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Would like to see maybe some hood vents, fender vents, door handle swaps, etc. Heck even some custom interior things. Wanting to make some subtle changes to my 82.
A nice wood steering wheel, like a Nardi really changes the look of the interior, getting rid of the dowdy giant stock wheel. Vents in the hood and fenders though, I don't think they'd help an XJ look much better unless a ton of other custom work was done that matched the look. These are really pretty cars, looking like little else on the road, and a few subtle touches works, just avoid the chrome plated diamond cut style ghetto wheels!
Yeah, a few years ago, I saw a very nice XJ6 up on "wagon wheels".
It was for sale. I resisted temptation. Sell the wheels, get some real ones and enjoy a nice car. Whoah, I had nice XJ, although it wuzza six!!! I was driving it.
Alynmurray inserted some really nice louvres in his XJwuzza six. Check the archives.
In olden days, "customizers" removed door handles, trunk/boot handles and used GM starter solenoids to "pull" the latches. Hidden button or extra ignition switch out side to activate. "aw s...., the battery went dead, I'm s...."!!!!
But, our cars have most of the hardware in place. Extend the door lock wires to an external source.
Solution to the Aw s... issue: Just add a hidden jump post. Pop the locks with a jump box!!!
The out board lamp bezels have a mesh implying a vent. No pipes any more They are vestigial. Blank 'em out in metal painted flat black or even body color???
No radical stuff, please. Unless one has a real eye for design, the results are likely to be weird. The Italian that restyled these cars is a real pro. Most amateurs can't improve his work.
Joke: My daughter has what she terms her, "space ship". Indeed, the 2001 VW Passat 4wd has a lot of gadgetry. Dad, the battery in my car died". How do I open the doors? Luckily, it was in my driveway!!
"Use your key!' "I don't have a key, just this little fob"!!! "It has a key folded in". "WOW, that's good to know'.
They look pretty aggressive with no front bumper, i wouldn't be opposed to deleting it if i could find a way to clean it up, maybe overriders where the hood hinges are, something like.that..
Bumpers, yeah. I think I read here somewhere that a company is offering series 1 bumper kits to get rid of the huge 5 MPH ones, the car does look good with bumpers, just not huge ones. Now if you're really good with bodywork, a little work in removing them and blending out the the mounting and clearance areas for the bumpers will really make an aggressive look, especially with a lower suspension and vintage design racing styled wheels. Honestly to Me, a better investment would be a manual transmission conversion though, really take advantage of what the engine can do when it's not losing so much power pushing through that antique automatic! Better breathing exhaust to give that big six some sound and maybe some better sway bars to flatten it out in turns. XJ's are such good looking cars as it is, just a few more conservative mods to sharpen them up is really all they need, anything else may just ruin the look.
XJ's are such good looking cars as it is, just a few more conservative mods to sharpen them up is really all they need, anything else may just ruin the look.
That's really the key: keep it conservative, IMHO
Of course anyone can do as they please, and I respect that notion, but it isn't a muscle car, it isn't a street rod, it isn't a super-flash exotic supercar.
That's the subtle stuff I was talking about. I love the lines and look of the XJ's. Painting the black door handle surround body color is a great cost effective change for me. I love my Kents but would love to polish them. I'm going to try 70 Camaro split bumpers on the front and a 67-68 Camaro rear bumper. I went with a fuel cell in the trunk so I'm going to cut off both flanges on the quarter panels and butt weld the lower gas tank covers to the body. So no more two piece quarters. The fuel tanks are already gone. I'm also going to build a fill tube with muffler pipe for the cell so I can use one of the factory gas caps. I may do a T and utilize both. It's not like I'm going to be taking it on a vacation to load it with suit cases anyway. This is going to be a toy
They look pretty aggressive with no front bumper, i wouldn't be opposed to deleting it if i could find a way to clean it up, maybe overriders where the hood hinges are, something like.that..
Too much stuff on front of car and the risk of a lot of damage from a minor collision without front bumper,... is always present. My 2 cents.
Bonnet (because of hinge location) if involved in a minor collision... will probably never close/open smoothly again after that event.
A heavy collision could drive the bonnet back through the windscreen,,...... "protection" that's why they are on the car in the first place. Nothing like being decapitated by the rear edge of the bonnet as it crashes through the front glass after a heavy collision (if the impact does not outright kill you first) ,...the bonnet rear edge, acting as a guillotine,..most likely will.
Last edited by alynmurray; 09-12-2016 at 09:04 AM.
in my 1984, I eliminated the useless "leaper emblem" located in the center console panel between the defrost and map light switches and installed a Jaguar E-Type revolving-door style ash tray instead. Great for loose change, etc.
The purpose was to eliminate the two ashtrays on each side of the Shifter tower, which I think they are useless. But I haven't taken the console panel off to get it laminated by Saul at British Autowood.
Then I adapted the chromed metal knobs from the 1963-1968 Jaguar S type to the Dimmer and Cig Lighter. THe knobs are identical, except that the XJ-6 knobs are black plastic, and the S type knobs are chromed brass.
