Restoration

Complications came when I took the car for it’s yearly MOT test at the local Jaguar dealer. It failed, on a few minor things, but there was the hint of bigger trouble to come, as the front main subframe was rusted through on the front edge. I had it welded and the car passed. Ever vigilant about the cars ride and performance I noticed an increasingly loud whine coming from the rear of the car, so, off the Jaguar dealer again. The problem was diagnosed as the rear differential. I was told that it was fairly common and they could be reconditioned, but this meant that the car would be off the road for a few days. I agreed to the work and was given a courtesy car, not a Jaguar I hasten to add, but a lowly Ford, never-the-less I had transport. Bad news again, the diff. was shot and would have to be replaced, but it was a limited slip diff., and therefore would be even more expensive to replace than a fixed diff. I went to see the car while the work was being carried out and it was quite a shock to see the whole back end of the car dropped to the workshop floor. You could see right through from one side of the car to the other between the rear wheel arches, and there were suspension parts everywhere, strewn across the floor.

At the same time as the diff. was out the rear brakes were checked and were found to be fine, so at least I didn’t have that to do as well. Having the car back was great, though there were still a few gripes, I wanted sorted out, such as a knocking sound from the near side when traveling on bumpy surfaces, and a few rusty patches around the wheel arches and along the bottom of the boot lid. I had decided that I was keeping the car now as I had already spent a considerable amount of money, and that if I was to sell it would have to be before the work was done on the diff. Now it was a case of spreading any further work out to a very tight budget.

I took the car back to the Jaguar dealer for the knocking which was diagnosed as worn bushes on the suspension, so, again the car went for treatment. This time when the suspension was dismantled the extent of the corrosion problem to the main subframe became apparent and there was nothing for it but for it to be replaced.

A Picture Of The Main Engine Sub-Frame

A new frame was out of the question, but a reconditioned and powdercoated one was a fraction of the cost, and when it arrived at the workshop the service manager, who by now was quite familiar with me and my ‘cat’ said that if he didn’t know it was reconditioned he would have assumed that it was new. So it was fitted and new bushes added which resulted in a near silent ride. It was lovely, but still the rust was there and that was not going to disappear.

Taking the car around several body repairers I was given estimates for the work and it became apparent that what I really wanted was a total bodywork restoration as to treat the smaller areas of rust would end up in the car having a patched up spray job and if I was to have the whole car sprayed then I might as well make sure that everything was treated.

I settled on the repairer and the car went to him at the beginning of February 2000. I was prepared to be without my car for a while and in the mean time had bought a 50cc Scooter which would get me to work and back home in stark contrast to the luxury to which I had become accustomed. Still, at 100 mpg I was saving money on fuel!

A Picture Of My Scooters

Time dragged on, winter gave way to spring and then to summer, deadline after deadline came and went and still the car was not ready. It was not that the restoration was any more complicated than I had expected, just that the restorer was a one-man-band and anything that he could do for cash in the mean time seemed to take priority over my larger project. In the meantime I had got quite a taste for my scooter and decided to take a direct access course in motorcycling, so that I could then ride any size of motorcycle. This only took four weeks to complete, including test, and I bought a larger motorcycle to run for intermediate distances.

A Picture Of My Yamaha Virago

I kept the scooter for town work and commuting, and hopefully, eventually, the Jaguar for long distance and pleasure of driving, although after six months of very little driving, it would seem strange to sit at the wheel of a car again especially as I had survived the whole winter on my 50cc scooter, riding to work in sub zero temperatures and pouring rain, what luxury to have a roof again !