TireSmoke.org

This project is done, at least for now. It isn’t perfect, but like outside of the car, you don’t see the imperfections unless you get close. It is a 1000% improvement over the cracks that were in the clearcoat when I bought the car. What is amazing to me is that the cracks in the veneer have vanished now that the clearcoat is ultra glossy. I don’t know why that changed, but I can’t find those lines anymore.



Refinishing was a painful process and really needs to be a progression of finer sandpaper and finally perhaps even a couple of steps of different polishing compounds. I initially tried wet sanding with 600 grit and then polishing with Meguiars which is a very fine finishing compound. The 600 grit scratches were too much work for the polishing compound. The next attempt (after a walk to Ace Hardware to get some different sandpaper) was to add a couple more coats of lacquer and then wet sand with 1500 grit befobefore polishing. That might not have been aggressive enough as rattle-can lacquer doesn’t lay on quite that smoothly, but the 1500 eventually took out the high spots without too much effort. The polishing compound took me from there to the finish, but not without a lot of elbow grease. I think 2400 grit paper after the 1500 might have been a better process, but the real problem is keeping the sandpaper and polishing rag clean as any dust spec can become a deep scratch. The finish is mostly perfect glassy finish, but I might not have put enough lacquer on as some of the wood grain still shows through as surface variations. That really makes it look a lot more like wood than the factory finish which really looks like plastic, but all of that only matters when inspecting this from a very close distance. Throughout the polishing, I was inspecting this under a light so I know I did a really nice job, even though I also know there are still surface imperfections.



There is a visible difference between what I refinished and what I didn’t. The old stuff almost looks a little milky. My work looks deep and rich. The only place it matters is that passenger outboard vent surround. I noticed that the wood grains are carefully matched at the factory and the lighter color matches the transition that happens on the glove box panel right near the edge. That vent surround piece is fundamentally lighter in color because the wood is, but I think there is a texture and clarity difference that makes it seem slightly mismatched. I might pull that vent surround back off and refinish it now that I have a good idea of what the process looks like, but I don’t feel like sanding and polishing in the near future.

Reassembly is always a time to put things together better. The glove box now closes more positively thanks to a better adjustment on the catch. The corner of the dashboard near the A-pillar is warped and that was pushing that outboard vent surround inward. I removed the vent surround and ground down the corner that was up against the warpage and that went together looking a little more level with a more even gap along the glovebox.

The cigarette lighter in the center console was still a problem from reassembly after the vinyl installation. There was nothing holding it down because all the plastic clips are broken. Initially, the thickness of the vinyl gave it an interference fit, but it kept popping up. There is a light in that assembly that is mounted on the cylindrical body of the lighter and the metal box that holds the light ends just far enough under the bezel that it made the perfect clip (picture below shows light box, picture is not mine but from internet). By pushing the bezel down and then rotating the internal assembly, the light box actually clips under the vinyl covered steel plate and holds it down on the gearshift side. The other side still has one plastic clip that seems to be providing some hold. The reason I am explaining all of this is that if I ever need to remove this again, I will know to rotate the cylinder within the bezel counterclockwise so that the light box is clear of the steel cutout and the entire assembly should lift out, perhaps with a little resistance on the upper right corner where that last somewhat functional clip sits.

I decided to tackle the fog lights. In preparation yesterday, I pulled out the wiring diagram for the fog lights to make sure I fully understood the circuitry and where I might be able to test it. Before going out to the garage today, I took one more look at the wiring diagram and realized something strange; the headlights work with the ignition off, but the fog lights don’t. It turns out that I never tested the fog lights with the ignition on. The driver’s side light actually works, although it seemed rather dim. When I took apart the passenger side, I was able to verify power, so the bulb is burned out. Both lenses have been damaged, and I suspect the reflectors on both sides are pretty much shot. There are rusty bits inside the passenger housing that is sitting on my desk right now and I remember the driver’s housing being a bit ugly, too, when I took it apart the first time I tried to diagnose the issue. The original assemblies were made by Hella, but getting an exact match would require spending silly amounts of money for a used and very old piece. I decided that the current aftermarket Hella’s looked similar enough and the mounting looks identical, so a set is on the way.

