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Jaguar XK 150 S. 1957. USA Import. Work Started Again.
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gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 9:05 pm    Post subject: Jaguar XK 150 S. 1957. USA Import. Work Started Again. Reply with quote

Tell me of a harder car to restore than one of these.

They must be the most expensive factory built, individual panel , hand built, kit car type, mass produced vehicles to come off the Jaguar production line.

I posted articles before showing the full restoration of the bodywork and chassis etc

Now I am back on this project with a vengeance to get it on the road in the next month or so.

I have been through the body off stage.


Chassis shot blasted.
Minor repairs.
Sprayed in a rich gloss finish.
Full suspension rebuild front and rear.

Full modified engine build.
5 speed gearbox build.
Uprated braking system.

The whole lot assembled into the chassis, complete with braking system,fuel tank, propshaft, etc etc.

This I had running and moving about under its own steam.

Then the hard work began....the bodywork restoration.

The whole body has had brand new panels fitted throughout, apart from the front wings and the bulkhead.

After completing this and putting the body into a perfect straight finish it was reunited with the chassis, it then sat in primer for a few years whilst I got my head together went into rehab and churned out some easier projects...
Morris Minor Travellers.
Austin vans.
Morris vans.
Rootes cars
etc etc.

Now I am of fit mind and have 150% concentration I am back onto this project.

I am only joking about the rehab bit, but to restore one of these cars correctly on your own is one of the greatest labours of love.

They are basically a mass produced hand built car. I have not found two cars that are identical in measurements, fittings, or finish.

Reproduced panels never fit first time ( they probably never did in the factory ) and a lot of time is spent joggling things around to get it spot on.



The hardest part of this restoration was that the car came completely stripped and in cardboard boxes, everything was jumbled up, small parts missing and no record of what went where.

They say you should never purchase a car that has been stripped by someone else, but as it was a Jaguar XK 150 that was at a reasonable price I just had to go along with it.

The part of the project I am working on now should be the most enjoyable bit , the fitting up of the electrics, the final plumbing of the braking system, the many individual small body panels that need bolting into place under the car and around the engine bay, the fitting of all the trim to make sure it fits before the external paintwork is finished.

It is like doing a jigsaw puzzle without the picture.

I am fitting up the car to make sure everything fits as it should with the older parts as guinea pigs before fitting all the new goodies. Now is the time to drill holes, adjust existing holes, modify fittings, alter old technology for more up to date modifications etc etc.

Once painted externally there will not be any going back.

The underside of the car , interior and engine bay are in finished body colour, I left the exterior till last so it did not get damaged.

Must press on.






_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.


Last edited by gresham flyer on Wed Mar 19, 2014 9:14 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Rick
Site Admin


Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 22429
Location: UK

PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 11:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Triple carb XK engines always look the part, fabulous car. I remember there being what looked suspiciously like an XK120/140/150 under a tarpaulin a few miles from where my folks lived - never did pluck up courage to knock on the door.

RJ
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gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 1:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
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gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 1:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
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View user's profile Send private message
gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 1:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
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View user's profile Send private message
kevin2306



Joined: 01 Jul 2013
Posts: 1359
Location: nr Llangollen, north wales

PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

fabulous car, looks so solid too (im quite sure it took an awful lot of work and skill to get this far however)

kev
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gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 3:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would certainly not want to try and restore one of these as my first project.

To carry out the work correctly you have to draw on years of previous work you have carried out to get yourself out of tricky situations.

G.F
_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
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gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is the new wiring loom to install in the car.

I found the best way of tackling this was to purchase a booklet from Coventry Auto Components showing the different wiring sections and large print diagrams.

What it does not show you is where the different sections of wiring run through the vehicle.

What has made this project so much harder to tackle is that everything had been stripped off the car before I purchased it, so no reference points.

The wiring is coming along quite nicely now, with the ignition, front lights and dashboard all working.

Now I tackling the rear section.

G.F


_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
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View user's profile Send private message
gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote


_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am fitting the old dashboard fittings to make sure everything fits and works correctly before a complete new interior is fitted.
Nothing is worse than having to keep taking out a new interior or modifying it.

the car will be road tested with the old dashboard fitted, then when everything is fine the new items will be fitted.

G.F
_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The new lights are totally original to factory spec in 1957.

The headlight lenses are flat fronted , as were very early Jaguar MK 2`s.

Luckily I had all the new parts purchased a while ago, plus secondhand fixtures and fittings you need to assemble the new items.

Along with carrying out the wiring it must have took me a few hours to locate the special bulb holder fixings, I knew I had them stored away but they took a lot of finding.





_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The car is now running and driving since it was taken off the road in 1976.

The wiring is complete.
All lighting works.
All accessories wired in and working.

The rear lights were a pain to get working properly, with a combination of poor quality light fitting internals ( now rectified) and the fact the rear lights are run from a relay so the side lamp , indicators and brake light are all the same fitting, just a double filament bulb.

The routing of the wiring was a pain as I did not strip the car initially so it was difficult to know where all the wiring went first time..


_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gresham flyer



Joined: 06 Sep 2008
Posts: 1435

PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is something very satisfying about purchasing a vehicle in cardboard boxes and driving it out of the workshop for the first time.

All of the time spent , dirty jobs,welding , technical jobs, body preparation and fabricating of missing parts is all forgotten once you press that accelerator and move off for the first time.

Now I am just waiting for DVLA Swansea to issue me with a registration book so I can drive it on the road for some shakedown runs before final painting of the exterior.



_________________
Austin A30 / A35 Van.
Austin Devon.
Morris Minors.
Jaguars.
Rootes Cars.
MG.
Etc.



Viking Fibreline Caravan.
Cheltenham Sable
Shorts Built Vintage Caravan 1936.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kevin2306



Joined: 01 Jul 2013
Posts: 1359
Location: nr Llangollen, north wales

PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

absolutely superb and I want it!
Do you restore vehicles for a living?

Kev
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