Close but not quite……
not Jaguar but are made in england…..
correct sizes but are too big….
found some 8-10 and 13-15 spanners in my farage. Cleaned em up, chucked em in, realised they are too big but oh well…..
in place for now as i feel they are better than no spanners in the box. Will keep my eye out for proper sized ones.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...19f35ef97.jpeg

Well i replaced my drivers seat module, got my driver seat working properly.

well with the exception of the lumbar.
the lumbar is inflating but not holding air.
which is better than the passengers side which pumps but is obviously leaking so bad it does not inflate.

oh well that is a job for another day.

Picked up my custom plates today.
really sets her off nicely.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...515e3b864.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...702db4fc6.jpeg

You are creating an interesting and unique take on an already remarkable automobile. Well done. I like the dark colored plates. I also like the look of the wide style trunk lid plate space, compared to the narrow US spec. Looks more natural.

I can imagine a mesh grille looking natural on your car. Will I see it?

thanks.
yeah these are the euro style plate we have here in the prestige silver on black. They look mint.
as for the cases i wanted something and i quite liked the way the larger case made it sit.
i did find that the lights did not illuminate the rear plate well so i spent the day installing a led strip into the housing.
will take and upload a pic later at night.
provided it works as expected. Heres hoping.
every job tho takes 100 years instead of 5 mins to do.
always problems. But its worth it.

i dunno bout a mesh grille. Atm i love the chrome.

I love tech and modern features and trying to add to the classic without destroying its natural beauty.
i just try and do things that add something to make it a little more modern but still keep it true to being a classic refined cat.

there are always lots of little jobs to do.
the inly big jobs i have planned are a while off due to finances.
When i need new tyres i will replace the 20” rims with a set of 18”s not sure exactly what style. But i find the 20”s are just a little rough on the road due to no tyre height.
when the wrap is due for replacement (maybe 2-3 years) i will get her resprayed and am thinking i will go with 862/KDJ Amaranthe Pearl. Absolutely love that colour.


it certainly makes me happy to hear people say nice things bout my kitty.
she os the best car i have ever owned and plan to keep her forever.

Had mine for 17 years and it will never go away. I have the color CFG/778 Morocco Red Pearl (Original jaguar X300 color).

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...ab7e844baf.jpg

Ok so got the led strip installed into the numberplate housing to illuminate the plate, and god damn it looks mint!
this job took me forever cus so many things i tried just did not work. But damn finally got it and I am really impressed.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...0915e760b.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...608dd2833.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...3f30dda45.jpeg
photos don’t do it justice.
Looks much lighter than it actually was
will have to wait until i get somewhere with less light pollution and give it a go

And you've done it again, my friend! Its perfect! I want that.

The Keesh Jag combo is perfect too. Best cars, best colors.

Concur on the time estimates, its a good idea to double whatever time you think it might take. But usually time well spent.

ok so did a couple of jobs today that I had been meaning to get around to for a little while.
firstly i adjusted my gear shift lever so it aligns better. before the gears were a little higher than the notches they should be in.
and if i popped it over the J into 3rd, and 2nd, when going back to drive i had to actually shift it back over and then up a little.
now the gears are much more (atleast close to) where they should be

and secondly i replaced my steering wheel reach spline.
it was much easier than I envisaged it to be.
the old spline was well and truly done.
when i put the motor back on i forgot to put a cable ti back where it was.
i don't think it is need tho as the motor does clip nicely onto the column.
certainly ws not going to drop the column again just to do that.

very nice to actually be able to move the column to a comfortable position.

also swapped my battery out for a new one as my battery was not holding charge and showing replace.
now will give it a bit of a drive to see if the alternator is working correctly or not. hopefully just the battery was the problem.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...5beb478cd9.jpg
old spline. was annoying to remove it from the plastic sheath as how screwed up it was.

got another few jobs done today...
repaired the lumbar bladders in both my front seats. passengers just needed the dry cracked hose end trimmed and then put back on with some rubber cement to hold it snug as. also wrapped it in some silicone tape to hopefully stop it cracking again any time soon.
did the same on the drivers seat but also had to silicone up a leak where the valve attaches to the motor cus it was filling up then leaking......
So got those both fixed.