I also spent some time addressing the usual annoyance with classic cars, the lack of cupholders. In the old days, you could walk into any cheap store and find something, but I couldn’t find anything that would really work in this car. A few weeks back, I bought a couple cheap cupholders off Ace Hardware’s clearance shelf and today I built a wooden base that fits between the back seat and the center console and straddles the transmission tunnel. I covered the wood in the same vinyl I used on the center console, although that really doesn’t make too much difference since it isn’t particularly visible. It gives us two cupholders in a somewhat awkward place, but it is better than nothing. In this dry climate with lots of long cruises in the hills, it is often necessary to take some water with us.

It is a shame that my design blocks the backseat passenger's ashtray.

When I'm sitting back there and want to smoke, I'll bring my own cup holder smokeless ashtray.

-BP

Another problem resolved. Installation was pretty easy. I replaced one connector on each side but was able to reuse the existing wiring. The brackets were very similar, but I used the new ones as they were cupped for the plastic housing. The old housings were metal with a chrome finish and these are black, but no one will notice that underneath the car. The old lights were a little more rounded in shape, but almost identical in size. The new lights came with plastic covers that I doubt I will ever use, but the white plastic with the black Hella logo is retro in its own way. This is just the cheap set, so everything is plastic. I started the car for the first time in a while. It fired up right away and it backed out of the garage normally.

Your fog lights look great. When are you getting a
Leaper?

GM

GMJohnny wrote: Sun Feb 09, 2025 5:42 am Your fog lights look great. When are you getting a
Leaper?

GM

Thanks for sending me down that rabbit hole. I wasted an hour or so reading about hood ornaments on Jaguars which is a surprisingly divisive issue. Jaguar never put a leaper on the XJ-S. Many dealers did. One cosmetic issue with that is the slope of the hood; the leaper leaps downward. Most XJ-S’s came with a badge on the hood, aka the growler. The growler badge was either black or gold. The gold one on my car was part of the ‘Classic Collection’ package available ’88-’91. I think later cars were only available with a gold badge (different hood and different badge) and prior to ‘88, the only badge was black. I think prior to ’82, there was no factory hood ornament at all. There was an aftermarket leaper produced for awhile that used the same mounting holes as the growler badge and had a circular base of the same size which would cover any paint issues. Apparently, that leaper was leveled off for the slope of the XJ-S hood. Those don’t appear to be readily available anymore. Nice leapers can cost hundreds of dollars, although aftermarket ones can be very cheap. They are also sometimes stolen, often ripped off with brutal consequences to the hood. Since I really like the gold badge on my green hood, and since I already owned a car with a leaper, the short answer is NEVER!

My 1999 XJR with a leaper hood ornament

My current growler badge

I’m still a huge leaper fan, BUT I’m also someone who likes the
stock look the most. I guess Jag didn’t see it fit to put the Leaper
on, so you’re stuck with a badge. On to the next problem for you.

GM

A week and a half ago, we hit negative 20. We had highs in the 60s for most of the last week, but that slab in the garage was still pretty cold and the moisture dragged in by the VW had the humidity in the garage very high. It has been damp and cold out there, but today I finally opened a garage door and turned on the heater. It quickly felt much better.

