Hi Everyone,

Today is cold and a little wet in Melbourne and not conducive to going outside, so I have ticked off another item on my to do list with the xj6.

After 30 years the rubberized strap holding my toolbox to the boot wall wasn't holding very well.

So with about an hour and some tools at hand I fashioned a new one.

I sourced the strap from a rubber specialist in Clarke Rubber.

Closest match I could find was 1.5mm x 25mm (1 Inch) Neoprene weather strip for the princely sum of $3.15 / metre (yard)

From my measurements, I needed a width of 20mm or 3/4 Inch to fit in the existing buckles. This was done by carefully trimming about 5mm off one edge of the strip.

The length worked out at 46cm or 18 Inches, but this isn't critical as you can play around with the overlap on each end a little.

I used a small flat bladed screwdriver to carefully pries open the staples at each end and work the old rubber off being careful to not lose the tab sitting under the staple on each end.

I used a 3mm hole punch to create the holes in the new material and basically reassembled the staples, tabs and strap.

The space between the holes was 124mm

The only fiddly bit was the assembly on the boot wall, as I didn't remove the trim and found getting the right angle and pressure to close that staple was tricky, however, I believe it was still easier than removing the trim.

I have uploaded some photos to document this.

An easy fix and hopefully of use to someone else on the forum

Now, if I can only work out why once in a blue moon she won't hot start, I'll be a happy camper

Cheers,

Nigel

 

tool kit rubber strap?

in my 1984 XJ-6 it is made of a fabric material, not rubber. and it can be tightened.

curiously the same fabric strap can be found in my 1965 S type, same material, but used to keep the Jack in place.

 

All thats in my trunk is the jack, is there supposed to be a tool.kit too?? Only one tie down, back there and thats where jack is..

 

Hi Jose,

Mine was a rubberized material on or over a webbed strengthening material which had hardened and was crumbling with age.

It had obviously stretched over time and no longer held the toolbox in without wedging something else between toolbox and wall panel to take up the slack (at least I had somewhere to keep the owners document wallet).

There was no way of adjusting the strap as the buckles were fixed with staples.

The cloth strap on the other side which holds the jack is adjustable, not sure if you are confusing the two?

Then again, from memory, the toolkit was a sometimes available option on US spec'ed cars, so maybe the fastening straps differ in your market?

Cheers,

Nigel

 

it looks like in certain countries, the tool kit was standard, but in the US, the toolkits were sold as an accessory or given to the buyer as a courtesy gift, and that depended on which State the car was first sold.

 

Nigel,

yes, the jack's bag strap is the one I am talking about. There should be two, one on each side of the boot, same fittings, same everything, if your car came with the toolkit standard, unlike in the US, which they didn't, so the only strap was for the jack's bag.

 

Hi Jose & Darren,

All the Series 3 cars I have seen in Australia have had the rubberized strap on the right hand side.

Maybe JRA (Jaguar Rover Australia) who imported them organized to have the straps fitted, as the toolbox was a standard feature

I wonder if they were fitted at Brown's Lane?

Cheers,

Nigel

 

Mine was a fabric strap that let go. Now on my second version of a retaining "thing".

It probably be funny to see pics of how different people have crafted stuff to do the job.

 

Hi Steve,

Fabric as in cloth?

My family had an 83 Sovereign back in the mid 80's and I recall that the toolkit strap was the same rubberized material as in my current 85 VDP.

Similarly, when I had my 85 xjs years ago, it had the same rubberized strap.

In trying to find a replacement strap in the last month or so, I have taken an interest in the material of any xj6 I have come in contact with.

Where the original strap was present, it was / is this same seemingly rubberized material.

The thlot pickens

Cheers,

Nigel

 

I just went and took some photos of the old strap

 

good question Nigel and others...

I think it depended on the destination of the cars, if the toolkit was included or not.

if you are talking about an elastic black rubber strap with two "S" hooks, one hook at each end, we can get those in the US at autoparts stores for a few dollars, they come in many sizes, from very short to very long. They are used in pickup trucks to keep things from moving.

I am not talking about "Bungy Cords", those are different, I am talking about a flat, black rubber, elastic strap with a "S shaped hook on each end, but no adjusting feature like the ones in Nigel's pictures, but which could be used as a replacement.

see picture

 

My car came with a woven cotton strap with a sort of over-center buckle thingy.



I didn't know what it was for, but it just seemed like a good thing to keep the scissor jack restrained.

It isn't the original jack. The car didn't come to me with a jack of any sort! I'm looking for a proper canvas bag to replace this white plastic one.

There was no tool kit and only this one strap, and no indication there ever was a strap on the other side.
(';')

 

LrnB,
you have a Series 2, correct ?? maybe that is why? I sure don't know how the Series 2 was setup.

