Deleted the side lights!
 

i dont weld anymore, my eyes cant do it! but i soooo wanted to delete teh side markers, so i figured before she gets trailered off to paint i would give it a go and if i screw it up paint shop would just fix it! :)
i ground back side of holes to bare metal and epoxied a metal plate on back side I then took small hammer and a piece of wood and made area a wee bit con-caved so i could build up filler!
its all fiberglass now, no reg bondo! build it up in about 6 layers! then flatted it back then primed, then sanded then spot puttied then sanded, then primed, then sanded! took about 2 hours on each hole! but i love the finished look! will be even better once shes back in her lovely green dress!! :)

Sidelights, wot sidelights?

Glad we didn't have them over here.

You couldn't do that here I don't think.
It's my understanding they're required in California if they came from the factory that way.

However, I may not have correct information, and in that case someone with better information will correct me. :icon_shrug:
(';')

I concur - my Aussie car is delete...so much cleaner. Looks great!

Side marker lights were a *federal* requirement in the USA beginning in 1968.

It's a fair bet, though, that the FBI, NSA, or whoever won't be sending out the men-in-black to track down those who remove 'em. :) And local constables-on-patrol are not likely to notice or care.....unless they are particularly bored and/or pedantic on any given day.

If you live in a state that still has annual safety inspections you might get caught, though ! Nothing that a $20 bill left on the dashboard wouldn't take care of, I reckon :)

Cheers
DD

Looks much better! Nice job.

Personally, though, I *like* side markers. My plan would be to find some attractive ones....something small and flush-fitting.... to install in place of the big ol' clunky ones used by Jaguar.

Cheers
DD

True, any inspector is not likely to have the specs for the car. And, f the work is so neat as to not have any evidence of ever having existed, it will pass. In CA, we have SMNOG, but not the old style "brake and light". We did in Texas, and somehow my critters always passed.


In this day of lots of traffic, lighting is a big thing. Fog is an issue around here, more so on the coast or in the central valley. And there lights mean a lot. And, the greyish cars like my Jeep can be virtually invisible in some light conditions.


Some decades ago, my son acquired a very well beat 73 Ford Ranchero in red and full Squire trim. Fake woodie. One issue was a crunched rear quarter. We got it straight. but the marker was done for. We merely welded ion a patch. Ground smmothand painted. No evidence of it's existence. Asymnetrical now, the other quarter light was working. After it was done, son sold it. to a CHP for his Pa. He never noticed it.


Oh, flat black expanded metal replace the crunched grill insert. Looked better than Dearborn.


Carl

one thing is sure, the car will be slightly more aerodynamic. Those sidelights were an afterthought, they should have been "flushed" on the wings/fenders. Rolls Royce and Bentleys and MG's used the same horrible sidelights.

Make sure you treat inside of fender with a rust proofing to quell any moisture collecting around glass.

added to the list of things to do to my car! :)

all this,and no picture of the original side lights,what are we talking about??

is this what the fuss is about, i like the sidelights along with my RHD , altho notice no door handles and round rear door edges.

I was thinking of this,. The chunky originals I don't like.
Instead, I have decided to do a slimmer, flush mount replacement instead. Something like this, https://www.hella.co.nz/en/products/...-lamp-ece.html

That's a good approach if you're not an experienced welder but welding is the only way to properly do this.

The inexperienced will over heat that area. Since there is a body line right there it will warp and distort badly. Ask me how I know.

You could simplify the procedure and just glass the back. Glassing a 6 inch patch on the back side and body filling the front would suffice for a while.

Any non welded repair will eventually ring and crack because of the different expansion rates of the sub-straits.

The ones used in European Jags and maybe in Australian XJ too, are a lot nicer looking, they are called Repeaters because they also flash with the turn signals.

i recently installed bright amber LED bulbs, look very nice at night when repeating.

much brighter!

odd my car was last OP registered in UK,Kent.

Wish I had replaced the MGB clunker lights with Euro style "repeater" side lights when I did my bare metal respray. Along with the 7 inch headlights would have looked great. I air brushed a photo of the car to see what it would look like if I deleted the lights completely. Maybe next time I paint it.

There is a way to reduce the clunky-ness of the side markers and give a slight improvement in looks....at least on the rear.

Use MGB lenses.

They are much lower profile and fit perfectly

Cheers
DD

Yeah thanks Doug, I have already done that. But you know the problem I have is the sheer mass of these side lights. The Euro ones are considerably more subtle, and I like the idea of the flashers being incorporated into them. Good safety feature for letting the folks who are constantly driving in the blind spot, know I am changing lanes prior to a collision.

I agree, the entire design of the markers is unattractive

Jaguar could've specified something more attractive...as could have many of the other manufacturers of the period. Ferrari, MB, etc had some clunky looking marker lamps during that period as well.

The markers on this Ferrari have a distinct 'tacked on' look

http://www.analogstereo.com/images/o...ri_mondial.jpg

Meanwhile, USA manufacturers had come up with some very attractive side markers. For example, check out the nicely integrated rear marker lamps on this Pontiac


https://ccco.s3.amazonaws.com/vehicl...e7_low_res.jpg

Cheers
DD

Yeah agree. That Ferrari is not very attractive in the first place and to glue on those boxy lights is not helping things. They could have made a round hole about the size of a fifty cent piece and fitted something from the inner side of the wing/fender.

You know these manufactures all seem to be pulling parts from common suppliers rather than manufacturing their own. Saves costs but looks terrible. Why bother? I have owned several Brit cars over the years and a lot of parts were the same whether it was MGs or Triumphs or Austin Healys and I think the same applied to Lotus / Morgans,