Sunday, November 11, 2007

Tunnels and ... Daimlers

Today's little Sunday drive was a jaunt to Yarra Glen, Yea and the Cheviot Tunnel.

The keen-eyed may note that the white car to the left isn't a Daimler, it's a Jaguar 240. (You may now play spot-the-difference.) It belongs to David and Aimee, who are friends of our friend Ann (keeping up?). David has only just bought his Jag (partly from his winnings from a 30-minute appearance on a TV gameshow!) and aside from a small issue of getting up hills (likely to be due to some fuel pump &/or distributor problems) I think he enjoyed tagging along with a bunch of Daimlers on a mad 150-mile jaunt!


Ian and Joyce's SP-250 heading toward the maw of the Cheviot tunnel ... it's an impressive all-brick tunnel, built in the late 19th century for the railway that serviced the growing pastoral and logging industries in the area. Actually, the scene reminds me of one of the classic Heidlberg School paintings ... is it a Tom Roberts? ... of a the entrance to a mine. I won't claim to be any great shakes with a camera, but this shot captures the colours of a hot Australian summer day in the bush ... set off nicely by the British Racing Green sportscar, of course!















Marilyn and Dennis in Marilyn's SP half way through the tunnel. Needless to say, the SPs sounded fabulous in the confined space!

Monday, October 22, 2007

10,000 miles with Dame Zara

Another highlight of last weekend was watching Dame Zara's odometer pass (1)61,700 miles, indicating that she has carried us for 10,000 trouble-free miles* in only 21 months.

(*well, there was that one time when she conked out at dusk, in the rain, but only 200 metres from home due to a dodgy alternator--but luckily I cruised to a halt at the 7/11 petrol station where all the local African cabbies hang out, and I got a jump-start straight away then crept home through the last two sets of lights and up the hill with just my sidelights on!)

A nice view, a hint of the transatlantic and a diplomatic Sceptre

More pics from the Rootes GT Day/Hillman centenary at the Point Cook Homestead.


The view from behind the wheel of an early Alpine—one day, Roger Phipps!















A 1936 Humber Hawk demonstrates that even before WWII Rootes’ styling mixed British tradition with hints of brash Americana--maybe even a hint of Mercedes?



















We’ve always coveted Leighton’s perfect 1966 Humber Sceptre—it was a special order for the wife of the then Australian High Commissioner in London and comes with every option: automatic, tinted glass, special upholstery, etc, etc.

Getting back to our Rootes

Last Sunday morning Kathy and I climbed into a very dirty Dame Zara (the combination of water restrictions and a dark colour makes for a very spotty car after the merest shower) and set off a few hundred metres up the road to Melbourne University to meet up with an assortment of Rootesmobiles—on this occasional all either Sunbeams, Singers or Humbers—who were setting off on an observation run.

Our destination was the historic Point Cook Homestead (est. 1857) south-west of Melbourne, where the Hillman side of the Rootes family was hosting a big display to celebrate their marque’s centenary.

We set off among the numerous Alpines (including one 1954 Alpine that possibly had a Grace Kelly connection!), two Singer Gazelles (including our RGCC friend Helen in her rare station wagon ‘Essie’), a Sunbeam-Talbot or two, a cute pre-war Singer and a big 1940s Humber Snipe on a torturous route through Kensington and Footscray, then into the windy flatlands down Laverton/Hoppers Crossing way.

We were clearly an inner-city bunch, as everyone got progressively more lost the further we headed into the industrial backblocks and suburban developments—led astray mainly by a red Harrington Le Mans Alpine, which we kept seeing coming on the other side of the road. ‘Where’s he going? Are we lost?’ was the cry as the stragglers stopped at each intersection and roundabout.

It was the first really hot (30-degrees-plus) day of the impending summer, and everyone’s windows were down and many an anxious eye was directed at temperature gauges—even the normally cool-running Dame Zara was getting into the middle of her gauge.

