411 Door handle and Bonnet

[bnuttee]

I just got the 411 but the door handle and bonnet seem very strange to me. Is it OEM?

[Geoff Kingston]

Both have been modified, the door handles are the same type as used on the later 603, though on mine they are a chrome finish, I have seen a photograph of a similar bonnet modification on a 411 that had been fitted with a turbocharged engine.
Car looks very nice.

[bnuttee]

Thank you very much for your information. This car is in Thailand and have long history. The previous owner very old now and the car sold to me by his son. As per information from his son. The car was shipped back to Bristol factory UK long time ago to fit Turbocharger. So I think the door handle was changed at that time. Now the original engine was replaced by Toyota inline6 engine since it is difficult to find spare parts of original engine here. I’m planning to restore the car back with V8 engine.

P.S. Is it possible to decode model year from chassis number? My chassis number is 742512.

[Geoff Kingston]

Your car is not showing up on the old printed BOC chassis list, however I did manage to find some information on a print out of information I had on the 411's and 603. Chassis numbers for the 411's by then were seven figure and the car is listed as 7742512, a 411 series 4 built in 1974, the original colours were recorded as Tidal Sand 404.5427 and trim in Warm Stone VM3957.
The original engine was a 400 cu in engine the number given being H400-HC-10956 was this the unit turbocharged or was it fitted with a Brigand or Beaufighter engine?

[bnuttee]

Thank you very much for your information. You are right it is 7742512 at the plate. But the first digit look like / instead of 7 that’s why our land transportation department puts 742512 in the registration paper. Are there any chassis number at another location instead of this plate?

Regrading to your information about engine “was this the unit turbocharged or was it fitted with a Brigand or Beaufighter engine?” I don’t understand what does it means. Could you please explain me more detail?

I also have some question regarding key. Does original car comes with single key for all door lock, ignition switch, glove box, fuel lid and trunk?

[Kevin H]

Most of the keys are different - certainly ignition, doors, fuel cap and boot are all different keys - one of them might be the same as the glove box.

Your car appears to be too low at the front. This may be caused by disintegration of the spring distance pieces and insulators in the front suspension. It is a common problem.

PS: see here http://www.bristolcars.info/forums/8...uspension.html
.

[Geoff Kingston]

On my 411 the chassis number was on the plate riveted on to the cover panel for the fans in front of the radiator and viewed from the front of the car on another plate on the right hand chassis leg in front of the bulkhead.
The 411 series 4 and 5 were the last cars to use the 400 cu in engine, when they introduced the turbo charged engines in the Beaufighter and Brigand they used the smaller 360 cu in (5.9 ) litre engine as a basis for that model and in non turbo charged form in the Britannia.
I have have seen cars retro fitted with this unit the original 400 cu in and 318 cu in engines removed and a new 360 turbo charged unit fitted.
However I am sure I have seen a reference somewhere to at least one 400 cu in engine having been turbo charged which is why I was curious what had been done to your car.
Hopefully when the Heritage Trust are eventually able to acquire the companies Historical records from the receivers more of the history of our cars will be available. The other interesting thing on your car is that the chrome around the glass has been refinished in black as was done on the later cars so this was one of the cars that received upgrades at Bristol's before they introduced their Series 6.
On my 411 there was a large key for the ignition, a separate key for the two doors, another for the boot and a yale key for the petrol filler flap so four in total.
On my 603, one large key for the ignition, another for the doors and the boot and filler flap are opened electrically by a pair of levers by the hand brake connected to two solenoids, needless to say on those I have wired up a manual emergency release which I can operate from inside the car.

[peter dowdle]

Geoff sorry to correct you but the 400 ci motor was used in the early 412 cars.

[Geoff Kingston]

Peter,
I forgot about the 412! and that despite the photograph of a fantastic looking example in the May BOC Newsletter. In the early 80's when I had my 411 there was one example a series one or two in the club that had been fitted with a Chevrolet engine and gearbox, the man who carried out the conversion was associated with a short lived Brighton Classic Car dealership, he said it was a very easy conversion and the car drove very well and quite a bit faster than original. It was interesting in the latter days of Bristol that all the 411's being refurbished and on display at the workshop where fitted with Chevrolet engines and gearboxes, I wonder why?
Geoff.

[Philip]

Simply because there’s a lot more aftermarket support for the LS engines and associated gearboxes, and not very much for the third gen Chrysler Hemis.

[Geoff Kingston]

They certainly seem easier to source second hand in the UK now if someone wanted to do a conversion on a budget but I must admit if I was going down that route I would be tempted to fit a Bentley V8 just for the hell of it.

[bnuttee]

Thank you very much for every comments. I will start restoration project soon. I will start new thread for restoration so everyone in forum can share comment and see the progress.

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by Geoff Kingston

Peter,
It was interesting in the latter days of Bristol that all the 411's being refurbished and on display at the workshop where fitted with Chevrolet engines and gearboxes

Are you sure about this Geoff?

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Kevin H

Are you sure about this Geoff?

The factory were doing LS conversions, yes.

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by Philip

The factory were doing LS conversions, yes.

What's LS ?


PS/Edit: I see, it's the GM engine. So what engine did the 411 S6 use?

When did they start using the GM engines?

[Geoff Kingston]

Kevin
When I went to the event at Windlesham to celebrate Brian's long service with the company there were at least two possibly three 411's there which were being rebuilt and all had the Chevrolet LS engine and gearbox conversions, I got the impression that was what was then being offered as part of the up grade package and that there had been a move away from using the Chrysler units, obviously I am referring to the period just before the recent liquidation not the run up to 2011 when Bristol had started to offer cars rebuilt to series 6 specification.
Geoff.

[Philip]

The Series 6 cars had a 5.9 Chrysler Magnum small block, as per the Blenheims.

[Geoff Kingston]

The parts of the series 6 package that appealed to me were the upgrades to the brakes, the suspension and the four speed box, I was offered a crashed Chrysler 300 with the magnum engine and four speed box when I still had my 411 but we were focused on work on a 401 so I let it pass.
If I ever need to overhaul the mechanics on my 603 it will be a stroker conversion and an uprated or four speed box.

[Kevin H]

I feel it's unfortunate that Bristol started using a GM powertrain in the final chapter of the company's history. Given the small number of cars they were upgrading why not continue using the Chrysler engine they used in the 411 Series 6.

[Philip]

By that point the Magnum small block was obsolete, and the replacement Gen III Hemi has never had the aftermarket support in terms of management and tuning and accessories that the LS has, so the LS is the obvious answer. Think Brabazon offered a Gen III Hemi conversion..