cars so personal to their owners.

Morris Minor

One of the more notable updates on the Morris Minor 1000 is the new hood. The trim shop has done a fantastic job yet again to make the perfect custom hood, allowing this Morris Minor to be more usable throughout the changing seasons. Our technician Scott has also been trying to figure out the reason for the play in its front wheels. The mystery is yet to be solved…

The front suspension has also been tightened, the curtesy light wiring is being installed and Adam is troubleshooting the electrics.

Grey Jensen 541R

Lots of little updates for the Grey Jensen 541R such as preparing the door rim before it goes to the trim shop, stripping the bonnet ready for paint, made the curtesy light switch by hand, installed the hand brake cables and panhard rod as well as the speedo drive.

Triumph TR5

Our 1968 Triumph TR5 is awaiting its interior but it has had its heater installed!

Blue E-Type

Our blue 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 is awaiting on a new steering rack, clutch slave cylinder and bumper to be fitted. The parts have been ordered so the E-Type should be looking good as new in no time!

Ford Transit

This lovely 1953 Ford Transit is almost ready to leave us now. We’re just waiting on some new 6 volt bulbs for the headlights and then it’ll be ready to go!

Blue Jensen

We’re giving the blue Jensen a general nut and bolt service. It came in to have its clutch, exhaust and breaks replaced which have been or are in the process of being fixed.

Peony Red Jensen

The Peony Red Jensen 542S has had its seats made up. The next step is to complete the set and install them. Our trim shop never fails to impress us with their stunning interior projects.

Peugeot 504

The Peugeot 504 has now had all its interior trim completed. The last few pieces include making and fitting the hood which had to have the leather glued to the frame once made up.

Black Jensen

The black Jensen is visiting our paint shop for some touch-ups and corrections in the paintwork.

1988 Nissan 300ZX

Ady our engine specialist has taken apart both exhaust manifolds on the Nissan 300ZX.

Amphicar

The fuel pump has been rewired, two bilge pumps are set to be added, the brakes have been bled, the grease nipples re-greased and the heater has been ordered.

Range Rover TDI

A new gear stick gaiter has been made and fitted by the trim shop. Our range rover is making steady progress to be completed soon.

Black Spitfire

Although we don’t have the Black Spitfire back with us, we do have the task of replacing the half shafts. We’re hoping we can order in new pieces however we may need to take these apart instead and refurbish them ourselves.

Door panels for the 504

November 20, 2020

The door panels have been made up in the trim shop and fitted into the 504. It’s really satisfying to see everything come together with this project.

Fitting these door panels include measuring up the leather, allowing holes for the handles, buttons and window winders, adding in fluting and then fitting it all in place at the end.

The Peugeot has also had newly restored will installed from Wheelworx in Bury St Edmunds.

Peugeot 504’s Interior Make Over

November 17, 2020

There’s been a lot going on with our Peugeot 504, especially in the trim shop.

Our trim technician Brian has been working on applying new vinyl to the boot side panels which have been applied to the originals. The sills have been glued in place and new chrome pieces have been added to the door panels. Brian has also added deadening to the centre console around the gearbox.

Our other trim technician, Kath has also been working on the 504. Heres the before and after:

But all of that wasnt just at the click of a fingers! Here’s what happened:

The centre console was created
The mats were sized up to check they fit
The section under the front and rear seat was carpeted
Gear stick gaiter made and fitted
Hand break gaiter made and fitted
Sills made, fitted and edges bound.
Holes made in the footwell mat for the pedals, the mat is then glued in place.
Glue the centre console carpet and then the centre console is fitted.
Carpets and panels were fitted
The squab was then added back in and screwed into place
The hood was repaired, patching the holes and refurbishing the studs.
A tool bag was made and added to the boot.

The 504 has also received new refurbished window winder mechanisms.

Friday Snapshot

November 13, 2020

As ever, it’s been a busy week here at Bridge Classics. We’ve had new cars arrive like the Mini Clubman, we’ve had a new winner announced yesterday and lots of new developments with our current projects. Here’s what’s gone on throughout the week!