My project for today was to put in a dead pedal. My left foot did not reach anything so it just rested there like it would sitting in a recliner. That free-floating left foot made me feel completely unbraced when driving through the curves. I had been out in the garage a few times in the last couple of weeks thinking about this project, so I had already identified an available mounting point on the firewall. As I experimented with various bracketry, I landed on a rather simple approach. I bolted a short piece of flat stock to that mounting point, bent it at an appropriate angle, and mounted a chunk of 2X4 to it. The flex in the flat stock does allow the 2X4 to press firmly against the floor, but it also allows flexes the other way for keeping the carpet clean. I don’t really have carpeting in the front footwells, merely original Jaguar floor mats. After installing my dead pedal, I realized the driver’s floor mat would sit over the top of that 2X4 without risk of interfering with the brake pedal. Cosmetically, that looks better than a chunk of lumber in the footwell, but perhaps I will cover that 2X4 with something visually appealing and put the floor mat back underneath. For now, though, I have made a huge improvement for driving. It is a relatively relaxed position for the dead pedal, a fuller extension of my leg than in the VW, but I am now making solid contact with the car. Obviously, I took the car out for a 25-mile drive to test it out. The car fired right up and drove great, but I did have to air up the driver’s rear tire as it was down to 20psi.

There is a slight puddle on the garage floor under the car, but it is pretty insignificant. I think the power steering rack leaks when it sits, but I am not 100% sure it is power steering fluid. All the fluid levels were fine, but this puddle really doesn't amount to much. Old cars are leakers, Jaguars probably more than others, but I expected worse. I consider this good news.

Every little sub project makes the ol' Jag that much better and more satisfying to own.

As I mentioned in the Passport thread, my focus has been on home improvement projects. I haven’t done much with the Jaguar, but I did add another layer of 2X4 to the dead pedal I created. The initial pass at it had my leg just a little too extended. Before attaching the 2X4, I pried open an old can of bedliner and painted it black. So now I have the carpet back under the dead pedal and the dead pedal looks like nothing from anywhere that someone might notice it. I really have this dialed in now.

This evening, we took the Jag on a 45-mile loop. It was mostly 2-lane 65mph roads with lots of fun curves. I really like the way this car drives. It is not at all like a modern car, but it still handles really well, as long as I respect the suspension movement that is going to happen as it loads up. As the sun set, I did notice that my gauges don’t light up very well. I don’t think I ever really tested that. I might have some burnt out bulbs.

We took a great cruise yesterday. We drove north through the fun winding roads of Wind Cave NP and Custer SP to the park office to get our window sticker for the Honda. While we were there, we hiked our favorite trail in Custer SP. Then we headed north on the Needles Highway, one of the most famous roads in the region. I don’t normally drive that one much because in tourist season it is jammed and in winter it is closed, but a cool (snow flurries!) mid-April Monday afternoon was perfect timing. The road is almost too twisty and could use a few more guardrails. I didn’t really exceed the 25mph speed limit much or often. The tunnels are barely one lane wide so a bit of a driver’s test. We had dinner in Hill City at a favorite restaurant. The drive home from Hill City is an hour of high speed two-lane. It was a fun 110-mile loop. The car performed very well, although the temperature gauge showed a slight elevation as we climbed high on Needles, something to watch when we get to warmer weather.

I finally tested emergency braking as the deer were out after dinner. The brakes were strong. The car felt a little squirrelly with all its weight on the fronts. I brought it down from about 70 to a crawl. I didn’t notice the anti-locks engaging. Perhaps they don’t work or perhaps my training in threshold braking has me naturally avoiding the limit. There was a little bit of tire squeal, so I had to be close.

It is hard to tell in this picture, but in honor of BP, the fogs are on, and the headlights are off. This tunnel is called Needle’s Eye and this pulloff is usually jammed with tourists trying to get this picture. We were alone up there.

I was going to comment on how sweet it looked set up that way. A classic look that never gets old!

-BP

It has been a lot more driving than wrenching lately. I finished my first 1000 miles in this car going out to dinner on Wednesday. So far, I am averaging over 13mpg which isn’t too far off the EPA rating of 14 combined (12 city/17 highway). It seems a little low given my mix of driving, but maybe I am running a bit fast for optimum fuel economy and maybe my use of the throttle pedal is a bit aggressive.

After helping my neighbor patch a tire on his pickup, I decided I should at least take a look at my own slow leaking driver’s rear. Unfortunately, I did not find anything. It is probably just an old aluminum wheel issue. It doesn’t drop fast, but I do need to pump it up every week or so as it gets down to about 20psi.

