Hi All. I have a XK8 but now I am looking to purchase 3.8S Manual Overdrive. It's in nice condition but has had a sub standard re-spray. As a '66 model it has no seat belts. Is it possible to fit seat belt with have to make a major modifications? Also it does not have power steering but has the original large steering wheel. Is it worth putting in an electric power steering or is it better to just develop some parking muscles? It also has an awful clip on wing mirror. What is an elegant solution for a wing mirror?

The wood is in good condition but could do with re-finishing. I am a bit of a wood worker so I think this is something I can tackle myself.

 

The seat belt mounting points are all there back & front. I will try and find the thread for you that covers this.

 

Thanks. I never though I would actually want seat belts but it felt very "naked" sitting in the car without them.

Just took a look at your car. Stunning!

 

yes you can fit 3-point belts in the front and lap belts in the rear seat.
The floor "U" brackets for the fronts are called "Sister Hooks", available from many vendors.
The rear seat has welded bolt knubs below the rear seat Back.

 

There is provision for full shoulder belts even in the rear under the parcel shelf. Those are reflections of lights not wires.

 

 

See post 43 here: Front mounting points are on the B pillars and sides of tunnel where the console narrows and the outer sills.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/m...-241797/page3/

 

I installed them in my 1963 Mk2. I used a Britax retractable type - I think it was used in several BL cars in the 1970s. The only difficulty was fitting the front retracting boxes in the gap between the front seat and the B-post. I cut the corner off the box and set it as far back as possible. It turned out to be a good investment when I had an off road excursion. It was all at very low speed, but the field we went into was a couple of metres below the road ... .

 

Thank you!

 

Glyn, my '65 S type (1964 build) does not have the parcel shelf knubs for 3-point belts. Factory must have started adding them later?

 

Jose ~ Your car is a bit of a freak in many respects and a very early '64 bodied car ~ might even be a late '63 body ~ nevermind when the final car was built. It is not a '65. It even has a sliding roof headlining but no sliding roof and other oddities. My car is in fact a CKD '66 ~ was registered before it was built which is why I call it a '65 (Those things happened here). It has all mounting points & was the 4th '66 car built at CDA, East London and personally inspected by Lyons to see that it met Jaguar standards. Our bodies were built over Browns Lane supplied bucks & far better than those built by Pressed Steel. We started S Type construction in SA in January 1966.

 

yes it could very well have been a '63 body assembled in '64 then shipped to California to be sold as a '65.

California tagged it as a '64. Above the factory numbers plate on the firewall, there is an aluminium tag that reads "J / 64 " But first registration was a Black Plate in Sept. 1965. The plate itself reads '63 on the rear side. In those days, the new plate came with a miniature keychain "plate" with the same plate's number.