Peugeot 504

Our engine specialist Ady has been working on the 504’s engine by fitting the flywheel and couch before fitting it back into the Peugeot.

The Peugeot has also had a recent trim shop appointment, with new carpets being made and fitted by our expert, Brian.

1960 Black Jensen 514R

The Black Jensen has had new sills made and fitted to give the finishing touch to the bottom of its driver’s door.

1994 Nissan Micra Dot

The Nissan Micra has now been finished! The paintwork has been completed, bumps and scrapes were taken out and it’s pretty much ready to go again! This endearing little Micra would make the perfect first car for someone learning to drive!

1988 Nissan 300ZX

The Nissan 300ZX has come in recently and appears to have some rather severe rust issues on the lower door sills. Among other restorations, that rust and those holes will have to go! You can see the rest of the work here.

1963 Morris Minor 1000

One of our technicians, Scott has been working carefully on the Morris Minor’s dazzling red interior. The door cards, handles, and carpets have all been fitted.

1960 Lilac Jensen 541R

This Jensen actually belongs to Bridge’s director and founder, Gordon Ranson, and is now starting its restoration journey with us! There’s a lot to do but we can’t wait to see the final product!

One of our technicians Anthony has been working on the body, hand making a lot of the elements such as the boot floor.

Barn find Mercedes

Barn finds are like hidden treasures and we love them when they come in. Currently, we’ve got two prospective projects that need cleaning up and assessing before we know what needs to be done. We really hope we’ll be able to work on these two cars!

Over the Pond Austin Healey

This Austen Healey 100 BN1 is currently residing in America but could be ours soon! Keep an eye out on our website and social media pages for updates!

Craig’s new Gastron

When you work with classic cars all the time, sometimes you want to mix it up a bit. That’s exactly what our Director Craig has done! He’s recently acquired this 3 litre speed boat. Fingers crossed for nice weather soon then!

Red Jaguar E-Type

Another prospective project has been viewed recently and it’s a beautiful red e-type that needs some TLC!

Peugeot 504

November 6, 2020

Our trim experts have taken apart the 1972 Peugeot 504’s back seats in order to make the new ones.

Kath, one of our trim experts has unstitched the old seats and measured up the old parts onto new leather. Once this is done, the new parts are stitched together and flute lines added.

The flute lines need to be carefully added so that they line up with the ones on the back squab cover as seen here:

The Peugeot Has A New Heart

November 5, 2020

The 1972 Peugeot 504 has hit a ground-breaking moment in its restoration: it now has an engine!

Our engine specialist has replaced all serviceable parts such as spark plugs and belts, replaced any worn hoses and plummed the engine back into its rightful place.

The beating heart of this car is back in place after a successful engine surgery.

Windows and Doors for the Peugeot 504

November 3, 2020

Scott and Brian have been tending to the Peugeot for its new trimmings and chrome installments.

Scott has been working on the window and door mechanisms. He’s fitted new rubber for the window seal, tested and installed new window winder mechanisms as well as repairing and cleaning the window winder motors.

As well as new window winder motors, the doors have also had some TLC to make sure they lock and shut nicely.

Scott has fitted new door handles to accompany the new door locks, striker plates and door check straps. All of which have been cleaned, repaired, re-greased, and fitted.

The new striker plates allow for the doors to align and shut efficiently.

Brian has been tending to the latest interior instalments for the Peugeot.

The leather for the door panel arm rest has been glued to the metal section, trimmed and turned over to give a neat finish. The door handle slots had also been cut and measured.

The leather has been glued to the foam backing for the back seats and is ready for sewing. Lines have been marked on each piece to indicate where the stitching will sit.

The front door panels have been cut out of hardboard, holes drilled into them for the armrest and door handles.

