1968 Daimler V8 "Gentlemans Express" A GRAND day out...

[joem83]

Mar 12, 2013 13:51:26 GMT VIP said:

Pricey...

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JAGUAR-MK1-2-4cc-1955-REAR-WHEEL-COVERED-SPATS-MATCHING-PAIR-IN-PRIMER-/121080165787?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1c30f0b59b

Id be tempted to buy a pair, make a mould and make up a few pairs of fibre glass replica's & either sell the steel ones on or use the sale of a few fibre glass pairs to cover the cost.

Well I would be if I had the skill of the A:52 crew lol

[WillCarter]

I've been messing about on Photoshop too, making it even more of an impractical project.

[uncleterry]

I just saw this come up on the RR facebook feed, had to come and had a look.

The two photochops look amazing, especially with the whitewalls...

Reminds me of a dark red mk2 that at first i thought i'd seen in Steve Kirks motorvation in an old SM... suddenly dawned on me it was section they (or was it CC?) ran on scale model (airfix/revell) kits where somebody had modified a mk2 jaguar with full wheel spats, white walls and I think a 2dr conversion with fastback roof chopped which was a deep dark red.

I'll dig the issue out when I get home and take a picture of it... its amazing and should convince you on the need for whitewalls with the wheel spats!

[HoTWire]

I did the whitewalls with some big black steels (also did the rear )...



Didn't realise these were monocoque, so... yeah ... roofchop pretty much = IVA/SVA/BIVA whichever one is relevant


oh and,.. + air ride + (proper rich) satin black + white walls + keep all shiny bits = UK version of :

[uncleterry]

Oh and....

Mar 12, 2013 0:48:25 GMT Mystery Machine said:

PLEASE NOTE: these shots are 'work in progress' shots - no work has been done on the rear suspension yet, so this isn't how it's supposed to look. The mega rake looks kinda funky in the flesh from some angles and so wrong from others. It won't be staying like this and I'm hoping the rear end will be sorted very soon.

From most angles the nose down rake looks perfect!

With wider rubber on the back (obviously with the spats that would mean playing with offsets and/or narrowing rear end ) it would look mean as anything. Late 60s british muscle car... with wheel spats and whitewalls. Fine mix.

[hairnet]

[hairnet]

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1960s-JAGUAR-MK-2-DAIMLER-V8-250-REAR-WHEEL-SPATS-240-340-3-8-STONELEIGH-/200905465674

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jaguar-Mk2-Rear-Wheel-Spats-/230940879231

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/vw-jetta-mk1-wheel-arch-spats-good-condition-/151007288974 *hides*

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jaguar-Mk2-Daimler-250-V8-rear-spats-/170995485524

^^ do these

[qwerty]

Looks fantastic Bruce. Can't wait to see the back down a couple of inches.

[uncleterry]

From December 1996 Street Machine Small Talk (pg61)



Looking at it, whitewalls work on this dark red shade, but perhaps if you're planning on keeping it stock colour for a while keep the blackwalls...

[uncle silvia]

Very very cool!!!

I live in Torbay too and know BiAS from the local "Southern Old School" (SOS) meets. Ive seen this Daimler at one of those meets and loved the Patina on it!! Kinda strangely refreshing its not another polished show queen ;D

Some rubbish pics I took at the meet.......

[Deleted]

The best/worst thing about all of this is that it's a bucketlist car for me and Bruce is already doing things I'd want to do in very much the same way. Keep up the great work on what could be a very interesting machine when you've finished making your mark on it.

[Mystery Machine]

Mar 12, 2013 13:18:29 GMT HoTWire said:

.....have you chopped it yet?

Mar 12, 2013 13:11:57 GMT jrevillug said:

What about now?

I guess I deserve that....

I have to say, I'm liking all the photoshops but probably most of all, Matts original one (although I'm also quite fond of your one with the black steels too HTW)

I did ring Matt and the torrent of abuse was a lot more than the usual obsceneties I throw at him on our usual chats. Why, because he has, indeed, hit a bit of a nerve. It does look pretty awesome.

BUT....with this supposedly being a 'use and enjoy' car (yeah, off to a good start on that one! ) any thoughts of roof chops and other large fabrication work just aren't on the cards. Then there's the IVA.

With that in mind, I am going to frustratedly and rather sadly dig my heels in and continue with my original plans for the car.....and you all know how I like to stick to my plans. There is the possibility of a slight deviation which I'll be collecting on Thursday to see if it will work how I want it to? I've owned it for over two years but it's been sat in Dez's workshop since buying it. Time to dig it out, dust it off and see if it will work 'within' my plans. I do hope so.

I've just booked the courier for the replacement radiatior which was dropped off with RobinXR4i/SexWithYourEyes this morning, who has packaged it up for me (many thanks Dude). If I get it before the weekend then I've got Saturday to fit it as well as start looking at the rear suspension.

Thanks again for all the input everyone, I certainly didn't expect this kind of response!

