Previously, I had attempted to install the Bluetooth enabled Radiomobile 8 track into my Daimler. I got the radio test installed, but the sound quality was pretty terrible. During the last part, I tried various things to work out what was going on. I ruled out the power supply, speaker wiring through using different combinations of speakers, the Bluetooth module and more. The final...
In my last entry, I replaced the speakers in my Daimler. I now had four working speakers. It was actually sounding pretty decent through the old Pioneer. I still needed to replace it. The CD eject mechanism didn’t really work properly, and it looked terrible in the dash. Replacing the radio wasn’t so simple. The Daimler Double-Six Vanden Plas came as standard with a...
In order to change the door mirrors on my Daimler Double-Six, I had the front door cards off. This seemed like a good time to replace the speakers, which are in the doors. The car is fitted with an early 2000s era Pioneer CD player, connected to the original speakers. However, only one and a half of them is working, and the Pioneer is...
In the 70s, it was quite common for cars to only have a door mirror on the drivers side. My Daimler had this arrangement. From what I understand it was possible to order the car with one on each side, that wasn’t something my original owner chose. This is something I was very keen to add to my car. Traffic in Sydney is heavy...
I had noticed that when I used my Daimler, about 10 minutes after driving the car and shutting off the engine, it would drip coolant onto the ground. At first this was just a couple of drips. After the long drive to Oberon I noticed a decent trickle and then a week after that quite a puddle. That was quite concerning. Being an all-alloy...
My Daimler Double-Six, along with all Series 1 XJ’s and derivatives has four gauges in the centre of the dashboard above the rocker switches. These are: Voltage Oil Pressure Water Temperature Fuel They had all stopped working and I wanted to get them to work again, especially the water temperature one. I quickly ruled out a blown fuse, as many other things in the...
Back at the Easter weekend, I did my first long drive in the Daimler. Up until recently I had been mostly using the car for shorter drives, until I got it sorted out. After the recent service, a lot of the issues I was concerned about were now sorted out. I wanted to see how the car performed on a much longer day trip....
My Daimler was off the road for some years before I acquired it. While cars that haven’t seen a lot of use can have advantages in terms of wear and tear on the interior and body, lack of use is often worse than regular light use for mechanical components. One of the things that became apparent in starting to use the car regularly, was...
Back in December, I had been driving the Daimler for a couple of weeks and noticed a few things I wanted to be looked at before I used it more: Soft brake pedal Dirty passengers side fuel tank and pitted chrome on fuel cap Dented rear bumper Tachometer not working after my attempted repair Fuel gauges not working properly The soft brake pedal seemed...
In my first drives of the Daimler, one of the things on my list to fix was the tachometer. When I first got the car, I had it converted to modern electronic ignition. The Jaguar V12 always had electronic ignition, however it originally used a system called OPUS. On my car, the ignition system had been messed with and the OPUS box wasn’t working....
When I first got my Daimler Double-Six, I had been using the drivers side petrol tank only. The one on the passengers side looked a bit gungy when I opened up the filler cap and looked inside. The drivers side tank looked nice and clean. Each tank is 45 liters and is mostly independent. Jaguar went to the dual fuel tank system with the...
By October 1972, the Daimler Saloons were all based on the Jaguar XJ. The old 420 based Sovereign had finished production in 1969, and the DS420 limo had a separate price list. That car had a broad appeal, finding buyers from Royalty to funeral homes. This price list is for the UK market. The Jaguar Price list of the same period also offered the...
With the arrival of the new Daimler, I have focused on smaller jobs to generally improve the car before I tackle anything big. Ultimately my goal is to get it to a point where I would feel confident getting in and driving to Melbourne and back. That is generally how I like to keep all my cars. 1 – Drive the Car First step...
I like cars that were special or ahead of their time in their day. That could be in technology, styling, performance or they way they were built. One of the cars that fits this category for me is the Series 1 XJ with the V12 engine. Both the car and the engine are masterpieces. The V12 Series 1 XJ was the culmination of Jaguar...
Today was the annual British Car Show. This was the second year it was held at the new location at Hawkesbury Showground. I think the new location is great and the show was a big success. There is plenty of room for each of the clubs to have as many cars as they wish. There is plenty of room for vendors to come to...
The Daimler Double Six Vanden Plas is a very special version of the Daimler Double Six. Essentially it is a Daimler Double Six that was sent to the Vanden Plas coachbuilders to be hand trimmed with a unique interior that was to Rolls Royce levels. The cars also had special chrome trim, a vinyl roof and other improvements over the Standard Double Six. The...
One of the cars I have always admired is the Series 1 Jaguar XJ. It was an amazing piece of design, and well ahead of its time. I think the series 1 XJ was culmination of Jaguar in their heyday before they were absorbed into the mess that was British Leyland. In particular, the car I have always admired the most was the Series...
Today was the big annual British car show. For years, this show has been held at the Kings School. This year the show was at a new venue – Hawkesbury Showground. I’ve always regarded the annual British car show as the best car show on the Sydney calendar so I was curious how the new venue was going affect that. The Kings school had...
More Posts