When ready, the leather is applied and the edges are pulled around the side of each piece to ensure a neat finish. The leather is hog ringed to the frame as this guarantees that the leather will be held in place and allows for a tight application.

Below you can see the armrest door panel and part of the back seats being fitted together.

Workshop Walkabout

October 28, 2020

This morning we took a walk around the workshop to take a peak at how our engineers are getting on with the current projects.

1996 Nissan Patrol

The Nissan Patrol is almost ready to be set free on adventures again. Pete has given it a general ‘health check’ and service to ensure its exploration spirit is still intact.

The last stage on the Nissan is to ‘blacken’ the underside to protect it from rust and erosion, which is all the more important for adventurous vehicles like this Patrol!

1972 MGB Blaze Orange

Tamas has been working hard on the latest refurbishments to the MGB which has recently included a new radiator as the old one had developed some rust and holes.

The thermostat has also been refurbished along with its housing and the grill. Tamas has also installed new reversing lights as well.

The Rosytle wheels are currently in the hands of our paint specialist Darren who’s just finished applying the first layer of paint to neaten them up.

1960 MGA

The Red MGA has had a seasonal refurbishment with a heater being added to accommodate for the cold months approaching!

Paul tells us that “the car originally never had a heater in, so the parts have been shipped in from America.”

Its not uncommon to see our classic cars fitted with modern creature comforts such as heaters and radios.

1972 Peugeot 504

Scott has been working on fitting the doors, making sure the latches catch and shut efficiently.

Darren has also been working on the Peugeot, painting the engine bay. This needed two sets of paint, one for the inner parts and a separate colour for the outer parts to match the body of the car.

1957 Jensen 541R

The Jensen is still in the trimming shop where Brian is installing the leather padding that sits just above the windscreen. This piece followed the original design but still had to be cut and made by hand.

Brian tells us ‘It’s quite a fiddly job to fit this panel’.

We can’t wait to see the Jensen completed with its smart new leather from our trim experts.

1965 Amphicar

Our classic car electrician Adam has been working on tidying up the Amphicar’s wires and installing a second pump to ensure enough water is removed from within the vehicle. This means a custom made pump bracket will have to be designed and fitted when the second pump is installed.

1987 Mercedes 500SL

Our engineer Anthony is currently applying a filler to the engine bay to smooth out any bumps.

A keen eye for detail from Anthony is needed to ensure that the Mercedes doesn’t leave the fabrication bay with any imperfections.

The 3 P’s – Painting the Peugeot Petrol tanks

October 26, 2020

Our 1972 Peugeot 504 fuel tanks has now been prepared and painted and ready to refit to the car.

Peugeot Princess Zinn-derella

October 21, 2020

Our 1972 Peugeot 504 is having her Zinn Grey paint application completed this week by Darren in our in-house paint shop.

A full restorative paint job has many stages. Before the body sees any paint whatsoever, she’s had several visits to the body shop to sand the shell down. This includes filling any areas needing touching up and concentrating on any rust or other age or accidental damage.

If you’ve been following this project, you’ll notice the car hasn’t been returned to her original ‘off-white’. Instead, the customer has chosen the VW ‘Zinn Grey’ and is opting for a maroon leather interior. A very nice colour combination we think!

Out With The Old!

October 21, 2020

Our trim shop team Kath and Brian have both been working hard on our 1972 Peugeot 504’s seats.

“I started by marking out all the positions of the different parts” Kath explains. “I then unpicked all the seams, removed all the hog rings and marked out the seats pattern onto the new leather.”

Kath then began marking out the fluted panels and sewed them. She then piped around the edges and sewed a calico loop around too with a wire insert.

“I then piped around the edges of the skirt” Kath continues, “and clipped the sides of the main face.”

“I then sewed it all together” Kath explains. “I clipped the middle fluted panel in place and sewed that together with the skirt.” After sewing those parts together, Kath then sewed a calico loop around the edge with another wire insert.

Now the covers are made, our expert trim technician Brian can begin work fitting them to the seats. He’s ready to fit both the front and rear seats of the Peugeot.

