Since Bristol's dealership network is not as widespread as the ownership of its cars, owners must improvise a bit when locating parts and repair for their vehicles. The manufacturer for many years was not geared up to serve overseas owners but this has changed. Orders for parts can be placed with the manufacturer and shipped abroad conveniently. The personnel at the parts depot are hugely knowledgeable and helpful. Refurbishment work carried out by the factory is generally top notch. There are also a number of specialists at which the manufacturer directs criticism from time to time but they can offer a more cost effective solution.
Click to jump to Specialists, Repair Facilities, Parts, Tools.|
Bristol Cars Limited Tel: 0207 603 5554 Tel: 0208 995 0350 Comments: covers all models, they are manufacturers after all! |
Bristols . . .
Bristols . . .
Bristols Tel: 0121 430 3767 Comments: restoration, location of rare parts, 6 cylinder models mostly, long history with Bristol cars |
TT Workshops Ltd Tel: 01373 823603 Comments: Bristol engined cars are their specialty (AC, Frazer Nash, early BMW) |
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ACCS Tel: 020 7278 9786 Comments: V8 models, London location, reasonable prices |
Mitchell Motors Tel:
01747 820223 Comments: paintwork and bodywork |
Shawn
Thomas Tel: 408 374 8089 Comments: California based, only US specialist, stocks parts for V8's and Bristol engined |
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Spencer-Lane
Jones Limited Tel: 01985 847133 Comments: all models catered for, probably the largest of the specialists |
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For repair shops in the United Kingdom it's probably best to either contact one of the established specialists above or contact the local Bristol Owners Club representative to find out if there is someone closer by.
In the United States there are many classic car restoration shops. Most of the them are expensive and not all of them do a very good job. One thing I would recommend is to resist the temptation of bringing your car to a local odd jobber such as a chain repair shop, gas stop or "quick fix" merchant, unless, of course, you have personal experience and are confident of his/her abilities. Since time is money, their solution to car repair is modular - if a part does not work, replace it. With a Bristol this does not work as the parts cannot be pulled from the shelf readily. The exception may be the "LA" engined V8 cars (603 and onwards) as the parts are readily available and cheap. The "B" V8 engine parts are not too hard to find from mail order sellers, speed shops and Chrysler. The majority of V8's in the United States are the poly-V8 cars of the 1960's and these parts are increasingly difficult to obtain.
I have personal experience of -
They undertook a complete interior refit of my 409. Highly professional, timely completion of the project, excellent records, good results. Expensive but thorough. There's some kind of cable t.v. car show which features a spot from Hibernia (on ESPN I think).
He performed extensive restorative work to the 409's chassis prior to my purchase. Very good work, careful in detail.
Facilites I have heard good things about -
Long established and have worked on many British cars. They have a business in rebuilding master brake cylinders also. I saw them on featured on "My Classic Car" on Speedvision once.
They work on Jaguars for the most part but cater for all British cars. Stockists of Smiths instruments. San Luis is a bit out of the way in California but solid reputation.
Has rebuilt a number of Bristol engines and apparently does solid work.
Well known as an Arnolt specialist and has restored a number of cars. Based in Massachussetts.
Mopar engine specialists run by the well known drag racer. They can work on the semi-hemi and other exotica.
Mopar specialist engine builders. They serve the circle track racers. Bill Richardson there is supposed to be a guru on poly V8 engines. They also sell parts.
The specialists listed above can supply, without breaking a sweat, all of the parts you need for a Bristol or an Arnolt-Bristol. Specialist pricing on generic parts (such as V8 engine and transmission bits) is not as good but there is something to be said for the advice they can provide.
Everyone has their opinion
about high street stores but the main ones I have come across are NAPA,
Pep Boys, Kragen Auto Parts, Strauss Discount Auto, Advance Auto,
CarQuest and Autozone. Of the above, Pep Boys has the best pricing and
NAPA the best service (note that AAA entitles you to a 7% discount at
NAPA).
As for online stores, the following are a reasonably good quality. Note, that it some instances, you will be directed to a link that might in certain circumstances result in the payment of a commission to this site (which does not impact the price paid for items by you) -
Extensive catalogue of parts for cars sold in America. You can find parts for your Bristol by matching it to a common production model, e.g, for a 1978 603S you can search under a 1978 Plymouth Grand Fury with a 360 engine. Decent pricing, the online version of Kragen Auto Parts.
Car-Part.comNetwork of car scrap yards and
recycling facilities. Use the search engine and then call up the scrap
yard. Avoid the legwork to locate those used parts. I saved quite a lot
of money on a set of seats I found through this service. I
was
able to find a PS pump.
The traditional US parts dealers has, at last, put together a web parts buying service. It's not the best though, visiting your local store will inspire greater confidence.
EBayOf course you can find just about anything on Ebay. Parts, tools, memorabilia. Most of the time, it's not much cheaper on EBay than elsewhere but you do find certain items that are not normally available through retail and small volume channels such as industrial quality tools and machinery, electric motors and controls, tooling, etc.