and just did a quick patch up on my drivers seat to patch up the tears with some spare leather offcut i had around.
and touched up the colour on the drivers and passengers seat where it is all cracked.
they are far from perfect but both look 100 times better than before.
(no pics of the passenger seat. will do later)

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...6c833c3c3.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a30d7a6c9.jpeg

My reach "cable is also knackered and I cannot remove it! i see yours has an outer shield, how easy is it to remove?

i did not find it hard at all....
was a little annoying to get th steering columd back in place once i was done.
but overall was a lot easier than i anticipated.

in regards to the outer shield on the spline i had to cut my broken spline down to remove it from that as it was all mangled up and would not fit out. but the new one then slid in nicely.

here is one of many threads that detail the repair.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...cement-114293/

I was hoping to not remove the steering columb!

Hot day today but felt I had to get a couple of things done.
not done today but put in recently was alloy pedal pads (my accelerator pedal was missing the pad and was just a thin metal strip before)
beautiful new OEM mink floor mats added with a lovely logo on the drivers one.

so today i did a few things.

put some labels on my toolbox lid for the circuits i added in (as i wired my extra circuits into the factory fuse boxes in spare slots)
Installed chrome rings on my instrument cluster
Installed some LED strips as backlighting for my gauge cluster (thought i took pics of the strips before putting it together but apparently not).
it makes the illumination much better. i do think however i may need to install a couple more strips down the sides for the smaller gauges. at night the lighting is beautiful, bright and uniform, but due to just how bright the SMD strips are in the broad daylight the speedo and tacho light up visibly bright but the smaller gauges are not visibly bright as they don't have strips behind them.

and after i saw this idea from another Aussie i felt i had to do it myself.
I installed an underbonnet power adapter.
I used a 2 port with the top port being USB, USB C, and a volt meter, i have it installed running thick 10AWG wiring so it can handle a big load if i need/want it to.
it gives me a good easy way to power things, trickle charge (if needed) and check the voltage.
(the voltage display does work properly but LEDs and pics don't always work well)
there is an on/off switch on the side for obvious reasons and i used some foam tape when mounting to give a nice seal.

I also tidied the wiring on my under bonnet lighting and tidied the mounting of my LED panels that replace my missing boot lights.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...addfbb55a3.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a2705b881d.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...b723474a8c.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...518d4045c2.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a410a3d2ae.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a9e1b119a1.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...6e73c4e3e5.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...70ebbb2c61.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...ea47b39acf.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...ac0a0a2395.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...16cc889638.jpg

Did a couple of things this weekend.
installed fore/aft switches onto my passenger seat.
was a little more involved then first thought.
had to tap tap into the lighter socket for illumination power and feed that through under the carpet.
looks cool and happy to have done it.
really not sure it is worth a days work though. Lol. Like how often are they going to be used?.
cool tho.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...8f08c2950.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...52f394255.jpeg

Finally!
 

Finally, drove it up to town for lunch and punched it when a Mustang pulled abreast. FUN!

A 4.0 Jaguar X300 with standard 3.77 rear end will beat a 4.0 Mustang off the line on paper

The aerodynamic drag is the same but the Jag is 1000 lbs heavier

I just found some Jaguar floor mats like in the pic above from a just arrived donor car ( where your center console came from )

Your pic leather color looks too much like mine in that light. My color is cream code X ( looking )

What is your voltage gauge with engin running ?

must be lighting in the pics if the colour looks like cream. I have thought the same thing when looking at pics online too. i initially thought it was lighter than what i kept seeing oatmeal as.
but i purchased a replacement B-Pillar trim from someone which was oatmeal and it is perfect exactly right.
i have it shown on the car placard as AGD oatmeal, which coincides with the colour combination that was offered on the Sovereigns as Mink Carpet, Oatmeal (AGD) main, and then 2 toned with Antelope (AGE) for the upper dash, steering wheel, handbrake lever.
and the Oatmeal leather touchup i purchased from Scratch Doctor in UK is a very very very close colour match. pretty much perfect. i think it is only aging that stops it being perfect.

now my car is reading 13.8 to 14.4 with engine running. so when i was reading lower voltage before must have been due to having a seriously undercharged battery in the car.
just now when running the car it was 14.2v.

