PaPiTo Paul's universe

Winter rally

2012-01-21T20:54:00.000-05:00

First in class

Beautiful day for a drive with the Jaguar Club of Florida.

Leaving Cracker Barrel after getting directions.

Speedometer check, coffee and donuts at Orlando Jaguar dealer.

Icecream break in Windemere.

Waiting for everyone to finish their icecream.

Ginger's V12 in resting mode.

Stop at C.A.R.E to view the animals.


Route 46 restaurant in Sanford for late lunch and awards.

Actually came in 2nd from last. There were only 2 cars in the class.

January Jaguar

2012-01-15T18:28:00.000-05:00

By lake Apopka.

By Shepard Lake.

I lowered the front end by adjusting the torsion bars. The front was about 3/4" higher than the rear. Now 1-1/2" lower. That should keep the front end from lifting at high speeds.

By lake Apopka.

Day tripping AKA Jagging

2011-12-18T17:09:00.001-05:00

Weather has been beautiful so I have been out exploring almost every day this last week.

Abandoned old cottage between Mt. Dora and Jem Lake.

Orange grove west side of Lake Apopka

Put on about 320 miles this week close to 25MPG.

Sunday Dec 11 country ride.

2011-12-11T18:54:00.001-05:00

My daughter, Evelyn, and I went for a nice little country ride this afternoon and ended up for lunch in Mount Dora at Jeramiah's. After lunch we went looking for the old steam engine and found it in Tavares, but no good photo angles or places to park. So we continued on and found this in a vacant lot.

The world famous pallet fort in Tavares, Florida

Kid built tough.

Some future architects.

Continuing on along Lake Dora, we stopped at the old hotel for a photo.

In front of the old lake side hotel in Mt. Dora.

At the park and boat ramp in Mt. Dora.

Some of the majestic beauty that can be found in Florida in December.

I let Evelyn drive home from here.

Sunday drive

2011-12-04T19:43:00.001-05:00

Today, I took my daughter, Evelyn, for a country ride via back roads to Mount Dora for lunch at Jeramiah's. Nice warm day for riding in the XK120 open two seater.

Lake Dora mural...

More Roar 'n Soar

2011-11-18T19:23:00.001-05:00

Waiting for start flag

Not a knocked over cone, but the outer limit of the course

Clearing the far end gate

Winding out a bit.

Took the wirewheels in to be re-balanced. They were over 6 years old and starting to show 'green' deterioration. I ended up buying a set of Michelin 205-60x15 tires. Smaller than the old Dunlop 215-70x15 tires they replaced.

Gearbox:- Jaguar/Cosworth T9 transmission

Tire:- BFGoodrich 205/40ZR17
    1866.90 mm - 73.5 in circumference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Gear gives 22.383 MPH/1000 RPM and a top speed of 139.893 MPH at 6250 RPM

Engine speeds in top gear:-
30 MPH = 1340 RPM   40 MPH = 1787 RPM   50 MPH = 2234 RPM
60 MPH = 2681 RPM   70 MPH = 3127 RPM   80 MPH = 3574 RPM
90 MPH = 4021 RPM 100 MPH = 4468 RPM

Top Speed in 1 gear = 34.349 MPH
    And changes into 2 gear at 3367 RPM dropping 2883 RPM
Top Speed in 2 gear = 63.763 MPH
    And changes into 3 gear at 4351 RPM dropping 1899 RPM
Top Speed in 3 gear = 91.597 MPH
    And changes into 4 gear at 4960 RPM dropping 1290 RPM
Top Speed in 4 gear = 115.412 MPH
    And changes into 5 gear at 5156 RPM dropping 1094 RPM
Top Speed in 5 gear = 139.893 MPH

Tire:- Michelin all patterns 205/60 x 15
    1920.14 mm 75.6 in circumference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Gear gives 23.021 MPH/1000 RPM and a top speed of 143.883 MPH at 6250 RPM

Engine speeds in top gear:-
30 MPH = 1303 RPM   40 MPH = 1738 RPM   50 MPH = 2172 RPM
60 MPH = 2606 RPM   70 MPH = 3041 RPM   80 MPH = 3475 RPM
90 MPH = 3909 RPM 100 MPH = 4344 RPM

Top Speed in 1 gear = 35.328 MPH
    And changes into 2 gear at 3367 RPM dropping 2883 RPM
Top Speed in 2 gear = 65.582 MPH
    And changes into 3 gear at 4351 RPM dropping 1899 RPM
Top Speed in 3 gear = 94.209 MPH
    And changes into 4 gear at 4960 RPM dropping 1290 RPM
Top Speed in 4 gear = 118.703 MPH
    And changes into 5 gear at 5156 RPM dropping 1094 RPM
Top Speed in 5 gear = 143.883 MPH

Fantasy of fright... oops, Flight!

2011-11-13T22:24:00.001-05:00

Two day event at Fantasy of Flight with the Jaguar Club of Florida. Great time, and ran my car in the JCNA slalom today, Sunday. I could not make the Saturday events.

Found some problems when hard cornering that just cruising around will not bring out and need further investigation. Nothing serious, I hope.

Tom Curren took my XK120 around the course while I got a video. There was a P51 in the background warming up, so all the noise is not from my car.

Some Jaguar pron

2011-10-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

Changed over to the wire wheels and took a few pictures today.

Evening drive.

2011-10-12T19:05:00.001-05:00

Old train station in Apopka.

Lake Apopka, Magnolia park.

This is my trip around the block.

Just before sunset.

Very nice evening for a drive. Cooling down.

Jaguar benchmark

2011-10-05T12:57:00.000-05:00

Ran a benchmark. The first time was faster according to the speedometer, but the ground speed was less. So this run, I backed off a bit on the rightmost pedal so the air speed would match the ground speed.

Took a couple of pictures at Magnolia park. Note the camera tripod loosely mounted between the seats. I need a volunteer to work the camera.

Clutch and Brake pedal modification

2011-10-03T19:22:00.000-05:00

Sunday the weather was perfect for a joy ride. Went a little over 200 miles of back country roads in central Florida.
Today, filled up with gas to check the mileage. 22.7 MPG! Short trips around town and using a fairly heavy foot, I got 16.8 MPG.

Also visited Tom Curren at his shop, Coventry Classics. Forced him into doing a test drive to let me know what needed to be done that I was missing. He noted that the clutch and brake pedals were difficult to operate quickly due to being out to far and suggested a fix.

