One last thing...I know...a bit "bling" but they came with the new center caps, so, on they went. Growler valve stem caps. Getting too ghetto (I still have the OEM mudflaps to go on...)?

 

(threadjacking my own thread...lol)
Been busy with selling my PA home...gone now as of 2/23. Elite's sitting in NC, Europa is in MA, and arranging for the transport of the Europa down to NC, and the Elite to my new multi-car garage in SC. Deal's already been handshaken on...just have to move the motors around the eastern seaboard. And RD has been warned...lol.

 

Those are two tasty motors there, sir. Nice wheels, too.

Real pleased with the work that the shop did. She rides even nicer now that all the rims are actually round and shoes balanced properly. Took her out this morning when the roads were lightly occupied...motorway/interstate and what you call "B" roads. Up to 3 digits on the motorway (how effortless is this V8...little difference than at legal limit, just the scenery passes quicker) and the twisties back. Pleased with the quietness and grip of the Kumhos. Don't discount them. Sweeeeeeet.

Now, to just source a replacement wheel stud (one snapped off while they were torquing the new nuts on. Must have, in the distant past, had some tire shop jockey use an air wrench (grrrrrrrr....). to mount the wheel and over-torqued it. if tight is good, tighter is better, right? Had a Cessna in on its first annual in my shop...went to pull out the spark plugs (they're supposed to be torqued to 35 lbs/ft))...someone must have used a 3' breaker to tighten...and 3 of the 8 backed out with the helicoils still attached to the plug...grrrr again...)

 

Next job for me is putting the larger 355mm front discs and calipers on the front
I was able to purchase the calipers and discs on EB and ive refurbed them, new pistons and seals

 

Hope your move all goes as smoothly as possible so you can start enjoying the Elite. I've been enjoying driving my Excel the last two fine spring weekends. Old Lotus are radically different driving experience from the Jaguars, both enjoyable, but in much different ways. "Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor." - The Task, William Cowper, 1785.

 

Actually, I think that they're pretty cool. I have a set sitting on the shelf, in my basement. I took them off our XJ-L before I sold it.....

 

Indeed. The Europa is more like a go-cart with a body surrounding you; the Jag is more of a magic carpet. I remember my previous Elite was a swift, sure highway cruiser...that shooting brake design got the looks at the stoplights, for sure (especially in the Bronx, which is where I lived at the time...).

 

1. Having the wheels trued adds a lot of confidence and smooths the subtle motions of the car a LOT. I know, like 'duh'.
2. Road force balancing (see #1) kicks it up a notch.
3. Replacing the rear brake disks, pads, a rear hub (Jag here in the US will NOT sell just the stud. They claim liability issues. So, a new hub is around 200. USD. Part of the price of admission.) and the rear lower links firms up the rear. But, it did need re-alignment. The mechanic got it close by adjusting the new ones to match the length of the old ones, but it was still off. The back of the car wanted to drift/tramline. See #4.
4, 4 wheel alignment is just the ticket. Steering wheel was canted just a touch to the right. Rear wheels, with the new lower links were toe out. Thrust line was off a couple degrees. All brought back into spec on a laser alignment rack. Wrench let me stay in the area (kept my mouth shut and hands in the pocket...) and watch. Plug in the year, make, model, engine...bar graphs come up...clamber underneath...move adjustments around till the arrows point to the center of the green...took longer to hang the targets on the wheels, center the car on the rack than it did to swing everything into alignment. Car now tracks straight, tiller is centered, and car turns in nicely and returns to straight with ease...and no wander/tramline due to the toe-out in the rear. And he cut me a break on the alignment since he said I had him refinish the rims.

(but hit a sharp, but not deep, lip across the road...and the DSC unavailable/restricted performance tattletale came on. Damn. Rebooted the car...everything seems ok. Will have the shop put on the lift real quick to make sure all the sensor leads are attached properly...if it is not one thing, it's another...and did get a chance to check rear subframe with spotlight and mirror to get around all the gubbins...little surface rust, that's all. IIRC, both of my XJs had a bit of corrosion and my old mechanic Ross (RIP) didn't think was a problem...but then our yearly inspection on this side is a lot less rigorous than the MOT in the home country.)