Having the wheel off gave me a chance to look underneath and everything looks better than I remember. There is some minor surface rust mostly on the suspension assembly, but nothing disturbing. The rotor on the driver’s side looks good although I didn’t inspect it too closely as these are inboard brakes (the rotors are mounted alongside the differential). I also didn’t crawl under to see the pads as the car was merely on a jack. Replacing those rotors will be an interesting project if I ever need to do it.

I took a look at the struts and they looked clean without any obvious issues. I have wondered about those since I replaced the front shocks as they are likely just as old. After I put the wheel back on, I bounced the rear of the car a few times. I was surprised at how easy it is to compress that rear suspension. The rebound was obviously still damped as the car did not continue bouncing. I think the rear struts are still good. I certainly don’t have any complaints about the way it is driving.

I then tackled something that has bothered me since I bought the car. I de-pimped the car a little. The original owner probably had the dealer put monogrammed chrome trim pieces on the C-pillars. I have never seen that on any other XJ-S. That black section of the C-Pillar has two parts. The surround has a vinyl-like grain, and the inner piece has a smooth finish in flat black. The chrome pieces were double-sided taped to that center piece so I wasn’t sure if the finish would be damaged. I decided to take a chance on removing the old adhesive as this car doesn’t need more chrome that it was designed with. I was overly aggressive in the removal process on the driver’s side so I did nick the original black finish in a couple of minor places that will need touched up. The passenger side went much better. The location of the old tape is still visible when inspected up close. I think the areas without the adhesive oxidized a little more as the taped areas look smoother. I did try to even it out with some polish which helped, particularly in removing remaining adhesive. It isn’t perfect, but I am happier.

In this older picture, you can see the chrome piece on the C-Pillar


Here we are de-pimped

I have done some preliminary investigation on the air conditioning system. The compressor is not coming on, but there is still some positive pressure in the system. It is possible the system has leaked down enough that a pressure switch is preventing the compressor from running. It is possible that all it needs is a recharge. I probably need to put a gauge on it as the next step. We did take it to dinner earlier this week and the temperature was over 80 when we left home, but we were still pretty comfortable in the car thanks to the dry air in our region. It isn’t great with the windows open above 50mph, but at lower speeds, an open window is pretty nice.

Unfortunately, I have been noticing a bit of a brake grinding sound. I jacked up each front and gave them a spin. I even pulled one of the wheels to take a better look. The front is in good shape with good rotors and pads. Today, I decided to take a closer look at the back. It was pretty obvious that the problem was on the passenger side so I jacked up the car and removed the wheel so that I could get my camera under there to take a look at the pads. The outboard pad is essentially gone, but the inboard pad was still good. I was even able to reach across with the camera to see the driver’s side and both pads are good there. At lunch, I researched new pads and there are plenty of reasonably priced options.

After lunch and before clicking buy on new pads, I decided to take the next step and pull the old pads. In order to get the car up on jack stands, I first had to fabricate a jacking block to put under the cage of the independent rear suspension (IRS). Luckily my Jaguar manual gave me a reasonable explanation of what was needed, and I had the perfect materials available in my hoarder building. Once the car was on jack stands, I was able to slide under and get a better look. The calipers are mounted in an awkward position on the front side of the cage, but pad changes are reasonably accommodated with only minor discomfort. I pulled the cotter pin on the one guide pin and slid it out. The other guide pin had been wired in an awkward place (should be a cotter pin) so it took some effort to cut the wire and get the other guide out. I pried on the pads a little to release the cylinders. The inboard pad then slid out easily. The outboard pad is still jammed in there and I am not really sure what is holding it. The cylinder is clearly part of the problem, but I did get an eighth of an inch of space and the pad wiggles easily, but it won’t slide out. There is a thin aluminum backing only on that side that I think is looped around the extended cylinder. I haven’t been able to get that cylinder to collapse further in spite of some aggressive prying. The cylinder appears to be pretty seized up.

