Thanks Scott, it has been a long project and now it's driving I have been using it daily, I just LOVE my XJS.

Next phase is to build my spare engine and install a 4 speed auto.

If you plan on painting it yourself, make sure you set up properly. I have a very large compressor capable of supplying LOTS of air it is rated at 25cfm but it actually delivers 12cfm at 90psi. This runs my Devilbiss HVLP gun all day. This is important if you are going to paint the car complete and not in parts. Air filtration is also important, I luckily found this out painting the underside, I got fisheye from moisture. Now I have 5 stage filtration. my compressor is in an adjoining room with about 10feet of gal pipe then through a 1/2inch filter regulator then a coalescing filter (made from an old fire extinguisher filled with desiccant Kitty Litter) then through a Motor Guard toilet paper filter and then another 3/8inch filter regulator. All of this gives me nice dry air. Without this you WILL get moisture in your paint causing at worst fisheye and best spots and discolouration.

 

Thanks for the info Warren.

I have pretty much that same setup (Motor Guard AC-4535 desiccant filter/regulator, Motor Guard M-60 sub-micron filter, and the little Motor Guard filters that screw into the base of the spray gun), and a Sears Craftsman 60 Gallon 2-stage oil-less compressor rated at 175 PSI, but, only 9SCFM@90PSI. Because 9SCFM is borderline for HVLP spray guns, I had to search harder for a gun that would work well with the lower CFMs. Several professionals highly recommended the DeVilbiss GLG-670 PLUS gun for laying down a mirror-like surface at lower CFMs, so that's the one I bought.

Now I need to haunt some paint & body forums, and practice A LOT to learn which pressure settings, air cap settings, and overlap patterns will work best for the Pearlescent British Racing Green (Jaguar paint code HDN) and clear coat. A few years ago, I tried spaying clear polyurethane on a guitar my son and I built. I ended up with several runs, as well as what looked like patches of dry spay, and it took a lot of wet sanding to smooth out the finish. I later learned I had the pressure set way too high. When the time comes, I want to work out all those details on practice panels before I ever attempt to spay my whole car.

 

agree with Jagz, it looks GRRREAT!

love it when plan comes together.

yaknow, your car is a close resmblence to my friends car color and all.

and he has a 6.0L with 4L80E, altho he uses the Electromotive ECM, thats the 6 coils i showed on another post!

he let me drive it for 20-30 minutes, when he stopped by , on his way from south FL to Vail Colorado, in the snow-ice winter mountains.

 

I was talking to a painter and he said the perfect paint job is one big run. When I did mine the finish off the gun was like a mirror. I did have a few runs and a bit of orange peel. I laid 4 coats of clear giving me enough to wet sand the peel and runs. I have cut the paint but it still needs a final buff to get it shiny. I painted my car 3 times to get it acceptable to me, it is not easy and the more you do it the better you will get. The secret is to set the gun up for YOUR pass speed. I passed slowly so had set my gun up to flow less material. I also use 2 guns a cheaper one ($100) for primer and good Devilbiss for the base and clear. Will need to a good viewing light so you can go over the car immediately after the base is applied to make sure the paint is even.

When you lay the base make sure it goes on dry, do not lay full wet coats, you DO NOT want runs in the base coat or you will need to sand and re-base. The clear coat is much more forgiving runs can be wet sanded and as long as you are careful they will disappear. The clear coat covers a lot, I had a few defects in the base but with 4 coats of clear you can not see these without a magnifying glass.

Thanks Ron, my colour is Signal Red.

I have the 6.0L on the stand now in the process of dismantling. I just need to make a head puller. I also decided to ditch the 4L60 and go 4L80.

 

good paint work is close to being ART, it takes practice and an understanding of the processes involved, almost a sixth sense!

and like tuning some people are better at painting than others.

thats the way it is, do your best.