| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Restoring a Jaguar MkII (by Craig Brown <cmb@research.canon.oz.au>) "Then there are saloons, the roundish ones with 3.4 on the deck or 3.8 or later 4.2, broad expanses of burled walnut facing the driver and passenger who rest on leather cushions (always glazed in our imagination, reticulated with the crevices of years of folding in the crisp red leather, as innumerable bottoms slid and slithered across the shiny surface while the driver explored the limits of roadholding provided by that same multi-link, beautifully articulated suspension when covered with an understated, solid and serene four-door saloon body). As our family grows, we could use the quiet and access of an early Sixties Jag saloon, a little piece of practicality amid the inconspicuous consumption of the Mk. II or whatever we find to ferry our brood." (Scott Fisher I fischer@avistar.com) "A Jaguar can be made "perfect" if enough money is spent, but that will be transient. I have just finished combing my hair while looking at my reflection in the sump of an XK140 which recently won 2nd place concourse from the Adelaide (classic car thingy). This car had $60,000 spent on it after an initial purchase price of $55,000. Expensive job this "perfect" condition. Powered by cheque-book, was a phrase I heard while standing under it while the car was on a hoist :-) If you replace "perfect" with as-new, then ok, no problem. " (Scott Fisher II scott@psy.uwa.edu.au) Now, as for restoring it, there are a number of things to consider. There are three parts to the restoration; the body, mechanicals, and the interior. If you are not interested in the mechanicals, it is worth getting a car that is already restored. Before you start any job, make sure you have the money to finish it. This is the biggest problem with car restorers, as their cars always end up in bits and never get finished. Firstly, the mechanicals. This is the job that can be done in bits. It can also be done by you, so is rather cheap. I can also see that you need a reliable car, so this is definately the place to start. Organise a plan of attack, ie motor then suspension etc etc. Work on each job completely before starting the next and always put aside heaps of time. If you rush things, you end up with a unreliable mess. I have lots of experience with this, as I own lots of unreliable messes! You should spend a lot of time looking at the electricals, which really anyone can do, as these get unreliable when the car gets old. Next is the body and interior. You can do either one first, it just depends of what you are interested in. If the car is extremely bad in places though, the body may need attention that requires pulling out windscreens of doors, and the interior could be damaged. Also, if the motor needs pulling out, it is worth painting the engine bay at that time. With the paintwork, if you want a top notch job, get someone else to do it. This will be your hardest task! Finding the correct person is impossible. Plan to be without the car for at least 2 months. If you get the incorrect panel beater, you will not get the car back in any rush, and you will not be happy with the job. As for doing it yourself, it is really not worth it. If you have done panel beating before, or would like to try, mail back and I'll quickly talk you out of it. To go looking for a panel beater, get one that gives a Dulux guarantee. Check that it is one that is Australia wide, so if anything goes wrong with the paint you can get it fixed anywhere in Australia. I strongly suggest you leave the car at a place I was recommended in Sydney. This place has the three things you need. They are fast, very good, and rather cheap! One bit left, the interior. Also what you need is a top notch job. I usually do a lot of this myself. The seats I get sewed together, but most of the rest I will do. I usually find that if you spend the time, you will be very happy with the result. As for completely disassembling the car at any stage, or dipping the body, I think that these are not for most. They do have their advantages, but they will mean that you will be without the car for a long time. Also, the advantages are rather small. All you have to look out for is a car with little rust. You said that you need a car you can drive whilst restoring it, and a car in thousands of pieces is not the solution. "But then, we know all that. If we won the lottery, we'd buy a pre-1967 XK-E roadster, bright red, bright enough to make Alfa owners go home and drown their sorrows in denominazione di origine controllata e garantita as the sound of six thumping cylinders roared across the echo chambers of the Santa Cruz mountains, shaking the acorns from the quercus agrifolia and the needles from the sequoia sempervirens, rustling the dew from innumerable lilies as the cams opened and closed in their aluminum womb beneath the long speedbumped bonnet straddled by ventilating louvers. The slim red taillights would wink late braking under the elms, the wishbones would play their camber game and keep the tires planted as torque pushed the slip angles to new and exciting heights. We'd have a car in which we could outdrag a jacked-up Camaro, out-corner a blacked-out 911, and spit pieces of halfshaft up through the floor of the passenger compartment, all in the same historic day." (Scott Fisher) /\ Lawrence "Life's too short to drive slow ugly cars" Buja Back to Saloon Lovers |
                           
| ||
 |
Improve your Jag-lovers experience with the Mozilla FireFox Browser!
  View the latest posts from our Forums via an RSS Feed!
 ©Jag-loversTM Ltd / JagWEBTM 1993 - 2024 All rights reserved. Jag-lovers is supported by JagWEBTM For Terms of Use and General Rules see our Disclaimer Use of the Jag-lovers logo or trademark name on sites other than Jag-lovers itself in a manner implying endorsement of commercial activities whatsoever is prohibited. Sections of this Web Site may publish members and visitors comments, opinion and photographs/images - Jag-lovers Ltd does not assume or have any responsibility or any liability for members comments or opinions, nor does it claim ownership or copyright of any material that belongs to the original poster including images. The word 'Jaguar' and the leaping cat device, whether used separately or in combination, are registered trademarks and are the property of Jaguar Cars, England. Some images may also be © Jaguar Cars. Mirroring or downloading of this site or the publication of material or any extracts therefrom in original or altered form from these pages onto other sites (including reproduction by any other Jaguar enthusiast sites) without express permission violates Jag-lovers Ltd copyright and is prohibited |
|
