Handsome bastard, fighting me all the way...

[SiC]

Stuff is simple when you understand it. 

Huggy wouldn't have been simple to me as I don't have much idea on old carb yank and I'd need to have do a lot of learning. This however is pretty standard 90s/00s automotive electronics so my forte.

I suspect the reverse is true with Eddy. Hence the fear.

[DirtyDaily]

Stuff is simple when you understand it. 
Huggy wouldn't have been simple to me as I don't have much idea on old carb yank and I'd need to have do a lot of learning. This however is pretty standard 90s/00s automotive electronics so my forte.
I suspect the reverse is true with Eddy. Hence the fear.

That is very true. 90/00's is also what I have 99% of my exposure in. It's my safe space.

[eddyramrod]

29 minutes ago, SiC said:

It gives you THE FEAR

I fully understand that. At least you have your mobility car and don't have to rely on this always working. 

That is true.  Even better though, I'm retired!

23 minutes ago, DirtyDaily said:

horrid diesels. 
The diesel Jag is a BIG no though.

Diesel is a big NO in anything less than a Transit!

20 minutes ago, SiC said:

Stuff is simple when you understand it. 

Huggy wouldn't have been simple to me as I don't have much idea on old carb yank and I'd need to have do a lot of learning. This however is pretty standard 90s/00s automotive electronics so my forte.

I suspect the reverse is true with Eddy. Hence the fear.

You suspect correctly.  Handsome is a lovely car when all is right.  Absolutely lovely.  Apart from not being American it's exactly what I should be driving, for as long as I can still drive.  But the moment something goes wrong, I'm way out of my depth.  That means relying on someone else, which means Money, even assuming you can find a someone else to rely on at all!  But I think I have now, so I'm feeling rather less trepidatious.

[2flags]

Now you have found someone who will work on the car and hopefully do a good job and not just fob you off with excuses. Best of luck with it. Jags are a lovely thing to tool around in. 

[eddyramrod]

Oh they certainly are!  I always knew this anyway really.  My first one, 21 years ago, was a delight even with the horrifying thirst of the 4.2 XK engine.  I had a six-mile early-morning commute on country lanes.  You can imagine!  I drove it like I stole it, and couldn't arrive at work without a grin on my face.

[eddyramrod]

Well I've had a lovely ride over Burnley way this morning, culminating in putting a load of hardly-used suspension in the boot of my Jag a few minutes ago.  All credit to @NorthernMonkey for offering the parts!  Now to see about getting them fitted...

[eddyramrod]

Well... so much for "keen."  It seems to have turned into "we're a bit rammed at the moment" which, ok, I could have guessed because they have a big sales pitch and those cars have to be ready.  But that doesn't help me!

Meanwhile, there seems to be some work going on in the garage at the end of my street, that closed down suddenly.  I stopped in today for a chat.  Apparently the new chap is opening it as a "community facility" which will mean him training-up disadvantaged teens.  That means he won't be liable for VAT and therefore won't have to pass it on to the customer.  That's how he described it to me anyway; I don't know how these things actually work and tbh I don't care.  I told him the story of Handsome, and all the stuff I have ready, and he seemed willing to take it on once he's actually open, which will be a couple of weeks from now, I think.  If the other lot come through in the meantime, well that's fine, whoever gets to me first will get the job.

Let's assume I get Handsome back around the middle of November: that'll be three months out of action.

[danthecapriman]

That actually sounds promising. Maybe if that second place you found can do it, it might save you a few quid but also help train someone up?

Is there a college nearby? I remember when I went to college to get my city & guilds people would occasionally come in and get stuff done cheap as it helped train us oiks! One of them was changing the springs on a D reg Granada. Maybe they do this still and worth asking.

[eddyramrod]

You know what?  There is, and it has a Motor Vehicle department, and I never thought of it.  How silly do I feel now???  But I don't really care who does the work now, I just want it back, and legal.

[DirtyDaily]

You know what?  There is, and it has a Motor Vehicle department, and I never thought of it.  How silly do I feel now???  But I don't really care who does the work now, I just want it back, and legal.

