| 1960
Aston Martin DB4 Series One
Total restoration! |
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| 1960
Aston Martin DB4 Series One
Total restoration! |
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If you have any questions about any of the performance and/or reliability upgrades that we have developed for our DB4 (or would like to purchase any of these high quality components for your own Aston Martin) please don't hesitate to contact us!Aston Martin performance and reliability upgrades available from Classic Jaguar
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Update report - August 26, 2006
Body now completely stripped, huge auction prices, RHD v LHD, looking for another DB4 or DB5 project....First of all, many thanks to those of you who contacted me with your input and opinions on the issue of RHD -v- LHD. I received some very informative and helpful emails, including an answer to my question about how many of the 150 Series One DB4s were RHD from the factory. I learned that of the 123 cars listed on the AMOC register, it appears that the split is 54% to 46% in favor of the LHD cars, meaning my car is one of 66 RHD Series One cars on record.
I was also interested to hear of a recent Bonhams auction in London where a 'barn find' Series Three DB4 requiring total restoration sold for 70,000 GB pounds, plus 10% buyers premium, plus 17.5% VAT charged on the buyers premium, for a grand total of 78,225 GB pounds. That is $147,845 USD at today's exchange rate of 1.89! A restored Series Two car sold at the same auction for 140,000 pounds. By the time the new owner had paid his premiums and taxes, he was handing over 156,450 quid ($295,690) for his classic commuter. Yikes!
On the subject of auctions and high prices for Astons, last week I was actually trying to buy a DB5 that was on eBay. The car looked like a nice, solid car although it had recently suffered an engine bay fire and, worse still, was equipped with a Dodge engine and transmission, the original engine and gearbox having long since been lost to the winds. One of my customers had asked me to buy the car and restore it for him, so I was poised at my computer with about 30 seconds to go. At that time the high bid was $96,000, so I felt quite confident as I typed in $111,000, only to have my bid rejected with the message that I would need to bid more than $135,000 if I wanted to get my name in lights. The car ended up selling for $135,200, which I thought seemed a lot considering the drivetrain situation.
Anyway, what does all this mean? In the first place, I guess it means I am still looking for another DB4 or DB5 restoration project. It also means that I am apparently going to have to pay much more than I had planned, assuming I can even find a suitable car. Finally, it means that in view of the rapidly escalating values of these cars, I have decided to go the original route and leave the steering wheel on the right hand side as I move forward with my restoration.
Please fire me an email if you know of a car that might be available. LHD or RHD, DB4 or DB5, looking for a good candidate for restoration.
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left to be stripped |
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bonnet mouth |
Looking for opinions...I am undecided whether to restore this car to its original RHD spec, or whether I should convert it to LHD. I would be interested to hear opinions, one way or the other. What would such a conversion do to the value/desirability? Also, how many of the 150 Series One DB4s produced were RHD? Anyone know?
Fire me an email and let me know what you think. Thank you!
Special thanks to Andy who helped strip the left flank of the car in his own time yesterday.
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profiles in the automotive world |
of bondo and paint |
than its RH counterpart |
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of the indicator/marker light plinth |
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pain over the years |
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the front grill |
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This week I felt an irresistible urge to see some of that beautiful aluminum coachwork that has been hiding for many years beneath countless layers of bondo and paint. Starting with the right hand rear wing, which we knew had seen some pretty crude accident repairs at some time in the past, we broke out the paint stripper and got to work!
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I thought it might be interesting to show Lawrence making the new transmission cover for the AM5 five speed. I never tire of watching craftsmen doing what they do best!I wanted to make a cover that would sit on top of the original cover and form a nicely contoured base for the underfelt and carpet. Basically, providing a little more ceiling height for the trans cover while still looking absolutely original once the carpet has been installed.