There is no room to work under there for anything other than pad changes. Rotor and caliper replacements require removing the entire IRS. That isn’t really that difficult as there are only eight bolts, the brake line, the handbrake cable, two radius arms, and the driveshaft to disconnect, but every bolt looks like a challenge. If I do remove the IRS, then I have a can of worms on my garage floor. What do I replace? What don’t I replace? It probably would be the time to do a complete rebuild with calipers, rotors, brake lines, bushings, struts, springs, the main rubber mounts for the assembly, bearings, seals, and u-joints. It would also be the time to clean up the surface rust and re-paint. It will be a fun project, but it isn’t what I was planning to do right now. I will probably put in another session on trying to get that seized cylinder opened up, and then just throw some pads on for now, putting off the IRS rebuild until winter. If I can’t get that cylinder to move, I will have no choice but to begin the major overhaul. Surprisingly, everything looks to be available at reasonable prices, but it still probably adds up quickly.

After a couple of nights of sleeping on it and a brief additional effort at trying to get that stuck brake pad to slide out, I decided that I bought the car as much for having something to work on as having something to drive. I have been spoiled by the driving. It is time to do some work. I have no idea how long the car will be out of service, but I am going to tackle refurbishing that independent rear suspension assembly which includes the rear brakes. While the battery has been holding a charge perfectly since I replaced that bad power antenna, I disconnected the battery since this project could take some time.

The first step is removing the entire IRS assembly from the car. That, alone, will be a project, but my first session went very well. The dual exhaust pipes route through the IRS assembly so those have to be removed. The flanges in front of the IRS disconnected without any real difficulty. One of the bolts was beneath a bend in the pipe so I couldn’t get an impact on it, but manual wrenches proved adequate. The driver’s side hardware looked new with threads clean enough to turn the nuts with my fingers. Both flanged connections came apart reasonably easily. That allowed me to slide the muffler toward the front of the car and out of its support, but the loop in the pipe that passes through the IRS requires some weird angles to get it out. If the car was on a lift, I suspect it could have been done without disconnecting the rear mufflers from the pipe, but on jack stands, the additional length of the mufflers preventing me from getting to the right angles to get the pipe out. Surprisingly, the mufflers came off without too much persuasion which then allowed me to tip the pipes downward for the last bit of twisting to get the pipe extracted. Even with that, it didn’t come out easily. Re-assembly will be a similar challenge, but perhaps I will thread those pipes into place prior to lifting the IRS back in. Remarkably, all of the exhaust system looks to be in decent enough condition to re-use it.

I also disconnected the ABS sensors. The sensors came out easy, but the screws holding the wire guides did not. One actually did come out, but the screw will need to be replaced. One of them snapped off so that will be a repair to make. The last one miraculously loosened enough prior to the impact destroying the Phillips head that I was able to then finish removal with a pair of pliers. Because the bearing assemblies are the same on both sides, the passenger side ABS sensor was on the back side, so it had two wire guides while the driver side sensor was on the front with only one wire guide. There were also zip ties holding the wires in place on the radius arms so those were cut.

The next steps will be to disconnect the drive shaft and the radius arms. The eight main bolts that hold the assembly in are already soaking in penetrating oil. The brake hose will probably just be cut since it should be replaced anyway. That leaves the handbrake cable and the speed sensor. I think the speed sensor gets disconnected after dropping the IRS down, but I need to look at that more carefully. At any point, I could find myself facing bolts that won’t let go and require special persuasion, but barring that, I might actually get this IRS out within the next week.

This assembly at the rear of the car typically takes the brunt of spray so it is notoriously rusty. So far, all my bolts look to be in good shape without a lot of crust. The cage has some surface rust in some places, but that is truly cosmetic. The crustiest looking parts are probably the brake calipers which will be replaced. The radius arms are particularly notorious, but mine appear to be solid with just a little surface rust on the top side. I did find a little bit of body sheet metal rust on the lower front of the passenger wheel arch that I had not noticed before, but even that is not cancerous. I was afraid of what I might find as I dove into this project, but so far, this car once again looks to be an amazing survivor.