Eventually we all got back on track and ended up on the long, dusty, corrugated dirt road that leads to the homestead. At the end of the drive we were greeted with dozens of Hillmans lined up around the open ground between the homestead buildings. Most of the observation run participants aimed for a shady spot under the trees by the water.

Enough words, some pics:
















From top to bottom:

  • Did Grace Kelly once sit behind the big steering wheel of this 1954 Sunbeam Alpine?
  • A racy-looking Singer Gazelle fitted with Alpine wires (I note that it wasn’t just Gussie who had something a bit odd about how her rear wheels fitted under the arches!)
  • Red ones go faster, as the convertible Super Minx and pair of Alpines (including a rare Harrington Le Mans coupe) show
  • Hillmans everywhere! Husky aficionado Neil looks determined to get … somewhere (into the shade, most likely).

Saturday, August 04, 2007

In which he recaptures some lost Lucas Magic Smoke

Many moons ago (over a year, actually), I scared myself half to death by accidentally shorting out one of the Lucas Fogranger lamps that adorn Dame Zara's snoot and releasing a big cloud of acrid Magic Lucas Smoke in the process.

Today I finally got around to fixing it, taking out the melted, crispy wire and replacing it with fresh new wire, well-soldered connections, a new globe and ... wait for it ... an in-line fuse! Oh, the technology. After a little bit of fiddling with some pretty rotten (hence highly original) wiring connector blocks under the bonnet, both fog lights worked again!
While I was in an elecktrickeral frame of mind, I also half-succeeded in fixing the windscreen washer, whose motor had refused to work the last time I hit the switch ... it now buzzes away again and sprays the driver's side convincingly enough, but barely widdles on the left. The left-hand nozzle must be blocked somewhere - I poked a fine pin down the end of it, and it seemed clear at the nozzle, but who knows where it could be crudded up.
I also plugged the radio back in - the experiment with the portable CD player was pretty much a failure, and until I get around to doing something elaborate and rather expensive with an iPod, a power amp under the seat and hidden speakers - not to mention refitting a period Radiomobile in the centre of the dash - AM radio is better than nothing.
But one little gremlin continues to elude me: the inside light on the driver's side went bung the other week and I can't for the life of me work out what's wrong with it. The bulb's OK; it gets power; the other two lights work fine, so the door switches are working fine ... it's a mystery.
Speaking of gremlins, I gave in to temptation and poked a screwdriver into the little patch of bubbly paint next to the front bumper on the right-hand side. Unsurprisingly, bits of paint flaked off, but I was somewhat reassured to find that there is solid metal underneath and not air! It looks as if the previous owner who repainted the car more than 10 years ago had used quite a lot of filler around a part of the car that I understand was originally pretty heavily leaded in order to get a smooth line.
To repair it properly, I'll have to take off the bumper and sand/grind off any loose paint before rustproofing, priming and repainting ... this could take some time, so at the very least I'll give the bit I exposed a coat of POR15 rustproof paint to protect it.



Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Misty mountain hop

July's monthly DLCV Sunday run took us into the Yarra Ranges north-east of Melbourne. It was a cold, foggy, drizzly day... and as we climbed higher into the mountains toward the Upper Yarra Reservoir, it was like driving straight into the clouds. The picture shows Michael's V8-250 and Marilyn's SP250 at the top of the climb.




















The reservoir had benefited from the recent rain, but was still well under capacity.



















An escape from the cold and damp was promised at the Reefton Hotel, an old pub that was built to serve the lumberjacks who would cut down trees, have some lunch, etc, etc in what must have been incredibly rough and remote country way back when.


Having missed the start of the run, Keith Vaughan raced to the meeting point in his 1948 Special Sports, then promptly raced back down again when the word 'lunch' was mentioned!


How to recreate the Exxon Valdez at home

Dame Zara was overdue an oil change, and there were a few other service jobs I'd not got around to, so a few Saturdays ago I was determined to get them done.