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and an English wheel |
Brazilian wheel! |
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of the modified original cover |
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the shifter |
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Finalizing the AM5 five speed kit
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I am delighted to report that I finally made time to install the new AM5 five speed this morning and everything fit into place perfectly. Other than having to trim the fibreglass top cover (which had already been rather crudely trimmed at the factory), this is a 100% bolt in installation.My thanks to Team CJ technician Ray Silkwood who met me at the shop before 6 this morning. Working together we had the engine and new five speed installed and bolted down in less than an hour. Even better news is that we have already started taking orders for the AM5 five speed and the first unit will be shipping out in the next couple of days!
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very easily |
brackets to the frame |
by a floor jack |
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tunnel for the new AM5 |
used |
we needed it to be! |
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super strong bracket |
less than an hour! |
to sit on top of the OEM cover |
More AM5 five speed development work.
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trial assembly |
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so we could make sure it fit perfectly in the pilot bearing |
points will be utilised |
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mount will be bolted to trans |
tested in our E Type five speed |
mount solution.... |
A little interior work, more R&D with the AM5 five speed....and an absolutely gorgeous aluminium expansion tank!
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leather exposed |
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penmanship! |
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screwdriver reveals more rust |
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original bellhousing |
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the new five speed |
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the clutch slave |
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a gallant fight.... |
A 5 speed transmission for my Aston....
Yesterday, I decided to put some work into designing a five speed transmission for the DB4. Given where I am in the overall restoration process, you could be forgiven for thinking that I might be jumping the gun a little! However, experience (with the development of Jaguar performance parts) has shown that now is in fact the ideal time to take all my critical measurements and to begin the painstaking trial fitting process.Having already developed a highly successful five speed transmission for the E Type Jaguar, I must admit I had a big head start when it came to designing one for the Aston Martin. Our Jaguar box (the CJ5) is based on the Tremec T5 WC (World Class) transmission. It is a quiet, smooth shifting box that can handle in excess of 400 ft/lbs of torque. It also has a wide range of ratio choices and overdrive options.(Click here to see a CJ5 being built)
Needless to say, I need the Aston version of my five speed (the AM5) to be a bolt in conversion that requires zero body modification and places the shifter in precisely the same position as the original. Having taken my preliminary measurements, I am delighted to report that the development of the AM5 is going to be a breeze compared to the challenges we faced with the E Type box. Some of the photographs below show how (dimensionally) similar the David Brown four speed and the CJ5 five speed are.
Once I have the first article AM5 built, I will bolt it up to the stripped engine block and install it in the car. At that point all that will remain will be to take a precise measurement for the new driveshaft, and to design the rear trans mount bracket.
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engine is straightforward |
same principle as the E Type |
from lower bellhousing |
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by clutch pressure plate bolts.... |
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assembly |
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throughout.... |
early E Type |
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with the AM5 transmission |
9 x 3/8" studs |
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input shaft |
bolt the AM5 to the DB b/housing |
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identical to E Type... |
side by side |
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shifter centre lines and height |
input shaft and adaptor plate... |
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A couple of days ago I decided to remove the dash from the DB4. You might think such a basic task shouldn't present too much of a problem to a chap with his own restoration business.....but boy, would you be wrong! I had been forewarned by one of my advisors over at the AMOC (thanks, Arne!) that I was about to undertake what he decribed as an 'absolute bastard of a job'. I see no reason ever to doubt Arne's word again.The task would have been considerably easier had I not come across such a cosmopolitan mixture of screws and bolts of every conceivable size...all thoughtfully located in some of the most inaccessible locations. Most of my labour was performed upside down with my hands and arms thrust through the jagged internals of the dash, blindly floundering in the dark looking for a fastener that vaguely resembled the size and shape of the tool I had squeezed up behind the dash. For a tall guy with dodgy knees and a bad right elbow, having to repeatedly extract myself from the dash to find a different tool was a complete pain in the arse.....literally. Even with Arne's helpful suggestion of how best to tackle the job, it took me five solid hours of contortion, swearing, and extreme physical discomfort to get the dash out.
