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Bored of close-ups of radiators yet? There's a few more to go! While sorting the leaks out, I started noticing more and more. This one was a tiny dent with literally a pinhole - but a hole nonetheless. Last resort, time to crack out the JB Weld: A good slathering of it put liberally over all the areas that were cut/crimped/folded: As well as a big blob of it over all the cleaned up pinholes. I then refitted the radiator back in to the hole. Plumbed up the AT pipes and coolant pipes: Checked the AT fluid level (luckily only a teeny bit was lost in the constant rad swaps> Because I had plenty of time to kill while the JB Weld was setting, I decided to make a new thermostat gasket from some gasket paper (courtesy of Vilerug) Can you tell I was really killing time? All ^that^ was done during the day and into early evening. I then had a few hours kip in the back of the Dodge before getting up around 4am to put the coolant into the radiator. Why so early? Because I wanted to try and drive the car to the beach party...which started in a few hours. I really, really wanted this to work! After a good few litres of water, I heard a splashing noise and looked under the car. I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised, but it didn't stop me being just a bit pi$$ed off. All that work to stop the leaks, all that effort and time. After checking the radiator over, it would appear that all the leaks I'd spotted and sorted were still holding good. What I hadn't spotted were all the leaks right inside the cores, buried deep in a mass of super fragile copper pipework. Basically, it was borked. Completely and utterly borked. As least I'd given it my best shot. I wasn't going to be taking the Daimler to the beach so I closed the bonnet, packed away the tools, turned the lights off and headed home.
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Plain disappointing that the rad ended up being so poor, especially after all that work. Picture of the Imp helping is adorable though.
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PhoenixCapri
West Midlands
Posts: 2,684
Club RR Member Number: 91
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Sorry to hear the replacement rad didn't work out, but kudos for all the effort you put in - I'd have lost patience about 2 mins into getting the JB weld out (I make a right mess of everything I touch with that stuff!) Least the car looks great If it's of any use to you I've still got that alloy rad sat doing nothing - happy to bring it to RRG if you want to see if you could use it. Anything to get one of this site's best mojo levels back!
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[Early April] I managed to scrape together the £220 finally get one of the radiators recored. It was painful having to pay that much when I was struggling with money generally, but after giving it my all to 'fix' the rads, it was the only option (well, after exploring many hundreds of options, but lets not go there again!) A few days later I popped over to Keynsham to collect the rad and promptly rushed back to the unit. AT LAST!! I got straight on and got it fitted. After countless removal/refits of radiators (and not an easy task on this car!) I could finally, hopefully, not have to worry about water leaks. With the radiator in, AT pipes connected, coolant hoses connected and rest of the system checked over, I filled the radiator with water and kept putting it in until I could put in no more. Underneath the car was dry. I went and made a celebratory cup of tea....and when I came back to the car, the floor was still dry. I started the engine and let it run, let it warm up and idle for *ages*. No water spills. NONE! Happy days....I finally had a car that was holding water and not overheating. I was finally in a position to start enjoying the car as I wanted to from the moment I'd bought it. Something that I'd been denied all this time. It was time for a test drive. Vilerug and I jumped in and headed out onto the road.....
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Thanks guys. I perhaps should have made it clearer...these shots and updates are long overdue and were from a good few months ago when the seller sent me a 'good replacement' radiator to replace the completely clogged one in the car which I'd already tried numerous times to revive.
The recored radiator (which was beautifully done) was being done and fitted back in the car way back near the beginning of April. I'm currently trying to pull together some more info to bring things more up to date, but this was the last time I really took any photos (the last few posts) and I don't have a lot to show between then and now.
I'll do what I can.....
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PhoenixCapri
West Midlands
Posts: 2,684
Club RR Member Number: 91
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Aha I thought there was a new rad in the works (got confused) - just forget my last comment then! So glad to hear that it's all sorted
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I'm so glad to see your continuing on with this car. I'm also glad to see you back updating your threads, I think I speak for many on this fora when I say keep up the outstanding work.
