Monday, March 7, 2011

THE TENTH LIFE of A JAGUAR E-TYPE Part II

BY MACK BESSER of ZZAAPP VINTAGE AUTO
For Part I of this article CLICK HERE
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Winter time in northwestern Illinois means snow, cold, snow, cold & if it thaws a bit, mud! Then more snow & cold! Obviously, not a time to take the E-V8 out for a test spin.
We have the project to a “turn-key” & charging level, upgraded brakes bled, cooling system adaptations completed-in theory it could be driven. Our client gave us all the trim, chrome, bumpers, glass, dash, interior, etc. to finish-so we have been busy this Winter.
This car came to us with a nice paint job; when will painters realize one must fit the doors, bonnet, boot lid & bumpers ON TO THE CAR, PRIOR TO PAINT!? Anytime this is done after paint, one can almost guarantee chips & scratches will appear along those edges. Even the simplest pieces of trim should be fit before any painting; thus allowing the necessary adjustments that will be needed. FYI, all gaps, lines & alignment should be done PRIOR to fitting of weather stripping. One must be very careful with the door alignment without weather strip, as to not close the doors too far on the latch and cause chips. OOPS never mind, you’re making these adjustments pre paint, RIGHT? I know this sounds tedious & it is, but let’s imagine how much complaining the painter will produce once he sees the damages. What is the lesser of two evils? Especially-the E-type’s front & rear bumpers are extremely difficult to fit, due to those body areas being the most prone to panel straightening. Add to this, perhaps the bumpers have been straightened/re-plated, minor misalignment will now occur. So, remember your Geometry class: You know, the part where the Isosceles triangle is one dimension at one point and incrementally increases towards another point. (I think!) Sorry Mr.Granlan! So, those minor misalignments will vex you when you try to assemble bumpers, guards & motif bars onto the vehicle. Not to mention that thin, long strips of bumper seal that is actually supposed to make contact with the body & finish a “nice line”. No wonder the painters don’t fit the bumpers first! I wonder why?
Perhaps they know better.


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