Daimler DS420 Hearse (Stratstone Nicholson)

Coachbuilder: Woodall Nicholson, Halifax

Distributor: Stratstone, Mayfair

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We think that this hearse is possibly the oldest Daimler DS420 hearse around.  It was made towards the beginning of 1969, the second year of production.  In 1968 only 6 were built and in 1969, 33 were built.  Many have met an untimely end in Banger races.  If anyone believes that they have, or know of, an earlier version of this model, please let us know.  It could also possibly be one of the earliest DS420s as well.

Unfortunately, all the previous work to the engine was wasted and as there were so many faults, it was decided that it was essential to completely rebuild it.  The original block was badly corroded and would not have lasted long.  The con rods were bent in addition to the new big end shells being badly scored with dirt that was trapped inside when they were reassembled.

We took our hearse to a local Jaguar specialist not far from Poole in August 2004, initially to have the engine sorted out.  But first of all, a word of warning.  Never have work started unless some sort of estimate has been given.  We were never given any form of estimate, even though we asked several times, and we ended up with costs that we would never have imagined possible

They rebuilt the engine and made an excellent job of it.  It looks stunning under the bonnet.  In addition to rebuilding the engine, they fitted a 5 speed manual gearbox.  This has turned out to be an excellent idea because on a long run we managed to get about 25 mpg.  The previous engine with the automatic gearbox apparently returned about 10 mpg!  At that rate, the gearbox will pay for itself within quite a short period of time.  The manual fan was replaced by two Kenlowe electric fans.  A massive alternator was installed to cope with any extra heavy demands.  Unfortunately it later transpired that they had fitted a second hand clutch slave cylinder and after only about 1600 miles it had completely packed up and emptied all the clutch fluid thus rendering the clutch useless.

Installed Engine From Front

Once the engine and gearbox had been fitted, it was time to see about the body.  It had been described as VGC in the eBay advert.  We were aware of damage to the rear panel as the back bumper was loose and it had been moved  by being pushed against the rear bumper.  This had happened before we bought it..  This had pushed in the rear panel, consequently the lower tailgate would only open with great difficulty.

Cold and Frosty Hearse waiting for its body to be healed

The construction of the hearse is on a limo chassis which is sent to the coachbuilder who then builds the aluminium body outside an ash frame over the steel chassis.  This means that the chassis did not need to be altered during construction, unlike most modern hearses where the car is cut in half to be lengthened.   There were about 3 or 4 coachbuilders who built Daimler DS420 hearses at the time.  We have since found out that each coach builder has their own design for the wreath rail.  We have been kindly given one, but it turned out that the footprint was totally different from the one that was originally installed.  We are now looking for an early Woodall Nicholson DS420 wreath rail.  Any gift would be gratefully received!!

The presence of the aluminium bodywork hid the fact that there was a considerable amount of corrosion to the steel underneath.  Once it was peeled back, the amount of corrosion became evident.

Rear End of Off Side Sill

A considerable amount of work was required to remove the old rusted bits and to fit replacement panels, some of which had to be fabricated in situ.

Off Side Sill, with string guide


 

Off Side rear Wheel Arch


The rear had to be cut out with new aluminium panels cut and fabricated before being welded in place




Rear Valance With Bumper




Rear Valance Under Primer

As you can probably guess, all this work cost us a considerable amount of money, far too much money!  Unfortunately the costs seemed to escalate, leaving us with massive bills!  We had asked several times how much it would cost, but were never given an answer apart from "Not very much"!.  The final overall figure came to much more than expected or budgeted for and the vehicle is yet to be sprayed.  Unfortunately these costs have left us without the necessary funds for that to happen at the moment.  Considering the top prices that we have been charged for the work carried out, it is a sad reflection on the company concerned that we also had a list of some 30 faults including overspray on the front, missing pieces and shoddy workmanship.  It also turned out that even though we had driven it to their garage using electronic ignition, they were unable to get it to work when they had rebuilt the engine, so they fitted the conventional system with points.

We collected our hearse at the beginning of May 2006 and were rather concerned that even though it had been over 14 months since the engine and gearbox had been fitted, the speedometer was not connected to the gearbox.  It transpired that we had to order the correct parts to fit in the gearbox and, having had those fitted, it turned out that we then had to order a specially made speedometer cable.  It is disappointing that these specialists seemed unable to order these parts for us.  We contacted Speedy Cables who were able to make a cable for us at quite a reasonable cost.  This was finally fitted about two months after we had collected the vehicle.

After the vehicle had covered about 1500 miles we took it to Spamspeed in order for it to be finely tuned on his rolling road.  It turned out that the Jaguar specialists who had rebuilt the engine had omitted to fit the vacuum advance and retard between the carburettors and the distributor, or blank it off leaving the mixture very weak.  Also, the timing was set at 35 degrees before TDC rather than 8 degrees as set out in the manual!  Needless to say, the performance has been remarkably improved with the horsepower increased from 100 to 150.  He is very skilled and took about 4 ¼ hours to complete it.  He is well recommended.

When we collected it, the rear of the hearse was filled with boxes of bits and it fell upon us to try to work out where all the bits of this multi piece jigsaw went.  It also turned out there were several parts missing that had to be collected so we could fit them.   Despite its multicoloured appearance, it is still a magnificant looking vehicle with beautiful lines.    We also have to arrange for it to be sprayed.  We contacted several colleges and even went on a drive to Cardiff, but unfortunately it was a few inches too long for their spray booth.

As it left the Jaguar specialist

Since the above photo was taken we have arranged for the original registration number to be reunited with our hearse.  This is the number under which it was first registered with when it was purchased new by the Co-Operative Funeral Service in Plymouth in 1969.

We were surprised how quickly the official wheels of the LVLO in Bournemouth worked.  Having taken the forms in we were later asked to take our vehicle to be inspected by the Vehicle Examiners, who checked all the relevant identification numbers.  We received a letter within a week confrming that we were being allowed to re-register our hearse with the original number. We ordered new number plates from Polar Automotive's Classic Number Plate site.  They are with silver raised digits on a black background and they came within two days of ordering them.

On several Sundays, we have taken it to Classic Cars On The Prom in Bournemouth.  This is every Sunday evening during the summer from 4.00pm - 6.30pm.  This year, 2006, they had their first Castle to Castle run.  It was on 1st October.  There were about 120 classic cars who gathered at Lulworth Castle in the morning where they were on display until after lunch.  We were then given a fun run route to Highcliffe Castle where the vehicles were again on display.  It was very well organised and was great fun.  The organisers of Classic Cars On The Prom deserve special thanks for giving up every Sunday throughout the summer to give pleasure to so many people, including the owners of the vehicles, but also the visitors who have a free display of many different vehicles.

We are members of the Classic Hearse Register and have found Sandra and Dean to be very supportive and helpful.  We have been to some cemetery open days and shows with the club.  In one of these shows we won first prize for club stands.  It is lovely to see so many different makes and types of hearse on display.  It is a very friendly club and we all enjoy our gatherings at the various shows.  It must look very impressive to see a convoy of hearses driving along.  Apparently there have been as many as nine in one convoy.  The most we've been in was six.

We are desperately looking for a Woodall Nicholson wreath rail to top it off.  We are very interested in receiving any offers of useful spare parts as it is our intention to keep running it for many years to come.  When it is completed, we hope to make it available for films and TV in addition to making it available for funeral and other 'special' occasions.

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My e-mail address is:  ewh.bryan@ukonline.co.uk