Hi David, I decided to go with the Surface Processing route, and joined the waiting list which at the time was about 8 months. However during the wait other things got in the way and the money I had put aside was used up so I have reluctantly had to put this project on hold for a while. But I still ...

I'm restoring a mk2, and the body repairs are 95% completed. However a large part of the shell has surface rust to some degree or other and I'm struggling to get it back to bare metal. I've used a number of techniques and my current one is to attack it with a cup shaped wire brush in an angle grinde...

many thanks Peter, that is all useful stuff. I've got an inlet manifold from an early XJ series 1 with 2" SUs (HD8 I think) which I believe has the same port spacing as the series3 head. I was also planning to fit an XJS steering rack which may make it easier to use the XJ sump, although I have hear...

I've picked up a rebuilt 4.2 engine from a Series 3 XJ6 with a view to fitting it to my Mk2 in place of the original 3.8 unit which needs a full rebuild. This only cost me £150 which is a small fraction of the cost of a full rebuild. However, I am sure there will be a number of problems to overcome ...

do you know if the firing order is the same on Jaguars and Triumph?
I imagine it could have an effect on the optimum arrangement.

Peter, Alec, thanks for your replies. From what you've said it looks like the Volvo conversion with the discs cut down rather than the calipers, and Series3 XJ brakes at the rear is the way to go. This should be a lot better and cheaper than re-instating the originals. Alec, I dont know much about e...

There is a cost-effective alternative to the Coopercraft 4-pot conversion in the form of the Volvo 240 4-pot caliper. Apparently these calipers have the same bolt spacings as the mk2 and can be made to fit quite easily. This is a popular mod with e-types - see articles on the JCNA website at http://...

Should we have a separate section for modifications and upgrades? I am very interested in the subject as I am part way through a full restoration of a 3.8 Mk2 and intend to upgrade a significant number of components to make it more enjoyable in everyday use. I know its early days for the forum, but ...