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daimler specialist

Coming Soon – 1968 Daimler 250 Arrives at The Hangar

September 6, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars secure storage facility, The Hangar, has welcomed a new resident recently – this 1968 Daimler 250.

The car has arrived to wait its turn for the team to completely and thoroughly inspect it at our Pettistree workshops deep in the Suffolk countryside.

The Other Side – Metal Repairs on the Passenger Side of the 1986 Daimler DS420

September 1, 2022

As the work is being carried out on the other side of the 1986 Daimler DS420, our fabrication team have been working on the passenger side of the car at the same time.

One of our amazing fabricators, Chris, has been working on removing any corrosion from the classic limousine. Much like the other side of the car, the team have been focusing on the rear arches, inner arches, sills and front arches. Every time an area is in need of repair, Chris would create handmade patch panels specifically for the area they were needed in recreating much of the sills and inner arches by hand.

Going Deeper – Assessing the Rear Wings and Sills of the 1986 Daimler DS420

July 28, 2022

The fabrication shop at the Bridge Classic Cars Suffolk restoration HQ have begun to look deeper into the corrosion on the bottom of the 1986 Daimler DS420.

The fabrication team began by cutting a section of the bottom of the Offside Rear Wing which had corroded on the bottom before removing the outer skin of the wing around the entire arch all the way down to the sill.

At the sill, they have trimmed back the outer sill to expose the inner structure to check for any corrosion or damage to that area.

Preparations – Working on the Bonnet and Boot of the 1986 Daimler DS420

July 19, 2022

The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have been working on preparing the bonnet and boot of the 1986 Daimler DS420 for primer.

Both were removed from the car, which is in our fabrication department, to be moved to the body area for the team to finesse. The panels were carefully inspected before their hardware was stripped back and catalogued and the sanding could begin.

A guide coat was applied before sanding to highlight any low spots which could be addressed before the first stay of epoxy primer which will be done shortly.

Readied – Priming the Doors of the 1986 Daimler DS420

July 14, 2022

After their metal repairs were completed by the fabrication shop, the doors for the 1986 Daimler DS420 have been taken into the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop to be primered.

The doors were first thoroughly cleaned down before the team set them onto the door jigs to be sprayed. The first stage is to get the panels into Epoxy Primer to stop any rust from forming on the bare metal doors. These will then go on to be reworked by the team until perfect and keep going through various sanding and priming stages until they’re ready for paint and then reunited with the body.

Update – Refitting the 1987 Daimler Double Six

July 13, 2022

The trim shop at Bridge Classic Cars has been working on getting some of the key trim pieces back into the 1987 Daimler Double Six while removing some smaller pieces to be refinished by the team.

To begin with, Brian fit the new bonnet insulation under the hood of the classic Daimler. This is a noise and heat protector which is cut to shape and rollered on to get the best contact and fit into the recesses under the bonnet.

From there, the team could get the headliner and sunroof for the car finished off. The edges of the opening were finished and glued back neatly into place before the necessary pieces of trim were fitted.

Finally, the team moved to the centre console of the classic Daimler in order to remove switchgear and fittings from the car. This was to then completely remove the weathered panel’s wooden veneer which is being worked on by the team as part of the restoration of the car.

At the Core – Servicing the 1987 Daimler Double Six

June 29, 2022

As part of its restoration and first fire-up since work began, the team at Bridge Classic Cars have serviced the V12 which sits at the heart of the 1987 Daimler Double Six.

With this generation of Jaguar-based V12, it is not always the easiest to change the spark plugs. So, the team have been carefully disconnecting and moving the various hoses and lines out of the way to get to the spark plugs and remove the distributor cap.

After that, everything could be changed over to new pieces and then put back together with the hoses laid back over and routed in their correct place.

Update – Reassembly of the 1987 Daimler Double Six

June 28, 2022

The 1987 Daimler Double Six has been coming back together in the Bridge Classic Cars restoration workshop at our Suffolk HQ.

The workshop team have been getting the classic Daimler back together in order to perform the first fire-up of the V12. Firstly the team have put the newly repainted and refurbished fan shroud onto the cars core support so the various leads and hoses can be routed on the front of the car. At the same time, the team have worked on refitting the chrome trim to the flanks of the Daimler as well as spraying the wheel wells with durable, hard-wearing black paint.

This is all part of the cars restoration journey, in which the team will fire up the car to check all the necessary systems which were removed from the car.

Like New – Painting the Bumper Brackets on the 1987 Daimler Double Six

June 20, 2022

The bumper brackets for the 1987 Daimler Double Six have been worked on by the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop.

The pieces have been carefully cleaned and prepared to then go into our in-house paint booth in order for the team to finish them as part of the reassembly of the classic Daimler.

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.

