Daimler Corsica Part 2

David Marks Garages

THE NEXT 80 PICTURES GIVE A CLOSER INSIGHT AS TO HOW THOSE 400 HOURS WERE SPENT “BRINGING LIFE TO THE DAIMLER CORSICA”

TALK ABOUT IN AT THE DEEP END – THE FIRST JOB WAS TO STRIP THE VEHICLE BACK TO A BARE SHELL. REMOVING THE TRIM, ALL HAND MADE AND IRREPLACEABLE, WAS A DAUNTING TASK, REQUIRING A GREAT DEAL OF CARE AND ATTENTION

ONCE THE DOOR PANEL WAS OFF, IT REVEALED THE MODIFIED, EXTENDED DOOR FRAME, IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THE FRONT OF THE FRAME, YOU WILL SEE THAT IT IS COPIED SIX INCHES OR SO BACK, REFLECTING THE INCREASED LENGTH OF THE DOOR, YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THE VERTICAL SEAM AT THE BASE OF THE FRAME WORK

WITH THE FASCIA REMOVED……….

………IT CAN BE SEEN THAT THE WIRING WAS NEVER EVEN UNWRAPPED PRIOR TO INSTALLATION!

THERE SHOULD BE A COMPLETE CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM BEHIND THE FACIA, ALL THIS HAD TO BE FITTED FROM SCRATCH

REMOVAL OF THE REAR QUARTER TRIM PANELS SHOWS THE HAND-BUILT CONSTRUCTION OF THESE

WITH THE REAR SEATS ETC OUT OF THE CAR, THE STRUCTURE OF THE REAR CABIN IS REVEALED, THE FUEL TANK FITTING IN THE “LETTER BOX”, THE APERTURE ABOVE ACCOMMODATES THE FOLDED ROOF

ALTHOUGH THE BODY SHELL HAD BEEN STRENGTHENED BY SVO IN ANTICIPATION OF HAVING THE ENGINE ETC FITTED, THE FINAL TRANSMISSION TUNNEL SKINS, WHILST MANUFACTURED, HAD NOT BEEN FITTED. HERE THEY ARE OFFERED UP IN ORDER TO BE FINALLY FETTLED BEFORE………

…………..THEY WERE SENT AWAY TO BE PAINTED IN A SPECIAL COAT AND THEN REFITTED…………

………AND WELDED INTO PLACE. ALAN PROCTOR SPENT THREE DAYS BOTH WELDING THE SKINS IN AND ADAPTING THEM TO FIT CLOSELY

THE FINISHED ARTICLE WAS AS SNUG A FIT TO THE ORIGINAL TUNNEL AS POSSIBLE (IF THE TRANSMISSION TUNNEL HAD BEEN TOO WIDE, MAYBE EVEN THE SEATS WOULD NOT HAVE FITTED CORRECTLY).

THE NUMBER OF SPOT OR “PUDDLE” WELDS REQUIRED IS CLEARLY SEEN FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR.

THE CORSICA WAS STRIPPED TO A BARE SHELL AND EVEN THOUGH THE MAIN COMPONENTS, POWER TRAIN, FRONT AND REAR AXLES, WIRING ETC, WERE SUPPLIED WITH THE CAR……………

……….A VAST NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL PARTS WERE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO ASSEMBLE THE CAR. THIS LIST ALONE TOOK SOME HOURS TO RESEARCH AND COMPILE

IN ADDITION TO ALL THE NEW PARTS ORDERED, THERE WERE INNUMERABLE OTHER COMPONENTS THAT EITHER WERE UNAVAILABLE OR JUST TOO DIFFICULT TO LOCATE NEW. FORTUNATELY JAGUAR BREAKERS EUROJAG IN DARLINGTON WERE WILLING TO MAKE A CAR AVAILABLE FOR DAVID TO DISMANTLE AND TAKE WHAT HE REQUIRED.

NOW YOU CAN SEE WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BEHIND THE FASCIA!

Go to Part 3

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