Renocat. The XJK engine is an inigma and not all that big at 258 CI, I think. A Chevy truck six at 292 or a Ford truck at an even 300 CI make it look small.
Yup, the DOHC head makes it more technicaly interesting. But, why?
Look good and sell cars, I think. It is a long stroke engine, not particularly prone to high RPM, the domain of the superior breathing of the DOHC!!!
But, no ?, the enigmatic things are intriguing and will run quite well.
There is a way to get more out of them. Dig up an ancient Jaguar "rock crusher" four speed. Early on hot rodders used them to supplant the weak ***** Ford three on the floor boxes.
The exhaust manifolds are quite good. Two outlets just ask for pipes all the way back as a true dual system.
The BW 66 is ancient, but descended from others used in a lot of USA cars. Trouble is it sorely misses fourth gear. A serious fault. Even GM's big heavy 4 speed Hydromatic performed better. BW probably beat out GM for a couple of reasons. !. The GM Hydromatic factory burned to the ground. Cadillacs used Dynaflows??? And, of course, $'s.
Only my opinions, no more, no less.
Jose:
Those fascia changes are neat. My ash trays serve as change receptacles. I gave up smoking in 78!!! Quarters in one, still handy
for parking meters, need lots of 'em nowadays. One of the reasons, I seldom shop down town.... The other for lessor coinage. From time to time I dump them into a jar. It takes a bit, but when full or close to it, I take them to the change machine at Safeway. For a small percentage take, it will produce a voucher that the check out clerks will pay in cash.
But, much less nowadays, debit card for most stuff.
My list of current mods are all pretty subtle, you would have to know what you were looking for to find them.
7 inch headlights.
Side markers deleted.
Vdp dash
Stainless sill plates.
Rear reading lights.
Velour seats in place of the leather.
Later model door cards with the wood fillets.
European exhaust with no cats.
Poly steering bushings.
And then theres the stuff the po did.
Lsd.
Head and intake port matched.
Dont know how much of a difference it all makes, but shes fun to drive 7 inch lights
No side markers looks really nice ...wish I would have deleted mine when I did the body / paint work. However I would have added a small directional flasher on the wing/fender about in the middle of the space between the back of the front wheel opening and the leading edge of the front door openings. Midway up.
As for modifying the 6 cylinder for more power . It's a puny 1948 engine that requires cubic money to modify it, so that it will move the 4000 lb slug any faster. Best to have a plan to increase cubic inches instead. Torque is what counts.. Lots of it. After all its a 2.88 diff ratio and winding it up will take awhile. Or change the ratio to 3.54 etc. But then there is no O/D and it will be noisy at highway speeds.
I like 1650 RPM and 75 MPH - can enjoy the stereo while cruising the interstate. IMHO
Several years ago I purchased a car with extremely nice black (warm charcoal) seats.. It was special order on the 87 XJ6... They were so nice, I decided to keep them for my next XJ project. A few months of storage, and a guy emailed and was looking for really nice seats. The reality had set in that I may not have a place for them for a long while, and he talked on and on about how excited he was for this car, and how nice it would be. Reluctantly I gave in and decided to sell them.
When he came to pick the seats up, he went into a lot of detail about his car.. The things he would change on it and what it would look like. As we were loading the seats, He told me he had plans to either dye or replace every other pleat with red material, and also change the piping to red... I almost threw up in my mouth... I was so sick to hear he was going to take this georgous interrior and change it into.......something else....
I get a lot of cars with owner's changes.. some good, some really bad.
I also agree with keeping it simple, and using Jaguar parts...
Cheers!
David
David:
Yeah, change for the sake of change alone is more likely to be a mess than better. I think designers, of which I am not one, think of a theme, then the detail to accomplish that. Ugh, prime stuff on the way to ruin.
Or perhaps, merely a "night mare" and the seats repose unmolested in a garage....
Remember way back, you sold a 4.2 to a guy that scratch built a "woodie". That guy had an eye for design and the skill to execute it.
The barrel stave like construction of the cowl was impressive.
Alyn:
I might be wrong, been there, oh so many times, but as to displacement, I suspect the 4.2 is at a maximum. The boresare already so close together that the gasket surface is limited there, hence blown head gasket issue, already there, more!!!
And, the stroke? Pretty long already. Room in the block for more "swing" ? Are piston speeds already pushing the life of the bores and rings???
As implied, the 48 design has "maxed" out. Kinda like Henry Ford's 221 CI V8. Pushed by hot rodders to 304 CI. Bored and stroked. Ran like the very devil, but with issues, including over heat. Thin cylinder walls!!! Only some blocks were cast true enough to take the over bore.
Torque is king!!! Why did the Fabulous Hudson Hornets of the 50's best the 331 V8's ". Flat heads, only 300+ CI ? Tons of torque.
True the step down body of the Hudson had something to do with it.
And the skill of the Flock bros.
09-10-2016, 08:48 PM
