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Daimler Dart restoration

by Esmond Tearle

As I sit here on an early summers evening writing this latest update, the rain is falling and the wind is blowing. Hard to believe it was the longest day of a year at the start of the week.

Having said that, there is nothing more frustrating that looking at a fully re-fitted chassis with everything bolted into place, knowing that it's going absolutely nowhere this year.

I took the V8 saloon for a run last weekend out into the lovely Northamptonshire countryside. Pretty villages with mellow stone cottages and tall church spires rising up to the sky. I can see why they call this county the Rose of the Shires, the county of spires and squires.

I enjoyed the sunshine, but it would have been so much nicer if I had been in the Dart.

By chance, I called in at the workshop today on the off chance that the nice new exhaust system may have been in place.

I was amazed to see that not only was the exhaust all fitted up snuggly under the chassis, but the body was once more where it should be!

The body is looking rather grubby at present with more than a few mucky thumb prints, but even so, it would only take a clean and a good polish to transform the appearance.

Still, at last I had something that again resembled a car.

I was particularly impressed with the fit of the doors, especially the gaps.

In the past I saw a newly restored Triumph TR6 that had suffered from the body sagging as it was not correctly supported when the body was removed. It was a wise move to have a frame made up to give ample support when the body was detached from the chassis. It was simply moved about on little wheels.

I came home and collected the nice new wiring loom hidden away safely at the back of the garage. I had this made months ago and it can soon be installed. I was also lucky enough to find a new wiring section that works the horn and indicator switches that on the Dart are in the centre of the steering wheel.

Over the years, the wires that run inside the steering column so often become brittle or simply wear and break. When I bought the car, the centre of the column had been removed as the previous owner had intended to replace them.

When the car is home, I can then get stuck into the restoration of the fibreglass shell and panels. Why do I think this will also be a major task to get it right?

It would have been nice to have had the shell finished prior to fitting, but things are not always that simple. I haven't the space to store the restored chassis and the body separately, and then there is the financial aspect to consider. This project has become very much more involved that I ever imagined it would, and it's rather like a fruit machine. I seem to be putting an awful lot of money in, and getting very little back at present.

I have continued with my quest for spares and managed to find a brand new set of chrome bonnet and boot hinges which are difficult to come by at present. It seems that Daimler specialists have these made in batches when they have sufficient orders. Needless to say I am delighted with my latest acquisition.

I have also picked up a few other goodies. There is a nice new billet style centre to complete my newly restored Moto-Lita steering wheel, and something that will prove incredibly useful when the wiring harness is installed. A fellow Daimler enthusiast has sent me an exploded laminated wiring diagram. This thing is big enough to stick on the garage wall and read from anywhere in the garage.

So this month, I feel that a major corner has been turned and the project has really taken a very positive step forward. I know that I will miss taking to the highways and byways this summer, but if you look back over the previous months reports, I think you will agree that a lot has already been accomplished.

More over the coming months.

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