Jaguar XJ-S. Manual - part 122

 
 

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INTERIOR 

 

Note:  The instrument panel is discussed on page 587. 

 

CHANGES FOR 1988:  The interior was significantly changed for the 1988 model year.  Changes included: 

Chincy plastic door sills replaced with beautiful chrome-plated steel sills with “Jaguar” written in them. 

Painted metal “ski slope” (panel surrounding the shifter) replaced with wood burl version.  The cruise control 
switch was relocated from the shifter pedestal down to the ski slope itself. 

New seats with heaters and electrically-adjustable lumbar support.  Switches are on the sides of the console. 

New steering wheel. 

 

LEGROOM:  If you are tall, you may be pleased to know that the front seats in the pre-’88 XJ-S’s have two sets of 
mounting holes.  The cars came from the factory with the seats mounted on the forward holes.  Simply unbolt the seat 
rails from the floor, turn the seat over and unbolt the rails from the seat.  Remount the rails to the seat using the alternate 
set of holes, and the seat will adjust farther rearward. 

Note that the ’88-on seats don’t have the second set of holes and are bulkier to boot, making it much more difficult for 
the larger driver to fit.  When Jaguar incorporated electric motors in the seat adjustments in the early 90’s, they got 
bulkier still. 

Tall people should also avoid the H&E convertible.  Relocating the seat mounts rearward will do no good, because the 
housing for the convertible mechanism limits rearward motion of the front seats. 

 

SEAT RAIL SPACING:  John Nuttall notes that the seat rail spacing on pre-’88 cars was 17½" while on later cars it 
was 16½".  Obviously, the seats will not be interchangeable. 

 

SEAT MOUNTING BOLTS:  On the early cars such as the author’s ’83, the four bolts that hold the front seat rails to 
the floor tend to be aggravating.  The front two bolts go into rectangular block nuts that do not hold themselves in 
place, although it usually isn’t too difficult to hold them in place with a large screwdriver until you get the threads 
started.  The rear bolt near the door threads into a trapped nut that can move around for alignment.  The rear bolt 
adjacent to the console is threaded directly into a boss welded to the floor; since this is the only corner that cannot be 
moved for alignment, this is the one that locates the seat.  When putting the seat in, it is a good idea to get all four bolts 
started before tightening any, and then tighten the rear one near the console first. 

Mike Wilson reports that both rear nuts are firmly attached on the 1990 model, neither one can move around for 
alignment.  Still, it would probably be better to have all four bolts started before tightening any, and tighten the rear two 
first. 

To make the job a little easier, you can replace the two rectangular block nuts at the front with clip nuts that will hold 
themselves in place.  The clip nuts are described as an “extruded U nut, 5/16 Regular” or “Long”.  The “regular” means 
that the clip part is 5/8” deep, while the “long” has a clip about 7/8” deep.  Suitable U-nuts were bought at Lowe’s and 
made by Curtis Industries, Inc., Eastlake, OH  44095.  The Curtis part number is 838758 for the regular and 838759 for 
the long.  Similar U-nuts are also sold by auto body parts shops, with the regular having a part number 4016. 

The best course of action seems to be to have a selection of regular and long U-nuts on hand to do this job.  On the 
author’s car, the regular fit the locations near the doors while the locations near the console required the long.  You 

 
 

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don’t wanna use the long on the locations near the doors if you don’t have to, since they would protrude more than 
necessary and possibly hurt someone’s ankle or run pantyhose. 

Of course, strength here is of some importance; you don’t want that seat coming loose in an accident.  However, even 
though the U-nuts are extruded from sheet metal, they are probably stronger than the original rectangular block nuts -- 
which are made of something related to silly putty.  Since the U-nut is a clip, it is made of spring steel and therefore 
quite strong.  And the extruded threads are perhaps twice as long as the threads on the rectangular block. 

Since U-nuts seem to only come in coarse thread and the original mounting bolts are fine thread, you will have to 
replace the front two bolts as well to get the U-nuts to work.  The shape of the head of the bolt is crucial, since the 
wrong shape may obstruct the adjustment of the seat.  The bolt to use with it is a “socket head cap screw, 5/16-18 x 1”.  
Curtis part number 835558, but this is a fairly common critter and can be found most anywhere.  This is driven by a 
1/4” Allen wrench.  The original lock washer may be used with this bolt.  

On the earlier cars, these bolts were Pozidriv #3 head.  This makes them quite difficult to get really tight, especially the 
rear ones since it may be difficult to get a screwdriver to engage the bolt head straight on; if you have Pozidriv bits for a 
changeable-tip screwdriver, you might try using one with a 1/4” box-end wrench or a 1/4” socket with a ratchet here.  
Later cars use Torx T-40 bolts instead, a big improvement.  The Allen drive cap screws also work quite well; if you 
have the Pozidriv, you might consider picking up some 3/4” long fine 5/16” fine thread cap screws for the rear 
locations, making all four removable with an Allen wrench. 

