I am getting on now but still have a few projects that I feel will not get done and need help to make a decision as to what to keep and what to let go. List as follows
1967 mk2 3.4 needs restoring but a lot of parts body wood interior
1968 mk2 with aj6 injected engine guide solid will run.
1967 420 good shell plus car for rebuild
1948 Daimler db18 convertible total rebuild required plus old saloon for parts
will never have time or ability to continue heart greater than ability
would appreciate comments as to which and values
thanks alljags

 

Sell the two Mk2s and the two 420 then with the money you make hand the DB18 over to a restorer who can do the work for you Once restored drive it every day until they take your licence away from you. Why have cars sat in a garage which are never going to be finished.

There are hundreds of people looking for restoration projects so no reason why they would not sell quickly as long as you don't ask stupid money for them. Restored Mk2s might fetch £35k but project might fetch £5k to £10k depending on the condition of the car. Being 1967 and 1968 yours are possible the thin bumpers 340s which fetch a little less. The 420 when restored £15K to £20K as a project might go for £5k to £7K but with a donor possibly more.

 

Unless you have a restoration business or considerable finances, working on so many cars is too much. Cass has given you a logical answer. On the other hand, there's not much logic in rebuilding old cars. Instead of asking us, perhaps you should ask yourself some questions.

Do any of the car's have emotional value to you or your family that goes beyond their market value?

Do you enjoy doing, planning, thinking about car restoration work? Is the restoration process as important to you as the final product? Is it a good place to escape from the troubles of life?

What can you afford?

For myself, I have four cars, all Jaguars. Two are in working condition. They're maintained between a professional and myself. One car is being (or has been as it's close to finished) restored a!most entirely by professionals. Finally, there's my Mk2, owned by my family, mainly me, since the 1960s, which I'm working on myself. It's so far gone, professionals would take years and cost a fortune. And, for me, it's fun. At my age, will I ever finish it? I don't know and I don't care that much.

"We don't stop because we get old; we get old because we stop."

"Live life as if you will live forever and the world may end tomorrow."

Have fun,

Peter

 

Well said Peter. That about sums it up. Never restore a car unless it's a, very low build, sought after exotic & expect to make money out of it.

 

well said in all the previous comments

one other thought

which car do you actually want to drive?

mk 2 more fun when driven "positively"...

420 more a touring saloon

(I have both)

1948 Daimler - earlier era so totally different drive I would assume?

if all three were available which one would you want to climb into and go....?

 

Good old genuine Daimlers were capable of a fair degree of performance. Don't think of them as sluggish, stately machines.

 

Personally I would go for the Daimler even though the Mk2 is possibly the better car to drive.
Bigger return on your investment after the rebuild as the cost of rebuilding a Mk2 would be the same as the Daimler but when finished the Daimler would be worth twice as much if not more because it is a soft top.
Remember the old saying "Top down, price up".

 

Old Daimlers were well made, smooth running, decent handling cars. My very limited experience is that they are as smooth and sophisticated as a contemporary Bentley or Rolls-Royce (i.e. generally not quite Jaguar). Some were also quite lively performers, notably the much later Majestic Major. Their appearance varied between very conservative to quite stylish and sometimes very 'over stylish'. The DB18, I think, appeared as Consort, Specail Sports and, later on, Empress variants. Before nineteen fifty-something, they didn't have the most powerful of engines and the peformance, while good in its day, is more suited to classic cruising rather than anything more ambitious. It's certainly no Mk2, not even a 2.4, in performance.

 

Keep the Daimler for sure,
Interesting hood ornament, it looks just like one of the Skeksis from The Dark Chrystal.

 

Yes ~ by far the most desirable/valuable restored.

 

While I love old Daimlers, I would look more to your goals, rather then going by the make. Do you want to finish one car and have it as a driver? If so, then pick the one that is the easiest to finish, and get it done.

If you need money to finish one, then sell the ones than can return the most cash and use that to finish the remaining car. It may or may not be relevent to look at the value of the finished car too. In many cases the restoration costs are not that different, paint costs the same no matter if you're painting an MGB body or an E Type. One will be worth a lot more than the other when finished, so it might be a consideration of the final value that will determine how many resources you want to put into it. Assuming that that particular car isn't in the worst condition and will be a bigger moneypit than the others.