Bristol Quality.

[Geoff Kingston]

Rust is the curse of older cars in the UK but Mike Moss who has done all the welding work on my 401 much prefers to work on it compared to modern cars the steel he says being better quality and easier to weld.
The same goes for fixtures and fittings on lesser and more recent cars getting things off for re-use is a battle often lost, not on a 50's Bristol.
We have taken parts off the remains of a car left to rot in a field for 35 years, the 401 itself off the road for 40 years and a spares car off the road for a similar period.
The latest job was nothing exciting, refitting the floor panels around the gearbox but I realised I was running short of the set screws to put it all back together, 45 mins with the spares car gave me everything I needed only one screw requiring any application of heat.
As an owner of two Bentleys of similar age I have to say in terms of quality and durability in my mind this was a golden age for quality car production, which was best is a difficult question on some things the Bentley's have the edge on others the Bristol but working on the Bristol once you are into the mindset of a hand made motorcar restoration and renovation is pure joy.
Not a strict stickler for originality however I have to decide if the gearbox cover needs a mod, on one side you have an access cover for the drain plug on the other a bulge to accommodate the reverse light switch, if it fails several panels have to be removed and part of the remote gear change unit not a good option though I have to admit at the moment we have not tested the switch, if it works I feel a modification coming on.
Bodging is a wonderful pastime and if this is done a spare and already altered cover will be sacrificed to the cause to produce something perhaps Bristol should have thought about in the first place.
If the switch does not work I will probably go down another non standard alternative route as lighting mods are already on the cards.
I know that on this forum there are a lot of hands on owners some with far grater skills than me but to anyone thinking about having a go themselves I would say give it a try and don't give up.
Your Bristol needs you.