 

SEAT DIAPHRAGM:  If you take the seat out and turn it over, you will find that the bottom cushion is supported by a 
rubber diaphragm stretched across the frame and hooked on with hog rings.  This diaphragm is classic British non-
metal stuff and is rotten and torn, and that’s why you seem to sink farther into the seats than you did when you were 
younger.  Ron White says, “They are available for the Jag from BAS Ltd.”  See page 696.  Note that this is valuable 
information; apparently many Jaguar suppliers (including the dealers) will not sell you the diaphragm, they want you to 
buy the entire seat cushion assembly. 

Still, installation is no picnic.  The foam of the cushion is glued to the diaphragm, so replacing the diaphragm will entail 
carefully cutting the foam away and gluing it to the new diaphragm.  You’ll need good glue, like 3M Super Trim 
Adhesive #08090. 

Note also the above comment about the seat rail spacing change.  It is unknown whether a different diaphragm is called 
for between the two types of seat, but some owners have commented that the diaphragm was really tough to install, 
requiring serious pulling -- but maybe it’s supposed to.  Also, there are reports that the replacement diaphragm required 
a somewhat different mounting hole pattern in the frame, so a few new holes had to be drilled. 

This author took a different route and left the old tired diaphragm in place and reinforced it with a piece of plastic sheet 
above it (between it and the foam) and a webbing woven of curtain rod cord underneath it.  The webbing is remarkably 
easy to do, just loop back and forth between the same hog rings that hold the diaphragm itself, stretch it tight, and tie it; 
it might be advisable to do this while the diaphragm is still in good shape, thereby postponing the cushion regluing 
considerably. 

 

COMFORT:  Some of us prefer the bottom portion of the front seat to be inclined somewhat; this helps hold the 
occupant in position with less effort on his part, as opposed to having to brace one’s feet against the floorboard to keep 
from constantly sliding forward.  This is especially a problem if you like the seat back reclined somewhat. 

The seats in the ’83 XJ-S have no angle adjustment on the bottom.  However, a small amount of incline can be 
permanently added by inserting a few 5/16” washers under the front end of the seat rails, around the front mounting 
bolts.  It wouldn’t be a good idea to add more than 1/4” or so since you may start distorting the rails, but 1/4” can make 
a dramatic difference.  If you need more, you can also insert washers between the upper rails and the seat itself.  
Beyond that, you need to make some tapered washers to be able to bolt the rails to the floor without distorting them. 

 

 
 

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LEATHER:  Robert Olman of New York sends this tip.  If your leather interior has areas where the dye has worn 
through and the color of bare leather is showing, it can be re-dyed.  The original leather, by Connolly Leathers, is 
painted with dye rather than vat dyed like other cars -- if you look at the back side of the leather, you see the undyed 
color.  Connolly uses a lacquer-based dye; you’ll need 2-3 pints for the entire interior.  Before using, you must 
determine which pieces are leather and which are vinyl, as the lacquer-based dye will destroy vinyl (Some XJ-S’s are 
all leather, others have vinyl in areas that don’t contact humans such as the sides of the seats).  Or, you can use a non-
original non-lacquer-based dye. 

You might want to remove seats, console, etc. from the car to make the job easier.  Clean the leather with lacquer 
thinner, sand it lightly with fine sandpaper to remove the shine, then clean again with lacquer thinner.  Then apply the 
dye evenly, perhaps in two coats. 

If it is humid, it will take a long time to dry.  Heavy coats will also require a long time.  Heavy coats in damp weather 
may require a week to dry. 

If you would rather spray the dye, you will have to remove all items from the car, thin the dye with 5-7 parts thinner to 
1 part dye, and apply many thin coats.  It will require more dye due to waste.  Many marine supply shops sell 
disposable aerosol sprayers (about $6) with replaceable aerosols (about $3).  You’ll need about three aerosols. 

A complete restoration kit is available directly from Connolly (see page 697), with instructions. 

Note that Jaguar has used at least three different colors called “biscuit”.  To get the correct one, you must specify model 
and year. 

 

FOOT ROOM:  The footwells are tight enough; does the brake pedal have to be so big?  Of course not!  It doesn’t have 
to be any bigger than a brake pedal in a manual transmission car.  John Ashcroft says, “Just a small mod: cut 20mm off 
each side of the brake pedal to gain much needed foot room.  What a difference it made!”  Note that you don’t even 
have to cut equally off each side: you can cut entirely off one side if you’d like. 

Tip:  Go to the auto parts store first and check out the sizes of replacement brake pedal pads available.  Choose the size 
you want, take it home, and then trim your pedal to match. 

You can take the brake pedal out fairly easily, if it will make it easier for you to trim. 

