487
then found an epoxy based clear coat to put a thick shiny finish on it. Much easier than applying coat after coat of
varnish or polyurethane. This is a pour on finish and has held up very well so far. I did this about a year ago, so
obviously I haven't been able to duplicate 8 years of having the sun cook it, but am hoping that it will last.
“I did go to the dealer to price a new one. They told me somewhere around $250 and couldn't guarantee that it would
come even close to matching the rest of the wood. The wood veneer from Constantines cost me about $25 with the can
of veneer glue to go with it. The epoxy coating was about $10 more. Aside from being a whole lot cheaper, it allowed
me to get the color very close.” Constantines is on page 697.
“I called them and just asked them for a piece of their "premium" burl walnut veneer and gave them the measurements.
I specified a piece much larger than what I actually needed just in case the edges were a little rough. They sent me 3
pieces. In order to make it fit, I used 2 of the pieces with the seam running straight down the middle. It wasn't obvious
to me, but the original Jag piece also had a seam in the middle. The pieces are matched, so it looks really nice. The left
side is a mirror image of the right side. There were a couple of knots in the veneer, but I liked that. They're very
helpful, and I'm sure that if you send them a piece, they'll try to match it.”
CONSOLE PANEL: For those of us who own an ’83 XJ-S, removing the panel from the top of the console is easy and
obvious -- there are three clearly visible screws. However, John S. Whitford has an ’89 with one of those newfangled
wood veneer panels, and apparently somebody decided that visible screws would be passé. “The cruise control switch
and the cigar lighter can be pried out and that exposes a sheet metal bolt into the console wall locking down the lid on
each side. Getting those out allowed me to raise the lid and slide it back some and there are two pegs on the front edge
of the cover that fit under the radio-A/C cover.”
ADHESIVES: If you’re doing interior work, you need to know about adhesives. The following is from Timothy J.
Hesse; “I am the product marketeer for the ITSD Industrial Aerosol Adhesives and I formerly was the product
marketeer for Auto Trades Aerosol Adhesives.”
“74 Foam Fast Adhesive is an excellent foam bonding adhesive which performs well up to about 120°F. Above that
temp, the adhesive will soften, and with sufficient stress, you can pull the foam apart. It is possible to experience up to
150+ degrees in a closed car, and the seat part does see a fair amount of stress when a person is sitting on it.
“Another 3M product which is a good foam bonder and has 160° temp resistance is General Trim Adhesive, pn 08080,
which is sold by the Automotive Trades Division. This would be a better product to try for seat bottoms.
“76 is a good product---but does not have very good plasticizer resistance. Vinyl material is typically loaded with
plasticizing oils, and in time these plasticizers migrate from the vinyl to the adhesive, and they soften the adhesive to
the point the adhesive becomes very soft and gummy and “lets go”. 76 has 160°F temp resistance and would work on
foam bonding, but vinyl bonding would not be a long term success.
“A better product for bonding vinyl is Super Trim Adhesive, pn 08090, also sold by Automotive Trades Division.
Super Trim is a neoprene-based contact adhesive in an aerosol can. It has 200°F temp resistance, and is plasticizer
resistant. In fact, Super Trim is very good for reattaching vinyl tops, vinyl trim, etc. in auto restoration projects.”
HEADLINER: Apparently, if you don’t want to have headliner trouble with an XJ-S, you’d better get a convertible!
They all seem to fall down sooner or later, and the roof light is poorly placed to help keep the headliner off your head
when it does.
The material used in a headliner is a fabric bonded to a thin layer of foam. The failure mode of headliners (not just
Jaguar) is that the foam rots and falls apart. While it appears tempting to just find some way to glue it back up (and
there are people who are willing to sell you products to “inject” glue in there with), the fix will not last; once the foam
is shot, gluing it back together only makes it fall apart again above or below the glue layer.
The only real solution is a new headliner. Fortunately, this problem affects cars other than Jags, and a competent
craftsman can usually be found locally to do this job well for a reasonable cost.