Clutch pedal and rod. I filed a new notch 2 inches up the rod.

Clutch pedal installed 2 inches closer to the fire wall. Brake pedal to be done.

Both pedals modified and installed. Clutch still disengages fully but with a lot shorter throw. The brake pedal goes nowhere near the floor. I am happy with the modification...
THANKS TOM!

Test drive

2011-09-28T19:28:00.000-05:00

Took the Jaguar out for a little test drive today.

2nd gear start. 0 to 60 MPH then hit the brakes to check them for stopping power. To the right of the rear view mirror is the SunPass/e-pass sticker, then to the right of that is the GPS. The red blinking lights is the digital volt meter. From 2500 RPM to 6250 RPM it really pushes you back in the seat.

On the road again!

2011-09-26T12:24:00.001-05:00

Got it all back together Sunday. Put the road wheels and tires on and calibrated the speedometer. Then it started to rain, back into the garage.

Today (Monday) I went for a test drive over to Advanced driveline to pay my bill.

Then off to Costco to fill it up. All kinds of looks, thumbs up and questions on the way. Checked the mileage and it turned out to be 15.441 MPG. Guess I have to back off on the throttle a bit or use bigger tires.

I put Gizmo's car seat in and put him in it. Then when I started it up, he did not want to have anything to do with it. Just a bit too loud for him.

On the way back home from Costco, I took the tollway and went through the toll booth instead of the high speed through lane to check out the e-pass sticker. It worked.

Jaguar rear axle done!

2011-09-22T18:27:00.000-05:00

Went to Advanced Driveline today to check on the progress of the rear axle. It was not on the bench it had been on for the past few months, but outside on the forklift.

On the forklift ready to be taken home.

Everything back together.

Everything where it should be.

Got it home and unloaded from the van.

So happy to have it back.

Now just a simple matter of putting it back in the Jaguar.

Nice and warm today so I did as much as my sweat glands would allow then took a siesta to recharge myself. When I got up, it had rained, which cooled things off a lot so I got some more done. I should have it all tightened down tomorrow. Then just a matter of bleeding the brakes, and I am back on the road again.

Rear axle progress

2011-09-14T21:47:00.001-05:00

Getting there. Checking clearances.

Next setback, this shaft is .035" larger in diameter causing the hub to not seat all the way.

Right hand side fitted to axle.

Disk brake pads are lining up nicely.

Getting closer to completion. Still have to pull hub off of other axle and see if it fits. If not, then will have to machine the end of the axle.

The parking brake mounts are not going to work, so will have to fabricate something once everything is put together.

Jaguar Project rear axle.

2011-09-07T16:44:00.000-05:00

Rear axle still at Advance Driveline. Donny is back from his back operation and is working part time devoted to get this done. He was out over a month.

Drilling 5 holes on the disk brake mounting plate. The four holes do not line up in any way with the axle housing.

Right side done, left side to go. Hopefully done either Thursday or Friday.

I had to do something. This has been taking way too long. I brought the rear cover home, cleaned it up and primed it.

Some real progress today. I can't wait to get it back in Jaguar and on the road, and move on to the other bits that need to be done.

Jaguar project rear axle

2011-06-15T13:20:00.000-05:00

Visit to Advanced Driveline today.

All the gears and bearings installed and adjusted for clearance and backlash per the Jaguar shop manual pages I had scanned, printed and left with them.

I had also disassembled, cleaned, checked, assembled and installed the windshield wiper motor. Packed with gobs of Lubriplate 70 and tested. It is a single speed Lucas (prince of darkness) motor with less than stellar performance. I know I will be carrying a bottle of RainEx just in case it rains. That can not happen in Florida can it?

Jaguar project rear axle

2011-06-08T16:17:00.000-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday visit to my parts at the axle shop.

Rear axle housing all cleaned up and painted.

Now it is just a matter of getting all the parts back in.

A few things early Jaguars never had that I have added behind the seats. Lock box and beverage holders.

I checked all kinds of places in the cockpit to mount these, and almost every location would interfere with arms, legs or equipment. Very easy to reach back in between the seats to get to my coffee.

Jaguar project rear axle

2011-06-01T18:25:00.000-05:00

Ruined axle, this is what happens when there is no axle grease at all.

Axle was rubbing on disc brake mounting plate.

Visit to Advanced Driveline today to check on progress. Some machining has to be done to the mounting brackets. I could not nail down an estimated time for completion. Maybe have to make another visit tomorrow or Friday.

Jaguar project rear axle

2011-05-25T16:13:00.000-05:00

Of coarse every problem has at least one solution involving a hammer.

It is just a simple matter of selecting the correct one for the job.

Rear axle housing for Salisbury with all the feathers and bones removed.

Last week I brought over the box of parts I had received, and the disc brake assemblies to make sure everything would fit back together.

I got all new bearings and seals. Should be good for another 60 years.

Jaguar project rear axle

2011-05-11T20:54:00.000-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday visit to Advanced Driveline. We went through the parts of 3 axles to see what can be used. Made an inventory of all the bearings, seals, and gaskets that need to be ordered.

Rear Axles on forklift

Third axle is on the bench in the back.

Best set of gears.

The ring is 49 tooth, and the pinion is 13 making for a 3.769230769 or rounding up to 3.77 ratio.

So the car is still layed up in the garage waiting for parts. Advanced driveline is going to clean and prepare check everything. So once I get the parts, I should be well on the way to getting on the road.

Jaguar project rear axle

2011-04-18T13:50:00.000-05:00

Rear axle out of the car and taken to Advance Driveline.

Roller bearing in left axle completely gone.

Axle housing damaged beyond repair. Cracked and warped.

Timpken tapered bearing outer race in 3 pieces. Offerings for the alter of the goddess of speed.

Obtained an XK120 rear end from Tom Curren at Coventry Classics. Dropped it off at Advance Driveline and I treated Tom to lunch.

Now it is just a matter of time and money to get a rebuilt rear end back in the Jaguar.

Jaguar project at home

2011-04-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

Installed the license plate and backup light. Had to drill some holes in the boot.

I pulled the rear axle and brought it to Advanced drivelines to replace the noisy axle bearings. I had to pull the tail pipes. The right pipe came out of the muffler, but the left one was more stubborn, so I pulled the muffler exposing the 'quieter' modification to the exhaust system.
I have not heard back from the shop yet, so I will have to give them a call Monday. They did not know if they had the parts, so if they can't get them, I will have to order from XKS unlimited.