First job: replace the alternator belt, as the old one was beginning to show its age. It was easy enough to undo the four bolts holding the fan and to rest it loosely inside the cowl, then to loosen off the alternator and get the old belt off. I had two spare belts in the garage, one unmarked one I'd bought ages ago from a well-known Jag/Daimler spares guy, who'd assured me it was the correct size. Too short by miles. Number two I'd picked up at the local Autobarn, whose 'computer said no' when I asked for a 10A0660 belt, so I bought the nearest they had, which was wider (13mm instead of 10) and, as it turns out, waaaayyy too long. So I set off into the 'burbs in Beryl the Galant in search of the correct belt. On the fourth try, at Repco in Airport West, I found one 10A0665 on the rack ('what's it for, a washing machine?', asked the gormless yoof who served me) and luckily there was enough adjustment in the alternator bracket that it fit. For good measure, I'd asked shop #3, which didn't have anything in stock, to order me in two spare 11A0660s, which came in later in the week, so I now have about 20 years worth of spare alternator belts!


Next job was to fit new spark plugs. Following a conversation on the Daimler Forum, I'd found a box of 20 NGK BP6ES plugs on eBay for a good price. Despite the fact that they come in 'Nissan genuine part' boxes, the pundits think that they are the ideal plug for the Daimler V8.
A few months ago I'd follwed a tip from DLVC stalwart Jack 'Fast Eddy' Edmonds and put used toilet rolls into the long spark plug tubes to soak up the inevitable pools of oil that form at their bases.

As you can see from the photo, some of the tubes had their work cut out, and were completely black and sodden with oil. (One day, in the fullness of time when the rockers come off for a tappet job, I should unscrew the tubes and seal them proplerly). The old plugs (I have no idea how old, as there is no indication in the service records I got with the car how long ago they'd been fitted) were a little black, but none were wet/oily or excessively burnt.

Next up was an oil and filter change. So I fired up the engine--starts first time with the new plugs--and go for a quick drive to warm up the oil. Once I got back, I jacked up the front, emptied the sump and took the old filter out. Easy. By now it was getting late in the afternoon, and Kathy and I had an early dinner date with some friends. I'd just screwed the oil filter back on with its new canister inside when Kathy came home from shopping in the city, stuck her head out the back door and asked when I'd be finished. 'Just have to refill her with new oil and clean myself up and I'm right,' quoth I.

So, make sure the sump plug is nice and tight (with a bit of teflon tape on the thread to help prevent leaks). Check. Filter screwed up tight. Check. Slowly pour in five and a bit litres of Penrite HPR30. Check. Stick head under car, no drips. Excellent. Check dipstick--almost there, but the car's jacked up, so I'll give it a final top-up once she's on the level again. Get in, turn the key, press the starter, look at the oil gauge as the engine fires. No movement whatsoever. Mild panic! Switch off engine and wonder 'what's that thick, drippy noise?'
You guessed it--as I had rushed putting the filter on, I hadn't checked the seating of the rubber sealing ring, nor 'primed' the ring with some fresh oil to help it seal. But at least I proved I have a healthy oil pump--I estimate two litres pumped out of the filter onto the floor in a matter of seconds!
Needless to say, we were running very late for our dinner date by the time I'd attempted to clean up my very own oil slick ... but you'll be pleased to hear that with a quick loosening of the filter (spilling more oil, of course), two turns to seat the seal properly and re-tighten, continence was restored. When I started up again, the oil gauge swung quickly over toward 60psi and there was nary a drip to be seen.



Saturday, June 23, 2007

You make me dizzy

It seems like ages since I've updated - actually, it is: over two months. In that time Dame Zara has been behaving nicely (on the whole - see below), and we're now showing (1)59,910 or so on the odometer, meaning that we've covered over 8200 miles since February 2006.