The usual caveat applies that most of the following photographs are for my own reference purposes and may not be of much interest to anyone else!
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steam cleaning |
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these holes are to allow for expansion? |
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panels |
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chain removed |
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of the dash |
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lifeline before starting a DB4 resto... |
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shaped fascia |
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picture of a hanging wrench... |
glove box to get to the last of the bolts holding the dash in place |
the dash removed |
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Sunday was a long day, although at least I seemed to make some decent progress. As usual, many of the photographs below will probably be of little interest to anyone else as they were taken for my own reference.Thanks to the good folk over at the AMOC web for their encouraging and informative emails!
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which matches the factory build sheet |
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to those used on 3.8 E Type |
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build sheet |
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attached to the engine |
cover vent tube |
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it will be a tight squeeze on the way out |
the floors |
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main floors appear to be |
because someone had previously buggered up the runners and the mounts |
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the opposite side of the car |
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caused me to blow out my right knee! |
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is stamped with the chassis number |
new? I hope so... |
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quite yellow! |
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directly on top of the original |
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lots of corrosion |
feature of of S1 cars |
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to clear the front cowling |
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with engine out of car |
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I spent a few more hours in the engine bay today, although I have to admit that the going was a little slower than I would have liked! Most of the following photographs are for my own future reference, although some of them should make wonderful 'before' pictures when the car starts going back together. I also took a series of measurements in relation to the new CJ5 five speed transmission we are developing for this car.In case you were wondering, yes, the cylinder head is still stuck solid...although I remain blindly optimistic that I will have the thing on my work bench in the next couple of days!
I have received an encouraging email from someone over at the Aston Owners Club who apparently stumbled across the CJ website and found my Aston page. Maybe one of them can answer the question relating to the last photograph in the following sequence?
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target today |
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absolute bastard to remove! |
and a couple of scuffed knuckles |
lay-out to fuse boxes |
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cork insulation |
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slab of cork.... |
is for? |
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upper left of the firewall |
pillar trim |
original beige colour |
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much 'hand made' |
off when I open it |
in due course |
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earth is the chain all about??!! |
Slowly but surely, I have been stripping out the engine bay. Everywhere I look are signs of very poor workmanship in the past - it really is a crying shame that this great old car has been so badly neglected.The cylinder head is stuck solid, presumably by virtue of the steel head studs 'welding' themselves to the aluminium head and block, although we should have it loosened up in the next couple of days. What I can see of the engine and cylinder head internals has given me cause for hope that we will be able to save them. Watch this space!
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to two blocks of wood?? |
visible with valve covers removed |
indicative of poor quality workmanship done in the past |
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venerable XK engine |
penatrating oil |
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and see if anything budges! |
aluminium expansion tank |
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Today I got to spend a few hours in the engine bay of the Aston - and unfortunately I must report that the day didn't go too well. As you can see from the photographs below, my new parts wish-list is going to include pretty much anything aluminium that ever came into contact with coolant. The waterpump literally fell apart on me when I removed it, as did the thermostat housing, but more worrying still was the state of the front cover - which is corroded beyond repair.Trying to keep a positive attitude(!), I have been telling myself that Bob Fountain (The Aston Workshops) will no doubt be able to sell me all the shiny replacement parts I am going to need. Continuing with the positive vibe theme, I have just about convinced myself that the head and the block will be servicable.......I certainly hope so, because I don't think Santa can stretch to one of those new, magnificent looking 4.5 litre blocks I have seen advertised in the owners club magazine!
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carbs and intake manifolds |
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not very encouraging! |
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beyond repair |
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are available! |
More shiny new parts......this time a high torque gear reduction starter motor made for me by the Keith Gustafson, who makes our Jaguar starter motors. I also have Hayward & Scott in England making me a pair of special polished stainless steel exhaust manifolds. It will be a long time before I need them.....but I couldn't resist!