The jack bags were made of a material called "Hardura", a black thick vinyl bag with cloth strings at one end which eventually rot / dry out and one day break when you tighten them.

I'm sure David at Everyday XJ has a few of those, but I don't know if the jacks are the same from the Series 2 to the 3.

I want to install hydraulic jacks in all 4 corners. MG had them in the 1950's. Why can't a Jaguar? I'm referring to the ones that come down and raise the car by hydraulic or air pressure, like in Formula cars. Press a button and up it goes.

they are perfect when you have a car in storage, you raise it and the tires remain "round", no flat spots from sitting.

The strap in your picture has been used by Jaguar in all cars since the 1950's. The famous "buckled" strap which nobody can figure out.

 

Yes, Jose, as my sig shows, my car is Series 2.
From pictures, I thought the jack bag was originally plastic of some sort. I'm not specifically interested in Originality, more proper function of what remains. That's why I'm looking for a canvas bag for the jack. Although, if it's too thick, the strap may not contain it.

The "buckle" took me about 3 minutes to figure out, it's sort of charming in an anachronistic way.

I LIKE your idea of internal jacks! Maybe next Winter I'll do that. LOLOL
When all this work is finished, and Nix is back on the road, it will take something REALLY serious to make me lay her up again.
(';')

 

The later (1986-up near as I can tell) Series IIIs had a jack bag made of a carpet-like material that matches the boot carpeting. Just thought I throw it out there in case someone was needing a jack bag ....and wanted something other than the black type

Cheers
DD

 

Hi Doug,

I dare say that true to Jaguar ingenuity, as they knew the Series 3 production was coming to an end, there was a shortage of black material to make the bags and a quick look around the factory showed that there was more than enough boot carpet material to make them from instead.

I doubt very much that someone in the office suggested sprucing the boot / trunk area up with something other than black?!

Just my two bobs....

Cheers,

Nigel

 

Jaguar may have made some off-the-cuff changes but I don't think this was one of them. In 1986 Ser III production was not coming to an end. Series III XJ6 production carried on right thru April 1987....and well into 1992 for the V12 version. We're talking about many thousands of Series III cars, not a few end-of-production stragglers.

If I'm correct that the carpet material jack bag came out for 1986 (and I'm fairly certain that I am) then that would mean that guys on the trim guys were robbing the boot carpet department for a full six years...which seems a bit too backwards even for Jaguar . I just don't think this was a case of poor planning and running short of black vinyl material ....and grabbling up some boot carpet to finish off a few cars.

Since 1986 also brought a slew of other small cosmetic refinements such as chrome lock plates, polished sill plates, chrome seat adjuster bars, chrome speaker rings, and wood strips in the doors of even base model cars, it doesn't seem too far fetched that they'd upgrade the jack bag a bit

Cheers
DD

 

I have seen the greyish-tanish carpet bag, but I thought it was only on Vanden Plas models, at least that is where I have seen them. If even the Base models came with it from 1986-on, then it probably was an improvement along with the polished sill plates, which by the way, I have a set of those that I have never installed in my 1984.

 

From the pics, I think mine was the same as yours. It was just so perished I had no sense of it being rubberised and thought it was fabric.

Its been interesting to see all the responses to this very specific bit of detail in these cars. Obviously struck a chord :-)

 

1. An on board hydraulic lift system for an Mg is a simpler task than one for a Jaguar. Twice the heft??? But, not impossible. Air over hydraulic bottle jacks are a available. Space in the cabin at the lift points? But, perhaps elsewhere.


2. My base S3 has a bag for the scissors jack. Each in near pristine condition. The material resembles the oil cloth of old used on table tops and as upholstery.
The operating handle is OK to work the jack. As to the wheel nuts, I doubt it. No tool case on the opposite side. I've seen them offered for sale. A bit pricey.
Elinor, I'd vote for getting jack, handle and bag from David.


Never used the jack on my Jaguar. But, twice in other places. One of he shelves I built at the front of my garage was sagging under all the "stuff" on it ! The jack and a saw horse was perfect to lift it back in place. I screwed on reinforcement and it is now just fine.


Well, my arms and shoulders are not what they once were. The disposer under the kitchen sink pooped out. I had replaced it with ease about 30 years ago!! Twice, the first one was bum.


Got the same brand, so as not to need to redo the part screwed into the sink. Nope, can't support and twist into place at the same time any more. Hello, Jaguar scissor jack. Done. Deja vu. bum unit. Warranty got me another. Offer to install clumsy, so I did it again. So far so good.


Side bar: Elinor's suggestion of 3M tape worked. TC relay taped and marked with Write out. White on blue looks decent. Relay rack revised and partly remounted. The hard way, as is my way, it seems.


Carl