Just wondering if there is anyone on here who is in Australia, preferably South Australia who might be wrecking or have parts for a 1988 XJ40 sovereign.

desperately need front outside door handles so I dont have to crawl in through the back door, also after left side mirror.

set of original dress mags would be nice too, I have nice mags with brand new tires but want to go the original slot style wheels.

 

Red,

First a disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the vendor link below other than being a customer myself.

Follow the link and scroll down a bit to see the door handles.

Other Parts

I have replaced the drivers handle three times prior to buying the ones referenced above, and was so impressed with the quality, I replaced all handles without regret.

The problem with the original handles is the fastener used for the assembly, it's a pots metal type "rivet" for all intentional purposes and it wears/stretches over time and finally breaks or is rendered useless. There is also a tension turnbuckle for the handle/latch mechanism that can be adjusted, but sooner or later you run out of adjustment on the linkage.

If you buy used, that's exactly what you have, an unknown. If you shop online with most of the "usual and well known" jag specialty places, you will most likely end up with a cleaned and polished chrome handle, but the fastener was merely replaced with a like fastener....so the story continues.

The vendor above replaces the fasteners with real nuts and bolts and modifies the linkage to eliminate further problems. Further, the price he asks for one of his is usually lower than the well known jag specialty vendors. Another issue I noticed with the refurbished handles from other vendors was the poor quality in the re-chrome, if in fact it was even accomplished. Several of mine would start to have a pitted effect after about a year of exposure and the black matte finish started peeling away.

There is the DIY route. Search for posts on this forum and others for people who have done their own repairs, most have done a modification that included eliminating the original fastener. Jaguarpete comes to mind on the jag-lovers site. You can search by his handle name

I realize you wanted to stay local, but for the handles I thought I throw the suggestion out there for you to consider. There you have it, more that you wanted to know.....

 

thanks again Rob for the info, and his prices (the link) do actually seem very competitive to those I have already sourced and yes the others have looked to be of poor quality.
as with anything, price is always an issue with me, I may drive a Jag but I am by no means a millionaire lol.
I had actually thought about repairing them myself, but as I have yet to remove them, I do know know if I can.
I guessed that like some fords, the little hooked arm that lifts the release rod may break and if that was the case I thought about splinting it together with a plate across the break and bolt either side.... as I said I have not even seen one out of a door yet so I have no idea if this is even possible.
At this time I do believe my wife would kill me if I was to spend that kind of money on door handles..... this is the only reason I have not already replaced them

will keep you and the forum posted of any and all changes and progress

 

Red_101au,

I'm located in country NSW and you'll find a few other "locals" here on the forum. I believe Grant Francis heralds from Adelaide and is very helpful if you have a question.

In regards to suppliers, I'm unaware of any in S.A. but there are three here in Oz (Melbourne) that I can highly recommend and they will post items to you;

Gary @ Jagayre (Jag1) (03) 9562 8288

Phil or Marc @ JagPrestige Jaguar Spare Parts Supplier - Jag Prestige Spares- H/H Prestige Spares - Australia's Largest Independant - Used Land Rover Discovery Spare Parts

and Bryan @ Jagdaim Jaguar Spare Parts Supplier - Jagdaim - Australia's Largest Independant

there is also Preston Paige Classics who list on eBay although I haven't bought anything from them to date.

There are also several overseas parts places but keep in mind that while you will save quite a few $'s on the parts themselves, postage here to Oz can be rather expensive. They are a good source though if you have a big list of parts and can get them all shipped together.

Jagbits New and Used Jaguar Parts for XJ6, XJS, XJ8, XK8, S-TYPE and X-TYPE

Motorcars Ltd Jaguar Parts | Land Rover Parts | Mini Cooper Parts

Xk's Unlimited Jaguar Parts I British Aftermarket Car Catalog Parts I XKS Parts

Rock Auto RockAuto Parts Catalog

and a few others which I'm sure you will come across as you surf the web.

You can also find lots of parts on both eBay and Amazon but just be careful about 2nd hand electrical components as I have found that sometimes people are off loading their broken seconds.

If you need a good source for parts diagrams then you can't go past Jaguar Classic Parts Jaguar XJ6 (2.9, 3.2, 3.6, 4.0) parts | Jaguar Classic Parts AU

Just remember that some overseas sites refer to our model as an xj6 rather than an xj40. Hope this helps to keep your Cat on the road.

 

Thanks Jagfix38,
I am located in rural SA..... up in the Spencer Gulf.

I have been surfing the net quite a bit to compare parts and prices.
Ebay seem to have a lot of parts available, however as you said the postage is usually more than the cost of the item purchased.

I decided to look at the passenger front door handle today as it did not so much feel like it was broken but rather just not engaging.
Sure enough when I took it out it was functioning perfectly, however when I reinstalled it the lever just wasn't lifting high enough.... almost like it was being caught on something.

As it turned out after removing it the second time to check again.... I noticed that under pressure the plate would actually slide across and thus the little plunger thing (cone shaped rubber/plastic thing) that operated the lever was sliding off the edge and not able to push the lever to lift the locking rod. after much debate with myself, I decided to drill the centre and then fit a large washer and self tapper to hold it all firm and stop it twisting. great...... all systems go..... then the unthinkable happened after about the 5th time of opening and closing the door....... the entire section snapped off at the base

Enough for today.... next step will be to place a gutter-bolt or some such through the hole left there and then a spacer to fill in the gap and washer and nut on the other end.... this should work and tide me over til I get new handles.

