Starting Point – Rust Repairs Begin on the 1986 Daimler DS420
July 6, 2022
The fabrication shop at Bridge Classic Cars have been starting on the rust repairs to the classic 1986 Daimler DS420. The team have spent some
1986 Daimler DS420
Change Over – 1986 Daimler DS420 in the Fabrication Shop
June 28, 2022
The 1986 Daimler DS420 has been moved from the body preparation department into the in-house fabrication shop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk restoration workshops.
Under the Surface – Stripping the Doors of the 1986 Daimler DS420
June 20, 2022
The doors on the 1986 Daimler DS420 have been stripped back by the paint and body team in preparation to be handed over to the
Deep Dive – Stripping Back the 1986 Daimler DS420
June 15, 2022
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have been stripping the 1986 Daimler DS420 further in preparation for its restoration. Previously the team
Stripped Back – Beginning the Strip Down of the 1986 Daimler DS420
June 10, 2022
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have begun the process of stripping down the body of the 1986 Daimler DS420 ahead of
Inch by Inch – Removing the Roof from the 1986 Daimler DS420
May 30, 2022
The trim team at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop have worked with our body team to remove the collapsible roof on the 1986 Daimler
Taken Apart – Stripping Back the 1986 Daimler DS420
May 26, 2022
With the workshop team focusing their attention on the teardown of the 1986 Daimler DS420, the team have begun the process of stripping down the
Areas of Interest – Finding Corrosion on the 1986 Daimler DS420
May 25, 2022
During the inspection of the 1986 Daimler Double Six, the Bridge Classic Cars workshop team have found some corrosion areas that they would like to
For Reference – Carefully Removing the Trim from the 1986 Daimler DS420
May 25, 2022
The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have begun the process of removing the trim and brightwork from the 1986 Daimler DS420. As part of
Inspection – Assessing the 1986 Daimler DS420
May 24, 2022
The 1986 Daimler DS420, which arrived recently at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop from America, has been up on the ramp for our teams to
1986 Daimler DS420: London-Los Angeles-Suffolk
May 18, 2022
They said it themselves; Vintage Car Collector with their ever growing inventory impresses everyone from professional and serious car collectors to beginners. Their digital presence
Starting Point – Rust Repairs Begin on the 1986 Daimler DS420
July 6, 2022
The fabrication shop at Bridge Classic Cars have been starting on the rust repairs to the classic 1986 Daimler DS420.
The team have spent some time assessing and inspecting the corrosion on the bodywork of the classic limo before beginning the intricate metal work.
Work began around the rear window frames which saw quite heavy corrosion around the channels. These areas were cut out and replaced with handmade pieces to perfectly fit the size and contour of the car. Carefully they were welded in to avoid any warping of surrounding areas which are heavy with trim.
Then, work could begin on the bottoms of the doors. These had seen quite substantial corrosion, with a whole new bottom lip having to be made by our fabricators and grafted onto the doors itself. Because of the corrosion in the bottoms of the door, the door jam area of the large rear doors also needed work by the team. This area was cut out and then taken back to fresh metal, the surround being used as a template for our fabricator Monty to make a one-off, handmade piece that fit perfectly into the gap.
Keep an eye out on the Bridge Classic Cars News Page very soon for more updates on the 1986 Daimler DS420.
Change Over – 1986 Daimler DS420 in the Fabrication Shop
June 28, 2022
The 1986 Daimler DS420 has been moved from the body preparation department into the in-house fabrication shop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk restoration workshops.
After having the body stripped back to discover some areas of quite deep corrosion by the body team, it is now down to the fabrication department to get the metal on the classic Daimler back in order. First, the team will carry out an assessment of the area to see how deep and far into or up the car the corrosion goes and then work out a plan to get the fresh pieces securely and properly welded into the car.
There will be more updates very soon on the metal repairs to the 1986 Daimler DS420.
Under the Surface – Stripping the Doors of the 1986 Daimler DS420
June 20, 2022
The doors on the 1986 Daimler DS420 have been stripped back by the paint and body team in preparation to be handed over to the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication team.
The doors had to be stripped back in certain areas in order for the team to assess the corrosion in each piece and come up with a repair plan for the doors.
There are a few areas which will need significant repairs by the fabrication team so keep an eye on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for more updates very soon.
Deep Dive – Stripping Back the 1986 Daimler DS420
June 15, 2022
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have been stripping the 1986 Daimler DS420 further in preparation for its restoration. Previously the team had noticed a few areas of corrosion which required further exploration to ensure the whole car could be completely assessed.
Once the team had begun to dive deeper into the classic Daimler limo, a lot of the history of the car had become evident. The team had found years of repairs/quick fixes across the body of the car, especially lower down in the car mainly the sills and quarter panels. Both of these had excessive amounts of body filler in them which the team had to sand through in order to inspect the bare metal that lay behind it.
However, upon inspecting the higher parts of the car it is in relatively good shape with only a few small areas requiring the attention of the fabrication team.
Stripped Back – Beginning the Strip Down of the 1986 Daimler DS420
June 10, 2022
The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have begun the process of stripping down the body of the 1986 Daimler DS420 ahead of its restoration.
It was noted during the trim and component removal that there were some areas of corrosion on the body of the classic Daimler so the team have begun to look into just how far these extend and the repairs needed.
