Colt45GTO

Hi and welcome google windscreens in your area. not many like doing jags because of all the chrome trims etc. how are the scuttles? you may find a lot of rot around the base of the window frame, if thats the case it will also be in the bulkhead below. sorry to sound like a bad apple but i have just done one and seen many in the same shape.

also had the leather professionally redone.....nope not re-covered but re-dyed. Leather Tech have done an outstanding job and i highly recommend them. will update with more of both subjects soon.

was quoted £270 to re veneer the woodwork, and £150 to re-lacquer it but we don't want to pay that! so i have set about redoing it myself..... after all wood is only non weld-able steel! this is how the dash pieces look.....ed! that old peeling lacquer is a bugger to get off. i got the best stripper the paint shop can supply, i wanted a brunette ended up with a blonde! because i may as well have brushed wd40 on there! ordered some stuff from a wood refinishing supplier see what that does. yep pretty pale and peeling. veneer however has a huge soak property so it takes a lot of clear to actually get some sort of finish. and in places it doesn't take. i have used nitro cellulose lacquer as a base coat and filler, then finished with std 2k lacquer. more like the right colour, a wet sand and final coat tomorrow and it should be good as new, the vent surround i am waiting on the other stripper to see if that works better. but will add more images tomorrow of the finished pieces. ps, was going for a matt finish but it doesn't bring the detail of the wood out so opted for the std gloss.

there are still daunting times ahead but once the body is complete, i can concentrate on the inside. the interior has gone to lether tech to be profesionally restored. i will carpet it myself. the hood headlining i may also attack myself. but yes i look at it and smile, although i still haven't finished the body yet. it will be deemed as finished when my OCD retreats! lol

happy with the outcome so far. my OCD is taking a turn for the worse i can't get this to sit center lol this makes me happy, this wasn't even present when i got the car

I sanded and buffed one panel today and I gotta say.....not impressed! the finish is about half way where I want it to be but parts of the panel are showing imperfections. i asked a mate to look to see if he could see anything? he couldn't! i gave him another scenario... you're about to pay 50k for this now can you see anything? he found what I had spotted. you cant see it in the pics, you have to be moving the reflections round in the panel which is how I do it. it takes longer uses more paint and clear but it's the only surefire way to get something perfect! http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h364/David_Healey/010-8.jpg http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h364/David_Healey/009-8.jpg http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h364/David_Healey/008-7.jpg http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h364/David_Healey/006-5.jpg http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h364/David_Healey/005-4.jpg http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h364/David_Healey/004-4.jpg http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h364/David_Healey/003-2.jpg http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h364/David_Healey/002-2.jpg http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h364/David_Healey/001-2.jpg

been ill... getting better but managed to do a bit of buffing it will turn out quite nice i think. also had a play with front suspension because there was no travel at all on drivers side. this was the side i had stripped to repair the section of subframe. had a ball ache stripping out the spring even worse refitting. noticed it was 180 out so i made a tool... it worked very well. better than the last one i made lol

after a final wet sand with 1200-2000 and a buff, there will be no traces, the car in that colour would probably looked like black chrome the photo's really do this colour no justice, with and without the clear it looks awesome. but with the clear it really adds depth the reflectiveness will be like pearing into a steel mirror. if anything sells this car it will be the paint and the vents. everything else is just XJS except for the sills lol

the next day shown the result.....i really need a clinical spray booth! cant afford one nor do i have the space for one. but its just dust and a little rubbing with 1200 and soapy water and a final lacquer will fix that. this is a wet sand and top coat of fresh lacquer today

that sounds like a plan Peter

truth will be known tomorrow, i kinda threw the lacquer at it and went. no doubt i will have runs. i cleaned the place and damped it down and still ended up with dust in the clear. kinda why i went straight after lol.

finally bodywork is done ish!

got a little further today, been running around a lot tho but new pics

hi Frank, its an '88 so first of the convertibles

Hi Dan, your probably sorted now but one on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jaguar-Diagnosesystem-Diagnose-MPA-fur-PDU-Jaguar-XJ40-XJ81-XK8-JDPDU-/131374145055?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item1e96825e1f