Well Daf me!

[purplebargeken]

Today saw me having a bit of an escape from North London. I braved the wilderness that is the M25 and entered the Essex Badlands! First I stopped off at the local Tesco and filled up with dinojuice. On the forecourt was an imacculate white Rover P6 - V8 manual. Lovely car and a great start to the day.

 

I journeyed over to Colchester initially to meet with my mate who is half of the Essex chapter of all things Daf.

 

He drove his L reg Daf 44 estate over to the farm that plays host to Essex Daf Central. I followed in the i10.

 

This is a magical place that houses several Dafs and a huge amount of used spares that help keep wounded Dafs on the road.

 

Amusingly, this little Daf had a blowing front section of exhaust that made it sound like a rampaging V8 on steroids. The journey was fun and the little Daf even got a wave from a bloke in an old MG - shock, horror. 

 

I will post more shortly and I will reveal a little secret

 

Back shortly.

 

 

[chaseracer]

I'll be here, waiting...

[purplebargeken]

Back again!

 

The first job was to remove the knackered front section of exhaust. Said Daf was elevated and supported by axle stands, 'cos we is safety conscious.

 

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Knackered exhaust thingy:

 

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Much less knackered exhaust thingy

 

 

Slightly tired exhaust gaskets which had to be re-used:

 

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In the background you can see a brown Daf 33 and a Mimosa yellow Daf 55 saloon. These are on the resto list. 

 

There was another variomatic car at the farm. A blue Volvo 66 saloon. This had replacement belts fitted and a couple of other small bits and pieces were provided and the owner, John drove away a happy bunny.

 

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It really was a great day and the weather was beautiful. This is one place that I feel totally at home being there and felt hugely relaxed. So relaxed that I agreed to purchase a tax exempt 6v Daf 44 saloon in brown for extra AS points.

 

It needs a new bumper, boot lid and something else, all of which will be supplied. The downside is that this and another Daf 44 will need to be transported down to Essex from Wakefield. Any offers?

 

So, another car to be added to the collection. I really am shite at the car reduction thing aren't I?

 

Ken

[Sigmund Fraud]

I knew you couldn't remain DAFless for too long

 

The blue 66 saloon reminds me I really need to get mine back on the road... Too many cars, too little time !

[mercrocker]

Dafs make the world a better place. Nice to see.....

[purplebargeken]

I didn't go there with the intention of obtaining another Daf. It was a stitch up guv, honest. 

 

Thank god I have no hair to pull out.

[Fabergé Greggs]

Well bought I'd say.

 

Lots of love for these- test drove one that Central garage in Galashiels had for sale in 1999 for £300. I was fascinated by the CVT-ness of them. 

 

Loved it but didn't have the money obvs. 

[purplebargeken]

Shame. They are entertaining to drive and have huge amounts of character.

 

You don't see that many of them on the road either (unless you live near Colchester).

 

Parts are pretty decent re: supply, prices for some stuff can be a bit salty, especially from Holland but not too bad I suppose. 

 

Everyone should try a Daf at some point.

 

Yeah, c'mon Panos, get 'em sorted

[minolman]

Do they come up for sale often? A friend of mine who went to auto tech college with me has a hankering for one. His gran used to own a white base model, 33 or 44? Not sure. I only remember seeing it once. Anyway, for some reason - or possibly a lack of reasoning - he fancies a not too expensive one that needs not too much doing to it - otherwise it will languish

[purplebargeken]

They do come up for sale from time to time. Ebay being one such place. The two main sites tend to be the DOC forum and the Essex Daf's forum. They aren't as cheap as they used to be but there may well be a 44 in burgundy coming up soon with a ticket it would likely be around a grand or a tad over. There are cheaper out there but this one will be very tidy. The 33 is the smaller version with a vestige of tail fin happiness. The 44 is what the red one above is. The Volvo versions tend to be more square in style - see the blue 66 above. 

