Hello to all the members, wishing you a happy holiday season.
It has been a while since I have posted anything.
I did get my Jag 420 running, however it needs tuning, which opens up many more items to repair before I can get back to the engine. Vacuum reservoir for example!
I can post those things in a different post.

My question to the forum is about finding shocks that are universal fit for the Jag. It is purely a question of cost and what will work. British cars parts are very expensive, and some common American car parts are relatively inexpensive. Like for the Mustang 2 shocks for $74 CA. Versus Woodhead for $ 228 CA per pair. And then I find Woodhead for the XJ6 priced competitively at $122 CA a pair. The Spax shocks are $406 CA per pair.
Any suggestions ?
Thanks
Jimmy

$160 US; $228 CA and these are one of the lesser pricy options!



A pair at this price $74 ca


This is well priced, but it is for the XJ6, will that fit the 420?


$406 CA per pair

 

I would buy the Woodhead for $160. They must be designed for the weight of the front clip and the correct mounting points.
The price seems reasonable, but try to get the part numbers for the Woodhead shocks and search for a lower price if you must.

 

Let's face it, good shocks are expensive. the PO of my Mark 1 installed Monroe shocks all around the car and it went down the road like a .... kid's bounce castle ! Not to mention what it felt like in a good tight corner - actually scared me the first couple times! So - while you can find something cheap that will physically fit the 420 - you may well find that the set up is no good for the 420 , and thus you've wasted the time and money installing them. Not to start an argument, but I have heard that the Woodheads are now made in India and not up to the original standards. Again, this is just what I've "heard", I have no first hand experience with them.
What I ended up doing was going with the GAZ adjustable schocks - and I'm glad I did ! I was able to "dial in" the right settings for my Mark 1 and my driving style. Big difference in the car's behavior. For a 420 I believe you would need the (F) GT6-2095 and (R) GS6-2096. Common suppliers list a price of $150 and $170 for the 2 sets. Please double-check that these are the right ones for a 420 Saloon ! You may be able to find them cheaper somewhere - as the common suppliers often have a healthy profit margin built into their prices .
Good Luck,
Schmitty

 

Don't forget that the reas shocks on a 420, (which has the independent rear suspension), must have the land on the lower part of the unit to accept the lower spring seat. So you can't just buy any old shock. On my XJ6 Series 3, with the same rear suspension, I think I got through two sets of cheap shocks before finally seeing sense and buying decent ones, but it's too long ago to remember what make they were. However the reputable Jaguar spares suppliers do supply good and very good ones. Looking at Martin Robey here in the UK they offer SPAX for GAZ,
https://www.martinrobey.com/jaguar/c...spension/21510
The SPAX are £82 each so you need four which makes the price a rather eye-watering £328. Or you can buy the GAZ units at £93 each. Both these units are by reputable manufacturers. Monroe units seem to be about half this price, but one has to ask how they can do this ?

 

I have found in the past it is nice to have adjustable shocks all round but....
I have not done this with my S Type (stock shocks all-round) but on my Lotus seven I had adjustable shocks that I could adjust for bounce, recoil and height adjustment with different spring poundage's I could interchange but once I had set them up correctly I never touched them again. So in my view it is best to let the experts do the setting up by buying the right shocks for your make and model from the get go. Put them on the car and accept that that is the way the car was designed to run. How many times are you going to climb under the back of your 420 to adjust all four shocks time after time to get what you think is the correct settings. Bit like having multiway electric adjusting seats with four different memory settings in a modern car when you are the only person that drives it.

 

Hello again,
As usual, your experience and advise is invaluable!
I will hunt down shocks that have the OEM specifications. I agree that I am looking for shocks that will give me the ride that the car was designed for in 1966.
However if there have been improvements over the years, hopefully I will find those ones.
Currency exchange is hitting the Canadian dollar hard, and transport from Europe to Canada is costly. So I have to be a wise thrifty shopper, its in my blood to do so!

I am currently working in the Left hand wheel well replacing rusted out crossmember brace for the fender and bumper. I am also making some of my own metal parts to weld on the front cross member, which has rusted away on the LH side. I purchased and picked up today from my Moss local distributor front lower and upper ball joints, A-frame and sway bar bushings, all new parts. And I got new (old stock) front discs . I have my work cut out for a little while, or longer. I will get to those shocks , and likely springs in due course.

Keep the advise coming.
Thanks
Jimmy

 

Motor factors list rear shocks for series XJ from £25 to a few hundred. They probably fit an S type or 420. The most expensive will generally function better, last longer, may be repairable, and could work out best value in the long term. And they still cost less than the OE dampers on some modern cars. If you drive the car frequently or hard, it needs good dampers. If it's only rare, very gentle use, maybe the cheapest are OK.