I like the looks of those red lines on the red car. I have wondered before if it might look too “busy”. I might look into a set for my red car when I start shopping for new tires. Thanks for the photo example.
David
68 E-type FHC
If they handle like they classically did… you won’t like them.
That looks really sharp, Bob! I think the redline tires help bring the overall look together!
RobY
IIRC and I could be wrong but I thought only the temp gauge and the fuel gauge were on the VR. Am I miss remembering? I thought the oil pressure gauge was 12 V. Guess I’ll go out and drop the center panel and check. Getting old mans memory…
Cheers,
LLynn
Thanks David, I will investigate Fuse #8, but the fuse blocks are new as of two months ago.
Thank Michael, I seem to recall a capacitor next to the voltage stabilizer (or nearby). I have a suspicion that the “new” solid state stabilizer went poof, but of course I could be wrong. The plan is to start the detective work tomorrow. Is there a way to test the capacitor besides looking for a short?
David, I too like the look of the red lines on this color car. An acquaintance has a dark blue 69 S2 FHC with red lines and they look very out of place (to my eye). As @Wiggles noted, the do handle “classically” which is why I have a set of 205 Michelin’s on back order. I will keep these for shows, once I convince the judges that I was incorrectly scored in the Driven Division for them.
Lynn, I don’t think you are misremembering at all, I noted that on the drive home the fuel gauge and the water temp gauges were not reporting. It was then pointed out to me that the voltage stabilizer impacts both of those gauges. The battery gauge (S2) and oil pressure were reporting fine. Thanks.
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Congratulations. 
As for your tire issue, I don’t know what the rules are currently for driven class, so I can’t comment on that specifically.
I always asked the judges to point out any deductions they were noting as they judged the car. Not so I could argue with them but as a learning tool so I could better understand what they were looking for and what I needed to correct for future concours. Some judges don’t like to do that for fear of it leading to a confrontation with the car owner. But in my limited experience most judges are happy to do so. Knowing what the judges were noting at the time of the judging would have given you the opportunity to politely ask for a ruling during the judging.
John, thanks for the note. As for the tire issue, the same judging team last year made no note of the tires in the same Driven Class. Again, I’m not complaining since I placed first, I’d just like to understand the consistency and what I think the rules are. As for the judges, they were very friendly and cooperative. In fact, I was an apprentice judge for another division (can’t judge your car or cars in the same class) and know most of the guys. I’m not going to make an issue out of it, I just want to understand both for me as an owner and a future judge.
Before you take one more step… do not trust that they are good.
Check all with your electric ice pick.
That sounds like a solid idea. I’m calling today a day of rest since I have worked seven days a week of the last two to three weeks to get ready for the show. Now that its past, I need to de-Jag for a day. Tomorrow I will pull the electric ice pick out of the tool box along with the multi-meter and get to work. After thinking about it most of the night, the firs thing I’m going to check is the voltage stabilizer. Given the current state of after market parts, I have a suspicion that the “new” one smoked itself out. More to come…thanks for the advice.
Very likely. I replaced the voltage stabilizer on a series3 Landrover with an electronic one last winter. It lasted for 2 days before failing. Replaced that one with another and it has worked well since.
I won’t go into names, but some of the IVRs on the market are just chips with no protection for ripples and surges. That said, faulty wiring is still the more likely culprit.
If your meter doesn’t have a capacitance scale, you can get some indication by taking the capacitor out of circuit, and testing with the meter on the ohm setting. First short the two capacitor leads together to discharge it. Attach the meters negative lead to the capacitors neg lead. Then touch positive to positive. If the cap’s good, the ohm reading will start at zero, then rapidly crash to infinity. This will happen pretty quickly, so you may have to repeat.
About thirty years ago, I completed the nut. N bolt on my Barracuda. Took it to the Mopsr Nats, and took best in class. That’s a pretty big deal, and earned the car a write up in Mopar Action. A week later, I entered it in an AACA show, and it scored at the bottom of its class. I collared the judge and asked why. “First, you’ve got to get rid of all that chrome under the hood.” I had spent three years tracking down that factory chrome. It was my last concours.
I can relate…
In truth, I do go to shows from time to time, but just to park the car and be sociable. If they come by with a prize, I always feel unworthy, if not ungrateful.
I like the shows but only enter if they accept a ‘display’ class. Easy to spot me, I’m the only OTS with the top down:
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There are guys at the show that continue to suggest I enter the Championship class and I steadfastly refuse for several reasons - 1) I know I would lose a ton of points for all the non-original things I’ve done under the bonnet, 2) based on several 100 point cars that I’ve seen, I’d be embarrassed to have my car in the same class as them, and 3) I consider this a drivers car, meant to be enjoyed. Attending the shows is just for fun and I don’t want my OCD to be notched up to worrying about the marking on bolts and other minutia (no offense, just not me).
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I always heard the phrase, “Step up to Championship Class”, as if Driven was a secondary or not so rigorous class. As an alternative may I suggest S2/MOD. That’s the JCNA class for cars that have been modified or “personalized” by the owner.
See page II.9
But, it really doesn’t matter which class you choose to chow your car in or if you choose to simply display the car,. . . as long as you are having fun.
Bob says, “- 1) I know I would lose a ton of points for all the non-original things I’ve done under the bonnet, 2) based on several 100 point cars that I’ve seen, I’d be e…”
Non-originals kill you. I won against a “better” car in driven class because he had an after market radio. Even though I had a 9.97x score, his had never been on the road so he would have won but his radio killed his chances. I do remember that he was mad because the deduction was significant.
LLoyd
It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.
Henry David Thoreau
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When our club used to run a point based concours I always entered my old ’S’ type on the basis that someone had to come last, it was normally a toss up between mine and another members MK1
Here is a photo of a purely exquisite car and 1960 XK150, won best of show and it deserved it.
A few of one of the rows of E-Types (we had 12 or 13 in attendance, more registered but canceled due to threat of rain)
And a few of mine (I’m wearing the blue shirt and jeans)
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This, and your #3, are allllll you need to enjoy ownership!
