repairs and spares

Repairs and Spares

After buying your car your first step should be to join the Daimler and Lanchester Owners Club (DLOC).

Once you have done this you will be able to contact Darren Watkinson, who is the registrar for the Lanchester L. D. 10 section. Darren had a large number of spares and decades of experience of the cars. There is a great deal of useful information on the club's L. D. 10 webpage which can be accessed by clicking the green logo at the bottom left of this page.

Since owning my car I have had to do a few routine repairs and fix problems which I expect will be common to many new owners. Details of these and the places you may find spares are shown below in alphabetical order.

ITEM	NOTES	SUPPLIER
Brake (Compensator)	This sits behind the front chassis cross-member and needs to be removed to get at the silentbloc suspension bushes. In theory it is maintenance free, but after 60 years will benefit from stripping down and cleaning. See my video	Darren Watkinson
Brake (Shoes)	Replacements may be obtainable from the club, as can new linings. If you are just replacing the linings it is important to use the correct type as the rear ones are harder than those on the front. Getting it wrong may lead to imbalance and the rear brake locking up when braking. Also modern brake lining material is a bit harder than the asbestos originals and therefore after fitting you may need to press the brake pedal more firmly.	Darren Watkinson
Carpets	I have not been able to find an exact match for the original carpets which are faded to a caramel colour but originally were a chocolaty brown (you may find a bit of the original colour hiding behind the 'rexine' edging strip round carpet trim panels).	Woolies Trim
Dampers	The L. D. 10 has Luvax-Girling PR5 lever arm dampers which may suffer from leaking seals and worn bearings. This will cause them to become floppy and ineffective and they must be sent for reconditioning.	Hartford Shock Absorbers
Distributor Cap	The distributor cap (LUCAS 408369 415298 DDB163 44631) is common to a number of vehicles and there are a number of suppliers. The cost of the cap is the same from most but LSM offer free delivery.	LSM Ltd.
Grease (500 mile service)	It is important to use a water resistant grease that will not wash away. I use Lucas X-tra Heavy Duty Grease	Lucas Oil
Grease (front hub)	Any thick hub bearing grease will do. I got mine from the local motor factor	N/A
H. T. Leads	Originals were 7mm rubber. Modern PVC will work fine but they must be copper cored. See my video.	Green Spark Plug Company
Ignition Coil	The original coil was a L. O. Model B12. I replaced mine with a Morris Minor Coil but it lacks the aesthetic appeal of the original	GS Jones
Oil (engine)	The originally specified oil was a Straight 30 SAE monograde. I use Comma Classic Oil. You may substitute a more modern oil such as diesel detergent oil if your engine is worn or needs a clean out. But you need to take care and wash the oil filter more frequently. Check with the club for advice	Comma Oils
Oil (gear)	As with the engine oil, it is safer to use one formulated for old cars which will not damage seals or bearings. I use Millers Oils Classic Gear Oil EP 140 in the steering box and rear axle and Comma SAE 30 in the gearbox	Millers Oils
Oil Seals	Front Hub oil seals part number Payen C280 are hard to find, but Oil Seal UK had some in stock. See my video	Oil Seal UK
Radiator	The cooling system is very effective to the point where it can cope with losing some of the radiator. This means that leaking bits of the radiator matrix can be cut through and soldered off. But I sent mine for a re-core.	Hereford Radiators
Radiator Hose (Top)	The top hose from an early Morris Minor (918cc Side Valve Without Water Pump Fitted) fits perfectly and does not place strain on the top radiator pipe	ESM Morris Minor Spares
Rotor Arm	The L. D. 10 uses a Lucas - 408355 R42 ES242 rotor arm. Replacements are available from the Green Spark Plug Company via Amazon and EBay but oddly don't seem to appear on the company's own site	The Green Spark Plug Company
Rubber Seals	Edgeware Motor Rubber and Trim supply a wide variety of parts	Edgeware
Spark Plugs	I use Champion N5C. They can stand frequent cleaning, and work well. Set the gap to 0.020"	The Green Spark Plug Company
Suspension Bushes (general)	I had trouble finding spare ones and had to make my own from Polyurethane Rubber. See my VideoHowever shock absorber drop link eye bushes are available from Meteor Spares	MB Fibreglass Meteor Spares
Suspension Bushes (silentbloc)	These can still be purchased new.	David Beales Engineering
Steering Column Grommet	A remanufactured version of this is on EBay, or you might try to make you own. Also Derek Sleigh may have them in stock. Darren Watkinson has a fibreglass mould for casting steering column to bulkhead gaiters	Derek Sleigh
Temperature Gauge	The capillary temperature gauge will develop leaks over time and the metal bulb will almost certainly twist off if you remove it from the Water Pump. You can get your old one repaired by The Gauge Shop.	The Gauge Shop
Tyres	500/525 x 16" Crossply tyres. Avon Tourist are recommended for road-holding and comfort. But I have found Waymaster Premium tyres to be adequate.	Longstone Tyres
Weatherstrip	I made my own weatherstrip for the windows using stainless steel strip designed for lead flashing repairs and Berisfords black velvet ribbon	Roofinglines Amazon
Window felt channel	I measured the original and found it to be 1/4" thick. I had to trim the new stuff to the correct width	Woolies Trim
Window Seals	I carefully repaired the rear seal with black silicone. The front was sealed with 'Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure'	Captain Tolley
Windscreen wiper spindle grommets	Windscreen wiper spindle grommets part number 538.02 prevent water leaks down the wiper spindles. The same supplier may also supply wiper blades	Paul Beck Vintage Supplies