An insight into the BK Museum With his Irish background, Bart has always had much admiration for the work of Henry George (Harry) Ferguson who not only designed and built Tractors but also developed the unique three-point linkage that became universally known as the Ferguson System. Bart’s early restoration projects therefore included many of the Ferguson and Massey Ferguson range of Tractors and Implements. Bart’s collection has been augmented by an increasing number of other Tractors and a growing number of Classic Cars over the last fourteen years, many of which will be instantly recognisable, and has been supplemented by accompanying memorabilia. The entire collection of Classic Cars, Classic Tractors and Agricultural Memorabilia is housed in three separate buildings on the one site in rural Suffolk. |  |
The objective of every complete restoration undertaken by BK Museum personnel is to return the vehicle in question to concourse condition. As such, each restoration process follows a number of defined steps in order to ensure that every piece of metal and component conforms to the original manufacturer’s specification. This can be a slow, steady and time consuming procedure but it does mean that every finished vehicle meets extremely high standards. The standard restoration sequence is as follows: - Completely strip shell of all body parts
- Sandblast shell and body parts
- Remove axles, engine and gearbox for inspection. Arrange for any necessary repairs and reconditioning
- Send chrome and aluminium components away for plating and polishing
- Arrange for replacement of wiring loom
- Inspect sandblasted shell for rot or corrosion and repair or replace with new panels
- Sandblasted doors, boot and bonnet are then subject to the same inspection and repair process
- Inspect complete body shell and fill dents where necessary
- Apply red oxide/zinc to body, doors, boot and bonnet followed by five coats of primer
- Wet flat complete body by hand
- Apply a minimum of two finishing topcoats, starting with the body shell
- Apply red oxide/zinc to underside of vehicle
- Sandblast all running gear and spray in black
- Reassemble components starting with wiring harness, interior, suspension, engine, gearbox, axles and chromed metalwork
As a matter of policy, all brake and suspension components are replaced with brand new components. New tyres are fitted as standard The entire collection now goes under the banner of the BK Museum and further information and fact sheets are available via the BK Museum Web Site (www.bkmuseum.com). Bart will continue to extend the overall collection and plans to repeat his Open Days exercise on an annual basis. He is also keen to encourage visits from Educational and Heritage Organisations whose pupils and members would find much of interest from an historic point of view. Any group that wishes to arrange a visit should contact Bart via bart@bkmuseum.com
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