Very nice....kinda reminds me of my old Mark X. Wish I still had it.

 

Oh the list of "wish I still had it" cars... It doesn't apply to all the cars I've owned but it would probably include these: '52 Pontiac, '62 Volvo 544, '58 Borgward Isobella, '74 Fiat Spyder, '56 Jensen 541R, '87 Jag Series 3 V12 VDP, '95 Grand Cherokee, '92 Jag Series 3 V12 VDP (Number 24 - I still own Number 3.

"Wish I still had it" would probably be an interesting thread all on its own.

 

Thanks to your great records, I can tell you that the brake shoes were replaced were replaced in April 2020 as part of all that MOT work

The external work on the wings was good, Chris. It's just the inner wheelarches which were covered with filler. Between the mechanic and the bodyshop, I think I can be fairly confident that they've found everything.

I've also got a reconditioned rear subframe with new bushes being delivered today. I need to work out whether that's something I can do myself.... Any advice is appreciated.

 

Thanks Peter - that's a relief that those outer wings are OK then - I never thought about the inner parts of the wheel arches. It is possible the bodyshops I used never touched those as I only showed them the outer arches and the rust on them.

You certainly do have a good team between your mechanic and bodyshop; the car will be better than when it rolled off the production line

 

Daimler still not back so I'm making maximum use of the XJ6 during this dry period. I took it to the Everton match on Sunday (so I can at least look forward to the drive home) and when I came back it was parked between these two monsters. I know it's a recurring theme but it really is amazing how a large car of its time is now tiny.

 

My goodness that's incredible; I had not realised how small a SIII was next to a BMW X6. How things have changed!

The "Lucy" and "Ted" numbers plates make the photo quite comical

 

I hadn’t even noticed that - brilliant!

 

Wow I hadn't realised the size difference either. I bet there's as much room inside the Jag as those heaps too.

 

I know exactly how you felt…

 

"Mini" - a real contradiction in terms.

 

LIfe has got in the way of the bodyshop finishing off the work but they're getting close to my being able to pick it up. They've shared a load of photos so here's a small selection:


Getting rid of those car park dinges.

Rear window out to treat the rust in the surround.

Fixing the DIY fix and paint that Chris had sorted out.

Looking good but that exhaust is rusty. I think I'll replace that centre box with an x-pipe as there's a leak.

Wheelarches done - note the missing bump stop

And same on the other side.

Driver's side sill done.

 

Both my bump stops are missing too. When I got the car one was missing, so I removed the other. It looks right to the MOT guy now so he can't see anything is missing to fail it on.

 

Good plan. I suspect I’ll just leave them off as I think the mounting holes/bolts may no longer be there.

 

I think the rubber stop was only bonded to the that metal plate, pretty sure you get both bits if you buy new ones. My other reason for not replacing them is I didn't fancy snapping the bolts that hold the metal part on & ending up with a log bigger job for something that doesn't cause me a problem. It's rare there's more than two people or any luggage in my car so it's hardly likely to ever need bump stops in use.

 

I got the car back from the shop last week and yesterday set to installing the new front discs and pads, and the anti-roll bar bushes and drop links that arrived when the car was away.

I’ll post photos an update on the work done in the shop during the week. In the meantime, however, I had to post a photo of the disk pads I removed yesterday. If you recall, the car had the wrong size disks - you can see in this photo the impact on the pads of the missing 20mm of disk diameter! Look at the lip on those pads!

I just got back from a quick test drive - a great improvement and way better brake feel, and all the clonking has gone from the front.

 

That's fantastic news.

 

Are you still taking the car on your trip at the end of June?

 

I'm off to France tomorrow morning for the Le Mans Classic - sorry that I didn't reply to your last message @c16rkc but there's your answer!

All levels are checked, we're fueled up with 99 Octane E5 fuel and I've adjusted the tyre pressures for Autoroute speeds. The car will click though 100k miles on the way down to Portsmouth but I'm confident that we'll have an uneventful drive. It's a round trip of 1,000 miles so I'm looking forward to using the car in the way it was intended - my friends in the rear seats are going to have a luxurious experience.

 

Wonderfull!

I hope she does you proud, she was a lovely car to drive when we did a long journey to Cumbria and took in the lake district a few years ago.

The Daimler is also looking stunning with your number plate on!!

 

We made it to Portsmouth in splendid fashion. 290 miles of comfort at an average of 60mph and 28mpg.

Unfortunately, the consumption of brake fluid was a little more worrying. At first we thought this was just the settling of the levels after the replacement of the front discs and pads. On closer inspection, however, we spotted fluid dripping from towards the rear of the front to rear brake line. Corrosion had been spotted on the inspection and the lines are due to be replaced in the next couple of weeks so it’s cruel that they break now.

The Daimler is heading home on the back of a truck while we continue to Le Mans in a rental…



Very dodgy photo of us confirming that the small puddle under the car is, indeed, brake fluid.