Alex Finlay

Forum Replies Created

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • in reply to: Hydraulic Rams #14201
    Alex Finlay
      @alex-finlay

      Hi Shane

      Have you considered having them hard chromed & ground to size? I don’t know what it would cost these days but many years ago I had some motorcycle fork legs done that I couldn’t get replacement for at a reasonable price.

      Alex Finlay
        @alex-finlay

        Did something happen that caused Jaguar to abandon the plan to send the cars to the US?

        in reply to: Cabriolet rear seats #8491
        Alex Finlay
          @alex-finlay

          I fitted xj-s coupe seats to my cabbie a few years back. With coupe seats the top of the seat back extends slightly above the parcel shelf so small items on the shelf don’t fall off under braking. I’ve seen seats made lower so that the hood studs are available to use but they look a bit odd to me as the seat is back is quite low. Not having the hood fixed down doesn’t make much difference IMO – stationary it sits perfectly, at speed (100kmh) the centre lifts a little but nothing dramatic. My 2 cents worth.

          in reply to: XJS Cabriolet Tonneau Cover – Remanufactured #5951
          Alex Finlay
            @alex-finlay

            Yep, that’s basically it. There should also be a few press studs that it clips on to. The position of these vary a bit from car to car so you should have the auto trimmer match the position up to your car rather than the borrowed cover unless you know for sure it fits your car correctly.

            in reply to: 1984 XJS 3.6 Manual Cabriolet – breaking for spares #5424
            Alex Finlay
              @alex-finlay

              Carbs!?

              in reply to: Boot Badge required #5347
              Alex Finlay
                @alex-finlay

                Thanks Mark.

                in reply to: Maximum wheels to fit #5346
                Alex Finlay
                  @alex-finlay

                  What ultimately matters is the size of tyres you fit. On 18 x 8″ rims you could fit 235/45 tyres and they will clear but if you put 255s on I’m guessing you might have problems. Is it legal to use spacers in the UK? You can’t in Victoria.

                  in reply to: Boot Badge required #5301
                  Alex Finlay
                    @alex-finlay

                    Does anyone know just how the XJ-SC badge is mounted? I’d like to remove mine for a bit of renovation but I’m hesitant to “lean” on it without better knowledge. I assume there must be some pins that push into holes\grommets in the body? My badge is definitely not stuck on as it is loose – it will move a millimetre or so if you wobble it. Are the pins just straight? I have another spare badge but the pins are broken off on it. This happens easily? Anyone with experience of removing\attaching badges? Cheers.

                    in reply to: Maximum wheels to fit #5277
                    Alex Finlay
                      @alex-finlay

                      I’ve done a bit of research on this as I wondered the same myself. Starting from the assumption that you want the overall diameter to be about the same as original to preserve speedo\odometer accuracy my summary is:
                      – 235 wide should (must?) fit as Jaguar specified this on later cars although I’ve never actually seen an xjs with these tyres on it as they are such an odd size in 15″.
                      – this width fits all 4 wheels the same offset
                      – I think 245 width can also fit but it would be very close
                      – wider tyres can be fitted but you need different wheel offsets front to rear (which is what TWR did to put 255s on the rear I believe)
                      – standard offset for Jaguar xjs wheels is 28.5mm
                      – wider tyres on the rear will hit the inner mudguard, on the front the inner steering\suspension somewhere (hence the need for different offsets). Rear wheels need to be moved inwards (larger numerical offset number) & the fronts outwards
                      – don’t forget that xjs’ also need a wheel with enough centre hub diameter hole to fit the front
                      – this is all theoretical, I run standard Jaguar 16″ wheels on my car!
                      Good luck.

                      in reply to: Total ignition shut down – 5.3 V12 #5276
                      Alex Finlay
                        @alex-finlay

                        Almost certainly the ignition module (small black box mounted on top of the left hand inlet manifold at rear). Pouring cold water on it can help revive it a bit quicker but they also often just fail completely. The module inside can be replaced separately (actually a GM part). Kirby Palm’s book has a big section on it. I’ve done two in my car over 10 years, last time was about 6 years ago but the one before that only lasted about 18 months. I carry a spare box in the car for that reason.

                        in reply to: Back on the road again – at last #5266
                        Alex Finlay
                          @alex-finlay

                          Hi Laurence,
                          Forgive me if you have already discussed this elsewhere (point me to where?) but I’d like to know more about what you did with your targa tops. They are now finished in body colour?
                          Hope you’re enjoying its return to the road.

                          in reply to: V12 Fuel Supply Issue #1579
                          Alex Finlay
                            @alex-finlay

                            That’s a shame. Hope it’s not too painful getting home. Good luck with it – let me know when you find the problem.

                            Cheers

                            Alex

                            in reply to: V12 Fuel Supply Issue #1577
                            Alex Finlay
                              @alex-finlay

                              Here’s hoping – you don’t get many cheap fixes with Jaguars!

                              Cheers

                              Alex

                              in reply to: V12 Fuel Supply Issue #1574
                              Alex Finlay
                                @alex-finlay

                                Hi Laurence

                                I have had a similar problem twice in my cabbie. The first time it was due to a failing fuel pump. The car would cruise at speed but just pushing the throttle a bit further would immediately introduce a miss. I had about 200 miles to get home and the “cruise” speed slowly got worse. By the time I got home I could only cruise at about 40mph without inducing the engine miss. When I pulled the pump out it was very, very worn. The second time it happened was not long after I had replaced the pump and I couldn’t believe it was happening again. However this time it occurred after I had had the spare wheel out and I discovered that the spare was compressing a fuel line. Once I repositioned the wheel & line it was perfect and has been for the last two years.

                                So my guess is you have fuel restriction somewhere. I have also had trouble with another car from an old fuel line collapsing internally that gave troubled only when driven at high speed. Couldn’t see anything from the outside though.

                                Good luck with it.

                                Regards

                                Alex

                                in reply to: A/C Gas #1602
                                Alex Finlay
                                  @alex-finlay

                                  When R12 was being phased out in Australia (and the US I believe) A\C systems were changed to use R134a. I’ve never met anyone who has had\used R414B although I’ve read that it is meant to be a direct replacement for R12. R134a is the gas now used in car A\C systems but there is a bit of work & cost to convert an old system properly.

                                  Alex

                                Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)