Car SOS

Some may recall I posted a thread (maybe a year or so ago) concerning my mate Steve and the Car SOS restoration of his AM DB6. I watched the episode again on Nat Geo the other day.

I have caught up with Steve recently and he has emailed me the following which I found interesting:-

Hi Dave,

Well that's me back in the office in Singapore (on nightshift), trolling through

several hundred emails.

Yes, I still have her. [the DB6]

She is currently in Glasgow (has been for about 6 months) getting some bit's and bobs

put right.

It's sad to say that the quality from the show is a bit lacking.

The guy who is currently looking after her (Martins Aston Services Glasgow) phoned the

restorer that the show used and was shocked by the conversation he had.

Apparently, they were surprised by how little they needed to do (not what came across

On the programme).

-Lots of little things like the carbs, apparently they were connected up wrong and only 4 cylinders were firing.
-Wiring was a shambles with only a third of the gauges working.

-Ignition system was also in a poor state (hence the reason the show had problems getting her to start).

I asked Glasgow to convert to negative earth so I can install a security system which has now been done.

-Some corrosion has been dealt with on the chassis that the show missed.

-The Kingpins were in a shocking state and have had to be completely rebuilt.

-Some of the weather seals are missing and will need replacing.

-The wrong master cylinder has been fitted (one from a London taxi apparently)

-Ventilation system has to be completely redone

-New distributor fitted as part of the Ignition upgrade.

Paint job is not as good as it looks. Paint just falls of if you look at it the wrong way.

And so on and so on.



But what the show did do (apart from giving Andrea a nervous breakdown), was rekindle my interest in the car

and provide a base line that I could work from.

I am lucky to find this company in Glasgow, just wish they were a bit closer (8 hour round trip).

They are a family business that have specialised in Astons for the past 40 years but without the Aston prices.

They are not particularly fast at turning the work around but their quality is first class, hence the reason their

Workshop is always full of Astons.



Depending how finances go, she may be fitted with a modern gearbox at some point this year with an upgrade to the suspension and breaks thrown in and possibly followed by an electric steering system to get rid of those annoying leaks.



I'll keep you updated on her progress.



SteveF

This doesn't surprise me, I have heard of other similar comments but another perspective the cars are normally in a much better position than when they started. If someone restored a car of mine for free and then I had to revisit 30% of it I would still up on the deal.

I suspect that because time is against them, shortcuts get taken. I agree with Zag though.

Tut tut Mr Fuzz

Thanks for sharing Steve.
Best bit is your back in love with your car and want to get her sorted.
Spending money on my Classics I find pleasurable for some reason

The shows are for entertainment at the end of the day.
Read many comments on similar, albeit US TV shows, where it appears the car in question has been fully restored and finished, but in reality needs extensive finishing off after the show by the owner.

Same with the houses....

C

As I seem to recall, DB6's sell for half a million in a1 condition. To take a non running car full of rust to at least an mot pass standard for free gives a good basis to move forwards. I have to admit that if they really used filler on aluminum to make a smooth finish for the show is dubious at best. Once corrosion sets in an aluminum it's screwed. I can't imagine how much the replacement panels would cost.

Even in a poor state they (DB6) sell for £150K as seen in these pics from an auction last year I was at.

http://www.coys.co.uk/cars/1967-aston-martin-db6-2

Swedish Paul said:

As I seem to recall, DB6's sell for half a million in a1 condition. To take a non running car full of rust to at least an mot pass standard for free gives a good basis to move forwards. I have to admit that if they really used filler on aluminum to make a smooth finish for the show is dubious at best. Once corrosion sets in an aluminum it's screwed. I can't imagine how much the replacement panels would cost.

Click to expand...

DB6’s in Vantage spec, with decent provenance which includes having inner and outer sills replaced properly and a raft of history are fetching £380-400. A few completely outstanding examples have fetched a little more in auction rooms a year or more ago.
We currently have two in build for clients. A bare metal resto (with ally repair sections on an English wheel, not lumps of filler) runs to £90-100k. Whoever paid that much for that auction car, which needs a full bare metal and is the universally unloved auto variant needs their head testing...

When my old man left the UK in 77 no one wanted his DB5 I recall him selling it for 3 K.

philw696 said:

When my old man left the UK in 77 no one wanted his DB5 I recall him selling it for 3 K.

Click to expand...

Just had a look, a Renault 4 cost £2,595.29 in 1977 so that does sound very cheap even back then

I started work in 1977, if I'd spend my first months wages on Star Wars toys I'd be minted now , hindsight and all that

From what I remember as a teenager people just saw it as an old car and they were not overly interested.
Today its a totally different story.

Strange how car prices were perceived back then, if you ever see Alfa Romeo better by design you will hear Alan De Cadernet mention that in the late 60s they bought Ferrari 250 GTOs to race because they were cheap and they couldn't afford to buy Alfa TZs

philw696 said:

From what I remember as a teenager people just saw it as an old car and they were not overly interested.
Today its a totally different story.

Click to expand...

On this, I can recommend a book written by a user of a Lotus forum I frequent.
Lots of pictures and a little story about him and the cars he owned between 65 and 85 and how much he paid then, and what they are worth now.
The book is called Let Them Stare, and proceeds go to charity:
https://www.letthemstare.co.uk/

I haven't read the 2nd book yet so can't comment on what it's like, but the first, I thoroughly enjoyed. I suspect the 2nd book doesn't fit so well into the world of "they were considered as just old cars at the time" though.

Thanks for sharing that's my kind of book.

^ +1

Remember bqck in the 70s all cars over five years and 50k miles were on their last legs...thats why so many people changed at MOT time because they fell apart...esp BL ones.

Haha! Sills and bodywork were consumables, speedos didn't go past 99k. Remember it well. Maybe I should write a book, the days when you couldn't give a Maserati 3500 away, I didn't buy a Dino 246 for £8500, and worse still, didn't buy a ropy Muira for £5500!!!

safrane said:

Remember bqck in the 70s all cars over five years and 50k miles were on their last legs...thats why so many people changed at MOT time because they fell apart...esp BL ones.

Click to expand...

My 41 year old BL built Daimler XJC still going strong and can embarrass the Moderns with Pure Class and Heritage Peter.

Fully compliant and legal on the road her in NZ another expat used her yesterday in torrential rain and she is a Great ride.