NEW CAR AGAIN.... 1956 Bristol 405 CHASSIS - 4106. 405GMT

[hesketh786]

NEW CAR AGAIN.... 1956 Bristol 405 CHASSIS - 4106. 405GMT

Hi all,

Me here again !

so i've bought another Bristol this morning !

its a

Bristol 405
1956
405GMT
Chassis number: 4106

from ACA AUCTIONS

[Geoff Kingston]

When/If you get round to restoring this car do yourself a favour and take as much of the interior trim out as you can very carefully then the dash panels, I suspect you will find the wood frame is rotten, don't be tempted to then pull the whole thing apart but leaving the panels on as a reference point build from the inside out. It can be done get an aluminium frame fabricated to support and follow the contours of the panels then screw, bond or rivet it into place.
Without wood in the structure the 405 would have been possibly the best 2 litre car Bristol ever made but sadly not as constructed.
Geoff.

[Nick Challacombe]

This is the one I posted about, no reserve, no engine but had gear box .
Hope you get it back on the road, glad to see it went to a member.
Appropriate registration plate .
Keep us in touch with your progress. Hope you have fun with it , loads of work but all seemed to be there apart from the engine.

[Raymond]

Good morning Hesketh. Do you happen to know how much the 403 went for?

Was is very rotten?

[Excalibur]

I watched the auction online. I think the 403 went for about £15000 plus commission . Of course not seeing the car I’ve no idea of how bad it was.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Excalibur

I watched the auction online. I think the 403 went for about £15000. Of course not seeing the car I’ve no idea of how bad it was.

Thanks for that. I thought it would probably go over the estimate. I think the rot can be hidden from view.

I have been bitten like that before. The MG TC I bought a couple of years ago looked nice; it had new paint and trim but the old git had painted over the rust and trimmed over rotten wood. I ended up having to replace the body,,,etc, etc,etc.

[Geoff Kingston]

Results are on line now and given at £16308 inc premium so a similar figure to a 401 sold on ebay earlier in the year except on that one the paint was not good, as the link I sent on the rebuild cost topic shows there can be quite a few rust issues to sort out on 401's and 403's unless they have been done or you are exceptionally lucky.
The first place I always check is the back corner of the main chassis in front of the wheels, the steel in this area was overlapped and not unusual for it to be rotted through or starting to bulge which means as some point sooner or later work will be needed, if its very bad its a good indicator of what the rest is likely to be like.
The area between the sills and the chassis is usually enclosed with an alloy cover so issues can be hidden but if the sills and out riggers are bad this can often be eased back to get a peak at the chassis.
Mike spent about 65 hours doing very similar structural repairs to those shown in the link to put it into context on one of my 401's.
As a starting point for a project I think this might have been a good buy, if the leather was not dried out it looked as though it may come up quite nicely and the sun blinds were there which is a bonus as they can be quite expensive.
As regards the 405 I have a few bits, not much and nothing mechanical salvaged off a very rotten 405 so if there is anything missing Hesketh let me know and I'll see if I can help. This includes the front and rear glass and some door fittings.
Geoff.

[Raymond]

I think there is something to be said for buying the best you can afford. My last two classic cars have both come in from Australia and have been beautifully rust free.

[hesketh786]

dear all !

thank you so much for your kind words and helpful comments.

the 403 went for £16308 as Geoff mentioned. ACA weren't very helpfully in sending more photos of either cars, i suspect due to the rot as you have all pointed out.

i've spoke to R Hackett @ SLJ he's trying to find me a suitable engine or if anyone on here knows or can point me in the right direction for one please let me know !

very interesting to read about the wooden frame so thank you Geoff, i will definitely be taking it apart very carefully and documenting with many pics and video of the location of all parts, i will look into getting a metal frame made as you say.

the 405 should hopefully be arriving later this week so will get it cleaned up and post more photos of it.

i probably wont be starting to do anything yet on it just hunt and buy parts and clean it up as i have the 411s3, 408 and the 407 in line for resto before this one !

thank you all so much again and please let me know if you know any history about this car !

stay safe

Best
Hesketh

[AndrewA]

Congrats - Uncle's going to be busy for a while.......!