“I pulled the cover around tight, gluing and clipping it in place” Brian tells us “clipping the bottom flap to keep it in position.” Brian’s then fitted the seats back board in place, securing it with screws along the bottom. Finally, adding pvc edge trim around the back squab, fitting the seat reclining mechanisms and painting the handle he’s fitted.

New interior gives a classic car such a new lease of life! And moving from a black leather to this sumptuous red leather will compliment the Zinn Grey exterior amazingly.

Next step is to get the body out of paint and start marrying this colour combination together!

It’s all ‘go’ on the Peugeot

October 13, 2020

Our Peugeot restoration has kicked up a gear or two in the last week. It’s being worked on both in the Paint and Trim shops.

The colour for our Peugeot’s fresh look has been decided, it’s being painted in the striking VW Zinn Grey. Paired with a beautiful red interior, we think this specification is going to look superb. Darren our Paint Shop Manager has been applying the colour coats to our Peugeot. He firstly painted the Engine bay and boot and has now masked those areas up to paint the external elements of the bodywork.

The paintwork looks sublime under the bright lights of the spray booth. superb work, Darren

Read on to take a look at Brian’s work on the 504 in the Trim Shop

Brian has been very busy bringing the 504’s seats back to life!

He’s firstly stripped down the old seats, taking off the old fabric, ready to re-trim in the brand new, red leather.

Brian has then stripped down and covered this flat interior panel, gluing down the excess material to the back of the panel.

Finally Brian has trimmed the top and bottom panels before riveting the two together to seamlessly meet. He’s added foam to the top of the panel before pulling the leather tight into place and gluing down.

Sitting Pretty Peugeot

October 8, 2020

Kath and Brian in our in-house trim shop have been busy with our 1972 Peugeot 504 seats. They’re in to be fully reupholstered, so Kath first has to take the pattern from the existing seats by stripping away all the fabric ensuring she keeps it intact.

“The back panel was riveted in” describes Kath, “so in removing this I have to be careful not to rip or stretch the old fabric as I’ll be using these segments as a pattern for the new covers.”

While separating all the different parts, Kath also has to remove all the hog rings she finds along the way. She’s also removed the plastic trim from around the adjustment handles and the base of the seat.

Pictures like these are incredibly useful to the team to know the shape they’re aiming for.

“I removed the spring clips that keep the base in place” Kath explains. “I’ve also marked out all the positions of the parts so I can easily position them back together.”

Now all the parts are marked and separated, it’s time to start matching them up to the new leather.

Kath’s then begun work with the new leather sections. She starts by marking out the lines in the fabric to match the existing seats. “I marked out the leather to make the fluted face” Kath explains, “then marked out the lines across the back.”

Kath then cut the foam and marked out the lines on that too. Then, it was ready to start sewing the flutes.

Kath then begun work on some smaller segments of the seats. “I marked out the side bands, skirt and piping” Kath describes “then mounted the side bands onto foam.”

Kath then seals around the edges and trims off any excess, clipping the leather together to hold in place before it’s stitched up.

These sections are then attached to the base of the seat. Both sides are sewn on, then the back flap is also sewn in place.

Next up, Kath is sorting out the back panel of the squab. “I unpick all the original stitching” she explains, “again to use the pattern as a guide”.

The new leather is then marked out, stuck round with its edges turned and glued. “I then sew around the edges and trimmed off the excess fabric” Kath tells us.

Kath then does the same for the back seat squab. Using the existing leather as a gauge for the seats pattern, marking out the segments in the new leather.

“I then unpicked the seat cover” explains Kath. All the separate parts can then be used to cut out the sections in the new leather.

The individual parts were then cut out of the new leather with lines marked out for the seat to match the existing design.

Kath then put pipe around the edges of both panels. ” I sewed a calico loop and piping around the edge” she explains “so I can attach this section to the back of the seat and keep it in place”.

