Hi All
I have had my Mk IV for sale since I moved to the US in January, however there have not been any takers, so I am going to import her to finish the restoration, so I will be pestering you lot for more advise in a few months! ( Broke my heart to leave her anyway )
This forum has been an excellent source of information and I would like to thank every body in anticipation of finishing my restoration at some point with all your help
Best regards
Mike
Mike,
Let us know if you’re needing parts or just support. There’s a lot of both on this forum!
I am getting accustomed to driving my '38 right hand drive SS saloon car in the US. But on normal roads, not the terrifying Interstate Highways. My greatest fear is switching to the left lane when I need to make a left turn. I try to plan it well ahead.
A reversing camera used as a general rear view mirror might help. Reversing Camera (nostalgiatech.co.uk)
Peter
Rob , Once when I was camping and towing a caravan in France, I made u turn and found myself facing on coming traffic, me being on the wrong side of the road, which was very scary, I did not do it again !
I still find myself going to the wrong side of the car to get in now and again here in the US , once my Jag is up and running I will have two driving positions to contend with
Mike
When I was in Australia, back in 2001, I tried driving over there.
Once.
It wasn’t driving on the right side of the car that bothered me: I had done that a fair amount over the years, being a mechanic on older British cars. What scared the willies out of me was driving on the right side of the car, on the left side of the road and then coming to a roundabout… I pulled out when I could, got out walked around the other side of the car and said to my Aussie fiancé, “as long as I’m here, you’re driving!”
Thinks Wayne
Are you US based ? I could do with some contacts for spares etc in the US
Mike
I’m in western Mass, Amherst area.
Thanks
I am in Wisconsin Washington county Once my car get here I will be looking for a few parts such as the windscreen opener crank handle
Mike
Old Lady full to the gunnels and ready for her trip overseas, down to the docks on Monday
Hope the dock workers look after her !
Looking for some classic car clubs and vintage car spare parts suppliers over her in Wisconsin whilst waiting for her to arrive
Mike
Mike,
Join the Jaguar Clubs of North America (JCNA). John Boswell is president, and has a '38 SS DHC and a '48 Mark IV saloon (in pieces). jboswell1@wi.rr.com. He lives in Milwaukee and hosts the annual Wisconsin JCNA concours there… He and I just showed together at the International Jaguar Festival in Columbia, SC, three weeks ago. He went from there to the annual St. Louis Jaguar concours. There’s another guy in Wisconsin who has a Mark IV saloon…can’t think of his name at the moment. And another who has one in Illinois.
Also join the Classic Car Club of America. Jaguar Mark IVs are considered pre-war cars. I show and tour with them in my '47 saloon. As a member, you can search their member database to find multiple Mark IV members nationwide, and their contact information.
Regards,
George
Hi George
Thanks for that info, I have looked at the JCNA in Wisconsin and will be joining, as I did see a MKIV in some of the pictures, I am looking to finish the restoration over the next few months ready for a spring or summer outing, hopefully!
I know parts are hard to find in the UK but in the US it must be harder
Thanks for communicating with me I don’t feel alone with the MK IV now, and I am looking forward to starting where I left off in the UK when the car arrives in mid Nov
Mike
Gday Mike,
Sounds like you should have shifted to Australia rather than USA - we already drive on the correct left side of the road, with our steering wheels on the right side so no issues for you there… Australia was also the largest export market for the Mark IV model, and would seem to be one of the largest populations these days of surviving Mark IV with still an abundance of spare parts, and a large number of very helpful and knowledgably owners and enthusiasts of this model…
Indeed first weekend in November, there will be a large gathering of SS/Mark IV and Mark V cars, owners and enthusiasts at Mount Gambia - on the Victorian/South Australian border - half way between the Melbourne based and Adelaide based SS/Mark IV/V registers. If I remember, I will post some photos after attending…
Mike,
If the Wisconsin Mark IV pictures you saw were of a red DHC, that’s John Boswell’s. Like I said, another member has a black saloon as well. Yours makes the 14th documented saloon in the U.S. Roger is correct about Mark IV parts availability in AU…even though they do drive on the wrong side of the road. (Hundreds of years of tradition unhampered by progress.) :): Consequently, my right-hand-drive saloon works just as well here in the U.S. as it did in New Zealand, where it spent it’s first 38 years. I also know of a couple of saloon parts cars here in the U.S. Please email me directly at: gtcole@peoplepc.com.
And speaking of parts, anyone out there know where I can find a set of front top latches for a DHC? A friend needs a complete set.
Regards,
George
That was the best laugh I’ve had all day! 
Hi Roger
Pics would be great, It would be also great to have some contacts for parts there also, always fancied emigrating to OZ but ended up emigrating to the US in 1997-2007 and then went back to the UK, now back in the US to help bring up the grandchildren and work on my Jag also!
Mike
Don’t forget to paint the brake drums Lavender Grey. You might also think about replacing the black piping in between the guards with one that matches the body colour. Other than that she looks pretty close to being complete, lucky you!
Tim
Why would you paint the Brake Drums Lavender Grey, or indeed any other colour than their original BLACK colour ???
Black is the standard for virtually all cars. Or nothing if not visible through the wheel. It is superior for dissipating heat, the reason radiators are that colour, and is better as a matte finish than gloss. A colleague painted his the same car colour and I showed him the blistering due to heat.
Also it should be a heatproof paint as for manifolds. Brake drums can easily reach 200-300°C on the outer face, by which time there is severe brake fade due to the expansion of the drum. Discs can go higher. I recall watching a night section of the RAC rally decades ago and seeing the red heat glow of the discs.
