www.jec.org.uk

Ok, as my previous post, I am now looking for a nice series 1 Daimler Sovereign.
Looked at one today, was nice bodywise, had great panel gaps, lovely firm door close, clearly had a resto at some point and a respray, not concours but presentable.
Interior had seen better days, dash and seats etc a little worn, cracks on the dash top etc, some flaking on the wood, some stitching undone and worn creases.
But most stuff worked, it had MOT and drove beautifully.
It needed some minor fixes like new hoses, rocker gaskets, auto choke was a bit rubbish.
Am I being fussy or way too optimistic looking for a better car for my 3k ?
I have one more lined up to view this week.....
I am hoping to compare interior condition and dash etc as they are reportedly in very similar conditions body/paintwise.

Would you say go for a car that will need no bodywork and sort the interior/dash at a later date ?
How much is a descent interior if you can still find them ?

so many questions !
Cheers
Stu

Replying to myself here... oh well.
I looked at another today, described as Mint...
Had a good paintjob mostly but some cracking on a few doors, no rust though, very solid car with a slightly better interior but by no means Mint.
It all seemed ok but been off the road for around 5yrs and no MOT and not a tax exempt car.
So having seen this one I now know the first car is a much better bet, the interior and Dash I can do at my leisure.
Goes to show that one persons Mint is anothers restoration !!

Stu

hi stuart,
i know where you are coming from when you mention the pristine or mint cars we sometimes see advertised,before i came across and bought my 82 daimler double six,(which is without doubt the finest car ive owned!),i had brian page of classic assessments look at an xj6 for me,it was a considerable distance from my home here in perth,but was,said the ad,a fine example,so brian checked it out,and reported back that i would be in need of a deep wallet and plenty of spare time!!,enough said!!.
im sure if you take your time you will find a good one,though a really good series one may be a tall order,and im sure would be considerably more price wise,anyway good luck in your hunt!
cheers ian.

I found one
I am making the journey to pick her up tomorrow !
It was the first one I looked at, after seeing the "mint" Daimler I rang the first car back and made an offer.
I have a 3 hour drive back so will find out very quickly if I made a mistake

Stu

hi stuart,
thats great news!,let me know how you get on.
cheers ian.

Drove home today 150 miles, known issues are:

Front wheels need balancing, seems to have missing weights and wheel wobble at 70 +

carbs need a good service and clean, splutters at 75+ feels like its picking up dirt from float chamber + irractic tickover at times, but not all the time.

Needs new cold start device or manual choke fitting as it was not easy to start or tickover while cold. (common fault)

Needs the new fan belt fitting as squeals from time to time

Windscreen chrome needs fitting front and rear

Rocker cover gaskets are shot, need replacing
will do tappets while at it

main beam was stuck on with dipped but from reading the manual there is a switch by the brake pedal ?

Other than the above tiny jobs, I am over the moon and once those jobs are done she will be an absolute pleasure to drive, can't wait.

Stu

hi stuart,
thats great!,glad youre pleased with your purchase!,happy jaguar motoring!!.
cheers ian