Jaguar world's technical advice service

3 min read

Jaguar World's technical advice service

Edited by Ray Ingman

XJ40 woodwork

Q Are you or any of your contactsable to refer me to a supplier of burl walnut veneer to suit my 1987 XJ40 XJ6? The market is too small over here in Australia for that species and you basically have to pay a fortune to have a restorer do the job for you.

Peter Van Schoten

A In the UK, the XJ40 model’s descent into ‘bangerdom’ was rapid and its subsequent rise somewhat less so. This resulted in patchy parts supply for modern day restorations. We consulted Paul Keating of the XJ40 register (www. facebook.com/xj40register) to ascertain the up-to-date situation:

“This is a common issue on the XJ40 as the wooden fascia assemblies let in moisture in colder countries and fade/ crack in hotter climes. Sadly, all new oldstock (NOS) from Jaguar is long gone, but you can occasionally find someone on eBay who is selling a set which they have been sitting on. They do occasionally come up, as I recently bought a Rosewood set for my 1994 model still in its original Browns Lane packaging - but this is rare nowadays.

Most people tend to buy replacements from scrapped cars, as there can be some very good surviving wood sets. I would always recommend buying all cappings from the same car as the Burr tint varies, and as it is wood, the pattern can also vary massively from a very simple grain to quite a busy one. Replacing one cap can often stand out badly, so a full set from the same car is necessary. They are very easy to remove and replace.”

There is only one place I know of that sells replacement kits – but they are not cheap, that is Myrtle Ltd in Kent (www.myrtleltd.com).

I have not had personal experience of this company, but I know a number of people who have, and I have read many reviews, which you should check out.

I note that you have an XJ6, so you will need to confirm with them what they can provide. The photo of the set on their site is for Sovereign/VDP/Daimler cars, as it has the matchstick inlays, which XJ6 base cars do not have, so you will need to be careful of this detail. I’m not sure if you’re looking to replace every wood detail on your car, but you would need to if you bought this kit to avoid having some pieces with inlay and others without. You will also need to make sure you’re happy that the car wouldn’t have the correct wood for its spec, depending how particular you are on originality.

This article is from...

Jaguar World Monthly Magazine

10 June 2022

Octane

Flamin’ brilliant!

More people have walked on the moon than driven a Schuppan-Porsche 962 CR in anger. For a brief time the world’s fastest and most expensive car – a snip at $1.5-1.9m according to authority Karl Ludvig

Classic & Sports Car

Into the great wide open

I’ve left the fuel cap at the gas station. We haven’t even reached the start of Route 66, as I pull over for the first photo of the trip in the emptiness of the Colorado Desert. The boot can only be o

Practical Classics

Faster, cheaper!

The Ferrari Testarossa is 40, so we are having a birthday party without it

Classic Car Weekly

40 great getaways to drive in your classic

Has Drive-It Day fired you up for an adventure with your classic? Here are our expert picks of the trips, tours, rallies and runs heading your way this year

Classic Cars

Mild to wild

Messing around with classic designs can enhance the whole ownership experience, or corrupt the very virtues that make them more appealing than modern cars. Here, six exemplars of different modification schools make their case