I argee! It's all about making a statement than a investment when I decided to buy a Jag!

 

The hardest part a painter actually has is to actually match the particular orange peel texture of a factory finish when trying to match.

As for getting a better than factory finish, that's really not that difficult. Factory body metal has striations that are hard to match as well, but any custom down to metal repaint should do the body work necessary to make everything perfect.

I'd never get show quality paint on my car though. I'd be too paranoid to even look at it for too long.

 

+1

The key is the time spent on prepping the body 'Racer's already mentioned how long it can take.

My thoughts on Ultimate Black, it's too shiny....the Jaguar Anthracite (PED code) is a more manly black.

Tom Whalley PaintworX - YouTube

notice the lacquer gun size. Notice the pearl effect, it's from here, it's difficult to do it correctly.

HouseofKolor.com online shopping from the worldwide leader in the paint and coatings industry.

Time/products/a good eye all make a quality paint job.

 

Did I hear you right, you're putting this together for your brother coming back from service? If you painted it plaid, my friend, this would still be the coolest XK on the planet. Kudos to the both of you.

Ok, but really just kidding about the plaid. We'd probably have to have a listserv intervention. I think keeping the same color is a good choice. On the rims, I'm a bit of a purist, but the Jag's stock XKR 20" wheels on my car make that easy. I'm not such a fan of the XK8s, so I also support your choice to get new rims as well. Rims can really make a personal statement that enhance the car's head turning capacity- which is already substantial on this car as is.

For me, the key is not introducing a gaudy factor. Too much chrome and you might as well put remote hydraulic bouncing shocks and neon under the car while you're at it, imho. Here are my basic rules/opinions- I'm sure many would disagree: most cars with a single color should stick with silver, or silver with very minor chrome accents. Rims should never introduce a new color into the mix. Exceptions: black cars can look good with some chrome rims. Two tone cars (and convertibles apply here- the top color is your second tone) can support rims with both colors- so a yellow convertible with black top could have black rims with yellow accents. Tan top is harder, just because there aren't a lot of tan rims. So silver with red accent would work. I came across these when browsing and thought if my XK were red, I'd give them serious consideration.

 

Hi Crispy! Yes, I gave my brother the XK8 for his service in the Marines. He just got back from deployment and he wanted to look for a new car. I told him he could have mine and I would help him fix it up (since the engine needed repair). Like this he saved a lot of money and he has a cool car now.
I really like the rims you posted here because it would match the car very well! I agree that the stock XK8 rims are horrible and need to be changed. I will show these to my brother to see how he likes them. We were thinking about maybe going with 20" in the front and 22" in the rear with slightly wider tires. It might give it an exotic look and still remain classy.

 

something to keep in mind about huge rims is that they tend to damage more easily than smaller rims with a larger tire sidewall. if he'll be using this as a daily driver or in an area with lots of potholes, 20"+ rims could become a bit of a headache.

 

Yes you do make a good point OhioXK. I've gone over some horrible potholes in my area so my brother will have a problem when it comes to tires with lower profile. Maybe I should just stick to 20" rims maximum all around. It's a good ponit I'll have to discuss with him.

 

What an interesting question. I have mixed feelings about doing something which fundamentally alters a car which is emerging as a future classic - but I don't know where the line is. I have, for example, made some dashboard veneer changes, but (you might think this is a bit over the top) bought a spare veneer dash so that a future owner could bring it back to the original.

I think you are wise to keep the dark red, and it is a beautiful colour; similarly, if you change the wheels then don't be tempted to sell the old ones but keep them for posterity. My car has 18" aluminium rims which I am personally satisfied with (and they are a bit more practical, being more resistant to kerbing, and hve cheaper tyres). I think that chrome is gaudy; I wonder if bronze effect wheels would look good with the red paintwork?

 

Ok so it's been awhile since I have been back on here, but my brother and I have finally finished the XK8! Remember, this car was not running and was in poor condition. I gave this car to my brother as a gift when he returned home from deployment. We spent about 3 months getting it to where we have it today. I hope you will like the finished product!

 

From this distance it looks good.......

Any chance of some better pics?

 

It looks very nice, well done. I like the colour combination and the paintwork looks first class. Not a huge fan of those quad rear lights, though.

 

like the color

 

and what size wheels did you decide on? They look larger than 20's to this observer.

 

That's a pretty color. That is the color of the one that I saw in a used car lot that made me start looking into buying an XK.

 

Paint code CGC otherwise known as carnival red

 

Thank you everyone! My brother wanted the quad rear lights to make it stand out from the other XKs. I'll get some better pictures by the end of next week because these shots came from my phone. We decided on 20" staggered rims. The rear tires are wider and it's perfectly flush with the fender arches. Here is a list of the work done so far:

1. Open air intake with heat shield
2. Front mesh grille
3. Rear "R" spoiler
4. Quad tail-lights
5. Custom exhaust with two resonators removed
6. 20" staggered rims
7. Fresh Carnival Red paint
8. Engine rebuild

Work to be done still:

1. Drilled/slotted rotors
2. Recaro seats with tan upholstery (similar to Ferraris & classy)
3. Custom convertible cover
4. ECU reprogramming

 

You guys did a great job!

Congrats.

Please thank your brother for serving, and wish him well back home.

Your cars look great next to each other and that red GTO in the back ground makes me think about having my brother's black one repainted that color while he is out of town, hahaha.

You could get one of those Adamesh hard covers for the folded convertible and paint it to match the car....then he would look better than a Movie Star on Rodeo Drive....cause he is the real deal.

jaguar xk | body styling | jaguar body styling

Where are you going to get the ECU reprogrammed?

Have always thought the red/tan combo was very compelling, Ferrari's, Jaguar's, MG's etc.


Cheers to both of you,

jj

 

Black and tan sounds great to me.

 

I think Black w/Tan is classy if you do the complete color change. I have seen many Corniche in that combo. Its all about what you want, not what is correct. If you have the money to do it, I say go for it. The photos look great in the red. Wheels look similar to an Aston Martin. Give your Brother a huge thank You for serving.

 

Thanks everyone, I will be sure to tell my brother. I told him to join this forum so hopefully he will get on here soon. As far as the ECU, I will need to look for a motorsports place around the area. When I find a place I will let you know the name of it and how the car runs after.

Oh, and that GTO is a great car! That picture was from the Cars & Coffee event in Irvine. There are a few Jags there, but hopefully more Jag owners come out to this event.