Another nice day in the country
A few weekends ago we joined the monthly DLCV Sunday run and headed off with a strong contingent of cars (nine Daimlers, including Keith Ashworth's rare Regency Sportsman, in the centre of the lower pic) into central Victoria to visit experienced restorer Roy Shelton, who's currently working on a 1930s Daimler 15. It looks like a massive job, but Roy's well on the way and is confident he'll have the 15 back on the road before to long - to join his nice blue Daimler V8 saloon, Ford Model T, Delahaye (or was it a Darracq?) and 1931 Chev ...













Dizzy spells
It's well and truly winter now, and I'd been noticing that Dame Zara was a bit reluctant to start from cold, needed the choke on for longer and had a tendency to miss, hesitate and 'chug' a bit under load until she was warmed up.

Poking around under the bonnet, I thought to check the distributor and found that the central brush of the dizzy cap was completely worn down and had no spring left whatsoever. Whether or not that's the cause of the problems (and I suspect it might be), it needed sorting out and I thought I might as well track down a spare cap, even if mine is repairable.

The distributor used on the Daimler V8s (Lucas 20D8) is shared only with the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and its Bentley equivalents, so spares are rare and expensive. Luckily, a bit of ringing around found me a complete spare distributor for the price some places are asking for a repro cap! So I pootled out to darkest Ringwood this morning and picked it up from Jag Prestige Spares. A quick clean-up of the contacts and I put the 'new' cap on, and even though all I've done is a quick test-blast around the park, she seems to start more easily, idle smoother and pull better.

I'm not sure what I'll do with the spare distributor - perhaps I should get it set up with an electronic ignition system, and keep the original one with points for 'best'? Anyways, I've got it now and it can be raided for bits if needed - the vacuum advance widget on mine is very dodgy (it's held in place - poorly - with a short woodscrew!), and the one of the spare is perfect, so that's one thing I might swap over when I get the chance.

Keeping the green goo in
Ever since I bought Dame Zara she's lost coolant. I've tried both 4lb and 7lb radiator caps, fitted all new hoses, and had some weepy core plugs replaced, but still I have to top up the radiator on a regular basis. I've long thought of fitting an overflow container, but never got around to it. Then, a clever SP250 owner posting on the Daimler Forum said that he uses a cyclist's water bottle - cheap (mine was $8 at Big W) and easy. For the moment it's just held on with cable ties around the radiator drain lever, but if it proves successful, it came with a bracket that will be easy enough to fit.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Most of the colours of the rainbow


An impressive spectrum of V8 Saloons made it on the DLCV April picnic run to Anderson's Mill, Smeaton. Not the entire colour range, but with Sable, Regency Red, Masons Black, Silver Blue, Silver and Gunmetal Grey examples on show, it made for a very handsome display ...




I've been to Smeaton ... have you?

Daimler custodianship has certainly taken me to some interesting places—terrifying credit card debt, for one, after paying Ralph the suspension doctor’s bill the other day … But on a more positive note, now that finally I have Dame Zara back, she and I and Kathy joined a goodly number of our DLCV buddies for a little Sunday pootle out towards Ballarat to the historic Anderson’s Mill, near the charmingly named hamlet of Smeaton.

Anderson’s Mill is a handsome and substantial building dating from the early 1860s, and is centred on a very impressive (and still functional) cast iron water-wheel.













Arrayed in front of it is the Coventry-built portion of our touring party: (from left to right) three 2.5 litre V8s, three V8-250s, a Conquest Century, a Consort, a DB18-based special, XJ6 SII Sovereign and early SP250.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

A very successful Display Day - even without Dame Zara


So, the Daimler Display Day I'd been doing so much work helping to organise went off pretty much without a hitch on Sunday. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but not too hot (even though I did get a very sunburnt neck!)

We had over 40 Daimler and Lanchester cars, and about a dozen 'visitors' (including a good showing of Rovers, a Triumph Dolomite Sprint, a Wolseley 6/110, V12 E-type, lovely late 60s Mercedes convertible, 1924 Buick, MG TC special ...) . There were also plenty of general public visitors wandering by, so I'd say well over 100 people attended.