Jaguar at All British Car show

2011-04-03T19:51:00.000-05:00

More Award pictures

All British Car show

Giving Evelyn her first ride since she was a little kid.

Jaguar at All Britshish Car show

2011-04-03T07:54:00.002-05:00


Award

First time out and got 3rd Place in Modified British Class.


Boot

Got the boot lid at 6 PM the night before. If I had not gotten it, I would not have made the show. Installed the license plate, still have to install the reverse and plate light.


Show wheels

I had taken off the go wheels, and installed the show wheels in anticipation of getting the boot lid installed.

Mead Garden

Some of the other cars starting to show up for the show. I got there fairly early.

Spot the air filter.

Some people wondered why it was in the British modified class, while others spotted the K&N air filter an surmised there were some modifications that disqualified her from being with her sister XK's.

Competition.

Some of the other cars in she was competing with. I never did open the bonnet. Still a bit of a mess under there. Need to do a lot of clean up.

Shade

Everyone loved the colour/paint job.

Venue

Very nice venue for a car show. Beautiful weather, could not ask for a better day.

Another award!

Adding to the Jaguar vanity wall. This article in the Jagwire December 2010 page 10.

Jaguar Project test drive

2011-03-24T21:14:00.000-05:00

Put in chrome trim around the cockpit. The rear part was the most difficult due to the sharp curve. I still need to do something to clean up the joint. I used pop-rivets to securely fasten.

Magnolia park by Lake Apopka. Notice there is no snow, about 80 degrees farenheit.

Another no snow springtime picture.

Jaguar project at home

2011-03-18T19:26:00.002-05:00

Front end chrome done, except for the headlight rims. I am waiting for some back ordered special screws.

Jaguar Club Of Florida (JCOF) badge prominently displayed.
Now that I am the club Master Badger, I have to.

Still waiting on the boot (trunk) lid.
Installed the welting between the rear wing (fenders) and the body.

She just wanted to pose for a sunset picture. Ordinary sunset, but she will have more chances I am sure.

Pre-sunset picture.

Jaguar project at home experiment

2011-03-13T18:39:00.001-05:00

Just a little experiment.

Jaguar project night eyes

2011-03-10T21:02:00.003-05:00

Now that it is dark, one more list item done. Aiming the headlights so I can have night vision. Will I be able to sleep tonight?

Jaguar project update

2011-03-10T17:29:00.004-05:00

Quite a bit accomplished today. Rain this morning and nice overcast when I took these pictures. Really brings out the color.

Re-installed the bonnet. Installed K&N air filter, that big air cleaner behind the radiator, low so it picks up cooler air.

I took the wire wheels off and put my running wheels on.

Passenger/shotgun seat installed. Chick magnet installed.

Still need the boot (trunk lid) so I have a better place to mount the license plate.

Gizmo ready to ride, but he is scared of the noise.

He just likes having his picture taken.

More Gizmo... and by the way, also almost done with the project.

I had to recalibrate the speedometer for the smaller tires. The rims are 17", but the tires are low profile.

I need to adjust the headlights. The chrome rings around the headlights are waiting for some special screws that are on back order.

The list of things to do is getting smaller!

Jaguar Test run

2011-03-08T17:28:00.003-05:00

Test drive Tuesday!

Got all the wiring straightened out and tied down. Just a little more clean up to go. Mostly doing some more wrapping with tape.

Wire in the lower left of this picture is holding up a bumper bracket that likes to ride on the ground. No problem once I get the bumpers on. The headlights still need to be adjusted.

Almost ready to put the bonnet (hood) back on and get it out of my living room.

Boot (trunk) lid is being re-done, and I should get it back tomorrow.

GPS sticks nicely next to the rear view mirror.

Battery cover. I got tired of disconnecting and reconnecting the ground on the battery while working on the wiring. The red switch at the bottom of the picture is a high current switch to disconnect the ground.
The wire and connector to the right is for the passenger seat speakers.

Now back in the garage, to put back up on jack stands to install the passenger seat, bumpers both front and back, and a lot of other little details.

Test drive to see what else needs to be done. I only used 1st and 2nd gears as the speed limit is 25 and kids tend to play in the street. Don't want to annoy the locals.

There is an annoying squeak I have to run down.
The speedometer jumps around a bit in neutral due to electrical noise. I will probably have to shield the cable and see if that fixes it.
The radio works great... it is a good thing the volume goes to 40!
Still a bit of work to do, but I am getting there.

Jaguar project at home

2011-03-02T15:23:00.002-05:00

Most of the morning spent connecting up the brake lights. Had to partially drop down the master brake cylinder, unmount the switch from the cylinder, connect the wires to the switch, remount the switch and master cylinder. Then add the wires to the HEGO and MAF loom and connect to ignition power and pin 2 of the engine computer.

A lot of crawling around underneath, finding the right wrenches. Now I have to re-bleed the brake lines.

Started to install the drivers seat. I need to get some more bolts, washers, and nuts. I had to make sure I was not going to drill through a gas line, wires, or anything else critical.

Nice fit. I put it as close to the drive shaft tunnel as possible to give clearance for the top... if I ever decide to install it.

I think it needs a head rest, but after both seats are installed.

The seat is very comfortable. More than the original seats.

The 4 point seat belts are plenty long enough.

Time for a siesta! I have been doing too much.

Jaguar Startup running sound

2011-03-01T08:30:00.002-05:00

Short movie of running.

Overwhelmed the audio... too loud?
I'll do more video when I do a test drive, speedometer calibration.

Jaguar Startup

2011-02-28T14:57:00.006-05:00

First test of rewiring the engine computer loom. Start up a bit rough, the ECU has to learn the engine after sitting for over a year without starting. No leaks, sounds a bit rough. Once I get it road worthy, I'll give it a good Italian tune up.

Trouble uploading to blogger, uploaded to youtube, but not sound (?). It did not sound too sweet anyhow. :-(

Still have to do some wrapping of cables and installing more cable clamps to tidy things up. I installed a terminal board for the ignition power common point rather than the lump of tied together wires. Installed the horn button, but not the horns, yet.

Jaguar project wiring

2011-02-26T20:47:00.002-05:00

Most of the day spent rewiring. Got the rats nest cleaned up and removed about 4 feet of wire from each of the 30 or so wires making up the main engine computer loom.
Need to get cable clamps to tie everything down.

