the cat is out of the bag . . .

[Homersimpson]

An XK150 would be my dream car, maybe one day

I would be interested to know how driving it compares to the Daimler V8?

 

[Bfg]

^  I'll come back to that question, when I've got Carmen back on the road 

in the meantime . . .

8th February - Workshop notes ;

From my pre-purchase inspection, and the car having been barely used over the past 35 years, I had started to formulate a job-list in my mind.  Despite displaying elements of bravado to have bought and driven the car back up from Kent - it would have been stupid too.  Likewise, now that the car is up here, it would be dumb to use her, even just locally, without first checking certain things out. 

My old buddy, Chris the Builder, asked if the car would pass an MoT ?  Whether a certificate is, or is not, required by law on this age of vehicle is not the point - any driver has a responsibility to ensure their vehicle is 'legally roadworthy' before using it on a public highway.  Sadly I fear that means nothing to 90% of today's road users because they simply wouldn't know where to look.  Arguably vehicle maintenance and road sense really ought to be a compulsory part of the school curriculum, but empirical evidence leads me to doubt it is. 

I explained that Carmen appears solid and driveable, but there are a number of items that would fail an MoT test ; To start off with - there's excessive play in the steering, excessive play in one front wheel (whether bearings or its attachment I suspected but was not sure), there are rubber gaiters which allow grime in, and a mismatch of tyres on the rear axle. Oil leaks may have been an advisory, and I suspect the indicator switch is being ironic ..ie., its operation is intermittent.  And then, although the car is 'driveable' ..as I had done when I was buying her,  it would be daft not first to check things like the oil level in the gearbox and differential.  I wonder how many times showing off a new car has subsequently cost the owner dearly ?   With age comes come better, although rarely good, sense !

The other day I sat down and tried to rationalise those into some sort of priority.  I did this under four categories ; 

1.  Maintenance & recommissioning.    

2.  Usability ..for me (my size) + passenger 

3.  Safety on today's roads

4.  Preservation  .. bodywork & chrome / structure / interior / rubber & plastic parts

5.  Improvements  & personalisation.

It adds up to quite a list .. 46 items to start off with, which will inevitably grow as I delve deeper.  Even before buying her, based on my recent experiences with Katie & Burble, I envisioned these would probably stretch out over a couple of years.  It is necessary to 'happily' accept that as a mindset (as a hobby), not only because I'd be the one crawling around under the car doing those things, but equally because I don't have a bundle of money to throw at her ..nor indeed for repeated postal costs of buying one gasket or seal because I'd forgotten to order it in advance. 

An example of 'new owner enthusiasm' may be  illustrated ;  Carmen  has a flat tyre in the boot, and an odd size (of unknown date) spare wheel fitted on the rear axle.  The four good (apart from one being flat) tyres are 205/70-16"  radials which is rather wide. The XK's original spec was 6" - 6-1/2" crossplys.  Longstone (vintage tyres specialist) recommend we buy 185/80-16" radials as the best compromise for today's driving conditions. So I enthusiastically thought to myself - I'd like to fit those on her front axle. The 20mm narrower tyres on the front would facilitate lighter steering at parking speeds.  And rather than waste money I'd wear the (almost new) 205's out on the rear.  But the recommended 16" high-speed rated tyres are expensive .. £235 - £450 each.  And with the mileage I do ..at sensible road speeds, I'd would barely wear just two of the four 205 tyres out in 10 years. They'd then be replaced / thrown away because of then being 15 years old.   

No., perhaps it's best for me to live with the 205's heavier parking speed steering, and save my money for other more demanding things ..like petrol costs.  Similarly I have to curb my new owner enthusiasm, and not just order things like front suspension ball-joint gaiters.  I know I'll need them soon, but let's wait a week or two until I have compiled a list of similar items from the same supplier.  It will most certainly mean that I can't get on and do just one job, and get that out of the way, but as the analogy goes I'm in a two year 'marathon, not a sprint'  ..and I have plenty to get on with. 

Anyway, moving along . .. 

   

^ Even when the drizzle stops and the February sun comes out for a few hours, a barn-like workshop is a dismal place.  Garage envy may be for the space to work around the car, but not in the showroom like workshop, nor in the lack of heat and poor lighting.  At this time of year metal tools are cold, and there's a layer of damp clinging to everything.  ^ ^  I was down here, under the arches, the other day, The front-left wheel felt very loose in both the vertical and horizontal planes, whereas the front-right wheel has even more loose play in the horizontal (steering rack direction) and non at all in the vertical ..which tells me the wheel bearings are good. 

