Can somebody tell me if there is supposed to be rivet in the middle of this piece? It has 2 rivets on each end where it attaches to the hood. There is a hole in the center that looks like a rivet belongs there, but I poked around and cant feel a hole behind the foam rubber.
Thank you!
Brian,
Attached is a picture that I just took of the underside of the bonnet of my wife’s 1990 XJ-S convertible (5.3L V12) showing the bonnet insulation retaining strip that I believe you are asking about circled in blue.
The retaining strip has pop rivets on the ends but nothing in the middle and does hang a bit loose in our car. In your picture it looks like yours might be bent and twisted.
You didn’t mention the year of your XJ-S so I am not certain if this applies to your car or not. But this is the way it is in our car.
Paul
Paul, I’m going to have to put some kind of block on your posts of your impossibly clean engine bay. You clearly have way too much time on your hands. Please post some pictures of something that is not impeccable (I even note that in this shot your workshop is white, and seems very clean). Maybe your dashboard is a bit grubby, or the inside of an exhaust pipe has a little grime on it?
Just kidding, it’s great to see a car in such beautiful condition.
The car is an 88. Im glad I asked before I drilled a hole in it to find out the metal I was drilling through was the top of the hood! LOL
I’ll leave it alone!
Thank you!
Brian,
If that retaining strip is bent and twisted you could drill out the pop rivets, remove it, straighten it out, and then pop rivet it back in. That is what I did before I had our car repainted. I also repainted it.
Paul
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CosmoXL,
Thanks. I take great pride in my work cleaning up and restoring our Jaguar engine bays to like new condition. So far I have done this to two Series III XJ6s as I removed and replaced their engines, my wife’s 1990 XJ-S convertible, and my 1990 V12 Vanden Plas. I am working on our 1957 MK VIII now, and then I will get to my 1969 E-Type Fixed Head Coupe after I get it repainted. Our E-Type is a “scruffy driver” and in the queue for restoration after the MK VIII. Although it is drivable, it has the most unresolved issues and a picture of the engine bay is attached per your request.
Paul