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,842
Club RR Member Number: 174
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I think 2 Morris Marina van radiators spun 90 degrees and stacked on top of each other would fit where the original did.
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Mystery Machines Christmas list: Miss-tery Mummy Daddy Sister Jed stealthstylzRich KFW Dez Vilerug etcetera..... How it looks now: Miss-tery Mummy Daddy Sister Jed StealthstylzRich KFW Dez Vilerug etcetera.....
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cianha
Part of things
aka VDubbin
Posts: 923
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You better watch out, you better not pout, You better watch out, I'm telling you why,
Myyyyyysterys' 8 is coming to town, Myyyyyysterys' 8 is coming to town, Myyyyyysterys' 8 is coming, to towwwwn!
I think I would have put my foot through the old one, after all that effort! Cheers for the update dude, can I look forward to seeing it in 8 days?
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Last Edit: Aug 8, 2013 8:54:36 GMT by cianha
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...can I look forward to seeing it in 8 days? I really hope so! The radiator was now in and James & I decided to take it for a shakedown run around the block (quite a big block thanks to the one way system!) No sooner were we on the one way than we realised the car was just too low. Literally scraping on anything and everything. Sure, it looked cool, but it was undriveable. I've driven stupendously low cars before (cars that looked a LOT lower than this) but because of the way the subframe & sump sit a long way below any bodywork, the car is hitting the ground all the time. Add to that the complete sluggishness of the thing, it's deemed best to head straight back to the unit and look into A] sorting the fuelling/timing and B] raising the ride height! The latter was something I hated the thought of doing, but it basically came down to either having a car that look super cool, but couldn't be driven, or a car that doesn't look *quite* so cool, but that I can acutally enjoy. A phonecall was made to Dez and some appropriate tyres bought there & then. The new tyres (165/80/15) sit pretty much half way between the current tyres (175/65/15) and the originals (185/80/15). This should raise the ride height by about 16mm according to my calculations. Not a lot happned after than due to having a lot of work on and not having much time to spend on the car. Leading up to last weekend, I got the new tyres from Dez swapped onto the rims and ordered some parts for the carbs after James had kindly stripped them down and diagnosed that the jet assemblies and jet bearings were in need of replacing. I rang Berlen and bought the appropriate parts, along with two complete gasket kits. The next day (the morning of the last play weekend) these arrived; the jet assemblies and jet bearings. I was happy that the carbs would hopefully have more of a chance of working better now, but also a bit gutted that I was £72 lighter just for these four items! (plus the £15 for the two gasket sets) All the following photos are courtesy of jonovlov (thanks Dude!) Friday of the play weekend and it started with the engine up and no carbs where they should be: James was doing what he does best....fix old stuff! ...although don't stick a camera in his face too much. He's not impressed with being papped all the time. Rebuild underway. So the gasket kit comes with a set of instructions and an exploded diagram: James didn't need it and the carbs were back together in record quick time! There is more to this story, but I'll fill that in on a later update. See that spring in the foreground? Well, that's an original spring. It was also the template for my super advanced, highly technical suspension adjustment. You can see them on the top of the spring. I then set about removing the front spring ready to take some measurements for the super advanced, highly technical suspension adjustment. Cracking shot Jon, I really like this! I'm sure Jaguar/Daimler never had these in mind when they designed the front suspension. Anyone who's ever taken the springs out will know how nasty it can be...and taking any precautions is always a good thing.