 

update:
I decided to give it another go this time with the driver's door,
again I removed the handle to find that the washer that holds the rocker lever plate had sheered off and the lever hanging in the door by the linkage rod.
Again I drilled through the centre of the stud the rocker arm attaches to and then threaded the drill hole and screwed in a large head self tapping screw with washer.....
I then assembled the whole thing again and this time 100% success......
The way I look at it, I just saved myself over $150 for replacement that would probably do the same thing.

Today I have reason to smile. This however does not fix the front passenger side handle problem...... for that I will need to use a bolt, spacer, washer and lock nut.
But today I am well pleased with myself, I can now enter my car through the driver's door like normal civilized people. lol

 

Decided to tackle the left side again today
I had it already pictured in my mind how I was going to tackle this one.

As mentioned above, decided to go with a gutter screw from the outside right through to the inside where I would attach the rocker lever.
To get the bolt through, I had to first remove the outside handle part from the housing, pulling the pin and removing it was easy..... was only a little tricky getting the cone style plunger through but I managed it.

On to the repairs, I first had to find something appropriate for the cast spacer that was now snapped off.
I found a scrap piece of metal tubing roughly 15mm diameter and 2mm thick, I cut that to close to the same length as the original cast block.
Placing the bolt through from the outside, I then slipped the tube over it followed by a washer and square nut done up tightly..... next was another washer followed by the rocker arm, another washer and two nuts done up tight to act as a lock nut.

Next I had to make a slight notch in the outer handle wher it meets the casing in the closed position to allow for the head of the bolt. Got out the trusty grinder and using the side of it I slowly ground away just enough of an arch for it to be able to sit flush against the casing.

Then it was just a matter of reassembling the outer handle, putting it back in place along with the spring, I then slide the pin back in and it was done....

I must admit, this looked a work of art, I wish I had taken photos for step by step, but I forgot.
The last thing I had to do put it all back in the door.....

I am so happy I now have all working door handles, and the best part is they didn't cost me a cent and I actually saved probably $400 on new handles (including postage)
and the stress of having the same problem with them

 

Red,

Congratulations on your victory!! Well done.

 

Thanks Rob...
I can pretty much grantee I will not need to fix the front ones again....
I am rather surprised that the originals were not made in a similar way....
they would have been bulletproof lol

 

Red,

I echo Rob's congratulations on a job well done. You're our kind of Jaguar owner!

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks Don...
I figure why pay someone to do something if I can do it myself...
not to mention.... who can afford to pay repairers these days lol

 

Hi Rob , I'm new to this forum as of today and have read your post and i live in Adelaide , i have a 1988 parts car , if you need something and i have it drop me a line and we will see what we can do. Mark

 

I dont believe its a coincidence re door handles and ford running the jag show. Anybody who has owned an eighties ford falcon in australia knows about broken door handles.

 

Black country jag oon ebay (uk) do something: XJ40 Jaguar OE Door Handle Repair KIT 1990 ON SPE1067 | eBay

By the way good idea to get back to origonal wheels but I had issues finding the right size tyre with the right load rating. I ended up getting quite expensive mastercraft 235/60/15 but think I should have gone a 215/70, for a more classical look and probably less chance of rubbing on the front gaurd. . Look at overall diameter (search via google to get a calculator)

 

Good for you Red! No doubt as time goes by many things on our car will become "unavailable" - almost all the 40's in my local wrecking yards were crushed when the price of scrap steel went through the roof a year or so ago.

In a 40 with factory R134A, the A/C condenser is like no other and when I was trying to source a new one last year not a single new unit was available anywhere. Despite being told that a leaking condenser was impossible to repair successfully, I had a go at it and a year later she's still blowing icy cold. Where there's a will there's a way, eh?

Congrats on the fix!

all the best

Larry

 

Hi Mark and welcome to the forums....
you will not find a friendlier and more helpful bunch of people than here.

I am happy to hear you have a parts car as there are several little items I do need...... and if you have them available I would be only too happy acquire them through you than pay the exorbitant prices of the wrecking yards.

regards
Bob (red)

 

That is a fact......
Fords are renown for their flimsy door handles lol

 

Yes I agree about the wheels....
I really did want to keep her original but after reflection and pricing the tires.... I decided I will keep the rims that are on her now.

The tires were priced at almost $300 for original metric.

It would be nice to have a set just to put on for Jag shows etc.... but not for everyday use.

 

Well done Larry on the repair job...
I agree totally, where there is a will there is a way...
sometimes I think mechanics will just say it can't be fixed just to get the extra sale.... and maybe too lazy or lack the knowledge to attempt the repair (no offense to any mechanics out there) lol
I guess we have to expect that things are going to become impossible to replace and will have to start either repairing them our selves or fabricating parts that can't be restored.

still, the fact of owning one of these lovely ladies itself is a blessing...
I believe this classy lady is worth the time and attention and unfortunately yes the costs involved in keeping her prestige

 

I would like to offer a giant thank you to Mark (nightstalker) for supplying me with almost all the parts I needed.

Mark you are a godsend and will never know how much you helped me out.
I will never be able to thank you enough for your kindness.

Mark not only supplied me with the parts I desperately needed, but also supplied them at a bargain basement price to me for which I am very grateful...

I don't like to cry poverty (no one does) but having a car like these and trying to buy parts whilst living on a pension is an almost impossible task...

Mark was not interested in making big money or profit, but would rather see the parts go to someone who will be able to put them to good use and assist in the rebuild of yet another classic lady

Kindness such as this deserves to be recognized and applauded