Among the very special Daimlers were a 1936 Straight-eight limo with Edward VIII lineage; two DS-420s from the Carwood wedding fleet; the 2nd prototype Special Sports, owned by Keith Vaughan (bottom picture); an Empress; and a Conquest Roadster. There were also about 10 SP-250s, a strong turnout of V8 saloons, plenty of DB18 varieties and a fine smattering of Majestics, Majestic Majors and Regencies (well, at least one of each, and two Majors - that's a big showing for these big and now rare cars!)

Richard Bowen's Conquest Roadster (driven on the day by Tony Porter as Richard couldn't make it) won the People's Choice award (top picture); a recently restored pre-war Lanchester was Ladies' Choice and the DB18 register took out the Best Registry Display prize (abve, showing Peter Towns' Empress and Russ Monger's Consort).

Just a few photos here - but I've put the full album up on my Flickr account and Steven Rowlandson has posted his pictures here.



Monday, March 19, 2007

At the suspension doctor's

Dame Zara has been off the road for the past week, in an inelegant yet elevated position up on the hoist at Trutrack Suspension in North Melbourne.

Under the caring eye of Dr. Ralph, head suspension surgeon, she has undergone a number of (in)delicate procedures, all of which are beyond the skills, equipment and experience level I can muster at home.
At the front end, upper and lower wishbone bushes have been replaced, the steering linkages are all being renewed and everything else has been checked, adjusted and cleaned up. New Koni Classic shocks are to be fitted all 'round - the front ones hadn't been installed when I took these photos.

Ralph has also sourced a reconditioned brake servo from JagDaim (from whence many other parts have come - all those not supplied by dad and his mates in Canberra), so we will now stop better as well as going over bumps and around corners in an unruffled manner.

At the rear, both leaf springs have been re-set and re-bushed to cure sagging and creaking (which is how I feel most mornings). The Panhard rod and link arm bushes had all been replaced just before I bought the car last year, so they were OK.
Ralph has been impressed at how sound, straight and rot-free the underside of the car is - no hidden horrors have come to light! He's even offered to replace the weepy core plug hidden under the left-hand exhaust manifold while she's up on the hoist: mainly I suspect because he was sick of coolant dripping onto his nice clean floor.

Quite a few weeks transpired between the original inspection and quote and the beginning of work, and once things got underway last Tuesday, Display Day was imminent. We had hoped to have everything finished by the end of last week, but it wasn't to be so and Dame Zara spent the weekend in 'hospital' awaiting track rods, wheel alignment and a final fettling, which meant that she missed Display Day.

However, Dr. Ralph's latest diagnosis is that all will be finished by this Wednesday and that the driving experience will be entirely transformed.

I'd love to say 'will be entirely transformed or your money back,' as this process will be costing me a four-figure sum ... but I suspect Ralph's terms of trade are rather more pragmatic!

But Trutrack is a very professional setup, and they know from all sorts of cars old and new, as the Lancia Monte Carlo, modern Ferrari, '75 Camaro, 50's Caddy, assorted rallying Subarus, and other exotica parked in the clean workshop attest.

I expect that Dame Zara will be back to her best - quite possibly the best she's been for decades - within days. If I don't update, it's because I'm having too much fun driving around roundabouts!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Happy first anniversary (is that oil?)

Dame Zara and I have been acquainted for just on a year now. It was 11 February 2006 when I tool possession. Since then we've covered 6,230 miles together, an average of 120 miles per week.

If you average the (1)57,930 miles now showing on the clock over 37.5 years, she's done an average of 80 miles/week througout her life. But, if you consider that when her engine was rebuilt in April 2000 she was showing (1)34,700, from 2000 to 2006 she only averaged 55 miles/week, almost all of them pootling around the Mornington Peninnsula, from what I can tell.

So we've been exercising the old dear quite hard in the last year, covering more than double what she's been used to, and over many an inner-Melbourne tram-track and pot-hole, as well as some long runs including a 1000-mile long weekend to Canberra and back.

As a result, it's not surprising that some major suspension and steering work is next on the list.

