We may have a long time friend and forum codger that might like a garage squad…see the recent post on the Service Bulletin thread…it would be a “wow” to have an assembled, running XK …wonder what a dream team could do??? Nick
I’ve never seen a “Foreign Car” on Garage Squad… I wouldn’t hold my breath!!
Besides, “GS” does NOT “restore” classic cars, only “patch together” “daily drivers”…
IF one is lucky!!
Charles Ch #677556.
I was thinking a Jag Lovers garage squad !!! special forces, British Racing Green Berets, Cotsworth Blue Seals…?? Nick
Only problem with a “Jag Lovers Garage Squad” is it would take so long to “do” an XK…
On the “TV Version”, I gather they only “work” on the “Vehicle Du Jour” for a few weeks.
PLUS, they “throw those cars together” in a hell of a hurry (I’ve not seen them bolt a lot of stuff
down… especially the seats… They just “place” the seat units and “call it done”!!
Magic of Television, I guess!!
Charles Ch #677556.
Sounds like someone hasn’t got the skills or the money to complete their project, yet want someone else to do it for free and fast!
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David , you must be new to this List, Charles is perhaps one of the major contributors to this List His willingness to answer questions in great dealtail is legendary, he has been absent from the List for a while and only lately has returned to partake again in discussions. I think you had better duck for cover.
Perhaps your comments were said in jest!!
Having re read your comment I may of jumped the gun if you were referring to the idea of a squad to help someone out as in reality TV shows, apologies if I have mis understood your post.
John
Nope I think thats how I read it as well, perhaps if David was to take the trouble to read a few of the earlier posts then he might want to remove his or apologise.
Garage Squad did a 240Z and a Porsche (can’t remember if it was a 356 or a 911 though.)
Dave
The proposal for an XK “Garage Squad” for Charles is a noble idea but really not practical. Few of us live within 500 miles of where Charles resides in northern Texas. I’ve been to his home and have toured his shop. Although all the parts and tools are there to complete DHC #677556, the car is mostly in a state of disassembly with the bodywork a long way from being complete. Ten of us working on it for a month could make some progress but certainly not finish it.
A good way to give Charles a lift is to simply pick up the phone and call him. He’s sociable and loves to talk all things XK and numerous other subjects. If this idea appeals to you, send me a private message and I will send you his phone number.
John;
Just now noticed what David Smith (AKA “The Idiot”) wrote… I want to thank you for your kind words and in coming to my defense in my absence.
Robin O’C;
I wish to thank you, as well…
I guess it’s “The Sign Of The Times”… All the “original” XKers (from the “real” Jag-Lovers Website) have either died or finished their restorations leaving very few “old timers”… I guess I’m among the last of the dinosaurs… the Ice Age Cometh…
Now… where is that cave?? I know it’s around here, somewhere…
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Charles. You and I have been with this group for over 20 years. I can attest you have the best parts building. I remember seeing the BAS boxes on the floor. Hang in there and ignore the neophyte. Remember, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time!
Pat H
Sometimes it helps to understand more about a situation. A number of years ago, I met Andy Leavitt, a neighbor here in California. Andy owned a 140 and a 67 S1. His wife, Karen, had rallied the E Type in LA decades earlier and had decided back then to restore it. She disassembled the car and found she was expecting, and Andy was having to move to California with his job. And so it went. Two kids came, and the E Type moved in pieces several times.When I met Andy,he had retired, and was trying to assemble a car he had not taken apart. I was retired and just finishing up my S1. One day Andy showed up in my garage and we had a long discussion about life ending.He had been told the day before he had Parkinsons. I began to spend more time helping him try to get the E Type completed before he left. Then several friends from J-L who also knew Andy helped. One weekend several descended on Andy’s garage (where I measured 114F!).
Paul Wigton flew out from Colorado, Jerry Mouton and probably Ray L and LLoyd Nolan came. I had made a task list of the items needed to be completed (electrical connect and check-out, bumpers, headlights), taillights etc. There were numerous people who showed up whom I had not met before from JL. I was amazed by how much was done. Andy passed away later, and Karen was grieving so all work stopped. Then several years later she asked if it would be possible to get it finished so she could drive it. So that work is continuing, and because of the earlier work done by a J-L team of friends out here, work left to do is getting less all the time. Karen is enthusiastically cleaning parts and helping assemble.It will be on the road test this year, thanks to that team effort.It was a fun weekend and I still remember it, and as we work on the car, Karen remembers it too. Thanks J-L!