Jaguar project wiring

2011-02-25T19:50:00.004-05:00

I got 5 Gallons of gas ($3.29/gallon) and debugged the fuel level sensor. Then fired (literally) it up. A lot of the wires are way too long, and some were resting on the right hand exhaust manifold.
Before things got too far out of hand, I was able to test the tachometer, oil pressure, water temperature, and speedometer.
I adjusted the fan thermocouple to turn the fan on at 180F. That is when I noticed some smoke coming for the right side and shut it down. No real damage done, just some tubing I have the wire in melting a bit.

Block diagram of 2.9Litre V6 24valve Cosworth engine.

I unwrapped most of the wire looms and am in the process of taking about 5 feet of excess wire out of the looms. I am eliminating about half of the unused wires having to do with things like air conditioning compressor clutch, 4-3 automatic transmission shift down, neutral/park transmission position, canister purge, EGR for leaded gas and other stuff that is not applicable.

Jaguar project at home

2011-02-23T17:33:00.002-05:00

Had to install the windshield before installing the dashboard and wiring. The mounting posts are behind the dashboard.

I took the bonnet (hood) off for easier access to the firewall wiring. Still a rats nest of wires. Some of the wire lengths are way too long. Plan is to clean it up after everything works.

Testing the headlights.

Still need to connect the brake lights to the brake light switch.

Dashboard installed.

She is coming together. Seats and bumpers next.

Jaguar project at home

2011-02-16T20:15:00.003-05:00

Busy week. I got a lot done, and still a lot left to do.

Ran wires for headlights and parking lamps

Mounted fuse blocks to firewall.

Wired up thermostatic control for radiator fan and mounted control to engine compartment.

Ran wires for radiator fan manual control (to override thermostatic control just in case).

Tore down, cleaned, lubricated the windshield wiper cable and mechanism. Took about 3 hours for this one.

Rerouted the ground cable from the battery to the frame to fit under the cover I fabricated from a marine battery box. I had to remove the right hand muffler and tailpipe to get enough clearance for my drill to drill and tap a hole in the frame for a good ground.

I am not looking forward to tearing down the engine computer cable and ringing out all the wires. There are a lot of extra unused wires for things like air conditioner, automatic transmission, and other stuff I have not figured out yet. I want to make it as clean and simple as possible.
So far I have been working mostly on the front end of the car. Still have the tail/brake, license and backup lights to do. I have been cutting out old dead wires and noting the routing I want to take for the new wires.

Jaguar project at home

2011-02-10T14:55:00.001-05:00

I took off the transmission tunnel to access the odometer and reverse lamp switch.

Fabricated a bracket to holding the hall effect transducer for the speedometer.

Solution for mounting the wire wheels.
A piece of pipe, tapped for the wheel studs to be used as a guide for installing the wheels.
Without it, it is a real pain to line up the holes with the studs. This makes it a piece of cake.

Slide the wheel over the pipe, install 4 of the five lug nuts, then remove the pipe and install the last stud. Put the other 3 wheels on. Done.

Jaguar Wednesday did not get too much done. Picked up some parts from Imagination Engineering they had ordered for me from XKS unlimited. Needed some wire, so Richard sent me to Skycraft Surplus and too much time checking it out. I got the wire at a very good price.

Jaguar project wiring

2011-02-05T12:37:00.003-05:00

Finally got the old roll around steering wheel off. What a job, it was really glued on with paint over spray.
Set the dashboard in the car to check clearances and wire lengths. Plenty of room between the radio and the gear shift in 1st, 3rd, and 5th gears.
Before anyone asks, the paint does not have a red tinge. That is the reflection of the kayak suspended from the garage ceiling.

Jaguar project at home

2011-02-03T17:29:00.003-05:00

A lot to do. Put her up on jack stands and removed the junk yard roll around wheels.

I had tried to install one of these wire wheels at the paint shop with no luck.
I used my hydraulic jack to support the wheel while lining up the studs. That worked.

The stud does not clear the hub like most wheels. The lug nuts are long and go all the way through the wheel. Definitely not quick change. These are my show wheels and tires.

Working on the wiring rats nest. A lot of extra wires from the original car the engine came from. Simple (?) matter of figuring out what I don't need and removing those wires and connectors. Some are for the dashboard and automatic transmission, etc.

Installed the tail lights and I am in the process of removing all the old wiring to replace with all new. Making my own loom.

Jaguar project paint shop

2011-02-02T14:43:00.006-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday moving day! YAY!

Loading on to the flatbed truck.

Careful... little by little.

Strapping down. Don't want her to fall off.

Ready to get on the road home.

Double check the hold down straps.

On the road at last.

Backing into driveway.

Back up just a little bit more.

Unloading carefully.

Almost back on the ground.

In the garage. Now up to me to work on her.

A lot of work left to do.

I put her up on jack stands and removed the junk yard tires. Time for lunch, a shower, and a siesta. I thought this day would never come. Do I start on the wiring or the chrome? Decisions, decisions.

Same tow truck as used in 2007.

Jaguar project paint shop

2011-02-01T17:21:00.004-05:00

Caught KC in the act of buffing the Jag.

A lot of the buffing has to be done by hand due to the curves.

Almost done.

Turn the sound up if like to listen to an air compressor.

Tomorrow she comes home to install all the feathers and bones; seats, seat belts, dashboard, head and tail lights, wiring, wheels and tires, etc.

Jaguar project paint shop

2011-01-28T12:49:00.003-05:00

Visit to the paint shop. Wet sanding done, just needs buffing.

Rhino lining under the bonnet (hood).

Brought over the seats for color matching the rest of the interior of the cockpit.

They will not look so high up after the windshield is installed.

Have to think about fabricating something for the headrests on the rear deck.

I sat down in the seats. Not too difficult to get in and out and there is some leg room. Probably too tight for my grandson, as he is over 6 feet tall. But that is typical of all XK120's.

Trying to figure out what parts I need to order. I am sure I will find things I am missing once I get started putting on the chrome and trim.

Jaguar project paint shop

2011-01-27T12:05:00.004-05:00

Out in the sunshine.

All the undercoating done

Still needs wet sanding and buffing.

The blue in the Nordic Mist comes out when the light hits it just right.

Still on the junk yard roll around wheels and tires.

This is where the license, tail lights and rear bumpers go.

Still have not decided on which tail pipe enhancement to get; Round, oval, single, dual?

Under the front end.

Gizmo likes it. When are we going for a ride?

Jaguar project paint shop

2011-01-26T13:04:00.003-05:00

Rhino Linings applied to boot (trunk).

