Hello,

Does anything look off in this eBay listing? It shows the restoration process, the price actually seems suspiciously low. I received a quote of $975 from British Auto Wood (though a shift knob I bought from them was fantastic, and their work looks very good, https://britishautowood.com/restoration-examples), both the price and the fact that I don't have to drive my car without wood make it much more appealing. Also, finders keepers! :P

https://www.ebay.com/itm/96-06-Jagua...d/124175047659

Thanks,
Jacob

 

My labor in redoing my wood far exceeded that price. If it is a job well done, that's definately a great price.

 

Yeah, that's why it seems suspicious to me. I'm hoping somebody more experienced than I can get some idea from the pictures in the listing.

 

Saw that and posted about it in another thread. So, it's hard to tell the quality of the work since they took shots from far away or in extreme closups dominated by reflections. But
1. I've gotten a full wood set for about $10.
2. His/her labor in stripping was minimal since he/she appears to have some old stock methylene chloride stripper.
3. I'd have some concerns about the finish around the instrument panel wood, does not particularly look good in this view, but it's hard to tell.

It would be relatively easy to ask him/her to take some more pictures of each panel at various angles, however.

 

I asked for more pictures, though I may just drive down to FL (I'm in GA) sometime soon and get the wood refinished properly. If you look at the examples I linked, he embeds a nice Jaguar logo in it anyway, looks better. He said he'd refinish the steering wheel for another $250, might be nice to match.

 

There's little doubt about the finish in BritishAutowood's pictures.

My wife has the keychain. Looks great.

 

I have a shift knob he made, I really like it. I feared the keychain's lacquer would get scuffed in my pocket.

 

"Sir . I Can but please read my description.
This is perfect factory restored set
This looks like brand new wood set. Yes I ll take more pictures if you want.
If you can remind me tomorrow anytime it helps. Very busy. Best regards"

Not a very helpful response.

 

ask him to join the thread. we can get a good understanding of his work and there is no better place for him to make a name for himself

 

Yeah, it would be interesting to find out what kind of stripper he used.

 

I may but I don't know if he'd take the time to reply. Stripper can be seen in one of the pictures in the listing Jimmy.

I saved all the images since eBay listings have a tendency to disappear anyway:

 

So he used Klean strip to remove the poly. My issue is I can never get a poly coating looking professional.

 

Methyene Chloride, forbidden to us since last fall, the kind you can't buy anymore unless you are a business. This is the old Kleen Strip.

 

I'm suspicious of the image in the 1st photo you pasted, #8 in his ebay ad. The florescent light fixtures are wavey. That's a big red flag to me. When I finish a piece of wood, whether its lacquer or poly, it reflects like a mirror. Why would this be uneven?

Sorry if I sound too negative, didnt want you to miss this.

John

 

Jacob, just did a second look. Goto that 1st photo you posted. Magnify the hell out of it, sure looks like the wood finish is scarred (its early - scar or damage not frightened :-)) to my eyes.

Could you live with it? I'm afraid it'd be a lot more noticeable than one would like.

John

 

Very interesting, is it banned everywhere or just CA?


I have look for videos on how to best put on Poly, I have not found anything that would meet my expectations. Most are for big projects that can take a bit more of imperfections and would also work well to be sanded and buffed between coats. I do not think that would work on these small parts.

 

Banned in the US.

Preparation is key, good and careful wood prep, seal wood with sanding sealer or thinned poly, sand between coats, carefully apply (spray is easier), buff at end. Is involved...

 

Looks like he may have restained the wood also. I would like to know what type of final coating he used.

 

Thanks, I don't think I'll go for this set, the wood in my car won't mind waiting until I can afford to have it done well.

Sam, here are the notes from the listing:

"Completely restored. Stripped old surface. Any veneer issues fixed and new polyurethane glossy finish. 3 years warranty"

 

If you happen to come across any bits and pieces of the wood trim can you send me the name of the wrecker.
Doesn't have to be complete sets. I'd like to try a few things before I refinish mine this winter and I can't find any
at any of the wreckers I've tried in B.C.