A thing of beauty...One of the things I like best about my business is that I get to make (or have made) some seriously cool stuff. The new Aston Martin radiator pictured below really is a thing of beauty. Tipping the scales at just 13lbs and upgraded to handle over 400 HP, it also represents a prodigious performance upgrade over the original.
The restoration gets underway!Yesterday I awarded myself half a day off from my CJ office duties and spent some quality time with the Aston. For me there is no better therapy or form of stress relief than to crawl all over a classic car, scratching my knuckles, banging my head and getting oil under my finger nails. These days the opportunity to spend time in the workshop doesn't present itself very often, so yesterday was something of a treat for me.
When you look at the photographs below it might not look as if I achieved much in the 5 hours I worked on the car. In fact, I feel like I got quite a lot accomplished and certainly learned a good deal about how these cars are put together. Unfortunately, the car has sustained a pretty decent hit in the right front at some time in its past, so Bob Fountain's prediction that a complete new front clip might be in my future appears to be correct. Really the only decision I have to make is whether to buy a nose section (from midway along the wheel arches forward) or a complete assembly (everything from the windscreen forward).
One thing that slowed my progress somewhat was the fact that (presumably following the front end collision I mentioned above) somebody had literally bondoed the right hand headlamp bucket into place. In fact, most of the right front corner of the car has been sculptured from bondo and fibre glass! It took me a full hour just to chisel the RH headlamp bucket away from the wing.
The next task will be to pull the engine and transmission, something I hope to find time to do next week.
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simple to remove |
away from the wing! |
and bondo |
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pushed back in collision |
to hold side and indicator lamps |
removed for safe keeping |
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split pins - 30 seconds to remove |
stamped 4/59 |
replica of the radiator |
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rotten |
have to go..... |
full of powdered lime |
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is actually original equipment |
condition |
braised the mesh to the surround |
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further back towards the screen! |
a couple of minutes |
beneath the edge of the wing |
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water pipe |
on the wall of the CJ Workshop |
inside grill opening |
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conversion at a later date |
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Before tearing into the DB4 and reducing it to a very expensive pile of parts, I put it up in the air and took the following photographs showing the rather sorry state of the under carriage. Clearly we have lots of rust repair ahead of us and lots of new challenges!Earlier today I spoke with Bob Fountain of the Aston Workshop in Beamish, England. Bob graciously answered my many questions about the sequence I should follow in disassembling the car. I also quizzed him about the availability of certain repair panels as I obviously want to avoid reinventing the wheel and attempting to repair panels which it makes more sense to replace. Apparently most (8 out of 10) of the DB Astons that the Aston Workshop restore receive new front ends. As my car has clearly been in a front end collision at some time in its past, it is quite likely that I will be biting that particular bullet a little deeper into the restoration process.
With the staff in the CJ Workshop working flat out on customer's cars, I will be doing much of the work myself, at least initially. I am looking forward to the challenge - and to learning more about the way these great old cars were put together.
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I have an exciting update for you today! My family back in the UK have been doing some detective work for me and one of the things they did was to place a letter in the Yorkshire Post asking for any information regarding Mr Mainz, the first owner of our DB4. Yesterday, as a result of the insertion in the Yorkshire Post, we received a letter from a Mr Malcolm Holmes stating that he used to work for Mainz & Sons in the early 1960's. Mr Holmes remembered the Aston Martin very well and said he even got to drive it on a number of occasions. Even more encouraging, Mr Holmes was pretty sure that Mr Helmut Mainz was alive and well and living in Harrogate.Less than 24 hours after hearing from Mr Holmes, we were thrilled to receive the following letter from Mr Helmut Maintz himself.
Subject: Your letter to the Yorkshire PostRe your letter to the Yorkshire Post and the Telegraph & Argus asking for info about a DB4 Aston Martin car which was sold in 1960 by David Brown of Huddersfield to A Mainz & Son of Bradford of which I was the owner:
Unfortunately the car did not perform to expectations and I did not keep it for long. On the suggestion of