by NigelW » Mon Dec 26, 2022 11:51 pm
Yes a lot of changes, the original springs were badly sagging and I replaced them with a set that were too high but that was all that was available back then. Getting parts for Mk2's and S Types was not the easiest thing, the Jaguar main dealers had nothing for them so the only outlets beside breakers were the independents, the two in London being Normans in West Hampstead and the other Nolans in South London, I had to wangle jobs in the truck to get to visit them. The rear springs I found in a local hot rod shop that were on display as an advert for a local chroming company, they told me they were for a 420G and sold them to me for next to nothing. They remained on the car for the next thirty years, thanks to Watjag they have all been replaced. In 1986 after the new sills and floor pans were fitted at the Shoreditch workshop I resprayed it BRG and swapped out the auto box for the manual OD box in a rented workshop at the local marina. The round wheel arches were made in 1977 as the wings had rotted out and repair panels weren't available and new wings if you find them would have cost far more than the car was worth so it was better than nothing, don't forget these cars were old bangers and practically worthless back then, I had scrapped a couple of Mk2's I bought for £20 each and one other S Type that cost £100. Fortunately door's were readily available from breakers yards for about £8 each. Ten years later in 1986 I bought the S1 XJ6 for £650 that I've just sold this month and that was expensive for the time.
Yes a lot of changes, the original springs were badly sagging and I replaced them with a set that were too high but that was all that was available back then. Getting parts for Mk2's and S Types was not the easiest thing, the Jaguar main dealers had nothing for them so the only outlets beside breakers were the independents, the two in London being Normans in West Hampstead and the other Nolans in South London, I had to wangle jobs in the truck to get to visit them. The rear springs I found in a local hot rod shop that were on display as an advert for a local chroming company, they told me they were for a 420G and sold them to me for next to nothing. They remained on the car for the next thirty years, thanks to Watjag they have all been replaced. In 1986 after the new sills and floor pans were fitted at the Shoreditch workshop I resprayed it BRG and swapped out the auto box for the manual OD box in a rented workshop at the local marina. The round wheel arches were made in 1977 as the wings had rotted out and repair panels weren't available and new wings if you find them would have cost far more than the car was worth so it was better than nothing, don't forget these cars were old bangers and practically worthless back then, I had scrapped a couple of Mk2's I bought for £20 each and one other S Type that cost £100. Fortunately door's were readily available from breakers yards for about £8 each. Ten years later in 1986 I bought the S1 XJ6 for £650 that I've just sold this month and that was expensive for the time.