Cockpit area protection.

Behind the dashboard coated.

Battery compartment and lock box.

Inside the doors.

Ran out of liner, there is more area than anyone would guess.
Next; undercarriage and wheel wells to be done today.

Jaguar project paint shop

2011-01-25T13:13:00.003-05:00

Painting done! Curing for a few days.

Meanwhile, masking off everything in preparation for undercoating rubber spray.

Once the undercoat is done, wet sanding process will begin.

Almost there!

Jaguar project paint shop

2011-01-24T14:06:00.004-05:00

Secret formula for Nordic Mist Metalic.

Painting edges of openings.

Now on to the rest of the body.

Base coat of color over primer.

Color base coat looking good.

Getting there.

The excitement builds.

Another angle.

This is just the base color coat.

Caution... wet paint.

Almost done with this stage of paint.

Next will be the metalic layer then a couple coats of clear coat.

Some visible progress. I can not believe how smooth it is.

Jaguar project paint shop

2011-01-19T14:26:00.003-05:00

In the paint booth... then the air compressor quit working.

Should be fixed later today. I will have to drop by tomorrow or Friday to make sure the progress is real.

Jaguar project paint shop

2011-01-14T13:49:00.004-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday on Friday. I did stop in for a visit Wednesday, but nothing to write home about. But today, I see major progress.

Rear wings (fenders) back on temporarily for preparation.

Looks better with the wings on.

Bonnet up to sand edges of engine compartment.

A little feature I had added. A lock box in the unused left hand battery compartment. There are no other lockable storage compartment other than the boot (trunk).
Will be handy for locking up the radio faceplate and GPS when parking anywhere other than my garage.

Ford-Cosworth 2.9L V6 - 24Valve engine dormant but ready to run.

Getting there. Next a final sanding, sealer, then ready for primer.

Jaguar project paint shop

2011-01-07T10:39:00.002-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday on Thursday, post on Friday.
Wednesday was a travel day back to Orlando, Florida from San Diego, California Christmas vacation.

This is still all primer and filler. The boot (trunk) lid was rebuilt from the original and a donor.

The blue-green is a guide coat. More sanding and a sealer coat will be next.

Headlights, grill, Jaguar badge and bumpers will fill all these holes eventually.

Steering wheel, wheels and tires are still the roll around and not the final items.

Resolved: This WILL be the year she gets back on the road!

Jaguar project paint shop

2010-12-08T14:00:00.003-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday visit to the paint shop.
Look at all that boot (trunk) space :-)

Still in the paint shop.

Waiting for the primer and guide coat to dry.

This is where the headlights, grill and bumpers will go.

No, this is not the final colour. This is the grey and blue camouflage that goes under the sealer, paint and clearcoat.

Jaguar project paint shop

2010-12-01T18:17:00.002-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday visit to the paint shop. Should be ready for primer by Friday, then the undercoat, more primer, sanding, the paint.

Meanwhile, back at home I pre-assembled the tail/brake lights and test.
Made up my own colour code for the pigtail wires. Brown - Brake, Yellow - Tail, and Green - Ground.

Looking forward to next year and getting all the feathers and bones installed and on the road.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-10-28T10:46:00.003-05:00

Driver side door being worked on last week.

This week left door finished, now working on passenger side door.

Right rear junk yard roll around tire leaking really bad, so I brought over one of the new wheels and tire to check to see if it still fits. Also brought over one of the Dayton wire wheels and found that they will not fit. Hole spacing is too small.

Put on the original 600x16 spare wheel and tire for rolling around.

Getting very close to getting some paint on it. Finish up the passenger door, another coat of primer, more sanding, then it should be ready to put on the first coats of real paint.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-08-25T13:14:00.002-05:00

No progress for the past couple of weeks. Almost ready to paint and most of the rush jobs are out of the paint shop. Mustang in the queue of project cars ahead of me getting painted today.

I did not bring my checkbook along, so will have to go again tomorrow to put up some money for the interior fabric purchase.

Jaguar - Dashboard

2010-08-05T16:06:00.003-05:00

No progress this week at the paint shop.
So I decided to calibrate and test the fuel gauge. I used the old fuel level sensor. Still working but the float leaks. I think I need to put the dash lights on a potentiometer to lessen the brightness a bit.

In other news, the roll around junk yard wheels prize is still available to the winner of naming the car.

Name Sex Meaning Origin
Arcene F Silvery. French
Argenta F The silvery one. Latin
Argentia F Silver. Latin
Argentina F Silver. Latin
Argento M Silver. Latin
Argyros M Silver. Greek
Arian F Silver. Welsh
Arian M Silver. Derived from Greek Arion, mythological magic horse. Welsh
Ariana F Silver. Welsh
Arianell F Silver. (An early saint) Welsh
Arianrod F Silver wheel. Anglo-Saxon
Arjean F Silvery. French
Antenor M South American silver magnate Antenor Patino. Spanish/Greek
Eirian F Silver. Welsh
Fidda F Silver Arabic
Gina F Silvery Japanese
Gweir M Legendary son of Cadellin Silver. Welsh
Jumanah F Silver pearl. Arabic
Kailasa F Silver mountain. Indian
Lujayn F Silver. Arabic
Silverman M Silver; Silver worker Old English
Silverton M Silver; Silver town Old English
Silvio M Silver. Italian
Sippai M Threshold, silver cup. Biblical
Sooleawa F Silver (Algonquin). Native American
Sterlyn M Of high quality; pure. Pre-medieval refiners of silver. English
Stirling M Of high quality, pure. Pre-medieval refiners of silver. English
Tatyana F Silver-haired. A popular Russian name. Latin

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-07-28T17:39:00.003-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday visit...

Rear fenders and boot all primed and curing in the sun.

Rest of the car in the paint booth.

Most of the primer guide coat (blue) sanded off and waiting for final primer coat.

The junk yard roll around tires are not standing up too well. The left rear completely flat and they have to pump it up before moving around.

Still looking for a name for "her". Maybe I should start a contest and have people vote for a name. The winner gets a complete set of 4 junk yard tires!

This weeks entry: Gina ... short and easy to remember, but "Viva Gina" may have certain other connotations. ;-)

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-07-14T17:12:00.002-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday visit.

Back outside from inside the paint booth.

Junkyard wheels and tires are holding up quite well considering all the rolling around.

A slightly different view from the top.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-07-07T17:24:00.002-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday visit to the paint shop.

Guide coat of primer to highlight areas to work on.