Is it all the bushes you need throwing on and the track rod ends etc.?

If so and you find yourself struggling to find someone to do it give me a shout and I'll fly up there in my Jag and we will get it sorted.

[eddyramrod]

1 minute ago, DirtyDaily said:

Is it all the bushes you need throwing on and the track rod ends etc.?

If so and you find yourself struggling to find someone to do it give me a shout and I'll fly up there in my Jag and we will get it sorted.

It's a bit more than that, but thank you for the offer!

One front strut, including airbag (new strut in the boot).

4 new tyres, currently occupying boot and back seat.

And thanks to @NorthernMonkey, a pair of rear bottom arms complete with bushes; a pair of rear tie rods, again with bushes; and a pair of brake calipers for the rear discs.  All in the boot.

It still needs TREs, which should be easy enough to get, and brake pads, ditto, for the rear.

Then the EML needs cancelling (and investigating!) and IIRC there's a light out over the back number plate.  Then it should be ready for MoT!  Should...

As you see, there's a bit more than I could dump on even the most generous Shiter to do, but you are most welcome to have an awayday when you can, regardless.  I have a kettle and biscuits!  Also, who can resist a two-Jag photo opportunity?

[DirtyDaily]

It's a bit more than that, but thank you for the offer!
One front strut, including airbag (new strut in the boot).
4 new tyres, currently occupying boot and back seat.
And thanks to [mention=17519]NorthernMonkey[/mention], a pair of rear bottom arms complete with bushes; a pair of rear tie rods, again with bushes; and a pair of brake calipers for the rear discs.  All in the boot.
It still needs TREs, which should be easy enough to get, and brake pads, ditto, for the rear.
Then the EML needs cancelling (and investigating!) and IIRC there's a light out over the back number plate.  Then it should be ready for MoT!  Should...
As you see, there's a bit more than I could dump on even the most generous Shiter to do, but you are most welcome to have an awayday when you can, regardless.  I have a kettle and biscuits!  Also, who can resist a two-Jag photo opportunity?

The strut should be easy, the rear lower wishbones are easy, the rear track rod ends are a pain, obviously can't mount tyres, I have diagnostic software to read the codes, brake calipers easy, pads easy.

The only thing I would say that would cause any real issues is the rear track rods tend to cease and need cutting out. Not the end of the world but a reciprocating saw is that way to go. All work I have done before so doesn't concern me. We will see how things go and shiter XJ photoshoot seems like a must. I've had some people be generous with their time to me so I feel it's only right I pay it forward at some point.

[DirtyDaily]

What's the software you need for these?

So officially it's SDD which is a bit of a weird system but I use an icarsoft reader which is specifically for land rover jaguar. Good bit of kit that can read all the modules.

[eddyramrod]

When they came out in 2002 there was a lot of controversy about the X350 because Jaguar had dared to make it in aluminium.  Audi had led the way with the A8 and Jaguar were keen to catch up.  The previous models were steel, and we know what happens to that....

[eddyramrod]

28 minutes ago, DirtyDaily said:

I've had some people be generous with their time to me so I feel it's only right I pay it forward at some point.

 

I really appreciate that, thank you.  I will say, however, that it's getting a bit cold to be working on cars outside, in public, in an open back-alley.  It's not something I would deliberately subject anyone to!

[DirtyDaily]

Cheers.
Between me and mates we've had a few XJ40/300/308 and most of them have been pretty rusty in one way or another. I'd sort of written off the 350 in my mind for similar reasons but you said on the previous page that they don't rust? Are there no common rust/weak points on them at all or is "they don't rust" slightly overselling it? My interest is piqued....

The subframes corrode sometimes but on the 4 I've had they've all been fine. The worst of it being unsightly surface rust. The X350 is a completely different prospect from the earlier models. I love jags but an x308 or earlier scares me to death for corrosion.

[eddyramrod]

I had a phone call this morning from Tom, who is opening up my local garage.  He's looked at my failsheet and reckons he can have the car in and out in a couple of days.  That's promising.  He won't actually be open for a couple of weeks yet though...

