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Daimler Dart restoration

by Esmond Tearle

Why is it that whenever something special is going to happen the weather always seems to mess things up?

On the day the Dart was due to arrive home and take up residence in a newly tidied and cleaned garage, it absolutely bucketed down. Actually, as the morning progressed, the weather brightened up and the autumn sun began to shine. I got a call from Brian at the workshop to tell me it was on it's way.

Not long after, a Mitsubishi Shogun stopped outside with the Dart attached firmly to an A frame. I suppose that at least now I can say it's been on the road, even if it was towed as opposed to being driven under it's own power.

It didn't take long to unstrap the car from it's secure resting place and roll it back onto the driveway. Even though the engine has been totally rebuilt, and everything is back where it should be, the Dart isn't yet drivable. I have the radiator safely stored in the garage, so that will need to be fitted and the cooling system filled up etc. Also, the braking system has been completely rebuilt, but the intention is to add the brake fluid when the car is at the point where everything will be set up. There's still a fair bit to sort out, but that's not something to worry about just yet.

Until then, I have a functioning handbrake, but that's all. Still, that's all that will be needed for a while.

I can't help thinking that when I first bought the Dart, it looked very presentable, despite having a terminal engine problem at the time. At least it was complete and even had a decent shine to the bodywork. Now though, it's still very incomplete and covered in dust. The chrome has virtually all been removed, so the thing that first strikes you is that it looks absolutely horrible!

I was moving a few final bits and pieces from the garage when a guy in a van stopped outside. The stranger walked up to me and introduced himself, "Paul Kinell!" At least I think that's what he said. "Got your work cut out there mate". That sort of encouragement really means such a lot.

I explained that the bodywork hadn't even been touched as yet, but the chassis and all the mechanical bits were spot on following a long drawn out rebuild. My breath was wasted as this guy obviously thought I had escaped from somewhere for even thinking about tackling such a job. It just looks a bit worse than it really is.

It didn't help when one of the neighbours kids said that his dad thought I was a mentalist because of what I had bought.

That's the difference between a true classic car freak, and those poor sad individuals who just don't understand. You have to feel sorry for them.

Nonetheless, I decided to hide my pride and joy from prying eyes, just in case someone mentioned anything to my wife. I think it's maybe for the best if she doesn't see the car until it's wearing it's nice new coat of shiny paint.

During the evening, temptation got the better of me and I sneaked out into the garage. Armed with a bucket, sponge and leather, I set about removing some of the accumulated filth and grot from the body. It soon started to look a lot better, and once given a polish with a drop of Mer, it shone like a shilling up a chimney sweeps backside.

I should perhaps add at this point that the car will be resprayed a different colour to it's current ivory. My efforts to improve the immediate visual appearance were largely to convince others that I'm not totally insane, and also to make me feel better every time I open the garage door.

I have chosen bright red for the paintwork because I like it. It's as simple as that.

When the Dart was new, I believe you could have it in any colour you chose as there were no set colour options. My first Dart was red, and I loved it. I have seen many other colours, but in my own opinion, nothing else quite hits the spot. It's much the same same as a Ferrari in any other colour than red just doesn't quite seem right.

Before attacking the fibre glass and attempting to deal with the stress cracks and any other nasties that lurk below the surface of the existing paint, I have decided to read up on the subject, and some time ago bought a book aptly entitled "How To Restore Fibreglass Bodywork" by Miles Wilkins.

If you own a fibreglass bodied car, and fancy tackling any repairs, then this book is a must. It's ISBN 0-85045556-1 and may still be obtainable. If not, then trawl through Ebay as most things turn up there eventually.

I think that when the time comes to fit the new front wings to my car, I may just seek some expert help there though. still, that's not likely to happen just yet.

The plan is to tackle one panel at a time. This will involve seeking out any faults, and then taking whatever steps are needed to rectify them. I think that doing it this way, rather jumping in feet first and attacking any areas all at the same time will at least show me that I'm making steady progress, and also hopefully avoid a potential situation that involves closing the garage door and walking away for a week to get my head around what I have taken on.

I think that first off, I'll tackle the boot and then the bonnet as they seem pretty sound with no real evidence of any stress cracks or major flaws. Then as I gain knowledge and confidence, I can progress from there.

Something that had been causing me much worry since the car arrived home, was that Brian had mentioned that the brake regulator had apparently gone missing.

I checked up on a suppliers website but he didn't list them. Enquiries with other Dart owners have revealed that these things are probably unique to the Dart, and not exactly easy to come by. However, I'm sure something will eventually turn up.

How have I managed to 'progress' from this...
 
to this...

despite much time, effort and money!

The thing that had been niggling away at me was that maybe other hard to find items had possibly got lost. So, at 3.00 a.m. as I laid there wondering, curiosity got the better of me and I paid a visit to the garage. The parts I had wondered about were the two small sidelights, the chrome bits either side of the grille, the parts that are commonly referred to as the whiskers, and the air intake grill that sits just in front of the windscreen.

Luckily, everything was there. All safely wrapped for protection and exactly where I had left them for safe keeping. I went back to bed and slept like a log.

More about the elusive brake regulator. I have found out through a couple of fellow Dart owners, that the car can still be driven without the regulator, but the travel on the brake pedal may increase. Hopefully as the car has a servo fitted, there should be no other detrimental effects on the stopping power. Anyway, I'm hoping that a replacement may already have been found. Put the word out, and it's surprising what can come along.

Well, that's it for this month. At least the car is home now and I now have an excuse to escape to the garage and play.

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