Classic Car Restoration Projects Blog

Ski slope, Steering wheel, Instrument cluster face panel....

24/3/2019

Some more trimming work...
We have to fit another ski slope,cause the manual conversion. Got one from a manual car, but black,so needed a new "coat". And the gear gaiter was also black and scruffy.
Steering wheel...its a sporty one (Italvolanti) fitted by Lister, also a bit worn,so decided to have a frest "coat".
The face panel of the instrument cluster had a leather cover,we decided to replace that one too,and a bit customized it with a few stitches...
Here comes the pictures:

Will be back soon..... :)

New door cards

24/3/2019

The original door cards off the car were in bad condition,so we agreed with the owner we will make new ones with new leather on the handles and pockets too,and because the car was modified by Lister in 1986,we decided to reproduce the door cards with a LISTER sign on them.
Throughout the process all the metal parts were blasted and re painted,bits and bobs were zinc coated,rivets were replaced with new ones....All the works completed in our workshop.

Pedal box for manual conversion

27/8/2018

So the drive train is fitted with a manual gearbox... we need one more pedal to "drive" the car.
The pedalbox have to be replaced,and here is one from the breaker yard:

And here it is restored:
Fitted with new brake and clutch master cylinder . Waiting for a new clutch pedal rubber...

Wiper motor+ heater unit restoration

19/8/2018

The wiper motor and linkage has been restored.
The heater unit.....,if you look the pictures,you can see what can be built up in the heater /vent/aircon blower motor housing and in the tunnels...that could cause some sickness....

Fit the manual gearbox...

1/4/2018

The engine was fitted with an auto gearbox originally,but it will have a manual Getrag 265 fitted to it.
We have a conversion kit from Simply Performance,but I had to do some modification on the bell housing . This one wil give us the option to be able to remove the starter motor(hopefully in the future we do not have to!) without taking the gearbox off.
Trough that hole ,we will be able to remove the top bolt of the starter with allen key.

And now here are a few pictures of a fully restored "drive chain", waiting for the body shell to be arrived:

Will be continued....

The 5.3L V12 engine part4

21/1/2018

The restore -rebuild of the engine continue....part of the wiring loom fitted on the engine,needed some attention.
First of all remove the old insulation tape,give it a good clean and wipe,and use a fabric tape to re-banding it.

The engine was bolted to a rotating engine stand,but the time is here now to remove it from there.
The auto gearbox wont go back on the engine,a manual gearbox will be fitted. Getrag 265 manual box ,clutch kit and a conversion ring have to be bolted on before the engine goes back to the car. I want to make sure everything is fine.
To mate up the engine and the gbox I had to fabricate a suitable stand .

Before the gearbox goes on, all ancillaries have to be fitted,like water pump,PS pump,alternator,pulleys...etc

Continue soon...

The 5.3L V12 engine part3

21/1/2018

The restoration-rebuild of the engine in progress.The pictures should speak for themselves....

Inlet manifolds are vapour blasted,parts cleaned and zinc coated,large throttle body kit fitted-supplied by Roger Bywater at AJ6 Engineering,vacuum hoses replaced.

Continue soon...

The 5.3 V12 engine part2

30/12/2017

Stripped the engine to bits,cleaned and checked the parts...pistons and liners are fine,decided to have a set of new piston rings and had to replace 3 gudgeon pins,cause of surface rust.
New gasket kits awaiting to be fitted,along the full set of head studs...
Heads were skimmed,ports cleaned, 12 new exhaust valves fitted,all valve seats done,valve clearances adjusted...

The starter motor has been restored too

continue soon....

The Jaguar XJS Engine : 5.3 Litre V12

10/9/2017

The car has done only 34k miles,so the "heart of the vehicle" must be in a good condition,but cause of the age, it was some oil leak here and there we were hoping we don't have to get involved too deeply.....well that was the plan....
After a good clean and wash we seen clearly we have to do more than we thought,agreed we do not want any leaks or engine related problems after when the engine fitted into a nicely re sprayed body.
Decided to strip it fully and overhaul- restore the engine fully.

After a good clean:

Finishing the suspension...

10/9/2017

The front and rear suspension fully restored,adjustable shockers and lowering springs fitted:

Continue soon...

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What Our Clients Are Saying

"Laszlo has performed the most amazing bare metal nuts and bolts restoration on my Jaguar XJS Lister. His talented ability to refabricate from scratch, metal panels that are no longer available has kept the project moving and at a very reasonable cost. It is rare to find a restorer who can weld, fabricate and also strip refurbish the engine and all of the mechanicals on the car. An XJS expert of 50 years said he had to date not witnessed such an extensive restoration of an XJS and to such a high standard of quality. Thank you Laszlo" Simon Spurrell.

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