Restore 403 or sacrifice for parts?

[Ashley James]

TT Workshops are having both heads and blocks cast at about £7.5K ea
and I think they are having made or are making lots of parts for
late BMW and early Bristols.
Alpine Eagle are great friends, I had the onerous task of writing the
funeral address for poor Roy Partridge, he was a remarkable man with a
knowledge of coachwork that few could equal. I helped with their
website and Rich, my son worked there for 7 years before starting
he trimmed that remarkable Kadoori Ghost and supervised the rebuild
of a couple of PIII's before he left. Few R-R and B restorers have won
more awards internationally or over a longer period.

Brian May has been accumulating parts for years now so that he can
sell cannibalised cars with enough bits to complete them for anyone
brave enough to take them on. There are two 405 DHCs, several 401-3s,
several 400s and some 405s and 406s. He also has a few V8's that are
on the road. He has a wonderful original 403 that he's joined us in
France with for the last few years. He's very popular and he and Jean
usually sing to us as the end of the holiday approaches.

Rich has done bits of 328s and a fair bit of my car, but he'd love to
rebuild an early Bristol. It's been mostly Bentley R types this year
although he is going to trim the Maharajah of Johdpur's at AE.

I think the most likely Bristols to be worth the investment are the
400s and the 403's, the 404 already has it's following and is secure.

Interesting to hear your comments on modifications. I've fitted and
overdrive, a 100B2 Bottom end, a Delco Remy distributor, Alfin brake drums and a Lockeed
Servo.

Ashley

[seanmcs]

Well, I like this enthusiasm. I did a bit to a 401, and that went
North in NSW in Julian's hands and is still a good runner. My
beautiful 406 is now in Victoria and an excellent car. The 405 was
really only second to the Isos in New Zealand. A fantastic charger.
Now the 406 Zagato is close to metal finish in Dubbo. Bas and I were
with the Nugents last week and it looks like they will be finished
in October. The quality is outstanding. Bas has all the mechanicals
done and somewhat as usual, the 110 engine has only done 50,0000
miles and the pistons and gearbox are outstanding. The only thing is
I can't quite swallow the original orange-red paint. Something more
like Mudgee honey over a white plate in mind.

Sean

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by Ashley James

TT Workshops are having both heads and blocks cast at about £7.5K ea

£15k for a bare block and head?

That's going to end up being an expensive exercise. Probably worth it if you are restoring an AC Ace, but not a fixed head AC. Still makes it worth buying a tatty old 6 cyl Bristol for it's engine and transmission, unfortunately.

[406Special]

Ashley, next time I get a gathering of Bristol owners to pop along
for tea and bikkies at AE with John and his team you should join us.
John never entioned he knew someone with a Bristol (you) - very small
world.

My 406 is in a lock up on the Little Clanfield site which is owned by
Ed Stephens (very nice man & enthusiast come Aga expert and water
mill collector).

I am waiting until we have the engine back ready for install before
we venture down later in year.

Clyde

[Ashley James]

Clyde - I've seen your car along there and would love to meet up if
there is a gathering. John's been over to Rich's workshop and seen
my car but he's delightfully absent minded!


Ash

[seanmcs]

Thinking about the values of the cars, I have the impression that
the Fighter has brought the Bristol name back into public focus in
the UK. Certainly the membership of the BOC has climbed a lot in the
last three years. I noticed some spectacular prices for a couple of
Arnolts in the USA earlier this year. I'd also imagine a Zagato 406
would be receiving a lot of interest if one were available! Only 5
around plus the 2-3 on 400 chassis. My own limited experience is
that the 405 has been the best handling Bristol I have ever had - it
will be interesting to see how the 406Z will compare. Body nearly
finished now and assemble, take down, paint, upholster and fit
screen then re-assemble to come. Maybe by March.

Sean

[Ashley James]

I've not long completed a total rebuild of my 400, which coincidentally is the same colour (well sort of!) as the car that the Duke of Richmond and Gordon used to open the Goodwood Circuit in 1948.

To commemorate this auspicious event (the 60th anniversary), my car is to open the meeting, doing a few parade laps with Lord March in it, starting the racing each day and spending the rest of its time in an enclosure set aside to display the previous Duke's cars.

The thought of four days, taking time off work and the misery that is getting in and out of these affairs, rather put me off attending. Therefore I've lent the car to Andrew Blow who's generously offered to do it. It was a wrench after so much work and expense, but it seems like an excellent way to dangle a very good example of a 400 under the noses of some of the World's top collectors and hopefully make them feel like buying and restoring one.

If anyone is going to the Goodwood Revival with a camera, I'd love some photos. It's a green (Cambridge Grey) 400 and was made in 1949


Ashley

[Calibrator]

For better or worse I now have the 403 that started this thread off in my workshop. It came to me via a wanted advert on this forum last year.

I've only had it for a little over a week, but the limited chance I've had to inspect and prod its nether regions has given me hope. It looks awful, but essentially the major malady is in the sills both sides. The near side sill having been "repaired" at some point in the past. Chassis itself is rock solid, and the body work requires very little new metal. Front seats are shot, but the rears are in fine form, and will colour up nicely. Some of Gliptones conditioner I had lying around has softened the leather very nicely.

Chrome needs doing all around, and whilst the glass is all good, the rear side window actuators are beyond salvage I think, and the windscreen rubber is shot.

So to answer the original question, restore or sacrifice? Well definitely not sacrifice, I'm not going to break it for sure, it's too good for that. Restore? Well yes, but with the caveat regarding the engine and gearbox. It will be restored to a motive car, but unless 6 numbers come up on the lottery that I don't play, then it will be with some other power train. Threads elsewhere have explored this issue, and in truth I'm undecided what to do. I have the ex Harry Wareham 405 that was featured in the Duckhams oil advert, with a Rover V8 engine and 5 speed LT77 gearbox from an SD1 that I've had fitted. But I'd rather stick to a straight six engine of some sort for the 403, an engine with similar architecture to the original Bristol Engine. The V8 installation in the 405 was a little invasive of the chassis, and I'd rather avoid that on the 403.

I know there will be folks out there horrified at what I'm doing. All I'd ask those folks to remember is that I wasn't the one responsible for robbing the cars of their original engines and gearboxes.