The front-left wheel's spline was greased but insufficiently so.  I applied a liberal coating of Copaslip to the spline and also to the cones that the wheel's hub must settle tight into. One cone is on the hub, the other is in the knock-on wheel nut.   Thankfully, I was right, when the wheel is wobbled and turned and wobbled again during refitting - the wire wheel centred on the cones ..and tightened up nicely.  Now there's no play felt in the vertical, and only a slight amount in the horizontal.   My task today then ; was to remove then wheel again and to investigate whether the  play I could now feel was in the steering rack itself, or in the steering rack's mounting. 

Note ; The car ramp has a thick block of timber on it and that is under the chassis, same on the other side ..so it's safe to work under the car.  Working alone, in a remote farmyard workshop where there's no phone signal inside the barn, it's worthwhile being a little extra cautious. !

    

^ The inner wheelarch has removable access covers, which aside from anything allow access to the steering rack mounts.  The outside fastenings I could reach tightened up by 1/4 of a turn.   I needed to check and tighten the others.     ^ ^ I had previously visually observed (although not listed on my job list) that the replacement (..originally a dynamo) alternator's fan belt was not straight (red arrow shows an aluminium straight edge checking just how out of line things were)  The alternator had been positioned 1/4" back.  And so while access and lighting from the side was 'improved' ..and because it was easier to get to the steering rack mounts with it off, I pulled the alternator. 

 

      

^  With the alternator removed  I could now more clearly see the steering rack mountings.  But still I couldn't get to them all because of the lower cowling to the cooling fan.

That part of the cowling is of folded aluminium and it rattled.  It looked home made, and to me.. didn't actually seem to be doing very much because there's a chassis cross-member under it anyway, so the cooling fan could only draw air through the radiator. Furthermore the cowling was not tight enough to the fan tips to improve their efficiency.  It had to be bent to be removed and I doubt if I'll refit it.   Now the steering rack mount(s) could be seen and accessed.           

This steering rack is, I gather from receipts, from a Mk.2 Jaguar and this mounting appears to have been adapted to position it some 2" further forward. The steering rack sits upon a shallow rubber Isolastic block,  As a consequence there were, I think, 10 nuts and bolts to fasten ..just for this end.  Each were not very tight. 1/4 turns on most, ranging to a few turns loose on one fastening.  While at it ; I pulled back the rack's gaiter and greased the protruding end of the rack.  I don't know if grease outside the rack makes any difference but it surely won't hurt.  Under the gaiter itself, where my hand is, is the inner track rod end, and that does need to be greased.

With the wheel back on 95% or more of the wobble has gone. I can now only feel very slight play, which I attribute to the wheel bearings being cold.  They'll be checked at a later date when I replace the steering's ball-joint gaiters . . .

    

^  the top ball joint gaiter is there but not over the ball joint which is dry (aside from the splashes of penetrating oil, I've squirted around all fastenings).  This top joint also has no grease nipple.    ^ ^ the bottom ball joint gaiter has a 1/8" opening in its side.   Passed due replacement (again over the past 30 years).  The bottom grease nipple is clear but grease is not coming out of the gaiter's split.    I need to focus on one job at a time (..disregarding my switching from seats to steering  )  and so I'll look at the RH side of the steering before tackling these joints. 

Getting things back together though .. the alternator  . . .

    

^  The spacer tube, through the rear hinge of the alternator was central, but is easily pushed to one side, so as to position the alternator further forward. A 6mm spacer between the front lug, and a similar in the adjustment bracket's fastening completed the (rather fiddly and awkward to reach) job.  The fan belt now runs true, and I've also noted the belt's part number for when I order spares. 

The engine oil leak mostly appears to be from the breather.  I'll need to research why, and will tend to that later. 

I've not yet replaced the LHS wheel arch's access panel, because I may still have to pull the steering rack off the car when I look at the RHS.  But for the time being several jobs have been done, although just one item ; Front left wheel wobble / steering, ticked off my list.   

Pete

 

[lesapandre]

Sounds great progress. I'd check the dates on those tyres which I am sure you have done and would consider replacing them all in one go with something decent - as if it's been sat they will have flat spots and decay. You ever know what's happened to them. 

Mine had solid road wheels on - not wires - as an export car it may have originally had solid wheels and hub caps. People do put all sorts of wheels on these. Certainly less maintenance.