 

INTERIOR WOOD:  There are two different types of wood commonly used in the XJ-S interior, elm burl and walnut 
burl.  The elm burl is a light honey color, while the walnut is dark.  Neither type holds up well in direct sunlight, so it is 
recommended that all XJ-S owners purchase sunshades to put in the windows when parking ina sunny parking lot -- 
especially if you have a later car with the wood ski slope, which is positioned to get more direct sunlight than any wood 
trim in the earlier cars. 

 

INTERIOR WOOD WORK:  Gene Halaburt says, “An excellent article on wood finishing for Jaguars appeared in the 
October 1996 issue of "Jaguar Enthusiast" Magazine.  Written by John Sundberg dba "A&B Leather & Wood 
Renovation."  (see page 696). 

 

INTERIOR WOOD TRIM REFINISHING:  Rick Lindsay provides this suggested procedure for refinishing the wood 
trim: 

  - 

Sand the veneered wood very carefully with 200 or 400 grit paper removing only enough wood to freshen the 
surface.  Even with 200 grit sandpaper it is easy to cut through the thin veneers used in britcars - especially on 
edges.  I’ve found it better to leave a bit of the ‘old finish’ than to sand thru the veneer and have to stain the 
substrate.  Pay particular attention to edges that should be left crisp - not rounded.  It adds a professional look. 
 Always sand linearly, not in circles. 

 
 

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  - 

Clean and tack cloth the fresh wood.  I use the vacuum cleaner to suck the sanding dust up out of the cracks 
and pores in the wood.  It’s remarkable how much comes out! 

  - 

Dilute into a clean glass jelly jar about a half jar of MinWax brand exterior Spar high gloss urethane.  To that, 
add an equal amount of new clean mineral spirits.  Mix well (stirred, not shaken). 

  - 

With a small fine brush, paint the wood surface.  The fresh wood will soak up the thin urethane mixture like a 
sponge.  This is, of course, the idea. 

  - 

Allow to dry 24 hours. 

  - 

Sand lightly (basically to remove high spots) with 400 grit paper. 

  - 

Vacuum clean. 

  - 

Repeat about 5 times to build up a thick coat.  By this time the pores in the wood should be completely full; if 
not, you’re not done with the diluted coats. 

  - 

Sand the last time with 400 grit paper to a matte finish. 

  - 

Here’s where things have to be really clean.  In a clean environment away from all dust, spray the wood with 
MinWax brand exterior Spar high gloss urethane straight from the spray can.  A thin, smooth coat is fine. 

  - 

Allow to dry 24 hours. 

  - 

Carefully wet sand with 1200 grit paper.  The kind used to ‘block’ or ‘color sand’ a new paint job is best.  
After all, that is what you are doing. 

  - 

I only use two coats of spray because finish is all that you are adding. 

  - 

Block again carefully, polish as if it were a new paint job.  Buff if you have the courage.  I do it by hand as a 
buffer in my hands is a license to screw up royally. 

  - 

Finish the job with a coat of Carnauba. 

  - 

Admire and drink beer. 

Alastair Lauener provides an alternative method of stripping the wood:  “I used a chemical called Nitromors, a paint 
stripper, water soluble, to strip off all the old varnish, and washed under cold water.  I tested on an old spare dash first.  
Careful not to let the wood get too wet.  Allow to dry out for a few days.  Be careful not to scratch it.” 

 

‘88-ON SKI SLOPE:  Removal of the earlier metal ski slope was obvious, three screws.  With the wooden ski slope, 
however, the screws are hidden.  Matt Dillon reports:  “In order to remove it, you need to take out the lighter and cruise 
switch.  This gives you access to the bolt on each side that hold the ski slope in place.” 

John Keppler:  “I would like to suggest an alternative approach.  The cruise control switch and the cigar lighter are held 
in place with plastic tabs that are bevelled to snap on, but not to snap off.  I don't believe you can reasonable expect to 
pry these fixtures off without breaking at least one of the four tabs on each (as I ended up breaking one of mine).  I 
would suggest instead the the ashtrays be removed first.  The bolts that secure the console lid are mounted horizontally 
with their heads pointed toward the car's center immediately next to the electrical fixtures.  They hold the console with a 
vertical tab which has a slot that slips down over the bolt.  The bolts only need to be loosened to remove the lid.  Reach 
back through the ash tray openings in the lid with a 5/16" wrench to loosen the bolts.  Once the lid is removed, you 
have a much better chance of removing the CC switch and cigar lighter without damage.  Reinstall the ash trays, 
remove the electrical items, and reinstall the lid.  Then the bolts are easily accessible for tightening, and the wiring is 
easy to reattach.” 

The wooden ski slope is notorious for cracking and peeling, perhaps because it gets more direct sunlight than the other 
wood in the interior.  Dillon suggests a repair:  “The ski slope is a piece of metal that has the wood veneer glued to it.  I 
took a belt sander to it to remove the old veneer.  I ordered the veneer from Constantines and re-applied it as per their 
instructions.  The veneer was a little lighter than the rest of the wood, so I used a little stain to darken it up a little.  I