Restoration

With over 60 years of experience, Frank Dale & Stepsons is at the forefront of restoration of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars. Our fully equipped 6,000 square foot workshop is manned by Rolls-Royce trained mechanics capable of carrying out full or partial restoration to the highest standards. We have prepared all manner of pre and post war models for our clients all over the world. To highlight the type of work we can carry out please see below:-

1954 Bentley R Type Continental by H.J. Mulliner Chassis No BC73D
We came into possession of an R Type Continental in the spring of 2006, in a dilapidated state, ideal for restoration. The car was delivered to the Shah of Iran in 1955 and eventually found its way to the United States in the 1960’s.

We acquired the car and shipped it to London. By the time it arrived in London a new owner had been found, who wanted to restore the car to its former glory. It arrived in a sorry state as you will see in the pictures below. The paintwork and chrome were badly worn. The interior woodwork was in very poor condition and the carpets and leather were showing signs of rot. The engine bay was a mess and to nobody’s surprise, the car would not run. The car was in a very poor state, but still bore the Shah's royal insignia on both door panels. An initial inspection took place in our workshop, to access the depth of the restoration work required. Following a thorough inspection of every facet of the car, a detailed plan was formed for the new owner. Our brief was to restore the car to show condition cosmetically, to be finished in black with tan leather, and to do what ever was necessary mechanically to make the car completely reliable, enabling the new owner to take long distance tours of Europe.

We began by stripping the car completely. All of the bright work was removed, labelled and sent to be repaired and re-chromed. The glass was removed along with the rubber seals surrounding the windows which had perished. The seats and what was left of the carpets were removed, including the boot carpet. The walnut dashboard, door fillets and all the surrounds were removed and labelled. This gave us access to all the dials and instrumentation, which largely had ceased to work. They were also removed and labelled, to be repaired and recalibrated.

The brakes and suspension were examined and stripped to be overhauled. The engine and gearbox were then removed and sent to our engine room, for analysis. Both were also stripped and the over hauling process began. The steering was examined and tended to. The chassis was thoroughly examined by our engineers at this point, to check for corrosion and oil leaks. The bulk head was stripped and prepared for re-conditioning.

The car was now basically a shell. The chassis had been found to be relatively sound, with only a few minor repairs necessary. The underside of the car was thoroughly cleaned following the repairs and treated with wax oil, for protection. The body was then taken to the coachworks for inspection. After the paint was removed, the body was found to be in generally good condition, with only small areas of corrosion, probably due to the warm climates where the car had lived for long periods of time. Small areas were removed and new aluminium panels were fabricated and fitted to the car. The doors and boot were removed and re-hung, so that the gaps were correct. The body was checked for imperfections, and where necessary the aluminium coachwork was repaired. Whilst in the coachworks, the rear wheel arches were measured as the new owner requested spats to be made. The spats were cut and fabricated from aluminium, matching the exact curvature of the R Types rear wing, blending them perfectly to the existing coachwork. The body was rubbed down by hand and prepared for its first coat of primer.

Whilst the body was being prepared for painting all the other departments set about their work with great care, restoring every aspect of the car to the highest standards. The seats were in our trim shop, where new springs were fabricated. The cushions were re-stuffed and the new tan leather was cut and hand stitched to the door panels and seats with the original patterns being carefully observed. The car had already been measured for new beige Wilton carpets which were also prepared at this time. The new beige headlining was also prepared. The interior woodwork had been stripped, polished and re-veneered and all the gauges were being re-calibrated and repaired.

The engine and gearbox overhaul were now complete. All of the pieces of the puzzle were ready to be re-united. The now re-painted body returned to the workshop and the engine and gearbox were re-fitted to the car. The new underlay and carpets were fitted. The dials were replaced into the dashboard, shortly followed by the walnut surround. New glass was fitted where required, with new rubber seals. The seats were returned to the car, along with new leather covered door panels. The newly restored wooden door fillets and chrome fittings were then returned to the car and re-fitted.

All electrical aspects were checked and re-wired where needed at this point by our skilled electricians. A new set of radial tyres were balanced and fitted, and the finishing touch was the new pressed aluminium number plates. The car was now complete and the testing phase began.

Several hundred miles of road test were undertaken, in all weathers, to ensure that the car was performing strongly. We took the car on long high speed journeys, and also short trips in heavy traffic, to ascertain that all was well. After a few minor adjustments and further testing, BC73D was given the seal of approval.

During the process of restoration the owner was kept informed of our progress at regular intervals, with reports and photos sent by email. Once the work was complete, a disk of photos was presented to him documenting every stage of the restoration process.

The transformation from “barn find” to concours condition car was now complete. The new owner promptly took the car on a 5,000 kilometre road trip around Britain, complete with his R Type Continental touring kit that we supplied to him. The trip was a huge success and the delighted owner returned to London some weeks later, with photos of his journey through the Scottish Highlands in his handsome Bentley.

If you are considering some improvements to your Rolls-Royce or Bentley motor car we would be delighted to assist. From small jobs like adding new coachlines by hand, or a clean and wax oil to the underside of your car, to a complete restoration to show condition, our highly skilled team at Frank Dale & Stepsons can be of service.

For information and quotations please contact Vincent Roma on vincentroma@frankdale.com or by telephone on 0208 847 544