1974 Daimler Double-Six VDP (higher axle stands)

The list of jobs-in-progress-but-not-resolved continues to grow but I'm not disheartened because I know this is the final push to finish the project.

There seems to be so many threads on here where ppl get stuck into major weldathons and then you hear nothing for two years...or ever again.

It's not a criticism just an observation and it's fully understandable because it takes a belligerent attitude to finish a project. I'm walking 8 miles a night, five days a week to do this and still only inching forwards.

Anyway. Two of the jobs in hand this week were

• start repair on mid/front silencer with universal 45 degree 7/8" pipe
  
• fix end of driver's sill which was fouling radius arm box section
  

The exhaust business might not work but at least if it doesn't I'll bite the bullet and order apparently the last one on the planet from the USA.

A curve isn't the easiest thing to measure and armed with a schoolkid's protractor I did some estimations and talked myself into believing the bend is 45 degrees but secretly I thought it was more like 50 degrees and they don't sell that one.

I've got as far as cutting the old pipe section off and cutting away most of what I paid £16 for on the new piece and am slowly grining away bits and checking by eye that it will end up in the right position before welding it on.




will this delivery save the day? postman joked that it looked like a cosh




lots of numbers for a piece of pipe




was surprised to find it's made by one of the big exhaust manufacturers. I assumed vendor was small scale mandrel-bend operator




hope I cut in the right places




propped on a bit of wood looks ok but it's not a mirror of its partner yet


I've sorta came full circle on the body repairs on this car and find myself back at the place I started. Way back in 2005 when the remit was 'patch up and MOT' I put a new driver's side rear box section on and it was a poor pattern part missing the flanges at the floor and rear arch interfaces. I added these on and believe I was pretty careful in doing so but now it looks like I made it a few mm to wide. This means that the new outer sill would not push up properly right at the end and might also be a factor in the horrific sill splitting saga I had to endure last year. I'll never get over that one

Anyway. I tackled the job this week and it's a goodun. Basically cut a slot in the outer sill with dremel/hacksaw so I could push it out and up then plugged it to the floor/box section edge. The welds turned out great apart from a little bit where I went off course and a couple of plugs that weren't as flat as I like them but all in all I'm happy with it and an now sanding the factory coating off the whole outer sill to get ready for paint




rear end of driver's sill has never been plugged to floor edge as it would not push up



only a few mm's involved but still enough to stop it going up




cut a slot then widen it



start joining the slot back up



keep a good gap to weld into by continually hacksawing as it closes up each time you weld the bit in front



wander off course by mistake




and finally plug up tight against floor/box section edge and curse the high plugs which need ground back down again

Most anticipated car of 2013? I'd say it's a strong contender.

Got in neutral ? I've got xjs v 12 with good engine if you are stuck
tony c/lang

Seconded.

Hi guys. The box has been in neutral for years with the cable disconnected at the gearbox and the IRS is also off the car but I did still have a look underneath the other night to see if the box might have been in gear. The starter etc are also off.

Might be a silly question but - should you be able to turn this engine over by hand with the plugs in place?

Also the inlet & exhaust manifolds are off so there must be some cylinders with no compression in them. I suppose even if that was the case there would be others at different strokes with all valves shut. Who knows....

Been thinking about it all weekend actually and iirc I was shocked to find (about a year or two ago) that I'd left the plugs dangling from their HT leads for nearly 10 years as, when I got the car, I'd removed them and put some Redex down the bores then spun it on the starter.

So, in late 2011/early 2012, when I was taking all the ancilliaries off and the engine was free I counted my blessings and put them all back in. I'm almost certain I've turned it since then tho.

I'll know tomorrow anyway.

At least if things are as bad as I fear actionslaxx is very near me and it solves a lot of the logisticals that would be involved in collecting a lump like this.

I'm guessing the XJS is the HE model tho and I'd like to keep mine as it is with carbs.

Tomorrow will tell

Anyway. On a more positive note here is a shot of the driver's sill. On Friday I was sanding off all the black primer that the panel comes in ready for full paint including topcoat this week. Also took all the seats etc and doors off to get full access for the painting.



sill rear corner finally complete so time for paint



black primer that part came in seemed pretty tough so perhaps a bad idea to remove it but I'm sure label on part said it had to be removed

Thanks Grifterkid. I'm probably fretting about nothing. A similar thing happened years ago when the rear wheels wouldn't turn when the box was in neutral. Turns out this is normal if one is on the ground or something.

That's why the cable ended up disconnected all those years ago when I was trying to find out what was wrong and there was nothing wrong.

imho, its bodywork that kills cars, or rather solid shell is the real "worth" and all the work you have put in shows this.

i wouldnt personally falter on a project because of oily bits that bolt together easily and relatively available.

Thanks again for the support guys but no improvement so far.

I went down tonight and after doing some more prep on the sill (filling in a few plug welds on the B post that I didn't do at the time it was fitted) removed all the spark plugs and rags that were stuffed in various openings but it's still stuck solid and also one of the bolts that holds the water pump on is stuck in the block (was fine when I removed the water pump). Must've been a particularly damp winter

I poured Redex down the plug holes so maybe a little tug on the spanner every night will have things moving again in a couple of weeks.

To continue with the elephant theme. I think I'll pretend I don't know it's stuck (elephant in the room?) and carry on with the jobs I was doing.

It is a worry Mark

I reckon if I take out the engine I'll end up detailing the front suspension and painting the engine bay plus all the work that a stripped down engine would lead to.

I reckon it would add another 2 or 3 years to the job and God knows how much cash.