Hi Craig sorry for the delay getting back to you. When I got the car it had been garaged for over 20years so the seats were dry and brittle so I spent months soaking them in baby oil and then I cleaned them with a strong detergent and took the surface off with a scotch pad - I refinished the colour with bradleys flexible dye - its like a plastic paint so its very flexible and wont crack of come off - its great stuff for retouching seats in their original colour. Kish car trimmer sunderland has the stuff in stock and will help you with the colour.

 

Just a quick update for anyone interested.
S Type is progressing slowly but very sucessfully.
Back axel is now completed and back in the car - all brake pads discs caliper pistons brake pipes Vee blocks and bushes replaced. Diff checked and sorted with new seals. Bell stainless exhaust didnt fit !! so that needs cutting and welding. New floats valves and seats just arrived so they will be going in tomorrow. Fuel tanks cleaned and back in. New RHS fuel pump fitted LHS refurb kit fitted. New filters in tanks and new filter in glass bowl. New hoses fitted.
Refurbed brake master cylinder not good enough with new seals so new one ordered. Servo refurb kit ordered - All woodwork refinished and looking great - centre console has come out looking fantastic. should get it ready for paint in a week or so. (if I can get the exhaust to fit eh!!) and then its fitting trim time - door rubbers and furflex are lots of fun to fit.
Just made a new boot light with an LED unit fitted with a mercury switch.

 

How difficult is it to replace the seals on the back axel? Is this something you had done, or is it a DIY project?

 

Its quite easy but you need to take the axel out of the car. Just remove drive shafts and prop, brake lines and handbrake. You really need a 2 post lift so you can remove all bolts and then lift the car leaving the back axel on the ground.
While its out of the car you can sort rear calipers replace discs/pads handbrake pads
You can get at all the parts and drain and refil diff oil.
Check all suspension bushes,bumpers and the V mounting blocks. Parts are cheap and worth replacing. You will need to bleed brakes when you refit brake pipes also need to adjust handbrake. I replaced diff cover gasket as well. Remember to safety wire all bolt heads where required. Torque all drive shaft bolts and re-torque after driving - the workshop manual will advise on this. Please refer to the workshop manual for all safety information as this work will involve interfering with the braking system and a full brake efficiency test should be carried out when the rebuild is completed - your local MOT station should do this for you for about £20. Sorry if I have missed anything here as I'm just an enthusiast and not a qualified motor engineer. If you are not certain about doing this work yourself then get professional help.

 

Just another quick comment
When I bled brakes , I was only getting half a pedal so the new seals fitted to the master cylinder didnt do the job so a new master cylinder now fitted. Just waiting for a refurb kit for the servo - might as well do a proper job eh!!! You cant cut corners with brakes.

 

Hi Dave,


I'm refurbishing a 1965 3.8 auto S type, (in the U.K., Essex), although not as far down the line as you. What is the condition of your chrome work? My front and rear indicators are okay, but the bases are all a bit "pitted", and I'm wondering if its possible to get them re-chromed. The front fog lights have cleaned up a treat, but the sidelights are a bit dodgy.
Is your car an auto? If yes, beware of the inhibitor switch attached to the steering column-I had trouble with the starter circuit, but it turned out to be the inhibitor switch out of alignment.


Richard Hinds

 

Hi Richard
My chrome surrounds are a bit pitted but you can look at it 2 ways
Patina or concours - If you are down to sorting chrome then the rest of the car must be good. There are chrome platers around if you need to go that way - they are not too expensive and you get an "as new" look to the car.
I'm still at the - "get it all working" stage
I have had quite a bit of work to the rear axel - new brake discs pads handbrake pads etc and also new front brakes ball joints etc etc
petrol tanks needed chemically cleaning and some repair.
I have had the steering column out to re-set the horn slip rings so I know all about the inhibit switch - It would only start in reverse at one point!! Still got a leak to sort on the vacuum system - reserve tank corroded - new hoses and check valve - so still plenty to do.
Electrics have been a bit of a nightmare with a "restorer" fitting the battery the wrong way so lots not working and my fogs still dont work yet. - I will sort them shortly
I'm now prepping the car for MOT - repairing seatbelts etc.
I have indicators - all headlights + sides wipers washers horn - so she should go through a test - when I put seats in eh!
hope you get on OK with yours - keep in touch

 

Hi Dave,


Thanks for the reply. I bought my car in Feb this year, as a running example, with an M.O.T. It appears to have had a lot of attention lavished on it, including a re-spray along the lower sides. Unfortunately the colour match is dreadful, and rot has now appeared in the sills. As I factored a re-spray into the price, I've stripped as much off the car as I can, and it is now away at the spray shop, to have new sills, and to be painted the same colour all over.


The brakes, engine etc all appeared fine on the 100 mile journey home, but I'd only had the car for 3 days when my wife had a stroke, and everything was put on hold until recently.


When I had the rear of the car up on ramps (removing the bumper etc) I noticed there is an oil leak from around the diff., so I think I'll have to drop the rear suspension when the car comes back from the paint-shop.


I'll keep you informed of progress!


It sounds as though, between us, we've completely dis-assembled an S type, so should be able to answer most questions any forum member might have!

 

Is the spray shop familiar with a classic Jag, if there is rot in the cills, there may well be more lurking, make sure that all rust is investigated properly, otherwise you will have wasted the cost of the respray within a couple of years and it will need doing again.

Any untreated rust will also have got worse and will be more costly to repair.

The rust beast hides in many places on these cars, I can tell you that by first hand experience, I have nearly managed to get rid of every piece of the rotten pest after 12 months of cutting, grinding, removing old underseal, and welding in new metal.

The old underseal can cover up so many hidden problems, the lavished care may have just been covering up, so make sure that you check very carefully before the respray is started, and good luck with the project.

 

yes there are lots of members that can help with just about any problem.
I have had lots of good advice aver the last few months.
It also helps for finding parts.
I'm still buying parts and as I progress I'm replacing more than I originally thought.
All in a good cause though.

 

I have used but good or rebuildable S type parts from a 1964 and a 1965, so if anyone needs a part, contact me by p.m. to see if I have it.