Uncle Silvia, that would be from when Mikey took it along to the SOS meet one evening I'm guessing about this time last year? It was certainly before April because he was talking about when he took it along when Pollitt and I were over at his place last year.

Hopefully I'll do the car justice? If some of the suggestions above do come to life, it'll most likely be because they were planned already. UncleTerry is certainly the nearest to some of the ideas I've got for it.

[ettorebugatti]

The smaller tyre and drop worked out like a treat. It doesn't look like it is overdone (aka overstanced) but it still looks every bit awesome.

I did drove past the unit Saterday, but the work hadn't started yet. I would love to see this for real.

[Paul H]

Mar 12, 2013 11:22:12 GMT Mystery Machine said:

Paul, the Mk1's did indeed have a narrower axle, but they also had a narrower body too. Mk1 spats on a M2 should enable me to still keep the original wheels & tyres.

Never heard that the body was wider, so looked it up in several sources (Mk1 & 2 specific books, period roadtests etc) & according to those, the overall width is the same. Rear track is 3 1/4" wider on the Mk2. Apparently the main external changes to the body were above the waistline - much of the lower body, and also boot & bonnet are interchangeable. Later type Mk1 open spats & Mk2 spats are specifically described as being interchangeable (minor dimensional difference, but they fit) but no mention of using early 2.4 Mk1 full spats on a Mk2. However, I do want to see it done though ;D

P.s. I believe that the original change in spat style (from full to open / cutaway) when the Mk1 3.4 was launched, was to accommodate wire wheels, so as you're using steels, there may well still be enough clearance, especially if the hubcaps are left off.

[mdh]

^ Good call mate.

You've got enough big projects on the go, keep the old girl looking like a broke aristo motor and enjoy driving it.

If it was mine I'd have to wear a big warm coat coz I'd always have the windows open listening to that V8 woofle. ;D

[octagonalpaul]

Simply phenominal! The rake does look fantastic, but coupled with a touch of rear end fettling and the spats it'll be a billion percent win.

[Blown_Imp]

MM, I actually think it looks better un-chopped and low, the lines of the car are right , so cutting it about and dropping the roof will ruin it in my eyes. That and the fact that visibility, head room, and getting glass / seals would all be compromised, turning what is a nice useable modified classic into a caricature of its self.
I was not going to comment for fear of changing the course of the modifications, no need now as you have made your own mind up!

As you were soldier

[Mystery Machine]

Mar 12, 2013 19:23:17 GMT Paul H said:

Never heard that the body was wider, so looked it up in several sources (Mk1 & 2 specific books, period roadtests etc) & according to those, the overall width is the same. Rear track is 3 1/4" wider on the Mk2. Apparently the main external changes to the body were above the waistline - much of the lower body, and also boot & bonnet are interchangeable. Later type Mk1 open spats & Mk2 spats are specifically described as being interchangeable (minor dimensional difference, but they fit) but no mention of using early 2.4 Mk1 full spats on a Mk2. However, I do want to see it done though ;D

Aha! That makes sense. I guess I must have misheard/misinterpreted the info about the differences between Mk1 & Mk2. The two things that got me convinced in my head were: I was talking to Mark about banding the rear steels and he said that the Mk1 rear axle would give me a fair bit more room for even wider steels because it was narrower (while also telling me all the different diff ratios from all the different models which would give me different gearings etc...) but still utilises all the same mounts etc...

Also, the red Mk1 ex-racer with the Yokos, that has a Mk2 rear axle and has to run Coombs spats because the axle sticks out too far (and in the flesh it did look too wide for the car). This led me to believe that the Mk1's, along with their narrower axles, were narrower in the body too. I guess I just got the wrong end of the stick.

So now you know that I'm thinking of fitting a Mk1 narrow axle (along with the possibility of a 3.54 diff from an XJS which is the tallest that will fit the live axle casing with some minor mods) - there's no guessing why?

Guess who's put a Mk1 axle aside for me? ;D

[Davey]

Mar 12, 2013 0:37:32 GMT Mystery Machine said:

The springs are just cut straight & square, the flat section is the standard flat that is done at manufacture.

Basically the standard springs are flat at one end (the end that sits in the top of the suspension tower) and have a normal coil end at the other which sits in a shaped spring plate in the lower wishbone. Chopping the coil 'normally' at the coil end just leaves another coil end that sits perfectly in the spring plate.

Please, please, please, whatever you do, DON'T heat up the springs in any way. Heating springs is not a good idea.

Before you think about cutting any springs, you need to check how they seat and how you can make them seat properly if you do cut them. Obviously every manufacturer and every spring should be assessed on an individual basis. What will work on one car won't necessarily work on another.

Just realised i was looking at a picture of 2 springs and looking at the wrong spring haha, i have cut springs before and never heated them as i assumed the hardening from the heating would make them brittle. My mind is working properly again now.
Car = win!

[twincammy]

the front bumper looks soo much nicer without the front plate.