spencer lane jones vs coleman classic
 

i am wondering what the forums views are on servicing at spencer lane jones and at coleman classics

i am considering a 603 . does this need to be serviced at a bristol specialist with bristol specialist prices. Or can any classic car / american muscle car garage service a 1970s bristol ?

Interesting question - not about SLJ vs Coleman per se, but about servicing V8 Bristols in general. While both the engine and the transmission were made by Chrysler, there is nothing special about them and I would have thought any competent mechanic who has experience working on older cars should be able to do the work.

That said, it would be more efficient to use someone who has experience with Chrysler engines and transmissions, and they would/should also know how that power train should perform. They would also know the usual problems to look for, such transmission and engine leaks and tell tale signs of other problems that could result in expensive repairs. For example, a leaking rear crankshaft seal is not uncommon on the 383/400 engines used in the 411 and 412, and it's not cheap to fix, mainly because of the labour involved!

Of course there are numerous other aspects of the car that should be checked (preferably before purchase!)

The same goes for any 'classic' car really. The potential problem with any 50 year old car is that all sorts of people may have done work on it, replaced parts, and possible 'bodged' things in the process. Or just not maintained it properly at all! Which is why a detailed service history is valuable.

With hindsight, after buying the one and only 411 I had ever seen, I would suggest driving a few 603's if possible, so you can make comparisons, (if you can do that anywhere, it will be the UK).

Being in West Wales I don't have the luxury of being able to avail my self of the services of either of these companies for servicing and repair work but they are both well regarded and very helpful so it may simply be down to who is closest. I have always had my cars maintained, repaired and in some cases rebuilt with the help of local garages and two mechanics who were/are great friends of mine. I have a fully equipped workshop and at the moment own two 603's and two 401's plus a few other classics all now maintained by my semi retired friend Mike who has just done a full brake rebuild on one of the 603's with the calipers refurbished by a local engineer with parts supplied to me by Powertrack brakes.
Before the 603's I had a 408, 410 & 411 all mainly looked after here though years ago I did use the services of the late Paul Burd in Bristol.
Any American Garage who works on Mopar cars of a similar age will be familiar with the engine and transmissions and if they look after any Jensen Interceptors the braking system as well. As Kevin said any competent mechanic with experience of working on older cars should be able to maintain a 603.

SLJ or Coleman
 

Both are Bristol specialists. Both work with the highest integrity, and both will provide quality work for quality prices. Both have extensive knowledge on Bristols - for example, how to remove the rubber suspension bushes to restore the handling to its design spec performance (on recollection I was told they use a gas axe that produces prodigious amounts of black smoke in the workshop but gets the job done).

For a long time, SLJ was the independent whereas Coleman worked for Bristol Cars. There was friendly rivalry (as I learned with the infamous Gant steering wheel), but both were the top go-to for anything Bristol.

It probably will come down to how far away each is from you.

As for the power train, as others have said, it is Chrysler, meaning volume over precision that can be worked on by any Yank mechanic or even hotrodder. It's not like servicing a Bugatti Veyron where an oil change in California costs US$25,000 (takes 27 hours every 6,000 miles or once a year). See https://youtu.be/PYpexKP_jTs?feature=shared&t=31

But when it comes to upgrades, like replacing the original Carter carb with something better on the market, begin by educating yourself. The several forums will have members who have been there and can give you their real-life experience. Once well informed you can either select a Chrysler specialist or the two Bristol specialists to do the job (or DIY, it's not that hard).

One of the appealing aspects of a Bristol is that they were hand made by men in a workshop not robots on an assembly line. This means they can be repaired by people with man-sized hands, and the dreaded no-longer-available status of mass production parts is not so much of a concern with Bristols. My 411 was missing the bottom engine cover, so when I was in London, I ordered another from Brian Marelli on Friday. He said it would be available Monday afternoon. Turns out to have been a simple piece of bent aluminium that the factory cut and bent from a template on Monday morning and Tony Crook flew his plane over to collect. With measurements and specs, I could have had my local metal press make it, but I also got a good story out of it for free.