[hesketh786]

@AndrewA

thanks so much !

hahaha CLASSIC ! I haven't told him about this one yet....

[AndrewA]

Saw this one on car and classic https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1354795
the two tone paint really suits the shape IMHO.
On the engine front - if you're not completely wedded to originality - a more 21st Century solution could be in order - electric, hybrid or I note there's a company in Cornwall doing Hydrogen conversions for cars!
Best
Andrew

[Raymond]

I don't suppose an XK engine would fit would it.? My guess is it won't. The only easy fit I have heard of is the Volvo red block. There are doubtless others??

Personally, I would try and find the right thing ... which might be a like be looking for the Holy Grail.!

[Geoff Kingston]

The XK will fit but not easy and not the best option, Triumph 2000/2500 not a bad conversion also Rover V8 but the one that has always struck me as a nice option was the Daimler V8 250 especially if mated to a manual box.
For the ultimate 401 it would have to be the BMW V8 of the same period going to the capacity and power that AFN wanted but these engines are expensive now.
I find it rather ironic that cars like the 403 and the 401 that sold earlier this year for similar money sell easily yet I had no interest in a running useable 401 I offered for sale all summer in the mid £20k's and only one view and a very poor offer on a car which has had a lot more done to it and for which I would take £32k for, you would never get either of the auction cars to similar condition for the difference, funny old world.
Geoff.

[Raymond]

Geoff. I expect you will find a buyer before too long. If you don't mind me saying, I think some interior shots might help and maybe, if possible, a correct type steering wheel fitted. If it were me I would strip it down to bare metal so as not to look like it's been quite so much in the wars.

I have read about the Triumph 2000 engine being suitable.
As it happens I had a GT6 for 38 years so know that engine intimately. I am also familiar with the XK engine but somehow never worked on the 250 V8. I understand it can be very smooth - so a good alternative if the original is not available.

[David C]

I always thought a BMW CS engine would be ideal, keeping it in the family. They used to be cheap and readily available in the '80s when I was seriously considering such a project.

[Raymond]

There seem to be quite a few cars around missing their engine.

[Geoff Kingston]

Raymond,
Thanks for giving me some more work to do! I started stripping the paint down in the late 70's must not rush these things! the red and blue, wings straight out of a rattle can as I was trying to decide on a colour.
When I bought the car it was yellow, initial stripping was with Nitromors but my painter told me not to use chemical paint stripper on aluminium as it absorbs it to a certain extent and it can ruin a paint job. Using a DA sander I must admit I was being very cautious because they mark the surface but watching him strip and prepare the alloy panels on my Range Rover I am going when I get a chance try and get most of the rest of the paint off and the few bits of alloy repairs done. To get a decent interior shot the re trimmed door cards need to go back on. The steering wheel which was on the car when it was advertised in motor sport in 1968 I have failed to find an obvious way of removing, the top of the column has been shortened so I have left it where it is, have another column and a decent correct wheel to go with the car.
One thing with this wheel as well it is a smaller diameter, this makes the steering a bit heavier but more direct even a slight input gets instant reaction which actually makes the car more involving to drive.
A very good friend of mine Mike Brockway has a 403 which after an engine failure a few years ago was fitted with a Triumph 2000 engine and box, about a year ago the engine was changed to a rebuilt 2500 unit on carbs, he loved the car with either engine in and preferred it to his other 403 with its standard 100A power unit, he sold that car a few years ago but will never part with the Triumph engined car, the nice thing about it as well is it sounds lovely and I was told was not a difficult conversion.
Geoff.

[Raymond]

Oh dear. Sorry Geoff...didn't mean to get off to a bad start with the forum!

By coincidence, today I have been sanding down the bonnet of my TC project. I have been struggling with the louvres because I suffer from painful fingers.

Good to know my favourite engine will fit the car if I ever need it to. My GT6 Mk3 became like a hand in a glove. Not everyone's cup of tea of course and not very nice in the wet (especially when pushed!) but having restored it twice in my ownership I knew every nut and bolt.

It's funny what you can get used to.

[hesketh786]

yes great point Raymond, I see so many Bristols with no engines ?!

Can anyone shed light on this as to why they go missing ?

What about converting it to electric.... or am i asking for it...