A semi-shiny coat of primer helps to show any little defect.

I love the flowing lines. Can't wait to install the eyes, mouth and bumpers.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-06-30T16:53:00.002-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday progress report...

Front end got a coat of primer.

Starting to look good.

Now on to the doors. The rear end is primed, the front end is primed with a first coat.

Reminds me of Seseme Street poor Solomon Grundy.

Gizmo Gun Lesson

2010-06-28T09:14:00.001-05:00

Gizmo gets his first lesson on guns and shooting.
Have to add "don't eat the target" to the list of gun safety rules.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-06-23T17:32:00.002-05:00

Moved from the sunshine to the paint booth.

Bare metal, filler and primer camouflage.

Jaguar - Dashboard

2010-06-18T10:50:00.003-05:00

I have been looking at the dashboard on top of my bookcase for months now, and it just did not look right some how.

This is before the change I made today.

and this is after.

I case you did not detect it, I changed the original fuel gauge for a Autometer Cobalt gauge that matches the rest of the gauges.

The dashboard is now totally modernized.

Electric tachometer, the mechanical one had no place to connect.
Electric water temperature replacing the unreliable bourdon tube Smiths original.
Electric fuel level that can be calibrated with an empty/full tank procedure.
Mechanical oil pressure same as the original.
Electronic speedometer with hall effect sensor. Procedure to calibrate by holding the dual trip odometer reset button while turning on the ignition, driving a measured two miles, stopping and pressing the button again. This solves the problem of different tire diameters.

I attended the Jaguar Club of Florida meeting last night. I got to Cricketer's Arms restaurant about an hour early so I walked the Festival Bay mall and found a little shop where I scored the Jaguar key fob.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-06-16T12:22:00.002-05:00

More progress this week. Working on front end.

Out in the heat and sunshine.

Filler where the hood meets the body. The hood is popped to the safety latch. When closed, it is a tight fit.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-06-10T16:16:00.003-05:00

More progress. The rear end is primed and basically done with the body work.

Working on the front end.

Can you see the low spot on the bonnet that was filled?

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-06-02T17:26:00.003-05:00

Visit to the paint shop today. More progress and I caught them working on it again. A lot of sanding dust all around.
Now we are at the start of the hurricane season and hopefully this will not slow down the progress.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-05-26T12:50:00.004-05:00

Visit to the paint shop today. The rear end is primed.

I dropped off a data sheet to remind them of the make and year of the Jaguar for their inquisitive customers.

Some Jaguar trinkets.

Made a mounting bracket for the right front bumper for the JCOF badge.
Purchased this card holder at the JCOF Concours d'elegance show in Lakeland May 15th. Holds my JCNA membership card and JCOF name tag.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-05-19T17:08:00.002-05:00

Coming along. Maybe some primer next week.

Rear fenders out enjoying the Florida sun and good weather.

Rear fenders almost there as far as preparation goes.

All the customers that come by the paint shop ask about it. I'll have to make up a fact sheet for them.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-05-13T19:26:00.002-05:00

Visit to the paint shop. Still working on sanding, filling, preparing for primer.
I have been going over the parts catalog and trying to identify other additional parts I need to order.
No firm date on when the paint will actually go on.
It is going to end up better than when it left the factory (birth?) June 28, 1952. Build (conception?) date was May 22, 1952.

Jaguar - Windshield and Grill

2010-04-28T17:21:00.005-05:00

Windshield frame, glass, parts and materials.

The black ever-seal goes around the glass, and the glass goes into the 3 piece frame. I did the bottom first, then the top and las the center piece. The trick is to use some liquid dish soap to be able to slide the glass into the frame. I used the ratchet strap to carefully compress the parts together.

Finished product.

XK120 grill.

Cleaned up nicely with chrome cleaner and polish. I had lost the far left vertical slat, so I removed the far right one. More air for cooling, but more bugs in the radiator. I also scraped, primed and painted the slats rather than spending megabucks on getting the whole thing re-chromed.

I visited the Jaguar in the paint shop today. More progress. The rear end, boot (trunk) lid and rear fenders have a coat of a special fiberglass, filler, primer mixture and are being sanded and smoothed getting ready for primer.
.

Wheels and tires

2010-04-24T11:34:00.004-05:00

I seem to be accumulating wheels and tires before even getting on the road. Currently have some 15" disk wheels with junk yard tires for rolling around the various paint and restoration shops.

Yesterday acquired a set of 4 Dayton 15" wire wheels with Dunlop SP40 a/s P215/70R15 tires for show to supplement the 17" wheels for go that have not been on the ground yet (previous post).

Of course, being the geek that I am had to plot the differences in performance:

For show:
Tyre:- Dunlop 215/70R15
Top Gear gives 27.738 MPH/1000 RPM and a top speed of 171.975 MPH at 6200 RPM

Engine speeds in top gear:-
30 MPH = 1082 RPM 40 MPH = 1442 RPM 50 MPH = 1803 RPM 60 MPH = 2163 RPM
70 MPH = 2524 RPM 80 MPH = 2884 RPM 90 MPH = 3245 RPM 100 MPH = 3605 RPM

Top Speed in 1 gear = 62.082 MPH
And changes into 2 gear at 3962 RPM dropping 2238 RPM
Top Speed in 2 gear = 97.155 MPH
And changes into 3 gear at 4871 RPM dropping 1329 RPM
Top Speed in 3 gear = 123.652 MPH
And changes into 4 gear at 5124 RPM dropping 1076 RPM
Top Speed in 4 gear = 149.618 MPH
And changes into 5 gear at 5394 RPM dropping 806 RPM
Top Speed in 5 gear = 171.975 MPH

For go:
Tyre:- BFGoodrich 205/40ZR17

Top Gear gives 24.170 MPH/1000 RPM and a top speed of 149.854 MPH at 6200 RPM

Engine speeds in top gear:-
30 MPH = 1241 RPM 40 MPH = 1655 RPM 50 MPH = 2069 RPM 60 MPH = 2482 RPM
70 MPH = 2896 RPM 80 MPH = 3310 RPM 90 MPH = 3724 RPM 100 MPH = 4137 RPM

Top Speed in 1 gear = 54.097 MPH
And changes into 2 gear at 3962 RPM dropping 2238 RPM
Top Speed in 2 gear = 84.658 MPH
And changes into 3 gear at 4871 RPM dropping 1329 RPM
Top Speed in 3 gear = 107.746 MPH
And changes into 4 gear at 5124 RPM dropping 1076 RPM
Top Speed in 4 gear = 130.373 MPH
And changes into 5 gear at 5394 RPM dropping 806 RPM
Top Speed in 5 gear = 149.854 MPH

Four sets of rims. These two plus the 15" roll arounds and the 16" original disk wheels.