[MarvinsMom]

i'd love to own a daf one day, like many old and properly small, small cars they seem to have a happy/friendly disposition.

 

unlike today's ginormous small cars which are angry/aggressive things. as is the modern way.

 

i'm uncertain which i like more, the 44 or a 66.

 

i think unlike just about everything else they got better looking as the run progressed. facelifts on cars usually look worse, i think these got better with age.

[Ghosty]

Too many cars?

 

Don't be Daf.

[purplebargeken]

Having had both a 44 and a 33 I can safely say that they are both fun, comfy and quirky. Internal space is a tad more in the B bodied 44 and you get a bigger engine (but not by much). The 44 styling is more quirky perhaps but the 33 is maybe more interesting. It is a close call. The 33 is more 'cute'. I've also owned a 46 and a Volvo 66 saloon and 66 estate (these two now live with Panos).

 

The estate or Combi versions are very practical but they didn't do them in the 33, although there is a van option which is quite rare. 

 

There are also Daf Daffodil, 32, 46 and 55 to think about. The 55 is water cooled (Renner engine). The Coupe version is probably the most stylish and sought after, therefore more pricey.

 

There are 6v and 12v flavours too. I am ok with 6v but the 12v is better in that the batteries are much cheaper.

 

Have I missed anything Panos?

[DSdriver]

When I was a late teenager my mate's mum had a Daf coupe thingy. Both got my hormones raging.

[Sigmund Fraud]

As Ken has already said, DAFs come in two flavours : A-body and B-body.

 

A-bodies were DAF's first attempt at making a passenger car. They began looking like a cute miniature of a 1950s saloon and morphed into a Trabant lookalike by the end of production in 1974. Here's one of the early, nice ones :

 

 

Nowadays they're little more than a hobby car. They struggle to reach the motorway speed limit, and the comedy swing axle suspension makes handling... erm... interesting.

 

B-bodies were Michelotti designed, and look like a two-door Triumph saloon with elongated roof pillars, so tall Dutchmen can fit. As this promotional shot clearly demonstrates, they're GR8 for seducing young ladies.

 

 

 

B bodies come in various flavours :

 

-44 : big-block, 850cc version of the aircooled engine, transverse front leaf spring, swing axles.

-55 : 1100 Renner Cleon engine, torsion rod front suspension, swing axle rear.

-66 : 1100 and 1300 Renner Cleon, torsion rod front suspension, rigid rear axle.

-46 : same engine as a 44, same suspension as a 66.

 

They're all perfecly useable as everyday cars, with late 66s being the most capable (so says the man who owns two of them !).

[purplebargeken]

Wonderfully put, thanks Panos.

[MarvinsMom]

its definitely the B body style that tickles my fancy.

 

thanks for sharing with the group.

[captain_70s]

I love the late model DAFs, before they got Volvo'd, especially the Marathon Coupes.

 

I'd also be happy with a saloon, mind. They look like a bit like Triumph Dolomites that got washed at too high a temperature...

 

 

[purplebargeken]

44/46/55 front ends are very 1300FWD.

[Andrew353w]

It's the 33 for me! The way those headlights look out from under the "eyebrows" is so cute and the sound of the engine on tick-over is just lovely! Their 0-30MPH speed is epic, but after that they tend to run out of puff. I've had several (lost count!) of them and would have another one tomorrow! 

 

Get a 12 volt one, bung in a set of halogen headlights, fit a set of inertia seat belts and a half-decent stereo & you'll have a quirky classic that's perfectly useable as a daily car. Mine did 70 happily and 75 at a push. LOVE 'EM! 

[purplebargeken]

Andrew, your old 33 now sports a set of fluffy pink front seat covers.

[Andrew353w]

Andrew, your old 33 now sports a set of fluffy pink front seat covers.

Mmmm..... Not sure I'd have gone THAT far!!!

[purplebargeken]

Hehehe