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Saturday morning I awake, open my 'bedroom' doors and I'm greeted with this sight. There are no windows in the unit, but this is more than enough of a view to compensate. Back to Jon's photos: My amazing super advanced suspension mods meant some lathe action was needed. Jon had kindly brought along some lathe tools to help with the severe lack we have at the unit. I got started: The basic idea behind this genious suspension set-up was simple. Cut/turn some discs to sit on top of the spring/inside the spring pocket on the car to give me a measured height change. I needed to go up 12mm, so two 6mm discs should do the trick. Meanwhile, James was all done and ready to refit the carbs. HOORAH! He pointed out the original asbestos carb spacers, "As long as you don't go cutting lots of the stuff and breathing it in there's not actually much danger". I knew this, but I think it came as a shock to a few of the other who I think were bought up on the propaganda that even looking at it will shorten your life by 20 years! Carbs and linkage going back in. Every step was a step nearer me possibly being able to drive the car at last. The twin carb set-up on the Daimler is a lovely thing. Especially the linkage. For setting it up, however, James dug out the bible: Yep, a genuine Daimler service manual. A lovely bit of kit and certainly in a different league to the Haynes books. Beautifully illustrated and so detailed in the descriptions. Perfect! Old meets new. A 1977 tax disc take pride of place over the 'young upstart' 2014 tax dics. Despite being only £40 for 12 months, the fact that the car is now free to insure is a lovely feeling. Another cracking shot Jon! More to come tomorrow....
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adam73bgt
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,869
Club RR Member Number: 58
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Woah! them's some expensive carb parts the full service kit from burlen for my carbs came to a bit less than that, but then I had to fork out extra for some throttle spindles That spring removal/fitting method using a large clamp looks... interesting
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,842
Club RR Member Number: 174
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I'm afraid you've now joined the company of EmDee as being the only people I know who have raised a lowered car. I'm understanding but disappointed haha.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,195
Club RR Member Number: 170
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The Daimler did look on its lowered stance it has to be said but by the same token it's always great being able to drive the car. On the Porker I am tempted to do what you have done I hate to say. I never knew a car could catch its bumper if taken on a bumpy road :/.
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Yeah, it's a shame, but I'd certainly much rather be able to drive it than have it as a super cool looking ornament and nothing else. I continued with progress by having a break from the machining. I turned my attention to some detailing work. The weekend before I'd put the Daimler outside for the day while other A52 guys brought their cars in for pre-Gathering prep work (welding, exhausts, suspension etc...) but the heaven had opened on the poor old Daimler and by the time I'd got the car back in at night, there were a lot of small rust marks all over the car. They had literally appeared after being sat in the rain for about eight hours. Most of this is probably to do with the paint where it's so thin or crazed...allowing water to get onto the metal? It was only light surface rust, but it certainly made me aware of how sensitive this car would be in the elements if I decide to keep the lovely patina. OF COURSE I'm going to keep it looking like this, it looks far more awesome than any highly polished Mk2 or Daimler (IMHO). There was only one thing for it.....break out the Area 52 detailing kit: a can of penetrating oil!! Literally bathe the thing in the stuff. Numerous coats of it and it should stand a better chance of surviving a few downpours. I could use AnkorWax, but after reading up on it, it sounds like coating your car in flypaper. A guaranteed way to have ALL the dirt and grime sticking to it. Penetrating oil it is then (which actually dries really nicely and not at all oily) With that all done, I turned (no pun intended) my attention back to the machining. Meanwhile, RobinJI cut the centre out of another piece of steel so that I could just remove the last bit in the lathe to make it accurate and neat. Speedy removed the initial rough cut burrs with a flap wheel before the amazing suspension adjuster was finished in the lathe. All done and fitted, the suspension had now been raised exactly 12mm thanks to the spacers sitting neatly in the spring pockets. All I had to do was use my patented G-clamp fitting procedure to get the springs back in. One for Jonovlov....he's such a lifestyler they even make fizzy drinks for him! The Daimler was all back in one piece, Vilerug had done an amazing job on the carbs, the engine was running sweeter than it had ever been, the car was now sitting about an inch higher than before (booo!!) but it at least had about 30mm of clearance under the sump now. More than some super low cars perhaps, but with the Daimlers softly sprung ride (something I didn't want to lose...it's not a race car!) I felt I'd reached the best compromise. It's a real shame that the stupidly low subframe & sump weren't reflected on the outside. Unless you look under the car, you'd never know there is such little clearance. Anyway, at least I could get on and enjoy being behind this wheels now.... After all that hard work over two days (it might not look it, but it was a lot of work) PLUS helping Speedy & Ben with their cars, I was a bit tired. I took a moment just to rest my eyes... ...before we all headed out on the Daimlers maiden voyage in my ownership. Nearly 6 months after buying it, now was the time to see how it faired.
