The last 12 months has been put the key in and drive for Miss Fireball with no real maintenance done.
Goose, the XJS arrived 13 months ago and needed much attention to get her back on the road, not long after that a motorcycle accident has had me out of action for about 7 months.
XJS has moved on to a new owner 1000km away and I'm fairly well recovered so time to use some of those parts I have been collecting for a year or so.

Oil and filter change
Brake fluid flush
Windscreen washer pump replaced, perished resivior repaired Aussie style
Cap on brake fluid resivior replaced( resivior another day.)
Battery replaced
re-cored radiator finally fitted, and new temp sender for electric fans
Wash and polish
S3 wheels put on. S1 and S3 rims both due for new tyres so I'm going with a new set on the S3 rims this time. (job for next week)
Rebuilt power steering pump fitted
Antena and NOS tail light lenses still to fit.

Most of this stuff has pretty much been sitting on my new patrs bench since last year, just needed doing.

 

Nice looking car Clarke, and a tidy and clean shop. I notice a Dodge Hemi badge in the last photo, is that a clue to an up coming engine swap?? If it is, we will need pictures.

Dave

 

No Dave, she has a new 4.2 Jaguar engine. The parts bench is for all the cars, bikes etc. I ordered badges for my 5.7 Hemi Jeep and didn't realise they were sets of two so now I have two spares sitting there.
As for the tidy shop, it ia a newish shed so not full of crap yet.




It has loads of bike parts too

 

Good Onya, Clarke!
Wonderful workplace you've created.
(';')

 

Holy crap, that's not a "shed" Clarke, that's a Jaguar show-room. I'll post a picture of my real Alaskan shop. You'll be speechless.

Dave

 

That shed is 30 years of planning so I recon I got it right the first time. I know plenty of guys who have built a shed, been really excited then six months down the track have said I should have done this, or that.
15 months in I'm still sure I got it right.

Having the XJS in there for 12 months cramped my idea a bit, but the shed was planned around having one classic car, 4 bikes, caravan, vintage printing machine and a free work bay.
The XJS took up that work bay and was a spanner in the works of my well thought out plan. That was not the reason the XJS went though. It was never in my plan to own it, it just came along at the right time and price and needed sorting, then the accident and 7 months of no income put me in a position where it wasn't viable to keep them all.

If It had not sold the first week I advertised it I would have kept it, I landed a great new job two days after it sold. Hindsight..........

 

So good you got another job, Clarke! Congrats!!
Life isn't Nearly so much fun with no money coming in.
(';')

 

What can i say that has not already been said.

Well, sure is great that after 7 months, the body is back in shape.

And, fortune on fortune, not many of us could get through 7 months of no income.

Shed, not by my definition. Many a pro would salivate over such quarters in which to work.

As LT1 says, on me, but, I'll not post my shop, it would b embarrasing..

And a great new job. In every dark cloud, there is a silver lining.

I was there. in 84, my employer chose to close the SF office, bye, bye, Claim Manager job. Offered a desk at HO. No, been there.,,

Got my license and went independent. Best years of my working life...
Carl

Carl

 

As promised, pictures of my shop. Carl, there is no way you can be embarrassed of your shop after seeing mine.

Dave

 

Carl, the body is not back in shape yet. But a lot better than it was a couple of months ago.
There is a point where common sense has to take over from the Dr’s recommendations and you have to push on through the pain barrier and get back to work.
I could quite easily take a few more months to recover but in reality I can work and I need income. Yes it hurts, yes I take pain killers but life goes on. Back to work with a boss who has known me for many years and we can work through Any issues sensibly.
I was the bosses boss 15 years ago.

7 months of no income was tough, four months covered by long service leave. .....I was between jobs when I had the accident.

 

Dave, that is an awesome shop that is used well. I had a smaller space than that for 25 years.
And you have a cool cat helper.




I have one of those too.

 

Yes, we still have 4, down from 8 a couple of years ago. We have always had cats, but these will be the last. We don't trust anyone to take care of them if we leave for more than a day, so our travels are very limited. One is 20+ and the others are in their mid-teens.

Dave

 

Dave

No, I think it best for my ego, that I not post pictures of my shop. it is at it's worst now. badly in need of some 'straighten out". tools and parts and saw dust all over..

Carl

 

Clarke:

I'll not ask. but, I sense it was on a bike that hurt you Nor will i ask the nature of the injury. Sense again, the back!!

But, I do admire the return to work.. helpful in more than one way.

and, again, not asked and I am sure you are aware. The pain killer risk.

Most doctors will acknowledge that we know best as to what we can do and what we can not do... .

Doctor Phil in on the care of the car?

Carl

 

Carl,
Yes it was on a bike, head on with a car. Pelvis, femur, tibia, fibula, ulna, radius..
Only mild pain killers in small doses to get through 6 hour days.
No Dr Phill at the moment, we have moved two hours away from Phill. So don't catch up so easily these days.