On the fan I'd consider going over to an electric fan - first long run in a hot summer after decades of storage may show up the cooling system. These engines get immensely hot given all that cast-iron and cooling was also marginal - an awful lot of heat builds up in the cabin too.

Before ordering anything I'd speak to the o/c about best suppliers there is an awful lot of dubious aftermarket crap and so called specialists about.

The interior is not quite right - the driver and passenger seat backrests should I believe meet as below and the transmission tunnel be padded. Probably due to the LHD/RHD swap.

Those original seats lack support so...

myself - IMHO - I'd put buckets seats in it and four point harnesses (and maybe a roll cage) but that's a personal thing.

Once above is done book some track time and give it the beans somewhere. Mine was great fun - a 140FHC - these remain viciously quick cars.

Oh and finally I'd look at your security- both passive and active. There is nothing like a thick chain through the chassis to something immovable. 

👍👍👍

[captain_70s]

These may be worth a look for a more budget tyre for normal road use. I'll be picking up a set for the '56 Cresta in 2078 when it is finally finished...

Longstone are knowledgeable and stock nothing but the best, but their tyre offerings are eye-warteringly expensive.

[Bfg]

9 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Sounds great progress. I'd check the dates on those tyres which I am sure you have done and would consider replacing them all in one go with something decent - as if it's been sat they will have flat spots and decay. You ever know what's happened to them. 

Mine had solid road wheels on - not wires - as an export car it may have originally had solid wheels and hub caps. People do put all sorts of wheels on these. Certainly less maintenance.

On the fan I'd consider going over to an electric fan - first long run in a hot summer after decades of storage may show up the cooling system. These engines get immensely hot given all that cast-iron and cooling was also marginal - an awful lot of heat builds up in the cabin too.

Before ordering anything I'd speak to the o/c about best suppliers there is an awful lot of dubious aftermarket crap and so called specialists about.

The interior is not quite right - the driver and passenger seat backrests should I believe meet as below and the transmission tunnel be padded. Probably due to the LHD/RHD swap.

Those original seats lack support so...

myself - IMHO - I'd put buckets seats in it and four point harnesses (and maybe a roll cage) but that's a personal thing.

Once above is done book some track time and give it the beans somewhere. Mine was great fun - a 140FHC - these remain viciously quick cars.

Oh and finally I'd look at your security- both passive and active. There is nothing like a thick chain through the chassis to something immovable. 

👍👍👍

The four Continentals 205 tyres are Dot dated week 41 of 2021.  Road trials will tell me if they have flat spots at motorways speeds, but test-driving around the Edenbridge, Kent countryside I didn't notice them. 

Xk120 and 140's often had pressed steel wheels, which were an option.  I believe it was the other way around with the 150, and only a few owners opted for pressed steel.  Original the 150's had 54 spokes, mid-production this was changed to 60 spoke. Carmen's wheels from MWS are silver-painted 72 spoke.  I suspect her splined hubs & winged nuts are original, but the first two I've looked at ..don't look too worn.  I wonder though,  if it may be prudent to buy new, because the wheels are new ? 

I don't like electric fans on my classic cars.  Regarding the standard fan ; again the 150 saw an evolution in spec. which I might only guess was derived from C and D-type development.  Not only was the radiator grille something close to 4" wider, to allow more air in, but the fan itself was uprated to being a multi-vane 16" (40cm) diameter one.   I looked at it again today and noted the vanes are simple (although of suitably short chord length) aluminium.  A little research suggests that later Jaguars like the 1985 XJ6 used a similar fan but its blades are twisted for aerodynamic efficiency along their whole length, and I'm presuming were plastic moulded.  The Daimler has a viscous fan, which helps minimise their noise at higher cruising speeds.   Of course, the XK in England doesn't have the same overheating issues as cars in Australia or Arizona.  I might only presume Jaguar allowed for those temperatures in the same ways as the Triumph TR4 did .. by spec'ing a 'tropical fan'.   

No indeed, the interior is in places very wrong.  I suspect this car's box, fitted over the drive-shaft tunnel, was because of the change to an XJ6 gearbox, rather than because of the swap from LHD to RHD.  I've peeped under the box and although the gear selector's ball joint is high - I'm certain a decent upholsterer could craft an 'original looking' gaiter to suit.  I like the padding on the gearbox tunnel, as it's a suitably period quirk.  Many cars, including Burble ..from 1968, had front seats which straddled the gearbox. It was, if only for marketing, a 'bench seat' which remained popular in the colonies for many years to come.  The padding over the XK's driveshaft tunnel appears to be a token child's seat (or saddle) intended for the same purpose.  The lack-of lateral support in the seat backrests is a consequence of it being a bench seat. To my mind this car's box over the gearbox is ugly and it will go, but that's way down on my current priority list.     

