While my cat is down...was assembling parts to upgrade some things when she's back prowling the streets of Bucks County PA.

Anyway, wondering if Jag, in their wisdom, actually just installed the seat heaters in the front seats, only switching out the upper switch bank above the heater controls (and charging, no doubt, and arm and leg) to include the seat switches if the original customer ordered the option?

Anything else I should look for to see? Relays under the seat, perhaps? Or, was it truly a case of "if it wasn't ordered, it wasn't installed at all"...in which case, it's probably more than I want to deal with in a 14-year old ride.

Secondly, I found a console extension (the one that has the nice little tray and switches for the rear heaters); my rear seats don't have heaters (I've pulled the bottom, and there are no wires going to the cushion); so what I was going to do was take the switches out, strip the old leather/hyde of nauga off, cut a blanking plate out of aluminium to cover the holes for the switches, glue that on, recover that piece with some scrap connolly leather I have kicking around, dye it to match the console, and install with a 12V outlet back there (taking the power off the 5A circuit for the phone in the armrest) so I can plug in a phone charger (I'm removing the ashtray and mounting the T605 control head under the lid for the (old) ashtray), so, would be nice to have a 12V outlet somewhere in the cockpit...

Long way around: how does that get attached to the floor? i.e. are the fittings already under the carpet, and it's just a case of poking through the carpet where the holes in the extension base line up when it's in place?

I'm sure will have more q's. But...just some random questions.

thanks, all.

 

I also heard that the squabs were preinstalled, so I bought the switch bank, installed and NADA. Maybe there is still something I am missing, I think it maybe the squabs were not installed in every car (us) as thought. I have tried looking for dangling cables, perhaps they stuck under the seat cushions. I am really needing some around that area. Let us know what you come up with.

 

Will do. It will be interesting to see if it was a random "hey, these seats are the right trim color...just put 'em in..." and they had all the bells and whistles. If not? I have a box of hog rings, the right pliers, and an insatiable desire to take things apart and put them together...

Local wrench seemed impressed by the underneath condition. FWIW, the previous owner did swap the transmission...with a junk yard unit 2 years older than my chassis. Oh well. Engine 3 years newer, tranny 2 years older. Real frankencar.

Exchange ordered from Erickson; will take a week, all updated parts (including the updated and improved valve bodies), new clutch soft parts, all seals, bearings, baskets, etc. And the price, with a 1 year guarantee parts and labor is Not That Bad considering what a rebuilt GM transaxle cost for an Olds van 7 years ago.

Just visited my kitty, on the lift...with the tranny hanging on an engine hoist...sad. But, cleaned up underneath. New mounts and isolation dampners ordered...1 week to build and deliver to my friend's shop in Flemington NJ...