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Aug 10, 2013 20:58:52 GMT
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What a fantastic write up and pics. Look forward to reading and seeing more about this car.
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We are all individuals.
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cianha
Part of things
aka VDubbin
Posts: 923
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I've only just now noticed the fog lights are actually one fog, and a driving spot light. This car just gets better and better!
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Aug 12, 2013 12:30:49 GMT
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Thanks Guys. Well, this was it, the moment of truth! After 5 months of owning the car, it was time to see if it would actually drive, not splutter & misfire, not overheat and not hit the road at any given opportunity. Massive thanks must go to jrevillug (AKA Vilerug) for the amazing work on the carbs and setting the timing up etc... and everyone else who helped with little bits along the way to get it to this stage. This was the moment of truth, time for its maiden voyage! (the following photos are a mixture taken by Butterz, RobinJI and Jonovlov - with thanks) Pulling out of the unit. To say I was a bit nervous at this point would be a bit of an understatement (worrying about *something* happening). To say I was a bit excited at this point would be a bit of an understatement (it had been a long old wait to get here). I think the balance was probably about 70/30 at this stage. A mile or so in on our little convoy and things were going fine. Balance of worry/excitement now around 65/35 Another mile and the water temp was holding nice and firm. But still early days. Worry/excitement: 60/40 Destination: The Tube Diner I figured it would be nice to enjoy a bit of a trip out to celebrate. On an Area 52 play weekend we don't often venture away from the unit, so this was a good opportunity to do something different, enjoy some good food and also give the cars a bit of a run. Plus I was using it as a 'test run' to see about the viability of setting up a monthly meet here for classic and retro cars. The owner, Charlie, was well up for that! The place itself if GREAT! WE MADE IT!! No fuss, no drama, no overheating, no scraping, only a marginal amount of spluttering (James said the carbs/timing could possibly do with a bit more fettling along with some new plugs) and I was absolutely ecstatic! Worry/excitement levels: 20/80 (it would have been great had I done a longer journey) Charlie, it turns out, is a bit classic and retro car fan. My idea of a monthly meet was very well received and he adored all the cars. This was brilliant news....but even that couldn't supercede my excitement at actually making a journey in the car. To say I was chuffed would be doing a massive injustice to the grin I was wearing. Driving this thing is just brilliant. Such a lovely, comfortable wafty cruiser. ...but enough of that, we wanted to try out the food. I'd been promising the guys (and Pip) that the burgers were great, so we all ordered and waited. Some inside the super cool diner: And the rest of us outside, making the most of the fact it was dry, and warm. With our cars lined up along the front of the diner, another lovely car came and joined us. The owner, Tom, was just stopping to grab some food but hung around and chatted for quite a while. The DS is used daily and he was actually heading to Stuttgart in the morning. He regularly drives across Europe in it and often uspests the concours/purist brigade at shows when he parks on the DS club stand. I know which car I'd rather have if I had to choose between a minty pampered one and this: Tom and his wife headed off to get their food while we stood around chatting cars. As you do: It was starting to get dark, we had eaten well and enjoyed the whole experience. As the sun set, we said out goodbyes to Charlie & Amy, thanked them for the great food and left them to enjoy a quiet drink before they closed up and headed home themselves. What a place! The food, the owners, the diner itself, the whole thing was just great and I'm more convinced than ever now to organise something regularly here. We pointed the cars in the direction of Area 52 and convoyed back. My worry ratio was completely gone....I was just *LOVING* being behind the wheel of the Daimler. It had been a long wait, but it was well worth it.
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jamesv
Part of things
Posts: 207
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Aug 12, 2013 14:30:36 GMT
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what a fantastic little place that diner is, and great news the Daimler has been behaving itself, bit of a lurker here usually, but felt the need to post on this thread.
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James, Mk1 Golf 16v ITB'd, RS's, TT interior - in bits Affalterbach tweaked CLK - commuter mobile And a couple of GSXR's
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