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Body shell

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New Dexter
Wise Man
Wise Man
Posts: 556
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 9:41 am

Body shell

Post by New Dexter »

It appears there is a company in Maidstone which claims to be able to produce new body shells for Mk2 Jaguars, price £5,000. This does seem a surprise because their website states that new wings for Mk2s are £1800 each.

A Daimler 2 1/2 saloon body shell is still a Daimler but could be re-worked as a Jaguar merely by fitting the appropriate engine and trim. What would an excellent V8 rolling shell be worth? It had new wings some years ago and is in holding primer currently There is an engine, 3.8 triple carburettor and gearbox available

Had I the time and money I would do it myself but I doubt that would happen now.

New Dexter
Wise Man
Wise Man
Posts: 556
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 9:41 am

Re: Body shell

Post by New Dexter »

Having investigated further it appears that the word "new" is stretching a point. These are shells which have been re-conditioned, hardly new and one might wonder whether the TDA might be invoked.
Mind you, the idea of making a really new shell and building what would be as new as it could be does have its merits.

tjt77
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Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2016 7:01 pm

Re: Body shell

Post by tjt77 »

I doubt anyone could produce a 'new' or even properly 're-built' Mk2 jaguar body shell for 5,000 UKP.. the cost would be closer to double that amount IF the shell was sound to begin with..that would cover the cost of chemical stripping back to bare steel for assessment, and minimally in Uk one could expect to replace jacking points, sills. front wheel arches, probabaly crows feet ,and rear valance repairs.. assuming the rest of the chassis structure (including rear spring hangars) is good along with the doors.. to conduct a proper 'nut and bolt' restoration of a daimler 2 1/2 V8 or jaguar mk2 runs in the region of minimally 50,000 UKP and up.. best source to figure this out would be to contact 'Vicarage' or another marque expert..
the daimler shell is identical to that of the Mk2, but the bonnet has different holes for trim and badge attachment and the hole for grill attachment is larger.. the shells are, however, different for Auto and Manual cars.. the tunnel for gearbox being wider on automatic cars.. you can convert and auto the manual with no major issues, but not vice versa without some hacking and fabrication. I have a number of corrosion free 'rolling' body shells.. there is little demand for them but I'd put the value in the region of $3,000 + shipping ( another +/-$1,600 to UK) I live in an area where rust is not a major issue.. but sun damage is very real..interiors almost always shot.. and too costly to replace.. as with ALL classic cars.. if you desire a 'good one' and see value for money, the best value lies in a cherished. fully historied original car .. even at double the 'normal' market value for a good example.. its considerably less outlay than 'restoring' and already sound car .. and a tiny fraction of the headache.. plus..a car is only 'original' once..

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