Kath then made a start on the edges of the squab, putting piping around the edge of the side skirt and clipping it to the front section. The cover was then fitted to the foam squab ready for the fluted panels.

“I clipped the edges ready to be sewn together” Kath explains, “then sewed all the separate panels together and fitted it around it’s foam base”.

The skills of our in-house seamstress Kath never cease to amaze us! Just look how beautiful this finished red leather seats are.

Brian then takes Kath’s seat covers and started fitting them to their new frames. “I’ve fitted the front squab to the frame” Brian tells us, “holding the fluted sections with hog rings”.

Brian’s also made new webbing straps for each seat and fitted these to their frames. He’s added extra foam to help pad them out some more too.

Brian’s then pulled the cover over tightly around the back of the seat and clipped it into position. The backboard has then been fitted into place.

We can’t wait to see them back inside the car, and give them a test ‘sit-down’!

Pro-Paint Peugeot

October 1, 2020

Our expert paint team have been stripping down our classic 1972 Peugeot 504 ready for primer and her first coat of paint.

Darren, our classic car paint specialist stripped the car down to the bare metal and has primed the shell ready for that special ‘Zinn Grey’ to be added.

After the shell is prepared, there’s been a coating of primer added, which then has to be sanded back down before another coat is applied.

Once the primer stage was complete, Darren’s then been able to add the first coat of the customers chosen colour- Zinn grey.

There’s still further coats to add to make sure it’s perfect. But this colour is already popping and just you wait ’til you see it against the red interior!

Visit to Paint & Trim

September 24, 2020

We popped into our in-house paint and trim shops this afternoon to check out what our classic car technicians are working on today.

Darren, one of our specialist painters is sanding down the fuel tank on our 1972 Peugeot 504. “I’m stripping it right back to the bare metal” Darren explains “thereafter it’ll be ready for it’s protective coating.”

You can see in the background the shell of our Peugeot 504 that Darren’s been stripping and priming ready for her thorough paint job.

Over in the trim shop, Kath and Brian have been working on two separate cars. Both of which, interesting enough, aren’t physically with us, so it’s only their interiors we’re working with right now.

Kath’s unpicking the original interior of our white 1961 Jensen 541S. “I separate all the sections so I can use them as a pattern for the new seats.” Her owner has opted for a mushroom leather interior. So soon we’ll see Kath bringing the new seats to life!

Meanwhile Brian has been working on the seats for our Jaguar XK150. “I’m using the gun to evenly distribute the glue across the foam to make the fabric attach evenly.”

Whether it’s a full restoration on every part of the car or a repair or restoration on one singular part, we love being able to transform these beautiful classics into their owners vision.

Here at Bridge Classic Cars we carry out all our restorations in-house. We have a team of over twenty-plus technicians specialising in engines, mechanics, electrics, bodywork, paintwork and interior trim.

If you have a classic in need of some expert attention, give us a call to see where we can help – 01473 742038

Peugeot Paint Prep

September 22, 2020

Darren in our specialist in-house paint shop has undergone the mammoth task of prepping the entire shell of our 1972 Peugeot 504 ready to continue her restoration.

The car came into us for work on the bodywork, interior, brakes and chrome. Now that her engine is ticking over nicely and her rusty parts are fixed, the bodywork is next to undergo the transformation.

There were two main stages to this phase. “The inside needed to be blacked after the welding” Darren explains, “then I’ve prepped the entire body ready for sprayable filler.”

Darren also stripped the bonnet back to the bare metal, removing all the previous layers of paint. The next stage will be to add the primer.

The customer is opting for a VW ‘Zinn Grey’ for the paintwork and a red leather interior – what a combo!

Vapour Blasting

September 4, 2020

These car parts have all undergone a special cleaning treatment of vapour blasting here at our Pettistree workshop.

The inlet manifold, cam cover, sump and side covers from a Mercedes Pagoda, a 1972 Peugeot 504 and a 1961 Jensen have all had the impressive cleaning treatment and just look at those results!

