Aston dbs re-fresh
Discussion
Evening PH friends
I have been busy in my spare time helping a friend restore a lovely old Aston Martin DBS Vantage, It really is a pleasure to work on this old beast, it has that 'Most definately not new car smell' and a wonderfully confusing array of nut and bolt sizes, unashamedly typical of the British industry at the time!
Its nice to think that these old classics will continue to be loved and cherished for future generations to enjoy, until they ban fun altogether that is!
Heres a few pics from the day we removed its heart.
More progress will be made as the weather improves, in the meantime the engine is now in the capable hands of Hardings Motor Works, for complete rebuild.
Thanks for looking
I have been busy in my spare time helping a friend restore a lovely old Aston Martin DBS Vantage, It really is a pleasure to work on this old beast, it has that 'Most definately not new car smell' and a wonderfully confusing array of nut and bolt sizes, unashamedly typical of the British industry at the time!
Its nice to think that these old classics will continue to be loved and cherished for future generations to enjoy, until they ban fun altogether that is!
Heres a few pics from the day we removed its heart.
More progress will be made as the weather improves, in the meantime the engine is now in the capable hands of Hardings Motor Works, for complete rebuild.
Thanks for looking
My Dad had one of the early V8 versions of these with Lucas fuel injection. I loved it as it made the most amazing noise [ I was about 12 at the time ] his was dark blue.
A strong car to, he told me he wrote off the rear of a Mini whilst pulling out onto a roundabout forgetting the Mini was in front of him!, and he clouted a brick wall showing off to some friends! Not much damage to the Aston on both occasions!
He said it was a beast, I think it scared him a bit.
He sold it not long after the electric windows decided to come ½ way down all on their own whilst driving in the wet, my Mum was not amused!
A strong car to, he told me he wrote off the rear of a Mini whilst pulling out onto a roundabout forgetting the Mini was in front of him!, and he clouted a brick wall showing off to some friends! Not much damage to the Aston on both occasions!
He said it was a beast, I think it scared him a bit.
He sold it not long after the electric windows decided to come ½ way down all on their own whilst driving in the wet, my Mum was not amused!
williamp said:
very nice. I still miss my DBS V8. So how's the rust???
Thanks for the kind words guys,Rust is actually not too bad, she needs a repair to the upper inside of the front bulkhead, drivers floor pan and the corners of the boot floor are also suffering but its a huge relief compared to what could have been lurking! Body is entirely stripped now, will take some new pics on Monday
I imagine the v8 is an awesome variation to own, although I'm a big fan of straight six engines I'd love to experience the DBS v8, perhaps one day!
Unemployed said:
Me too! Looking forward to this thread. DBS's were going for £10k 10 or 15 years ago. Wish I'd invested!
Me three or is that 4.Mind I remember in the old days, I thought these were vulgar compared to a DB4/5/6
Out of curiosity how do these compare dimension wise compared to a "modern car"?
They were a very big car in their day, bet they are not so now.
Skyedriver said:
Me three or is that 4.
Mind I remember in the old days, I thought these were vulgar compared to a DB4/5/6
Out of curiosity how do these compare dimension wise compared to a "modern car"?
They were a very big car in their day, bet they are not so now.
It certainly still has a good presence but its less out of the ordinary with modern machines in comparison, a good bit bigger than my M3 but doesn't seem as big as the current M5Mind I remember in the old days, I thought these were vulgar compared to a DB4/5/6
Out of curiosity how do these compare dimension wise compared to a "modern car"?
They were a very big car in their day, bet they are not so now.
exactly 6ft wide, which isnt that big these days (and they have the same footprint as a Rover SD1).
But they are surprisingly low, so they look very wide compared to moderns. And they have big doors which need to be opened wide to get easy entry and egress, so they need a lot of space when parked. But on the road they are easy to place and, once rolling can really fly. Steering is suprisingly light, espeically so considering the pedals are so heavy. The brakes need a real shove in particular. Done bother with traffic light grand prix, though. Stick to flooring it once on the move. Again. And again. And...
But they are surprisingly low, so they look very wide compared to moderns. And they have big doors which need to be opened wide to get easy entry and egress, so they need a lot of space when parked. But on the road they are easy to place and, once rolling can really fly. Steering is suprisingly light, espeically so considering the pedals are so heavy. The brakes need a real shove in particular. Done bother with traffic light grand prix, though. Stick to flooring it once on the move. Again. And again. And...
The DBS V8 is, for me at least, the best looking Aston Martin. I've always felt that the AMV8's lost a great deal of their appeal when they lost the twin headlamps and front grill treatment seen on the DBS V8, as this was such a classy look. (I must confess that I have always been a sucker for twin headlamps.)
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