How often do you upgrade your other passions?

Since I had to do a paint job on my Jag XJS anyway because of that tree limb falling on the hood, I decided to put 2 rows of hood louvers into it before repainting. Of course, all the little flaws in the body will get the perfection treatment, and then at least 15 coats of hand-rubbed midnight blue lacquer to match the original. Lovingly applied, of course, by myself. You must know by now that I'm DIY all the way. I've done lacquer jobs on cars before, so it's a no risk proposition. Past cars I've owned and painted were a Jensen Interceptor, BMW 3.0CS, 2 Austin-Healeys, and for bikes I've restored a '73 Ducati 750SS, '77 Laverda Jota, '78 Benelli 750 Sei. It's not really upgrading, but restoring that's best for these items. They all go pretty fast and handle well in standard form. They're all gone now, and all that's left is the Jag. When it's time to do the engine, it's getting the oversize pistons and sleeves for the 7 liter(427) upgrade. That's the 7 liter kit for the standard 12 cylinder Jaguar upgrade, not stuffing a 427 Chevy into it. That, and the appropriate breathing and FI re-mapping will give a nice streetable 450hp with no increase in weight, since the kit slips right into the existing 5.3 liter 12 cyl. block. Sweet. Add the Tremec 5-speed or 6-speed gearbox conversion, a 3.52 rear gear set, and a set of Koni hi-po coil-over units, and I should be in business. I've already put in the JagSport quick-ratio steering rack, sway bars, poly bushings, alloy cross-flow radiator, K&N filters with cold-air box, and adjustable shift modulator for the current TH400 automatic. Nardi steering wheel, Wilton wool carpet,tung-oiled burl walnut dash, and NZ sheepskins over the fine Connolly hides round out the interior(beige). Tan canvas convertible top. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to mention the chrome 72 spoke wire wheels, and stainless steel wheel arch trim. She's pretty sweet, with 88k original miles. Everyday driver, but I won 2 car shows this year, before the limb fell on the hood. Oh, well. Time for the upgrade.

Hey Twl, the h*** with all this audio stuff, how about a pic of the Jag!!!

I'd have to say I've done more audio upgrades than anything. I was using my 21 year old Canon F-1 today & realized the camera system has stayed the same for a good 7 or 8 years. I was taking photos of my audio system for an insurance upgrade. Second place for upgrades goes to the garage (hand tools, power tools, assorted garage accessories).

Twl, your project car sounds great. Although I like to build cars/trucks, I've taken the sleeper approach (all the work on the inside, nothing cosmetic).

Audioman, I've never leased a car & everybody I know (family, friends, etc.) has purchased their vehicles. Even my good friend who has leased a Ford Explorer for the last 8 or 9 years decided to buy one. I've have never spent more on a vehicle than my stereo. Except for my Kenworth.

Funny thing about clothes-I won't hesitate to spend money for a good pair of shoes (ordering some Birkenstocks tomorrow) but really dislike buying clothes. I guess I just don't like breaking them in.

If only my girlfriend could
get..... Well that would be a great upgrade.

Skis need upgrading about every 3-4 years. Boots should be done as often but I rarely do. Ski clothing--if it's not ripped it doesn't need upgrading.