No problems with the speedometer. Autometer Cobalt electronically calibrated hall effect pickup. Just reset and drive 2 miles to calibrate and set to go.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-04-21T14:58:00.003-05:00

Todays visit to the paint shop. Rear fenders done now working on the front fenders and doors.

Fresh coat of filler ready for more sanding.

Meanwhile back at the ranch... I have been scraping, priming and painting the bumper brackets. It was more work than I would like to admit. Looking for the nuts, and only found one. They are NOT SAE standard. May be metric or English thread. I may just have to break down and order some new ones.
Also scraped and painted the boot (trunk) lid mechanism.

Jaguar - Night eyes

2010-04-08T12:23:00.004-05:00

This is the upgrade to the Jags night eyes. Xenon bulbs in conversion lenses. Also has built in parking lamps. Ready to be installed when the paint drys.
Still in the paint shop being filled and sanded.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-03-31T20:28:00.003-05:00

Todays visit to the paint shop.

Working on the front part. Can not believe how many curves are involved. Jaguars are truly a sculpted work of art.

Rear fenders done and taken off for edge work.

Dropped off the welting that goes between the fenders and body.

Boot lid was a major job. The dark spots low areas that need another layer of filler and more sanding.

Next week it may have a base coat of primer. They are taking away all the character from the initial minor defects as it was finished on May 22, 1952. Was not 'dispatched' until June 28, 1952 and first owner took possession on August 13, 1952.

On the same schedule, except 58 years later.

Jaguar - Paint shop feathers and bones

2010-03-26T09:39:00.004-05:00

Inventoried the body feathers and bones that will go on after the paint is dry.
All these little parts add up. Amazing how many different parts actually go in to a car.

Not shown: more parts on back order, expecting in the next few weeks.

More progress. Another coat of primer and filler. More sanding.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-03-17T15:57:00.003-05:00

Another Jaguar Wednesday. Still filling and sanding.

Also ordered a kit of all the rubber trim parts for when it gets all put back together when the paint is dry.

Jaguar - Chrome bits

2010-03-03T14:29:00.003-05:00

Chrome bits. Front bumpers, windscreen parts, headlight rims, rear bumpers and tail lights.
Lots of other little parts for rag top, dashboard and door hardware not shown.
Visit today, no pictures as just more primer and sanding done.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-02-24T17:28:00.004-05:00

A necessity in Florida is airconditioning. But how to cool an open two seat roadster?
Jaguar engineering came up with this ingenious solution. Kick open side vents.
These are the screens to keep the rocks and notorious Florida love bugs out.

As taken out of the car after almost 58 years of wear and tear.

After wire brushing and cleaning. They are all brass, including the screens.

Painted and ready to go back in and ready to relieve hot feet.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-02-18T07:55:00.004-05:00

Latest visit to the paint shop.

The rear half is almost done preparing. Next the rear fenders will be removed to access the gap between the fenders and the body.

The front still needs more filling and sanding.
There are not many flat areas on this model Jaguar. Even if it looks flat, there is still a very slight curve.
I removed the screens from the side vents to take home and work on. Makes me feel I am accomplishing something.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-01-13T14:45:00.002-05:00

Weekly visit. They have been doing a lot of sanding and filling. A lot of minor dings to fill and smooth out.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2010-01-06T13:42:00.002-05:00

Visited my Jaguar today, and brought along one of the seats and the interior feathers and bones to get an estimate on doing the interior of the cockpit. Looking forward to getting this project done and on the road.

Jaguar - Paint shop

2009-12-16T10:29:00.003-05:00

In the parking lot of the paint shop. A couple of other projects ahead of me. Hopefully they will start work Monday.

Jaguar - Paint

2009-12-04T10:28:00.003-05:00

Got a call from Richard at Imagination Engineering. He sent me some pictures from the paint shop of my baby on the trailer getting ready to unload.

Made it to the painters at Midnight Customz.

Progress.

Jaguar Project - Bodywork

2009-11-28T14:17:00.003-05:00

It has been a couple of months without an update. Imagination Engineering has been having some political and other problems, so progress has been at a stand still.

-- The body and paint man quit and moved to the Bahamas so I had to find a reasonable paint shop. The local experts will only do show/concourse quality paint and want an arm, leg and first born child as payment. The body shops that do quality work, only do insurance claims. I was lucky enough to find Midnight Customz that will do the work at a reasonable price. They have done some show cars and don't require the first born, only two sheep and a goat.

-- The county got a new business inspector, and was overly zealous in the inspection of the premises. She wanted to slap a $1K fine per day if all the violations were not fixed in a very short time. So the Jag (still unnamed) was put on the back-back burner until things could get resolved. It turns out that the land they are on is being leased from the rail road, so it is exempt from a lot of the new business laws that were passed to put small business out of business.

After and in spite all that, there has been progress!

Major work to the boot lid. Rebuilt from the original plus one from a scrapped XK120. The doors also needed major repairs and alignment. Completed.

All ready to be transported to the paint shop. Hopefully he/she (still unnamed) made it to the paint shop. It was going there last Wednesday, the day I traveled to the left coast.

I am still looking for a name for my XK120. It used to be the "Orange Crate" due to the almost international orange color. But that name will no longer apply due to the new planned color of Nordic Mist metalic (Blueish Silver). Any suggestions? I am looking for a unique name for my kitty cat.

Jaguar finally registered and licensed

2009-09-02T18:42:00.003-05:00

I have been working on this all last month. Getting insurance (Hagerty), DMV forms, and old California proof of ownership. Spent about an hour at the DMV getting it done.

Finally got the sheriff out to verify and fill out the DMV form. She is the only one in Orange county that does this, and she is only working part time due to a back operation.

Now all that has to be done is painting, carpet, miscellaneous trim, chrome, hood (convertible top) and toneau cover. Getting closer all the time.

Home problem

2009-08-21T10:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a busy day. I had a wet spot in the carpet that I thought was a water pipe leak under the slab. I called a local plumber, Grace Plumbing, that specialized in leak detection. After much probing and prodding he located the water was coming from the air conditioner.