Vapour blasting is an industrial cleaning method that removes tough grime and grease but is gentle enough to protect valuable and sometimes delicate components, which are often found in classic cars.

This method is perfect for our classics, returning them to their former glory these parts now look brand news, who would have thought they’re from the 60’s and 70’s?

1972 Peugeot 504 Paint Stripping

August 14, 2020

Darren has begun preparing our Peugeot 504, taking the bodywork back to bare metal. It’s clear to see this car has changed colours several times in it’s life. The owner is currently deciding which colour the car is being painted.

1972 Peugeot 504 – Restoration Update

July 27, 2020

Scott has been hard at work preparing our Peugeot 504 for Darren and Chris in the paint shop.

Scott has finished repairing the offside reinforcement rail and repaired the rear floor under the rear seat support. To do this Scott has had to cut this and the rear bulkhead open and repair all the rust before welding it all back together.

Scott has also removed the nearside rear axle moiunting in order to drop out the rear axle. Once the rear axle was removed Scott was able to acess the rust on the inner sill.

Then Scott moved onto the rear seat wells and made a small rust reapir to the top of the N/S rear wheel tub.

Finally, Scott drained and removed the petrol tank to repair the inner and outer lower rear valance.

1972 Peugeot 504 Rust Repairs Continue

July 14, 2020

Scott is working on our Peugeot 504 restoration. He is now starting to repair the outer reenforcement rail that was mainly full of filler. Scott has now also repaired the offside rear wheel well and dropped out the rear axle to repair the inner sill. In the past few weeks Scott has now finished repairing behind the rear set and also fabricated a new rear drip rail. Superb work, Scott!

Chromework Completed on several Classic Car Restorations

June 16, 2020

These chrome items have been completely transformed and are shining bright once more. The first step in the process of re-chroming is the stripping process. Grease, paint and rust that has accumulated on the car bumper over the years is removed.

Items are then stripped in a solution known as ‘Labere’. This solution is a perfect chemical balance to ensure the old chrome plating is removed without damaging the metal underneath.

The next step in the process is polishing to a smooth finish.

The metal has then gone through a triple plating process. First copper, applied for weather protection. Then Nickel is applied. Once the nickel layer has been applied it is time for the chrome.

The chrome plating process is a method of applying a thin layer of chromium onto a substrate (metal or alloy) through an electroplating procedure.

In simple terms, electroplating is achieved by passing an electric current between two electrodes which are immersed in an electrolyte bath comprising of chromic acid. One of the electrodes will be the substrate which is to be plated. During the flow of electricity between the two electrodes, chromium atoms are deposited in a layer on the electrode to be plated.

We have chromework here for our Peugeot 504, Mini, Triumph TR6, Ford Capri and Corvette projects.

1972 Peugeot 504

June 12, 2020

Scott has continued work on the corrosion repairs needed on our Peugeot 504. There just seems to be more and more areas of corrosion the further we go into this Peugeot.

Scott has discovered some fairly poor repair work after removing thick underseal beneath the soft top and rear seats. This has all had to be cut out and correctly fixed. Scott has been cutting out the rotten metal and replacing with new. Great work, Scott!

Peugeot 504 Rust Repairs Continue

May 20, 2020

Scott has been working hard on our Peugeot 504 project. This lovely classic was in need of some serious rust repairs. As with all rust repairs, it’s very difficult to tell exactly how far the rust has penetrated into the vehicle until you start cutting it out. As Scott has found, in this case there was a lot of rust! Work like this needs to be done correctly to future-proof the car and keep the vehicle in top shape for many years to come.

Scott is now at the fabrication stage of this extensive repair. He’s been shaping and welding in fresh metal, replacing what has been cut out.

Cracking work, Scott!

This wonderful classic Peugeot will head over to Chris in the paint shop when Scott has finished. Once in the paint shop, Chris will begin shaping and perfecting the bodywork in preparation for fresh paintwork.