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BTW ~ Don't use the part number for the anti roll bar shown above. That is for the E Type. The S Type is wider and I can provide you all the details. S Types always look externally as though they roll a lot but one is not aware of it inside the car.
The S Type is wider and I can provide you all the details. S Types always look externally as though they roll a lot but one is not aware of it inside the car.
S Types can be surprisingly nimble. I took mine to a meet at the Sun Peaks ski resort, north of Kamloops BC one time. It's a winding twisty road to get to the top and I was being followed by a late model XK. I gave him a good run for his money, when we got the top he said that he had to work a lot harder to keep up than he thought it would be. I was surprised considering I was on standard 185 tires, his looked twice as wide!
Of the two cars you gave the links to, the S gave me a much better impression (with all the caveats of judging from photos). Also, unless you hate shifting your own gears, a manual is very much preferable to an automatic of that vintage.
I like wires on an S Type ~ a relatively easy change ~ the only thing that is a bit of a pain is the shimming of the rear hubs. However I would select the one that has had the most work previously done on it that you list above. Especially the IRS rebuild.
Opalescent Gunmetal Grey and Opalescent Silver Grey look stunning with wires.
The Golden Sand metallic car is a US import. Easy to notice by no orange indicator lights & those stupid things that have been added to the front fenders and that dumb mirror is all wrong. All you need is a round clamp on mirror.
John Skinner can provide any untidy upholstery bits you might need. Motor Wheel Service can supply the correct wires hubs & spinners.
Thanks Glyn. I agree that the wire wheels look great but as you mention better to get the best car possible. One has been in a collection for years and has only been driven very occasionally and the other has been touring Europe for the past 10 years and has had a lot of work done to it. I think I am favouring the one with steel wheels and lots of maintenance.
These cars should be used. Cars that stand around deteriorate in many areas e.g. every rubber component. I actually sold my steel wheels for about 40% of the cost of my wires to a chap in Durban that wanted them. They were in good condition. They had the correct chrome trims on them in good condition, and the 4 hubcaps were perfect.
I asked the seller of the Golden Sand car (https://realartonwheels.com/inventor...ar-s-type-3-8/) today about its usage and he told me the owner used it "occasionally". Since it was a collector who is thinning out his collection (reducing by 25 cars!) I doubt he drove the S that often. When I asked for a test drive he said it would take a few weeks and a few things are not working. Does not fill me with confidence.
I see you did your own wood restoration. I am about to send my XK8 wood to British Autowood for a renovation. I am temped to try the wood restoration on the S myself since one of my other hobbies is wood working. I might want to pick your brain if I do attempt it. Seems that gentle and endless sanding is the way to go. I used to have a mahogany boat so I have done quite a few years of sanding and building up lacquer layers.
From what I've read about Jaguar wood restoration, you may be working on the right lines if you intend to keep the old veneer. The newer the model, the more difficult it is to remove the factory finish. Stripping the XK8 wood is likely to be far more difficult than the wood of the S type.
On the S the wood looks ripe for sanding, all the veneer still looks very good. The finish on the XK8 is like a layer of glass, I think it would take for ever to sand through it.
These are the correct chrome wire wheels: 15" X 5" curly hub with 185 X 15 tyres (which are actually 80 profile. MWS can give you latest pricing). They are not an awful price because they make so many of them & they now come with chromed stainless steel spokes. They get expensive the moment you move away from standard.
On the S the wood looks ripe for sanding, all the veneer still looks very good. The finish on the XK8 is like a layer of glass, I think it would take for ever to sand through it.
The XK8 actually has a plastic type finish. They almost look false.
On the S the wood looks ripe for sanding, all the veneer still looks very good. The finish on the XK8 is like a layer of glass, I think it would take for ever to sand through it.
Do not sand, you need to chemically strip the finish. The veneer is extremely thin, it's very easy to sand through it. On the S Types it's a lacquer finish, so soaking in lacquer thinner and covering to prevent evaporation will eventually soften the finish to allow it to be scraped off with a plastic scraper. It's specialist woodworking for sure.
The XK8 is a polyester (not polyurathane) finish, I'm not sure how that could be removed.