[eddyramrod]

Barrow Community Garage is now open.  Today I jumped Handsome off the Suzuki and took it round.  Tom reckons he'll fit it in around the other jobs (two cars in there when I reversed in).

We'll see what happens.

[DirtyDaily]

Barrow Community Garage is now open.  Today I jumped Handsome off the Suzuki and took it round.  Tom reckons he'll fit it in around the other jobs (two cars in there when I reversed in).
We'll see what happens.

I am excited for updates.

[eddyramrod]

Exciting update ahoy!  Here's Handsome up on the lift this very morning...

And here's one of the rear bushes that failed.

Going to look much better with all the new/nearly new parts on!

[danthecapriman]

Excellent!

Good to see they’ve got no intention of just leaving it sat around. 
Worth keeping them in mind for future work.

[eddyramrod]

4 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Worth keeping them in mind for future work.

Especially as I can almost see the side of the building from my front room!  If I lived at number 12 instead of number 8 I could drop the "almost" from that sentence.

[tooSavvy]

My 'totally embarrassing ' fail vs. Oil filter 🤦 ... was resolved by my m9, the oily spanner, just around the corner.

No charge = box of bikkies from me (.. and everlasting shame!)

Good to have a line into a friendly garage (* price are negotiable 😉)

🚙💨

[eddyramrod]

There's the new front strut in place.  It's short of a bolt at the moment because one had to be butchered to get the old one off.  This seems to be a recurring theme with this car!  However, it's taking shape.  MoT is booked for next Monday.

[eddyramrod]

MMMMMMMMMMM sweet!  One of my beautiful new tyres, fitted today and back on the car.  Note lovely new wheelnuts too.  The old ones were the standard Ford-designed items, consisting of a steel nut inside a tin or ally cap.  The nut and cap react and swell and garages have to (all together now) "hammer a smaller socket over it!"  Which means the caps are toast.  These new nuts are single-piece.  All 20 of them...

Tom pulled out the dipstick and showed me the golden oil on it.  He said he didn't dare think how old the old oil was.

[danthecapriman]

There’s something nice about a new set of tyres on a car😆

That new strut is massive! I’m guessing they’re expensive!?

Cant be far off finished now?

[eddyramrod]

You're right Dan; it's not the first time I've done that.

The strut was from the bay of e; £200.  I paid that last year for a back one when the garage told me they couldn't get one from any of their suppliers for under £450 + VAT.

Finished?  Amazingly, we're still awaiting that one bolt for the bottom of the front strut!  But, Tom's booked an MoT for Monday.

[DirtyDaily]

You're right Dan; it's not the first time I've done that.
The strut was from the bay of e; £200.  I paid that last year for a back one when the garage told me they couldn't get one from any of their suppliers for under £450 + VAT.
Finished?  Amazingly, we're still awaiting that one bolt for the bottom of the front strut!  But, Tom's booked an MoT for Monday.

Funnily enough I have a spare bolt for said strut as I replaced one of mine today and bought a spare (2nd hand bolt) just in case. The bolt was fine so I do have a spare so in a pinch I'll make sure you make your Monday deadline.

[Captain Mainwaring]

Serious tyre envy here, if only for the fact that I imagine brand new tyres on an XJ will feel nothing less than dreamy.

Chodspeed for the MOT!

[eddyramrod]

I remember when I had my first one, the 1978 Daimler Sovereign; it came on a set of ropey old Pirellis which were probably ideal when they were new.  But by the time it came to me they were long past their best.  I was offered four part-worn Cooper Lifeliner whitewalls off a Lincoln Continental and snapped them up.  Oh boy I loved driving that car on those tyres!

Handsome should probably have a set of Pirellis or Michelins; I don't know.  But following a tip upthread, I hit up ebay and replaced the four Chinese ditchfinders that were on it with... four brand-new Chinese ditchfinders.  They'll do.

@DirtyDaily thank you!  Tom tells me he is expecting the part to arrive tomorrow, so we'll see, I guess.