Security wise, it's easier to have hidden kill switches and a tracking device, possibly even a very loud alarm powered by a independent gel battery.  I note the battery (or batteries ?) on the Xk120 was in the back, below the 'back seat' space.  I'll consider this as a possible mod., as having the starter battery under the front wheel arch is pretty inconvenient, and I'd prefer to move its c. of g. further back along the wheelbase. 

Lots of fun things to consider, but first the car has to be made roadworthy.  

Pete.

 

   

 

[Bfg]

3 hours ago, captain_70s said:

These may be worth a look for a more budget tyre for normal road use. I'll be picking up a set for the '56 Cresta in 2078 when it is finally finished...

Longstone are knowledgeable and stock nothing but the best, but their tyre offerings are eye-warteringly expensive.

That's a remarkable inexpensive H-speed rated (130 mph) tyre for 16" wheels. 

I'd do some cyber-space research but if you have a link to anything - I'd be very interested to read reviews where they've been fitted to high powered cars. 

You're not rushing to get the Cresta finished are you

Thanks.,  Pete

[captain_70s]

44 minutes ago, Bfg said:

You're not rushing to get the Cresta finished are you

I've taken a "it'll be done when it is done" attitude towards it. Multiple other old cars and a freshly purchased house on top of a full time job leave free time a rarity and free time where I can be arsed with doing things rarer still!

I found a 2024 classic tyre roundup review here, featuring most of the usual available classic tyres. The test car was a lightweight E-Type, so not sluggish! Seems the Radars hold up in the dry but aren't great in the wet, worth noting that in that size they are under €400, the others are €1,200-2100.  A case of "you get what you pay for" I suppose!

[lesapandre]

4 hours ago, Bfg said:

The four Continentals 205 tyres are Dot dated week 41 of 2021.  Road trials will tell me if they have flat spots at motorways speeds, but around the Edenbridge, Kent countryside I didn't notice them. 

Xk120 and 140's often had pressed steel wheels, which were an option.  I believe it was the other way around with the 150, and only a few owners opted for pressed steel.  original 150#s had 54 spokes, during production this was changed to 60 spoke. Carmen's wheels from MWS are silver-painted 72 spoke.  I suspect the splined hubs and winged nuts are original, but the first two I've looked at don't look too worn.  I wonder though if it may be prudent to buy new, because the wheels are ? 

I don't like electric fans and my classic cars.  Regarding the standard ; again the 150 saw an evolution in spec. which I might only guess was derived from C and D-type development.  Not only was the radiator grille wider to allow more air in, but the fan itself was uprated to being a multi-vane 16" (40cm) diameter one.   I looked at it again today and noted the vanes are simple (although of suitably short chord length) aluminium.  A little research suggests that later Jaguars like the 1985 XJ6 used a similar fan but it's blades are twisted, and I'm presuming plastic moulded.  The Daimler has a viscous fan, which helps minimise noise levels at higher cruising speeds.   Of course, the XK in England doesn't have the same overheating issues as cars in Australia or Arizona.  I might only presume Jaguar allowed for those temperatures in the same ways as the Triumph TR4 did .. by spec'ing a 'tropical fan'.   

No indeed, the interior is in places very wrong.  I suspect this car's box over the drive-shaft tunnel was because of the change to an XJ6 gearbox, rather than because of the swap from LHD to RHD.  I've peeped under the box and although the gear selector's ball joint is high - I'm certain a decent upholsterer could craft an 'original looking' gaiter to suit.  I like the padding on the gearbox tunnel, as it's very period.  Many cars, including Burble ..from 1968, had front seats which straddled the gearbox. It was for marketing a 'bench seat' which remained popular in the colonies for many years to come.  The padding over the XK's driveshaft tunnel appears to be a token child's seat intended for the same purpose.  The lack-of lateral support in the seats backrests is a reflection of it being a bench seat.  To my mind the box is ugly and it will go, but it's way down on my current priority list.     

Security wise, it's easier to have hidden switches and a tracking device, possibly even a very loud alarm powered by a independent gel battery.  I note the battery (or batteries ?) on the Xk120 was in the back, below the 'back seat' space.  I'll consider this as a possible mod., as having the battery under the front wheel arch is not at all convenient, and I'd prefer to move its c. of g. back along the wheelbase. 