There is also evidence of previous damage repair to the near side rear door which will need to be addressed by the team as part of the car’s journey with ourselves.
Inch by Inch – Removing the Roof from the 1986 Daimler DS420
May 30, 2022
The trim team at the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop have worked with our body team to remove the collapsible roof on the 1986 Daimler DS420.
The team needed to remove this as part of the vehicle’s restoration as to inspect and assess the condition of each component as well as the inner and out coverings to use as templates.
Each piece had to be removed gingerly and extremely carefully so as to not damage any of the pieces or mechanisms to best assess each part of the roof.
Taken Apart – Stripping Back the 1986 Daimler DS420
May 26, 2022
With the workshop team focusing their attention on the teardown of the 1986 Daimler DS420, the team have begun the process of stripping down the internals of the doors and the wiring in the classic Daimler.
The team began by removing the lights and trims of the car so as to disconnect the wiring to these particular pieces for the purpose of removing the wiring harness from the car. Once these pieces were clear, the team could turn their attention to removing the door jam mechanisms and bonnet/boot latches.
Areas of Interest – Finding Corrosion on the 1986 Daimler DS420
May 25, 2022
During the inspection of the 1986 Daimler Double Six, the Bridge Classic Cars workshop team have found some corrosion areas that they would like to look more in-depth at.
The team noticed a few areas on the underside of the classic Daimler during the process of inspecting the trims, this pushed the team to begin getting to the root cause and seeing just how far the corrosion goes into the sills and several substructures.
With that, the team began to carefully take apart the sills and loose corrosion on the underside of the car to then start to formulate a plan for repairs.
For Reference – Carefully Removing the Trim from the 1986 Daimler DS420
May 25, 2022
The workshop team at Bridge Classic Cars have begun the process of removing the trim and brightwork from the 1986 Daimler DS420.
As part of the inspection and assessment of the classic Daimlers restoration, the team take hundreds of reference photos involving the trims for every classic car which comes into our workshops. This is important to log and catalogue the condition and fitment of each piece that has come off the car.
Also, it allows us to use these photos to check against parts diagrams and other reference materials to see if anything is missing or misaligned.
Inspection – Assessing the 1986 Daimler DS420
May 24, 2022
The 1986 Daimler DS420, which arrived recently at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop from America, has been up on the ramp for our teams to begin inspecting and assessing the classic limousine.
As part of its inspection, the team will build up a report on the overall condition of the vehicle along with any areas which need further assessment and a plan for repair or refurbishment. This time, the team were focusing on the underside of the classic Daimler to make sure it was structurally sound and safe before any further work is carried out.
The team turned their attention to suspension pickups and mounts, sections of frame, substructure mounts as well as the all-important body shell sills.
1986 Daimler DS420: London-Los Angeles-Suffolk
May 18, 2022
They said it themselves; Vintage Car Collector with their ever growing inventory impresses everyone from professional and serious car collectors to beginners. Their digital presence attracts car enthusiasts and professionals alike every day.
And that is true of our journey with them so far. A few months back a good friend of Bridge Classic Cars was drawn to a beautiful 1986 Daimler DS420 on offer over in California.
We hastily reached out to the guys and girls at Vintage Car Collector and no sooner had we done that were we informed that the car had left the US and was making it’s way over to us here in sunny Suffolk.
Description from Vintage Car Collector: “The Daimler DS420, also known as the Daimler Limousine, is a limousine made by The Daimler Company Limited between 1968 and 1992. The car was designed for official use and it was popular with chauffeur services, hoteliers and undertakers. It was used as an official state car in many countries. No other limousine model has been delivered to more reigning monarchs than the DS420, and the car is still used by the royal houses of the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, and Luxembourg.
Originally, the cars were built at the Vanden Plas works in Kingsbury Lane, London, from body shells made by Park Sheet Metal Company, assembling panels supplied by Motor Panels of Coventry, and by Pressed Steel Fisher. Early limousines bore the “Daimler Vanden Plas” designation on tread plates and workshop manuals. The Kingsbury plant was closed in 1979 and production moved to Jaguar in Coventry, where it continued until 1992. The move to Coventry also brought the second and most extensive face lift in the car’s life, when larger bumpers and a revised rear number-plate frame were fitted.
The DS420 had a fascia very similar to contemporary Mark X and 420G Jaguars retaining the old-fashioned steering column and pencil-thin steering wheel. Two cars were built in landaulette bodywork by the factory. Apparently neither have survived
• CLEAN TITLE
• ODOMETER SHOWS 58,261 MILES
• 6 CYL. ENGINE
• AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
• 90% TIRE TREAD
• NICE CHROME AND INTERIOR
• MAINLY USED FOR WEEKEND DRIVES
• WELL MAINTAINED, GARAGE KEPT
• RUNS AND DRIVES
On Tuesday 17th May we received the exciting call from Schumacher Cargo Logistics to confirm the safe arrival of our Daimler to Felixstowe.
Gordon, John and Dave set off to Felixstowe with a handful of tools, jump leads and fuel but unfortunately a big fuel leak hindered their plans for a successful drive down the A14.
Not to worry, the car is now back in our workshops ready to start it’s exciting new adventure here in the UK. Welcome home!!