I hope you grabbed the floor mats for yourself. they are really nice.

new tires, finally
 

Relocated to CA from Santa Fe... downside is that most of my tools are still in Santa Fe, upside is that I have a garage space for Ruby Tuesday (1997 VDP).

Finally got around to putting new tires on. Went with the Falken tires, seemed a bit sportier than the Goodrich T/A's... broke them in on a nice two hour loop through redwoods and along the beach.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...e7a5785a5.jpeg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...9b3675756.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...691663e42.jpeg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...380daeaa2.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...941eb3896.jpeg

Today I replaced all the gaskets on the rocker cover. A while ago I had picked up an extra cover from the local wrecker. Cleaned it up and gave it a wrinkle finish.
Both covers are in really good shape, so I have an extra one now to work on later on.

One issue (as usual with these covers) is that one of the threads on the cover for the ignition coil bolt is completely gone.

Does anyone know of a good Helicoil kit to remedy this issue?

Cat has been sitting for a few months and it’s been so windy so excuse the dusty bay 😆
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...9e4336073.jpeg

Cafe Flyer ,

Which tire width did you go with ?

225?

fixed my glove box latch today.
took the locking mechanism from a x308 glove box and swapped it onto mine.
works beautiful.

Today I swapped out the heating water pump and the idle air control valve.
The heating went cold a few weeks ago, so it was replaced with a good used spare. This instantly fixed the in car heat. I'll be shopping for new brushes to fix the original.
The car was also occasionally hesitating when dropping back to idle. I'm taking a chance on an $11 ebay replacement. I might consider a more reputable manufacturer I get any problems. The brand is EECCP and so far so good.

Sometimes its the little things.
fuel cap + mirror chrome paint pen

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...afe0e4b3a.jpeg

^^^ Exactly. Today I spray painted (silver) the two bolts that hold the license plate on! They were weathered and worn but I couldn't find better bolts of the right size.

I'm going to do as you did Spud. Perhaps in red.

Another couple of little things.
all courtesy if Ali Express.
cheap cheap cheap
nice little stickers for wheels and radio,
Really nice microfibre cloth
decent anti skip dash mat

damn, buyin cheap jaguar logo crap online might just become an addiction.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...f5cf5158c.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...e1c1cd39e.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...4285dba54.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...f8698c19d.jpeg

Put couple new rear tyres on my daily. On Monday I'm getting a new windscreen(sadly currently there aren't any heated ones, I've waited a month for one with no luck) and on Tuesday will attempt to put it through the MOT. Fingers crossed!

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...8f62727805.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a5a5e98425.jpg

New key fob buttons. It's the little things..

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...f87d963449.jpg

Replaced the brake pads with Akebono's all round. They do feel softer than the Bosch semi metallic pads (when they were new) this is mentioned elsewhere in the forum, so I'll see how it looks when they're properly bedded in. Made sure I greased all the bolts and back of the pads, so now getting a creak free stop.

Nobeel Masri ,

Are these the ones for a normally aspirated inline 6 ?

Part #: AKE EUR394A for front

Part #: AKE EUR688 for rear

1996 Jaguar XJ-6 Akebono | NAPA Auto Parts (napaonline.com) :icon_dance-disco:

Supercharged and V - 12s are probably larger pads , I know the caliper pistons are larger

XJR :

Part #: AKE EUR394A for front

Part #: AKE EUR688 for rear

Same ?

I got them from RockAuto (EUR394A & EUR688). They also show the same part numbers for N/A & S/C models.
The pad width and fitment was dead on and the were straightforward enough to install on my N/A.

