On 12-Dec-91 southern@neit.cgd.ucar.EDU (Lawrence Buja) writes about
his discovering a 2.5 litre Daimler for sale ....
>I need some help from the Jaguar MK II folks.
I barely qualify; I have friends who run a Jaguar-only garage here in
Atlanta, and another friend who has a 3.8 Mk II, and I've actually seen
an example of the Daimler model in question ....
>This weekend I may be looking at a '66 Daimler that's for sale
>here in Boulder. The ad reads:
>
>'66 Daimler looks like a Mark II,
>2.5L eng V-8 69K mi. $3300
>
>The price doesn't sound out of line if it's in good shape.
Actually, it sounds like a steal to me; really clean, original, low
mileage Mk IIs that haven't been buggered by ham-fisted mechanics are
usually priced at $8,000 and up around here.
>But I'd like to find out what to look out for.
(1) Rust never sleeps.
(2) People who don't understand the original design may have tried
to "improve" things, especially the wiring, the ignition system,
the carburettors and possibly other things. These are unlikely
to work any better than the original, and you won't be able to
find them in any manual.
(3) Anything resembling engine problems. The cooling systems on all
the older Jaguars was very marginal, and damage from overheating
should be suspected. Assume guilt unless proven innocent. Run
a compression test, and look closely at the oil and coolant _after_
a nice long test drive. I'm not aware of any particular weak
points in this engine; in fact, I've never seen one opened up.
(4) The same engine was used in the Daimler Dart, a/k/a/ SP-250, and
that car was infamous, in its day, for short clutch life.
(5) In the SP-250 it had 2 big SU carbs on a cross-over manifold; I
don't know what they used in the sedan.
(6) Veneer peeling. It doesn't look like it would be a big deal to
fix, but it is quite tricky to do. The veneer was glued to the
curved surfaces in a type of form-fitting pneumatic press, and
getting any loose veneer stuck back correctly is very difficult.
They used real varnish back then, or something very much like it,
and it didn't take kindly to direct sun. Once the varnish burned
off, dampness attacked the glue, and the veneer fell off. Mk.2
re-wood kits have been advertised in Hemmings, but the copy I have
at hand doesn't have an ad.
(7) The rear fender skirts. Be sure they are there and they work.
>I assume that body rust is a major item ...
See #1, above. However, the steel used in the body was pretty heavy,
and repair of minor rust damage is no big deal (says my buddy with the
rusty, but fast, Mk.II.)
Do pay special attention to the suspension mounting points and the
rocker panels, though, as well as around the windshield and along the
bottom of the doorskins.
>Brakes?
Nothing special as far as I know. The car has rather modest power, so
the Mk.II brakes, even the 2.4 version, should be OK.
>Engine?
See above. The number of these cars in the US is very small, even if
you count the SP-250. I'm told any Jaguar specialist can order the
parts, but I'd expect the "Daimler" parts would be harder to get than
the "Jaguar" parts. My understanding is that the engine is the only
major difference from the Mk.II.
>Trans?
Depends on the trans they used. Could be the Jaguar 'box or the older
Moss 'box, with or without OD, or the automatic with or without the
"intermediate speed hold" feature. The automatics were all US units, I
think, and I understand the manual 'boxes are basically interchangable.
If it's a manual, keep in mind the comments on the SP-250 clutch,
above, as I don't know if the sedan got the same unit.
>Parts availability?
The Jaguar parts are very available, if somewhat expensive, and there
are enough Daimlers in England that I bet most other stuff is
available. I'd be sure anything on the as-bought gig-list is available
before I gave the man the money, as his discovery of a fault whose
rectification requires an unobtainable part may be the reason for sale.
I've just found a chap with a set of manuals for the car, as well as a
set of Mk.II manuals, and I'll have an opportunity to compare them
later today; if I find anything mentionable, I'll relay it ASAP.
>Any other gotchas?
An 'E' Type will only let you carry one nice young blondes; the Daimler
will let you carry her and two spares. And you can't get a nice 'E'
Type for $3,300 either.
Buy it and have fun.
-Shel
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