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Daimler SP250 restoration

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spnx

spnx

Jedi Hopeful
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I joined this board recently, after poking here around a bit. There seem to be a few Dart owners around, I'm surprised you don't have your own section!

My car's a two-owner vehicle. My father bought it new in 1962. It has 40,253 miles on it, but it sat in storage for about 40 years and so requires a complete restoration.

It's a rare factory custom colour, purple grey, but it will be repainted in silver eventually.

When I dropped the car off in May 2007:
2007_0509sp2500010.jpg

2007_0509sp2500012.jpg

Current condition:
Daimler1.jpg

Daimler2.jpg

Daimler3.jpg


It's not going to be done anytime soon, but it's great to finally have work underway!
 
P.S. I'm looking forward to comparing notes with DART, since it looks like he's 1/3 of the way ahead of me in restoration :smile: (better make that 2/3rds...)
 
Wow. Nice car. They've kind of grown on me a little since I saw my first one a few years ago.
 
They're an acquired taste for sure. Their looks have always polarized people, but I think the older it gets, the better it looks!
 
I should have read this before I did my post in the newbie section....oh well.
Let me STRONGLY recommend a conversion to rack & pinion. Easy to do when body is off and the improvement in steering control is night and day. Appears your storage for 40 years was dry; chrome, frame, etc. all look to be in fair condition. That was a great original color; there is a screen saver with a collection of brit cars that included one in Switzerland in that purple-grey.

Save your pennies Kenny, mine (present driver)will be on the market sometime next year, as soon as the resto in the 849 car is finished.
 
Dale - did you do a 5-speed conversion also?
 
Tell me about these belts. I've been thinking of mounting some, although I'd like to keep the car as stock as possible.

I don't think my wife wants to ride in it in modern traffic without some form of restraint.

I was always under the impression that if grease, rather than oil, had been used for the steering box, then it would become heavy. I drove an SP at a car show a number of years ago, and the steering wasn't too bad.

I do want to keep it very close to stock, and that would include staying away from rack and pinion steering.
 
Understand the desire to keep close to stock. It isn't the heaviness as much as the 1/4 turn wondering; just not precise enough for me.
I'm doing the belts for the same reason you mention, haven't bought them yet since they would be another thing to sit around until needed. Looks to us like they can be mounted on the high curve just forward of the top mechanism fastening location. Take a look at the belts used in later TR's and MG's the next time you are at a car show. Oh, also take a look at the GM late 90's-early 00's SUV/minivan high brake light. The one that mounted externally on the roof can be added to the trunk lid by the fuel fill and blends in nicely. And it adds some much needed stop light power. And add a flasher system too for the same safety reasons.
 
Interesting. So this means that mounting three-point instead of two-point belts is indeed possible.

Do you have pictures of the modifications to your car posted somewhere Dale?
 
Cool, thanks. I tried adding pictures here, but apparently my images are too big for the galleries here! I'm just using photobucket.
 
Darts are great!

I love it when they park next to me at the car show - they make my Jensen CV-8 look almost normal!
 
lol, CV-8s are cool. There was a grey one I used to see around Halifax.

P.S. the Interceptor you have is my wife's dream car...
 
I remember many years ago I read an article on the car and was in awe by it's performance at the time. Was out of my price range for a play toy then. Is the engine of a hemispherical design? Reminds me of the old Chrysler Hemi. Is there a connection or just a similar look?
confused0031.gif
 
No connection, hemi of their own design. Edward Turner was hired away from Triumph Motorcycle, where he is credited with design of the twin V, and he designed the hemi V-8. Aluminum topside and a cast iron bottom. The engines, far more than the styling, were why so many of us bought them in the first place. I bought my 1st one in '61 after watching Duncan Black race his at a SCCA National in Lake Garnett, KS. Traded in my '59 1300 Alfa. Paid $500 for my #849 car in '69 and probably have 60 times that in the ongoing restoration. Aren't you glad you asked?
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SPNX- Down the road, when you're getting ready to do the interior, add as much heat shield as you can, everywhere you can. These cars can get hot on a long summer drive. We do longer drives with the top up & back window unzipped to maximize air flow and keep the sun off. Still, floors & tranny tunnel can throw off some wicked heat. But maybe you're far enough north to have that a plus?? :cheers:
 
Interesting. Thanks for the tip!

We have amazing ranges of temperature out here on the prairie. It can be over 100 F in the summer and it's not unusual to have -40 F for weeks on end (although obviously the car will be stored in the winter!)
 
spnx said:
lol, CV-8s are cool. There was a grey one I used to see around Halifax.
Click to expand...

That will be owned by a buddy, Ray Whitley. Give him a call, he loves to chat about old Jensens!
 
Coming along a little further. Chassis sandblasted and covered in epoxy finish, which should hold up well:
DaimlerChassis.jpg
 
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