This is more like a whole weekends worth . Finished off my wiring tube , it’s inspired by AJ6 engines with the injector leads that fly out rather than the big plastic arrangement . This is to complement the AJ6 valve cover with the coil conversion . And lastly it’s the cleaned up plenum I’ve been working on . It cost me $1 so I’ve ground off all the extra bits and blobs and Knobs and webs, tig welded up all the holes and threaded in new BSP hose tails for any pipes that needed connections so they are hidden from view. Once all the crap gets removed it’s a really very nice thing to look at .





https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...6f45b2c49.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...7801bf212.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...8ee11a60e.jpeg

Put in new rear spring donuts. Wasn't sure if I was going to record it, so I just did partial coverage.

Been away on holidays, now looking for a new place to rent (gotta move in 6 weeks) so not much time to do anything much to the Jag atm.
got a few mins today,
replaced the lumbar pump in the drivers seat as the valve was leaking.
and got a nice little wood trim piece installed on the interior light/sunglass holder piece.
Very nice addition IMO

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a064d8178.jpeg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...bb3b6bb27.jpeg

Tread plates
 

This weekend I took a hammer.. and a vice, wet-stone, 800/1500/3000 grit paper, etch primer, “soft silver top coat and lacquer to the tread plates in my 96 XJR.
I guess someone previously tried to pry up the plate with a screw driver as it’s flat edge was anything but flat.

The end caps are no longer available so I’ll not fit the insert until I find some end caps …

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...430577a4c.jpeg
Before painting
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...52b8fd30df.png
Ready for end caps and inserts

Replaced a failed upper front ball joint. There was a slight rattle over bumps and found it had failed completely once i got it in the air.
The inside of the joint was completely dry, which also explained the squeaks.
Replaced with a shiny new Delphi option from RockAuto.
The cuts in the pic are from the separator tool, so I'm not sure why it was so dry in there.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...c3599cb368.jpg

Selling Red and Buying Blue
 

After 23 years and 192,000, I am letting Big Red go. She has been fun to drive and work on, but it is time to move on. She has been a great car. Now to figure out what I will do with all these extra parts. Blue is a 1997 XK8 with 20,000 miles and a First Place Award winner in the Antique Automobile Club Of America Nationals competition for 2022 - In its first year of eligibility.

If anyone is interested in parts and the car..........


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...bcc07e08e3.jpg
https://static.cargurus.com/images/f...-1024x768.jpeg

Shame to see anyone let a cat go.
hope you get a good price and the new owner looks after her as she should be.

i know i would certainly be interested in parts if you were closer.
but maybe some smaller items easier to ship possibly could be worth it.
nothing i desperately need atm tho.

G'day Gents,

I had noticed recently that the front suspension on my car, a V12 X305, was bottoming out over what I would call minor bumps. I checked the specs and measured the clearance under the front suspension cross beam and it was around 25mm/1 inch low.

The 30 year old springs with 360,000 kms had sagged so now I had to source replacement springs.

I called all the suppliers in Australia to discover the springs are NLA and if I did find any then they would be expensive.

I searched further afield on the internet and found springs listed on Limora in Germany https://www.limora.com/en/ I emailed them to make sure they actually had them in stock and strangely received a reply from SC Parts in the UK https://www.scparts.co.uk/

Yes they had springs in stock so I ordered them on line from SC Parts and my springs arrived about a week later from Germany!? There is obviously a tie up between Limora and SC Parts.

After I removed the first old spring I thought I'd check it against a new one for free length and strangely they were both the same length old and new. I was a bit puzzled to say the least.

Anyhow after I had completed replacing both springs and taken the car for a drive I again measured the clearance under the front crossbeam and it was back on spec. So the old springs had softened but the unloaded free length had not changed. It made me wonder about the validity of checking the free length of valve springs for example.

So a successful job done and the cost 396GBP plus 75GBP shipping to Australia.

Cheers,
Jeff.

very good to know as i think my car with very much the same kms may be sagging on atleast the drivers side.
interesting that the spring is not permanently compressed but more just softened down.
wonder what might happen after a while of the old spring being left off the car under no weight. wonder if it might regain some of its tensile strength.