Lots of fun things to consider, but first the car has to be made roadworthy.  

Pete.

 

   

 

As you can gather I really loved mine - a fhc 140SE with C-Type head. It was the deluxe version with all wood trim and door cappings. I used it every day for a time.

The fan is OK but after a fast run coming into standing or stop-start traffic the latent heat in the block soon takes the temp' up - or at least I found that. Oil pressure drops too - so an oil cooler is an idea. I never fitted one. 

Oil pressure and burning oil is an issue - these got through quite a lot in normal use I found. Always worth checking every run I found.

These days I'd have fitted a digital read-out for oil and water to find out what's going on.

Yea interiors are what you make them. Mine was factory but the seats were never that good and someone had swapped replacement squabs in of a different colour and used leather paint.

Wires I expect there is lots of stuff on line. Tyres sound fine until you make your mind up.

Some 140fhc were on steels and had spats fitted. Mine had had them removed.

Some of these Jaguars you know don't get used because as a 'trophy' car folk don't get on with how they drive. They can be a bit frightening given the way they build speed for such low revs. 100mph comes up very fast. Be interesting to hear how you get on.  The 140 was on all drum brakes and mine suffered from spectacular brake fade but I am here to tell the tale.

I've never driven anything quite as unusual in it's character since. It was quite a hooligan - like some large dog (or big cat)  they beg to be let off the leash. I never got more than 14-18 mpg.

Worth fitting a relay and head-lamp flashers as you can come up behind people very fast. They look quaint - but they ain't 😻

[lesapandre]

Oh and you can crash them and walk away...here the chassis performed well:

[lesapandre]

And here is a 140fhc being given the beans...

[Homersimpson]

The steering rack wouldn't be from a MK2 as they all had steering boxes, there were conversion kits which use an XJ6 or later XJ40 rack depending on the kit.

With the ball joints they look very similar to the MK2 ones and if they are they are the same as the later XJ40 which are cheaper and sealed for life, if its like the MK2 there is a ring you have to knock out of the upright where the lower ball joint is.

Generally the rubber parts seem to be variable no matter who you buy them from, I tended to use David Manners or SNG Barratt on the MK2s, both were great.

The breather looks to be missing a pipe, on a MK2 the breather is a different shape and connects to the air cleaner, not sure on the XK where it goes but the engine is probably one with the rear oil scroll on the crank rather than seal (both my MK2's have early MK2 engines which are like this even though one is a later car) and the negative pressure from the carbs helps keep the oil in.

They do have a Jag spares day at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry once a year (I think the next one is April), its not a bad even but sounds like you are a fair way away.  I've had some bargains on MK2 bits but the XK stuff is in a different league and prices can be high although anything shared with the saloons is more reasonable.

[Bfg]

12 hours ago, Homersimpson said:

The steering rack wouldn't be from a MK2 as they all had steering boxes, there were conversion kits which use an XJ6 or later XJ40 rack depending on the kit.

With the ball joints they look very similar to the MK2 ones and if they are they are the same as the later XJ40 which are cheaper and sealed for life, if its like the MK2 there is a ring you have to knock out of the upright where the lower ball joint is.

Generally the rubber parts seem to be variable no matter who you buy them from, I tended to use David Manners or SNG Barratt on the MK2s, both were great.

The breather looks to be missing a pipe, on a MK2 the breather is a different shape and connects to the air cleaner, not sure on the XK where it goes but the engine is probably one with the rear oil scroll on the crank rather than seal (both my MK2's have early MK2 engines which are like this even though one is a later car) and the negative pressure from the carbs helps keep the oil in.

They do have a Jag spares day at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry once a year (I think the next one is April), its not a bad even but sounds like you are a fair way away.  I've had some bargains on MK2 bits but the XK stuff is in a different league and prices can be high although anything shared with the saloons is more reasonable.

Quite correct. I wonder.. what was I thinking ?   My Daimler 250 has a steering box which is the same as the Mk.2.   I've gone back through the file of receipts and on 26th October 2010 from SNG Barratt it's listed " Steering Rack - manual - E-type 6 cyl - RHD - new"  £282.98 + VAT  ..it was bought outright rather than being an exchange.  The car has driven just three hundred miles since then, so like many other components it's not far off being new.   

The sealed for life track rod ends (wide angle) bought at the same time appear to be common to all E-types and Xj6 series 1.  There's no mention of track rods, so I guess the XK150 and the E-type must have very similar track widths.  

