Hi there

I'm a newbie here in London -about to push the button on a 1977 Daimler Double Six coupe.
I'll do the formal introduction of course soon (if I go ahead!!) but one issue on the car is worrying me...can anyone help with advice on a possible fix for a worrying crack where the A pillar meets the front wing...
I'm planning a "visual" restoration and don't have many metalwork skills so I'm concerned about this problem - pic attached - and whether it means expensive welding repairs or whether it is a simpler fix...




I need to say yeh or neh to the car this weekend so any help or advice would be most welcome
Thanks and apologies for the urgency but I'm very keen on this car and this is really the only issue that has be worried
Alex

 

I would plan on welding that at some stage and price accordingly.

Might have been accident damage, poor rust repair or even worse a cut and shut. Normally the front scuttle rusts or the frame but I've never seen a clean break like that.

At the right price a V12 coupe is a rare car.

 

Thanks - it desperately needs a new interior and possibly a full respray. I'm buying it as an investment (although I truly love and admire this model ever since I was a kid and my uncle had one (a 4.2 not a v12- what do you think I should be paying roughly?? Or is that a bit of a silly question!?!? Do you think it's a desirable classic if it's in great (but not concours of course) condition??

 

Which would be many, many thousands of dollars for Jaguar/Daimler-quality work....possibly exceeding present market value.



Long term, or short term?


Best that you buy it simply because you love it.

Although a rare and desirable model the 'investment' angle might not pay off....at least in the short term.

Cheers
DD

 

I suspect it's in far far better condition than my 4.2 XJC which is beyond a basket case and will need every panel inside and out welded or replaced or both! In fact apart from being an XJC I can't think of one good thing to say about it!! I've spent the last couple of years collecting bits for it and when it's done it will be to my standard not some back street garage. I didn't pay that much for it, less than £1000 with some spares. I made the choice of buying a cheap one so I could do all the work myself, although often I wonder if I'm mad or a masochist!

Having got nearly all the required parts and panels, I'm desperately trying to find a workshop or garage where I can start this project.

The value of the one you are looking at is impossible to gauge not having seen the car and knowing what capabilities/ facilities you have.

A professional restoration can cost tens of thousands, depending on the condition and what you need to have done by someone else. Mine would definitely not be worth doing if I had to pay someone else to do it.

The worst rust can be hidden by paint and interior carpets and seats. Check out all the usual places and the unusual places for rust or bodged filler, as this will be the most expensive to fix on the XJC.

As for buying it because you love them, take a knowledgeable friend with you to stop you getting starstruck and regretting it.

It definitely is a most desirable classic!!!

 

I'm really looking for a short term return. My spend to get it to "superb" condition - including the car itself, new paint, full new leather interior (it currently has grotesque velour) is going to be £13k.
The car will be lovely for that money but not concours of course.
My issue is that pricing is all over the place.
There's a blue minter on eBay for £13,000 (that's the classified asking price so could take an offer for less I suppose) and a concours one on the Internet for £45,000.

It's a Daimler Double Six so I know it's rare...it's rust free and the engine and metalwork were restored fully in 1990 (except for that worrying A pillar split) and it's running strong. Is anyone able to hazard a guess on desirability and price once it's got a lovely fresh paint job and a full interior retrim in good quality leather. I'm not working at the moment because of disability so I want a project to fill my time for a month or two....am I going to be able to make any money over and beyond the £13,000 cost??

I even have an option for a brand new beautiful professionally rebuilt HE V12 engine for an additional £3k but that would take the spend to £16,000 and I'm just not sure how much it would fetch on the open market as the prices seem all over the place! Is double six the way to go or should I be looking for a 4.2 project instead?? It's always been the double six for my heart but as this is kind of a business opportunity (unless I really fall in love with it as much as I think I will) I can't let my heart rule my head. I will of course get it expertly checked but there is a significant history file and the vendor is pretty reputable.
Help!!???!!

 

More pictures would help people give you advice, but in the end you probably won't make a profit from any XJ restoration project. But that's just my opinion.
Mine owes me five times what I paid for it so far and there are better ones popping up for sale for less $$$ than what I have parted with.

 

My car was given the treatment you describe that you want on your car; full leather upholstery/door panels, new carpet in the cabin, wool headliner, walnut burl dash, carpet lined trunk/boot, new engine/trans, full brake job including rear, full repaint with 6 coats of clear. The work was of Excellent quality!

This was all done in 1986 by the previous owner, at a cost to him of something over $20,000! He spent $6000 on leather alone! In 1986!

Update those numbers 30 years, sharpen your pencil and see if you can do it.
(';')

 

Not going to happen. Not just on this car but any older car.

 

By design coupes 'retain water' so unless the vehicle was garaged and seldom saw rain it likey has rust in structual areas. Seems like its flexing and has cracked at least the paint and maybe the metal. Also the enormous weight of the v12 stresses the chassis even more so.

So leave is as it is and enjoy it as sits, keep it dry crack and all....or rebuild and reinforce it like fiboy.

 

A quick flip is the only chance. Get it cheap, have a willing buyer with more money ready to go.


Once you invest money, the spiral goes down, fast....


Carl

 

I have a feeling that the "crack" in your picture is an unleaded joint between the A post pressing and the scuttle top. Jaguars of this era are full of body lead, and I would not have expected to see that join, so it may indicate as said above, that some repairs have been done badly.

A Daimler Coupe V12 should fetch good money in England. It is a very rare variant of a model series that is now starting to be appreciated better. Having said that they were as bad for rust as any 70s car.

 

If you can get it up to excellent condition for £13k and you are willing to put the time and effort into and if there is not to much rust which pushes you over budget and find the right buyer, then you will probably make a profit.
If you are not doing the work yourself don't underestimate the costs and if you are doing the work yourself don't underestimate the time and work.
Document and photograph extensively all aspects of the restoration which will help give the buyer confidence helping with the sale. Oh, and don't forget to put the pics on here!!

£3k for a properly rebuilt V12 is a very good price, you could buy it and keep it in reserve and use it if you need it or sell it on if you don't. You need to know exactly what has been done to the engine as "professional" often implies to make the most profit so corners may have been cut.

My engine, a 4.2, was rebuilt by VSE (a firm with a good reputation) with complete documentation as to what was done and was fully tested.

 

Agree. This has almost certainly been stress, but it'snot your worst worry.
Get the rear seats out, carpets and all, and check.
Lift the car, take a screwdriver and hit the forward part of the rear wheel arches.


Fitboy did a very good job, I'm thinking about the welded in tubes.
But I'm a six cyl man.


Upside: think it will become a very sought after car.

 

Typical stress crack on the xjc's. Thin roof pillars were prone to cracks in the top and bottom corner areas because of normal body flexing. I've seen plenty identical to this. Tig weld to minimize heat, spot paint. btw... I doubt you're gonna make a short term return. If you wanted it to drive, I'd be all over it...

 

Couldn't have put it any better, nail on the head right there!