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

[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...

[Raymond]

I don't know for sure but I think it highly likely these poor old cars have been savaged by people who go racing.

as for converting to electric; the idea scares me. My wife has a Lexus hybrid... there are "keep out" signs under the bonnet!

[Geoff Kingston]

Raymond,
You did not get off to a bad start at all on the forum, your comments about the paint on LRU and better interiors shots made me laugh but I hate adding LOL after a comment far too new a phrase for an old luddite like me, I also like to get the old wooden spoon out to stir things up so beware.
I would strongly and seriously however advise anyone considering converting any Bristol to electric to forget it, I 'll say no more on the forum but if anyone wants to know the reason behind this comment please send me a private message, suffice to say a lot of conversions like this are dangerous in more ways than just a keep out sign.

Hesketh,
The engine robbing has been going on for years, when I started running Bristol 401's they cost about £150 to £250 each a 405 more if good but with wood rot less a 406 £450 max. Engine dies then buy another car to use or rob the engine out of. Then the AC Ace factor, a lot found their way to the US, taken racing, V8's fitted, the exchange rate changed and many were bought back into the UK, where did new owners get their engines from, poor old Bristol engined AC Greyhounds which were not fashionable or Bristol 405's. Then the historic racers, 406's escaped this because the engines were not eligible for historic racing, sadly the rest were and if you had a £100k racer £10 spent on a sad old Bristol to pinch its engine was a bargain. 405's seemed to be the first victims, then the 403's and eventually the 401's when people realised that these too could be modified to race or FNS specification. I wasted almost two weeks recently assembling a parts package for a potential buyer who wanted a engine for an early Frazer Nash only for him to drop his offer because he had been "offered later engines for less money", one at a plausible price, one that a very knowledgeable friend of mine said if it was available for that figure it would be scrap, a 100D at about a quarter of current market value.
The sad reality was that to build an authentic spec engine for the Frazer Nash in question a later engine would knock a lot off the value whereas in a Bristol it won't. The guy in question I suspect may actually have had a Werner Oswald clone but an FNS spec build on a correct series engine would have been a better bet.
As I said before its a funny old world, enjoy it!
Geoff.

[hesketh786]

Raymond,
ahhh i do not like the sounds of that ! maybe ill search for a suitable engine for the 405 ! wish me luck... !

Geoff,
250 for £450 ! god that must have been amazing !
i would have bought them all !
that a very interesting what you have wrote up, do you think i should search in the US for a 405 engine ?
if i cant get a 405 engine - what is the next best engine ?

thanks both
H