[Saloon-lovers] :D Bought a Mk VIII, now just need to

Saloons
1

Car is a ‘‘survivor’’ - basically two owners from new, full history known -
I have the 5,000 mile service docket, for example. Mechanically extremely
sound - only 40,000 miles form new, never rebuilt. Manual with original
overdrive and the OD diff ratio, goes well. Has everything - tools,
owner’ manual, original parts & workshop manual, etc.

Only non-original thing is the colour. First owner decide he didn’t like
black, and resprayed the car chocolate maroon. Nice colour, but paint is
tired (over 50 years of wear and tear), non-original and not a factory
option. Was also created by original owner having paint shop layer brown
& maroon until he got the colour he liked, so impossible to match. So I’m
tempted to re-spray it.

Plan is rolling restoration without removing much patina or originality.

Here’s the ‘‘to-do’’ list:

Right now:
� Rebuild the front suspension before it could be registered. King-pins
seem fine. Needs front suspension rubbers (note I didn’t say
‘‘replacement’’ rubbers…) and ball-joints.
� New rear suspension rubbers since I’m doing the fronts. At least the
rear rubbers are actually present.
� Fit a child seat restraint. Replace the webbing on the front seat-
belts.
� Work out how to play ‘‘The Wiggles’’ through a 1950s radio, or replace it
with something hidden & iPod compatible. Car trips with toddlers are much
more pleasant with them playing.
� Get a leather clean-and-restore kit and apply it.
� Give it a good clean & polish.
� Register it, drive it for a while…

Save up some cash…
� Replace carpets (current ones are backing only).
� Patch two small holes in the front seat leather (cigarette burns)
� Replace furflex & some body rubbers
� Replace boot trim (filthy, greasy, tyre cover missing).
� Do some very minor panel-work (car park dings)
� Drive it some more!

Save up lots more cash…
� Pick a colour (black over claret? Car was black, but I LOVE two-tone)
� Respray
� Fit air-conditioning.

QUESTIONS!!

Best leather clean & restore kit is? Seats are salvageable… JUST.

Suggestions for AC?–
Richard Lane - 57 Jaguar Mk VIII - Sydney
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In reply to a message from rmlane sent Mon 30 Nov 2009:

sounds nice! congrats on the find. and it sounds like the color
could be Grosvenor Brown, a.k.a. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Brown by
yours truly. (my XJ-6 is Grosvenor Brown). Very strange color which
looks black at night.

for modern a/c options, check Mr. Jaguar in Texas who developed a
system for the MK-9, MK-2, S type, and 420. Hopefully your car is
LHD because I hear the RHD system they developed for the MK-II has
been a problem to a member here, running the hoses near the
manifolds, and other issues. But then, anything you do in a MK-II
or S type is always a problem, especially a/c.

that has not happened with LHD cars.

http://www.mrjaguar.com a.k.a Retro Air Inc.

for leather conditioning, there are many options, I use ColorPlus
conditioner, http://www.colorplus.com

Zurdo–
The original message included these comments:

Car is a ‘‘survivor’’ - basically two owners from new, full history known -
Only non-original thing is the colour. First owner decide he didn’t like
black, and resprayed the car chocolate maroon. Nice colour, but paint is
tired (over 50 years of wear and tear), non-original and not a factory
option. Was also created by original owner having paint shop layer brown
& maroon until he got the colour he liked, so impossible to match. So I’m
tempted to re-spray it.
� Fit air-conditioning.
Suggestions for AC?

–
1965 3.8 ‘S’ 1984 XJ-6
Florida, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
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In reply to a message from zurdo sent Mon 30 Nov 2009:

Congrats on your purchase!

If you need some ideas for seat belt installation, I put in six
seatbelts in my Mk IX, very high quality installation and
sufficient for passing the seatbelt test here in Hong Kong which is
very stringent. You can see how it was installed here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Healey.Nut/1959JaguarMkIX#
http://picasaweb.google.com/Healey.Nut/1959JaguarMkIX#53000190432168
46418

If you scroll through the pictures, it gives you all the
information of where to get the various pieces and mounts. It’s a
great set up and I put my kid seats in this all the time.

I’m not much of a fan of Mr. jag’s AC set up, I think it looks a
bit overkill, but it’s a good kit.

I opted for a very handsome retro underdash unit which looks like
OEM in the car, and works very well to cool the whole thing off
even in summer traffic in Hong Kong.

I did buy Mr. Jaguar’s Alternator conversion, but I put my AC
compressor where the Gen/PAS goes and put the Alt/PAS up next to
the left valve cover. Both units, because of space, are put on
fixed mountings with idler pulleys on each belt which allows you to
take up the slack. I’ll post another pic of this shortly. This
way is a very good set up because you need the meat of the
Compressor double pulley to run the Alt/PAS which has a fair amount
of pump stress on a little pulley.

Alan–
'52 A90 '53 BN1 '59 Mk IX '64 BJ8
Hong Kong, Hongkong
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The link to the photos isn’t working. Could you repost it?

Thanks!

Joel

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