He called Damage Control Emergency Services to clean up the water damage and Air Supply Cooling and Heating to fix the air conditioner. The cause of the problem was a blockage on the air conditioner condenser. The condenser is at about a 45 degree angle so that the water that is dehumidified from the air will run down into a tray at the bottom and out a pipe to the outside.
The water that was condensing was dripping back out the air return then making its way beneath the carpet.

Air return leaking where it should not have.

Damage control blowers drying out carpet and baseboards.

Damage Control dehumidifier drying things out.

So now I have all these blowers and dehumidifiers running until Sunday when they will come and check things out and take their equipment back.

Monday morning the Home owners Insurance adjuster is coming out to evaluate my claim. Will see how much of this will be covered.

Jaguar Project

2009-08-07T17:59:00.004-05:00

Received my Jaguar-Daimler Heritage Trust XK120 birth certificate today. Yesterday I got the Insurance papers and proof of insurance cards.

No progress on the car this last week. So we talked about Jaguar-Cosworth cars. Turns out there are not that many. Just a few years of Formula 1 racers. Then Jef broke out the Jaguar-Cosworth wine rack. A blown F1 Cosworth HB engine block with all the cylinder liners removed except for the one with the blown piston. Perfectly good block other than that.
For sale on ebay.

Jaguar Project

2009-07-29T11:55:00.003-05:00

Last two weeks no physical progress at all. The good news is that I do not have a bill to pay. Signed and sent the paperwork for insurance with Hagerty's via a local Allstate agent.

I was wondering if there is another marriage between Jaguar and Cosworth. The only ones I found were in Formula One racing.

I have always had unique possessions from wrist watches to automobiles. I would like to know if there are any other Jaguar-Cosworth cars out there in the wild. I'll keep looking.

In the mean time, on todays visit I took some pictures of the business under the bonnet.

Engine compartment from the top. The hight tension wires may look like a mess, but there should not be a problem with any kind of crossfire as you are exposed to with perfectly parallel cable runs.

Left side of engine is a bit tight due to the steering column. The Ford-Cosworth engine uses wasted spark electronic ignition. There are 3 coil packs that fire one cylinder on the power stroke and the opposite cylinder on the exhaust cycle, burning any unburned fuel.

Front of engine. The only things robbing power are the alternator and the water pump.

Right side of engine. Spark plugs are very accessible.

Large electric fan only. Faster warmups and on demand cooling when forward motion is not enough.

These photos are actually in color and appear black and white due to the gray primer dust covering almost everything.

Jaguar Project - Bodywork

2009-07-15T14:04:00.003-05:00

The work on the boot lid is progressing. The wood looks a lot better. Ran out of gas for the heli-arc for welding the aluminum feathers and bones back together.

I renewed the tags for both of my other vehicles for 2 years. I also picked up the form for getting registration, tags and license plate in Florida. I need to get this done before September 1st when the fees are going to DOUBLE. So I went for the 2 year renewal for the car and van, hope I can do the same for the Jaguar.
I am looking in to getting insurance from Hagerty Collector Car and Boat Insurance with a agreed value policy. They also have some interesting pamphlets and guides.

I hope I don't run in to a catch 22 where it requires registration to get insurance and insurance to get registration. ;-)

Jaguar Project - Bodywork

2009-07-08T16:21:00.003-05:00

Major problems with the boot. Wood cross members cracked, lots of dings, dents and filler. Got another one with rotten cross members, but the aluminum in good shape. So doing a mashup of the two.
Wood being glued back together, then epoxy. Most of the rest of the body is done being prepped for painting.

Jaguar Project - Bodywork

2009-07-02T12:05:00.003-05:00

Received parts today from XKs Unlimited. This is the new hood badge to replace the one that was lost somewhere in a move from San Diego to Pleasant Valley.

Talked to Richard today about my trunk lid. He found one with good metal, but rotten wood. My wood is in good shape, but the metal is in poor condition due to being rear-ended and repaired too many times.

Other parts I received were new clutch, brake and accelerator pedal rubber. And a new license plate and backup light assembly.

Jaguar Project - Bodywork

2009-07-01T19:06:00.002-05:00

Latest visit today.

Right rear still being worked on. A lot of bondo removed, patch welded in and being prepped for painting.

Front end basically done.

Left rear almost there.

More progress.

Jaguar Project - Bodywork

2009-06-24T12:12:00.003-05:00

Jaguar Wednesday and I actually caught Richard doing some body work on my machine.
It has been a busy week for me:
I joined the facebook Jaguar XK 120/140/150 & E-Type Owners group.
Submitted a request to Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT) for the build history.
Registered on XKdata.
Plus a bit of other parts cleanup, sorting, and polishing.

Jaguar Project - Steering wheel

2009-06-19T12:15:00.003-05:00

The flames are out, finished sewing up the new leather steering wheel cover.
Now, when it cools down a bit, I will start on scraping and painting some of the other miscellaneous parts.

Jaguar Project - Bodywork

2009-06-17T13:44:00.002-05:00

Little bit of progress on the paint and bodywork. Project bumped by a couple of higher priority paint jobs. The bad news is that the body/paint guy left the country this morning with no known return date. The weather is too hot to be working anyhow.

Jaguar Project - Steering wheel

2009-06-17T12:09:00.002-05:00

Burning off the old plastic on the steering wheel. Now a bunch of scraping and painting. I ordered a tan leather steering wheel cover from http://wheelskins.com

Jaguar Project - Cockpit

2009-05-04T12:26:00.002-05:00

Finished the seats. Ready to be installed once the Jaguar is painted and upholstered. Need a new tonneau cover with pockets for the headrests.

Jaguar Project - Cockpit

2009-05-03T11:41:00.001-05:00

Finished drivers side seat and bottom of passenger side. The hardest part was getting the shoulder harness through the back of the seat.

Jaguar Project - Bodywork

2009-04-30T16:25:00.002-05:00

Visited today to drop off some money.
Quite a bit more done, but a lot left to do.

Coat of protective primer to keep from rusting while the rest of the body work is being done.

Front view.

Took a picture of the upholstery. This is the seat, inside out, but opened up.

I took Gizmo along, and got him a new toy, which he destroyed in no time at all. Does he look guilty?

Jaguar Project - Bodywork

2009-04-29T13:37:00.003-05:00

Stripping of old paint down to bare metal has been started.

Hood stripped and primed.

Today I received the seat cover kit. Now all I have to do put them on the seats. I'll take my time, and do the best job possible. They look great, but they are inside out, so I did not take any pictures yet.