The 'E' Type Forum

Hi
I'm restoring a Series 2 E Type and some months back purchased a full body rubber kit from a reputable supplier in Australia.
When it came time to replace the front and rear screen rubbers my screen guy, who is very knowledgable on E Type screens said he couldn't use the rubbers supplied. Not only did they pucker and crease at the corners, but the chrome strip fell out. Anyway, a week later my screens were fitted with XJ6 rubbers and they look fantastic with no puckering and the chrome is nice and snug
This weekend it came time to fit up the tail lights, and again we were faced with rubbers that are a very poor fit. Pulling and stretching didn't assist and they too have gone into the "unusable" basket. So at a strike rate of three out of three, I'm packing this kit up to go back to the supplier.
So, the question is.....is there a good kit out there that comes highly recommended for fit and quality with very few omissions. I was surprised to find my "Full body rubber kit" is missing all the front bulkhead gaskets and grommets and the light lens seals etc etc..(yes is did ask what was in the kit, but dumbly accepted it would have everything I needed)
I did read several weeks ago of a kit that seems to fit these requirements, but sadly I have not been able to find the thread that mentioned the supplier.
Any help on locating the supplier of this mythical kit would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance
Alan

Assuming you got your kit from Spits they probably sourced it from David Manners or SNG Barratt, which is where my as yet unopened kit came from
Therefore I can't help you with quality, but in general buying directly from the UK is a more economical option for us here in Oz. For you in the NT the cost of returning stuff that doesn't fit to the UK is probably about the same as sending it back to Melbourne , and you're not paying the local guy's markup.
Oh yeah and there's a separate kit for wiring grommets, one for body hole plugs and all the indicator rubbers are separate (but not the headlights).

Hi All,
I have already communicated with Alan, so comment only for anyone else interested. I bought my body rubber kit from Classic Jaguar in the US some time back, excellent quality and guaranteed to include every rubber item stem to stern. Not cheap at US$895 for a Series 1 2+2 kit, about US$760 for FHC's, as I recall. Classic Jaguar also guarantee that if there is any item not included, they will supply it for free.
Freightwise, US to Western Australia is not much different from UK to Oz, in fact Melbourne to Perth is not that cheap anyway, and usually takes longer, as I understand. On the basis that most of the Oz suppliers source ex UK and the US anyway, I see little point in using them.......
Hope this helps......
Best regards,
Norman.
Perth, Western Australia.

Thanks guys,
The kit came from a Jag parts dealer in Victoria and has a pretty equal mix of bits sourced from USA and Great Britain. The dodgy lamp gaskets were from Great Britain and I suspect the screen rubbers were also from GB..
The rubbers to me are important from both the visual aspect and their functionality so I don't mind spending the $$ to get a good set. Certainly pays to do your homework on these things and my naively when I purchased these has come back and bitten me :-( Live and learn!
Love to hear from anyone else with good experience with these kits
Cheers. Alan