Clear View – Polishing the Paintwork on the 1987 Daimler Double Six

May 30, 2022

The freshly painted 1987 Daimler Double Six has been in the paint preparation area for the Bridge classic Cars paint and body team to begin getting the car into bright, gleaming condition.

The team began by gently and evenly cutting back the freshly cured paint with progressively finer abrasive pads to safely remove any nibs or other pieces caught in the clear coat of the car. After this had all been taken back to an even ”flat” state, the team could begin bringing back its shimmer.

Using various compounds and polishes, the team built up the beautiful sheen across the body of the classic Daimler until it was like a deep blue mirror.

The perfect finish.

Inside Out – Raptorguard on the Inner Wings of the 1987 Daimler Double Six

May 26, 2022

The paint and body team at Bridge Classic Cars have sealed the inner wings of the 1987 Daimler Double Six which is in for restoration.

The team sealed the inner wings using a product called Raptorguard. This is a hard wearing urethane which will protect the inner arches and wing of the car from absorbing moisture from any dirt collected inside the panel. This is something we do on most of our restorations to protect the longevity of the pieces and ultimately the car itself.

In Colour – The 1987 Daimler Double Six Now in Colour

May 23, 2022

The 1987 Daimler Double Six has been taken into the in-house paint booth at Bridge Classic Cars once again to carry on its journey into full colour.

The team have spent countless hours making sure that each process and stage of the paint and bodywork for the classic Daimler is flawless and smooth. Each layer of paint is inspected and assessed even on the inside of the panels. With the inner panels now painted, the team masked up the bodyshell and could begin the process of laying down the dark blue onto the Double Six.

Patiently and methodically, the paint team swept layers of the deep blue across the body and wings of the car. One after another, the layers were built up to give the car its glossy and bright finish but to also build up the depth and contrast in the colour.

With this stage done, the Daimler is now curing before the paint and body team begin colour sanding.

Prepared – Readying the 1987 Daimler Double Six for Colour

May 20, 2022

The paint and body team have been working to get the 1987 Daimler Double Six ready for the first coats of dark blue paint to be laid on the panels of the classic saloon car.

To begin, the Bridge Classic Cars in-house team painted the bonnet and boot lid of the classic Daimler. Once these had begun to dry, they were moved into the preparation area to fully cure while the body and wings were moved into the booth.

Then the team could begin to mask up the car ready to lay down the first coats of colour onto the body of the Double Six…

Pulled Apart – Removing the Door Cards of the 1986 Daimler DS420

May 20, 2022

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team have been working on the doors of the 1986 Daimler DS420 which arrived into our workshop from the USA recently.

The doors are being carefully taken apart so the panels themselves can be repainted. This involved the careful cataloguing and noting of each individual piece that came off the door from the small screw head cover to the large leather wrapped panels. The doors will then be taken into our paint and body team who will carry out a full assessment and then get to work on making the doors of the classic Daimler limo matching the rest of the car.

Build Up – The 1987 Daimler Double Six in High Build Primer

May 16, 2022

The paint and body teams at Bridge Classic Cars have been busy preparing the body and panels of the 1987 Daimler Double Six for the final stages of high build primer.

The classic Daimler, which is in with our restoration teams, has been worked on extensively by our paint and body team to get the classic saloon in to perfect condition before the first layers of paint. The body shop have meticulously sanded down, cleaned and prepared each individual part at every stage of its journey into the in-house paint booth.

This step, which is one of the final stages before colour, is the use of high build primer on all panels and in all visible areas or areas which have been worked own by the body and fabrication teams including the inside of the door jams and the all important in arches. With the high build primer now on the car, it will be taken back out of the oven to be inspected and any adjustments made before the next stage begins.

Step by Step – Priming the Panels of the 1987 Daimler Double Six

May 10, 2022

The panels for the 1987 Daimler Double Six have been moved into the Bridge Classic Cars in-house paint booth for primer.

The paint and body team have been working on perfecting each individual part and panel of the classic Daimler. The team have worked on, cleaned down and prepared the pieces for their first layers of epoxy primer to get them into the same stage as the bodyshell which the team are working on alongside.

The first layers of primer have been laid on the panels and will cure before several more stages of refining and working before colour.

Primed & Read – 1987 Daimler Double Six in Primer

April 21, 2022

The 1987 Daimler Double Six has been taken back to bare metal in the places where the repairs were carried out by the Bridge Classic Cars fabrication team. Now, in the hands of our body shop technicians, the car has been refined and perfected before being thoroughly cleaned before going into the paint booth.

The classic Daimler is being finished in its first round of epoxy primer ahead of the team paint matching the reworked areas to the original dark blue paintwork. The team laid down the primer layer by layer carefully allowing it to settle flat and evenly across the luxury 4 door saloon. With this stage done, it will be transferred back into the preparation area for the team to begin sanding and finishing before it goes back into the paint booth for the next stage.