JC WhitneySells various generic car parts and accessories. Most parts sold are stock replacements.
Mancini RacingMopar parts from Mopar
Performance, Crane, Edelbrock, Comp Cams, Milodon, &c. I have
always been pleased with their service. Pricing is good (in fact, for
Mopar Performance products they have a "lowest price" guarantee) but
not much detail on the parts. Site is a little creaky.
My favourite online car parts
store. They have the best pricing and delivery to New York is 2 days on
the dot with their free shipping option. They stock almost every
aftermarket parts maker including Mopar Performance. Hint: the online
catalogue is more extensive than it appears at first, if you know the
part number, you will be able to get the part even if it does not
appear on the menu. They also have a price matching service
so if
you
find it elsewhere for a better price, you can still use Summit.
Almost as good as Summit but
their pricing is nearly always a sliver higher. Useful where Summit
does not stock parts from a manufacturer or are backordered.
The best thing about this site is their extensive scanned catalogue collection. They also stock the more obscure parts that may need to be special ordered elsewhere. I've never actually ordered there but I you can get the part numbers.
Smaller parts stockist focuses on racers. Their main business is Formula Ford parts. I find them most useful because they stock British bits and pieces such as Lucas brake parts, electrics, Girling parts, Timken bearings.
Leather restoration and recolouring products including leather dye.
Based in Hershey, PA, with distributors in the UK and Australia, they stock most kinds of tyres include Dunlop RS5's and Avon Turbospeeds at decent prices.
A sort of all marques parts locator service. They have Arnolt and Bristol listed.
Auto racing parts supplier - they do Ferodo brake pads (as Bristol fit standard) and some other UK parts makers.
Supplier of restoration tools and equipment such as paint guns, booths, powder coating systems, hand tools, rust prevention coatings. Helpful when you want something obscure but otherwise a bit expensive.
GrizzlyLarge distributor of far
eastern made tools. They have a reputation for selling quality items.
They have a few superstores, one in each of Pennsylvania, Washington
and Missouri. Mostly woodworking and
heavy duty metal working but comprehensive. They can also be
accessed through Amazon.
Specialized metal working tool seller. Most of their items are designed for use in a high end racing shop. They sell the name brands like Pexto, National and Roper. They have all the body work equipment, English wheels, dollies, hammers, shrinkers, stretchers, shears, etc.
Very similar to Grizzly except
that they are mail order only. Pricing is much the same and the
machines probably come from the same factory. Painted a similar shade
of green. They have free shipping promotions from time to
time.
They stock more name brand tools such as Dynabrade, Wilton, Delta, etc.
A chain of stores in the
midwest with a very good website. Good selection of air tools and other
hardware.
Tristate area seller of
mechanic's tools. Aimed at the consumer rather than the pro mechanic.
They have weekly specials on various items. Store in Brooklyn and in
Howell, New Jersey. Hand tools are mostly S-K. Pricing is
very
competitive but need to join the
"club" (one time $50 fee). They attend most of the area shows.
Based in Maplewood, NJ, they stock and can order an extensive selection of tools, powered and hand tools. They carry all the brands - the names and the far eastern stuff.
A remarkable stockist of just about anything. They serve for the most part large industrial customers but will take small orders and ship to you. I have used them quite a bit for fasteners, plumbing bits, hose, tools, raw materials. Their catalog is several thousand pages long. This is the place to look for those obscure bits that you thing should be easy to get until you try to look. For instance, need a sheet of 16ga aluminium of the same grade used by Bristol - they have it on the shelf. Or some bit to adapt a BSP thread to AN or NPT? And you can get it next day. You will, of course, need to identify this yourself in their catalog.
Occasionally maligned chain store and stockist of far eastern tools. While Grizzly and Enco have a relatively consistent quality control program, Harbor is hit and miss. As far as pricing goes, there's nothing to touch them. I have bought basic, low use items like stands, clamps, a brake but I probably would not get a motorized machine unless I intended it to be throwaway.
If you've used the internet (and given that you're reading this page, this is a safe bet), you've used Amazon. Recently they have started to carry various suppliers of mechanics and metalworking tools. Their own "tool corral" is very woodwork oriented.
Iowa based stockist of auto
racing tools. Just like
Irvan-Smith really but their website is better. They stock
Mittler Brothers tools.
My first hand experience on this one is limited. The following are often mentioned -
Various classic car
accessories. Good stock of Lucas elctric
bits and rallying gear.
Leather restoration kits. I have used one of their kits and found it quite good but I will try Leatherique next time as shipping costs from the UK is prohibitive.
The UK's best known high street parts seller. Their website does not have shopping facilities.
Not much in the way of parts but if you are into classic rallying, they have all the get-up you need. They also stock for sale a video called "The Bristol Car" which I have never seen.
[any other suggestions - welcome]