I have to hand a slightly scary piece of paper - a quote from Ralph at Trutrack Suspension. I will get Ralph to do the heavy work, such as replacing upper and lower wishbone bushes at the front, getting the steering sorted, and re-setting the rear springs. Some other jobs, such as front roll-bar bushes, I'll do myself.

Luckily the Pater Familias has been on the hunt among his Jaguar mates in Canberra and has sent me one of his wonderous care packages - this one contains a track rod and drag link (helpfully labelled!), track rod ends, some bushes for front and rear, and a spare SU fuel pump that is original but looks as if it's never been used ... (the Post Office must wonder).

Check out that 'Guaranteed Factory Replacement' tape! This is a completely brand-new, 35-year-old SU pump.



Now, that's what I call shock absorbers! I bought a set of Koni Classic adjustables just after Christmas from GT Suspension, and they're certainly going on along with as many new bushes and other bits as Ralph at Trutrack deems necessary.

Within a week or three we'll be travelling like new - but it might take a bit longer for the credit card to recover!

Friday, February 02, 2007

Friday, January 26, 2007

RACV Rally

Each January, the RACV holds a rally from Melbourne to Mornington (the Mornington Penninsula makes up the eastern side of Port Philip Bay, south of Melbourne). There are four starting points around the city, and hundreds of diverse classics travel together to all meet at the marina at Hastings (on the western side of the penninsula) before traversing the narrow and winding roads to the eastern side. They then travel along the beach road to Mornington, gathering for a display at the racecourse.

There were suprisingly few other Daimlers on the rally this year, but we did see this gorgeous 1930s Light Twenty.




















Dressing to match your car is the order of the day, so Kathy and I and our friends Alison and Steve did our best to look late 60s. Kathy and Alison (who had very big hair - must have been industrial-strength hairspray!) did a lot of Twiggy-and-Shrimp-style lunging and posing. And while it's not a Daimler, Kathy does coordinate nicely with the blue 60s Fairlaine.















The weather was a bit wild, so our picnic ended up being eaten in the car - who needs picnic tables when you have the glovebox lid to balance your bubbly on?















We parked next to a close cousin - a Jaguar 240 which had evidently had no expense spared in its restoration. Plenty of people were walking past playing 'spot the difference'.



A fine day out was had by all, and Dame Zara enjoyed the run - despite carrying four passengers and a boot full of chicken and champagne, stop-start traffic as we headed from Melbourne to Frankston, and then some quite hilly going in the drive from Hastings to Mornington, we used just on half a tank on the 120 miles or so: close to 20mpg.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

On the straight and narrow

Now, that has to be one of the easiest jobs I've done so far! Four screws and I now have a shiny black steering wheel centre instead of the motley-brown, sun-damaged one.

Before:















After:















The replacement came courtesy of eBay, from a 1966 Jag Mk10 being parted out in the US, and thanks to the slow period between Christmas and new year, it cost me less than a quarter of the price the parts places want for a repro.

The leather steering wheel cover, by the way, is from Wheelskins, and I heartily recommend them. For thin, sometimes slippery steering wheels, they add a nice amount of grip and some softness. I've actually bought four of them now: one for Kathy's previous car, Gussie the Hillman; one for her current car, Beryl the '75 Galant coupe; one for Dame Zara; and one for my dad for his '66 S-Type Jag 3.8.

I get them from this eBay seller in the US, who is very quick in supplying custom orders (Wheelskins doesn't have a retail distributor in Australia).

Sharp eyes might note the flouro orange markers on the tacho - they match the cruising speed of the car at important speed limits: 50, 60, 80, 100 and 110 km/h. The speedo is none too accurate at the best of times, and at the moment the needle is wobbling around like no-one's business!

The clock, which I used to be very proud to report worked - a rarity among Smiths clocks in cars - stopped for no apparent reason sometime before Christmas, but started up again the other day (for equally mysterious reasons) and is now keeping perfect time. I'll leave it well alone!