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Oh, you still have some company. I joined in ‘97 when it was an email list and still have several archived from Arno Whal (anybody know what became of Arno?) and others. For some reason I didn’t make it on John Elmgreen’s list of members … and see now that you didn’t either.
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Where in the original post does it state who the garage squad is intended for? Yes I am fairly new to the forum. I mean no offence to anyone but as I read the posts up till I posted mine it appears to be Nick asking for assistance for some one who “might” like his car up and running. Have see Garage squad on tv a time or two and is nothing I go out of my way to watch.
To Charles, Sorry if my post seemed to slight you, was not my intent. Being older myself I have learned it takes me twice as long to do half as much, but the adventure is in the chase, as my hero Forrest Fenn would say. Good luck with your project.
Nope, I am still around building and restoring since 1970 , Now retired I think been fooling with a 96 XJS convertible.
I have never heard of it rather than on tv, however as long as I have been involved with cars whether Chrysler 300s in Simi Valley, TR3s in Texas or Stags and ETypes here, you will find people with like interests, and I have found “car people”, “gear heads” or whatever they are called are among the most helpful group I know. They may or may not be associated with clubs in my experience. Mike Moore
[quote="[xk] XK Lovers History, post:1, topic:277928"]
some more Xk Lovers history
[/quote]
I have really only been active on JL for maybe the last five years at most. But Nick’s post got me looking for emails I saved way back when. I believe there were some even earlier ones which I printed when saving a file seemed to needlessly take up valuable storage space. They were indeed JL emails hosted by John Elmgren. The earliest is dated Nov. 8, 1996, and the information is still interesting and relevant. The old history major in me loves that.
I see you made John Elmgreen’s list of XK-Lovers trailblazers, Bob. So you’ve been active a long time, really.
David,
I will also take this opportunity to make you aware that Charles is definitely one of the most generous contributors of his time, and his extensive knowledge of XKs, to this forum.
I first discovered, and began lurking on, and learning from, this forum around 2000. Charles’s informative and entertaining commentary actually inspired me to finally go ahead and drag my XK out of a 28 year storage, and to fix it up and get it on the road again, then to join this forum around 2002.
Charles, the distributor felt wicks you sent me years ago are still working, and the car is still running !
Thank you for sharing so much of your knowledge.
from the earliest days of cars, …and probably for Roman chariots, …people interested in fixing them up, souping up, and especially in the hot rod era, have gotten together in garages to work with buddies on their vehicles…kinda informal garage squads…quite a few I know still do. Maybe there are a few with time to help others still left. As to old forum, I have collected via cut and paste several hundred of forum posts that seem accurate and have them in Word computer files by topic…a great resource for XK work. Of course many are still available if one takes the time to do lenghty archive searches…but I am putting them on USB…and can send some out. I have also been sending “topic” files to a few who I see by forum posts are working on a topic where I have a lot of data. My thermostats for the XK study is one such, but I have similar for all kinds of topics. Happy to share. My original inspiration for this was Charles well written article on Tuning the SU carbs, and Pat Harmon and Paul Saltwick’s articles on valve clearance adjustment, of which I have collected even more tips, and edited into one very complete, tho sometimes redundant, study on valve clearances. Also happy to share. So lots of collaboration is always present on this forum…and sometimes in person help as Wiggles has recently done, among others. I have received parts from some, wicks from Charles, shims from Dick Maury, and tons of fine technical advice. I also have a rather complete set of valve shims I have (and will) loaned out. An aside: for my posts on the forum…I research first, check manuals, check for accuracy, and the post citing references and usually more complete info on whatever the subsytem is. There are quite a few on the forum whose posts and info we have learned to trust due to their diligence of research and accuracy. I urge others to do so, as many will refer to posts for many years. Please avoid posts that start with: “I am not sure but…”, or “as far as I can remember”, or “I had a friend with a tractor and he always…”…We can’t do much with info that one is not sure of…but it will live on the forum. I certainly wish there was a way to get Charles’ car together…but as we all know a lot of the satisfaction is in just having it…and in the process, and in knowing the car will long outlast our custody. For David…visit this forum often, spend time in the archives by topic.
Nick
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