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Do not sit on top of your door! You do not want to stress the hinges any more than they already are by the weight of the door....
Thanks for looking, but don't be a killjoy. I am sitting on the bulkhead behind the door. Remember one difference between the coupe and the convertible is that area is actually reinforced to retain body stiffness.
Last edited by Scott Pope; Aug 5, 2019 at 08:48 AM.
Got to hope the guitar playing is better than the parking - just look at that kerb rash........
...... and don't get me started about posting photos of Jaguars with dirty wheels.
Graham
The kerb rash was already there when I purchased the car. The previous owner must have bumped something really bad; see my thread on my alignment issues that I am having to sort out. And just like Tom Sawyer and the fence whitewashing, you are more than welcome to come over and clean my wheels anytime. And yes, I play damn well, including everything from garage bands to national public television specials and playing in Japan, Mexico, and so on over the last 44 years.
Shine on you crazy diamond, have a cigar, maybe some sweet leaf.
She's a real beauty ride even with a little curb rash. Note to self; only
take pictures of the drivers side. The previous owner also had a little
problem with depth perception and the width of the car.
Shine on you crazy diamond, have a cigar, maybe some sweet leaf.
She's a real beauty ride even with a little curb rash. Note to self; only
take pictures of the drivers side. The previous owner also had a little
problem with depth perception and the width of the car.
Tom
Tom, thanks. You are right. I have a couple of other niggles I have to fix, including the bumper overrider and some other mechanicals that are typical of any car with 116,000 miles. That's why I got it last year so cheap: $8500.00. This is my third Jaguar. I owned 1967 E-type convertible 1E13203 until the divorce judge gave it away, and a 1986 XJ6 for many years until I needed a front wheel drive car for the bad winter weather. So fixing up these little details from previous owners is nothing new. For example, on the E-type, I pulled the cylinder head to de-carbonize it after it was sugar vandalized, tuned the spoke wheels, rebuilt the three SU carburetors and had the kit to balance them until I could stand a nickel up edgewise on the cylinder head at idle. It was built "in the afternoon," as it had a RHD bonnet and headlights instead of LHD; I never got around to switching out the headlights.
My XJ6 was also built "in the afternoon": its quirk was that the rear window switches were reversed so pushing the passenger side switch raised and lowered the driver's side rear window and vice versa. It had also been neglected and I had to have a new non-return valve to the gas tanks fitted, when one day the gauge showed empty on one side, but gasoline was coming out of the other side filler cap.
Why do I say "afternoon"? - I got to go to the Browns Lane factory in 1989 on a personal vacation. After looking at all the classic cars in their "showroom," (including XJ13) I went to the factory pub for lunch and saw everyone from the chairman to the broom pusher have a pint with lunch. Ah, the good ole' days!
This XK8 has amazingly few niggles for what it is. After sorting out all the neglected maintenance over the last 15 months I have owned it, it runs very well, indeed. The reason I have not sorted out the road rash on the rim yet is because the previous owner really did a number on it: the wheel is slightly out of round, and I will be needing something done to the front right suspension, as set forth in my thread, it doesn't exactly align properly. But it is at least set for the moment that it doesn't pull. The other quirk is that it was so seldom driven properly that the contacts on the brake switch unit did not want to make contact, and I would occasionally get the warning lights about that, until I had driven it enough that the contacts cleaned themselves. But if they do corrode up again, I have a new brake switch unit waiting patiently for installation.
When I go to Mexico next February with my band I will leave it with my personal mechanic to sort out the rim and alignment. We do have a shop near where I live that specializes in straightening alloy wheels and can send it out.
In the meantime, here is another picture of my son and I at the Jaguar warehouse in 2012 when my Mom and Stepfather got married in London, and we had a day to go to the "Jaguar Trust" when it was open. XJ13 was not on the floor, and I asked about it, said I had seen it in 1989, and wanted to show it to my son, and that I owned E-Type 1E13203. They called for the retired chairman's personal limousine and chaffered us to the warehouse, and we got to spend all afternoon browsing the rest of the cars, including C-Types, D-Types, the 1986 LeMans winner, several other historical vehicles, the Austin Powers XK8 Union Jack convertible, a Swallow Sidecar, an XK220, and many others. Due to the security of everything, they told me I could take all the pictures I wanted of the automobiles, but not the outside of the warehouse (unmarked) nor the roads going to and from the Jaguar Trust location on Browns Lane to the Warehouse! So, yes, I am one of the mere mortals who have gotten to see and touch XJ13 not once, but twice!
Last edited by Scott Pope; Aug 5, 2019 at 01:49 PM.
Now there's a car I wouldn't mind taking for a burn. Probably take the rest of my hair off.
I got fairly lucky with my '97 XK8 coupe. I'm the second owner and the previous owner took
it in to the Jaguar dealer every time it had a problem. I paid $8000 + taxes etc Canadian and
think I got a steal of a deal. Great little car so far, 180kph and lots left. Having said that, it also
had some issues; intermittent rear left single light, passenger side window most of the time did
the drop and raise but sometimes went all the way down. I've been able to fix both problems
thanks to the folks on the forums and I'm going to get a new battery. This is the first Jag for me.
I also own a 1980 Trans Am, a 1994 Mazda MX6 GT turbo, and a 2004 F150 work / tow the boat
truck. I have only seen 2 other Jags in town, both older XJ6s and the car always gets lots of looks.
My next plan is finding a good mechanic. I'm a carpenter by trade and I'm as mechanically inclined
as my hammer. Good luck with your XK8 and I hope you have many years of happy driving in it.
Scott,
I visited the Jaguar Works at Browns Lane in 1977 and was given a private tour, courtesy of Andrew Whyte. The XJ13 was in the "showroom" at that time, too, but had a flat tire. I had a Super 8 Sound movie camera and have some footage of the visit, but haven't converted it to a digital media. One day I'll get around to it.
I recall three production lines and took some notes on a coaster at a local pub after the tour. The upholstery shop was chaotic.
As you can tell from my signature line, I have been infected with the Jaguar bug for a long time, buying my first one in 1963: a 1955 XK140MC DHC. I also owned one of the early E Types, an OTS that had the outside bonnet locks and flat floors. My current Jaguar is a 1999 XK8 coupe.
Scott,
I visited the Jaguar Works at Browns Lane in 1977 and was given a private tour, courtesy of Andrew Whyte. The XJ13 was in the "showroom" at that time, too, but had a flat tire. I had a Super 8 Sound movie camera and have some footage of the visit, but haven't converted it to a digital media. One day I'll get around to it.
I recall three production lines and took some notes on a coaster at a local pub after the tour. The upholstery shop was chaotic.
As you can tell from my signature line, I have been infected with the Jaguar bug for a long time, buying my first one in 1963: a 1955 XK140MC DHC. I also owned one of the early E Types, an OTS that had the outside bonnet locks and flat floors. My current Jaguar is a 1999 XK8 coupe.
