{"id":3687,"date":"2012-08-26T18:28:46","date_gmt":"2012-08-26T22:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.monocoque-metalworks.com\/main\/?p=3687"},"modified":"2015-02-18T13:12:03","modified_gmt":"2015-02-18T18:12:03","slug":"trading-up-then-sellers-remorse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monocoque-metalworks.com\/main\/2012\/08\/trading-up-then-sellers-remorse\/","title":{"rendered":"Trading Up \u2013 then Seller\u2019s Remorse!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I often get calls or emails from customers looking for a possible patch panel and\/or some advice on how to proceed with their particular problem.\u00a0 I can usually help – and we actually support alot of shell restorations via e-mail photos, by sending the various panels needed, forming special patches, etc.\u00a0 Sometimes, though, I have to write back and basically say, “Ok – just stop…” and this was one of those times…<\/p>\n

A couple of months ago, a customer wrote to me for some advice on repairing their bonnet.\u00a0 They had started some repairs, and had stepped up to a new lower valance.\u00a0 I think that after they bolted up the new lower valance, their other panels were looking pretty bad by comparison and they wanted the whole skin to look like the new lower valance.<\/p>\n

What I recommended was to “trade up” to some better original panels from our supply.\u00a0 One thing that the customer was concerned about was the fit of the final product to the shell.\u00a0 I assured them that original panels – properly restored – are always the best way to go.\u00a0 The new stuff seems to be getting worse and worse all of the time…<\/p>\n

As it turned out, we had a set of matched wings and center section from a ’68 Series 1.5.\u00a0 These were very nice pieces that I picked up at a swap meet a few years ago.\u00a0 The story I got when I purchased them was that they were found in the attic of a gentleman that had Jaguars and had passed away.\u00a0 If I had to guess, I would say that these panels were removed from his car because of the rust in the side flanges, and were probably replaced with new panels – most likely Series 1 stuff…<\/p>\n

Here are some photos of the customer’s original panels, and then the panels we were able to provide.\u00a0 All panels that we sell are restored pieces, so you’ll also get to see these panels brought back to near-perfect condition.\u00a0 In a separate blog posting, we will weld in a set of our Series 1 covered headlamp conversion flanges, making these identical to Series 1 pieces in every dimension.<\/p>\n