Crankcase Breather ; 

^ I see the Mk.2 engine breather cap with its dog-leg vertical riser, to catch and return oil ..before its pipe leads off to the inlet manifold.   It's unusual not to see the coil mounted across the front on this car, but it does illustrate the crankcase breather well. 

But the crankcase breather, without that dog leg is correct for the XK's.  The convoluted aluminium breather pipe is lead down to the chassis to just drip oil in a fresh new patch.  However I started investigating Carmen's prolific engine leak, yesterday afternoon, and discovered her engine's breather is missing bits ... 

- vs -   

^  From the Moss website  - vs - as fitted to Carmen's engine without even a gasket ...the cheapskates.  The studs are too short for two gaskets and a baffle / gauze plate.  I'll need to change them.  

Item 3 offers two alternatives ; a solid baffle with two holes in it, which is "original for all XK's was superseded by the screen baffle." (as illustrated).   My Sunbeam motorcycle (introduced in 1945) have three one-way valves from its rocker cover (..to create negative crankcase pressure), and then five layers of gauze mesh, before a baffle plate which only the top half has an open slot but which then also has a small drain hole at the very bottom ..to allow oil (separated out from the crankcase mist) to return back into the engine.  It works very well, not least considering the engine has two pistons simultaneously going up or down the bore ..at any given moment at anything up to 5000 rpm.   

 

I've been advised that good maintenance includes removing the XK's breather to wash out the gauze.  I wouldn't have known to dismantle part of the engine to clean a filter out. 

I have a workshop manual for the Xk120 & Mk VII, and another for the Mk.2 Jaguars but I haven't studied them yet.   "Peter should do his homework on time"    

Thank you. I'm enjoying the new learning curve. 

Pete

 

[Bfg]

12 hours ago, lesapandre said:

And here is a 140fhc being given the beans...

That's fun to watch, and well illustrates the power and handling of the XK.  With wooden dashboard it looks like a road car taking on race machines.   

Thanks.

[Bfg]

Breather Update :  Without the correct baffle plate or gauze-in-plate (yet) - I came up with my own quick n' easy solution . . .

I had an off cut piece of gauze, from where I made pick-up-pipe filters for inside the fuel tank of my post-war Sunbeam motorcycles.  It was what I had to hand ..and I just wanted to get on with the task of fitting an oil separator ..and not wait upon my shopping list, ordering, picking, packaging & postage, which would have taken things into the middle of next week.   

The gauze sheet was cut to size and simply rolled into a tube, which projects the full width of the breather cover. You can work out the surface area of gauze ; 2-1/2" long x 3/4" diameter ..which is larger than the mesh area on the gauze-in-plate part;. The gauze cannot go anywhere because its rolled length includes the full length of the tube onto which the aluminium breather pipe fits.

As I didn't have a cornflake package to make a gasket from (only one needed) I cut it from the card of a pizza box  ..Oh how times have changed !  I applied a light smear of non-setting gasket cement to help its seal.  It's a temporary fix as I'll order the correct baffle plate, x2 gaskets and the longer studs ...and fit them in due course. While I'm at it I'll add those rocker cover gaskets and seals to the shopping list. 

In the meantime - it's back together again, and I can wash down the front of the engine, of its oil leak residue, to see if this was the only source of the leak.  ..always an optimist 

p.

[Bfg]

Update - Carmen's work-in-progress.  

..first to finish up with the crankcase breather.   After sleeping on it I realised the gauze I fitted would help separate the engine oil from the crankcase mist, but what oil got through would then just flow out of the breather tube.  I decided to put obstacles in its way, firstly by fitting a low dam, and then I followed that up with a slightly modified breather pipe run. . .

    

^  In the end of the breather cover tube you may be able to see that I fitted a segment of rubber grommet, to provide a low wall that crankcase air may go over, but which would encourage any oil sitting in the pipe to run back towards the engine.  The revised breather pipe was easy - I simply took advantage of it being ductile aluminium.. to bend its route upwards by 1/2"  (second photo)  before dropping its route down to chassis level.  Pending minor seepage from the jubilee clip, this will definitely encourage engine oil, separated from the crankcase mist to run back into the engine.  Job done.   

I started the engine and allowed her to warm up, with the water temperature gauge reading 85 deg. And let her tick-over for  20-30 minutes.  My home made gasket worked.. There is now no oil leak.  And perhaps the gauze was also working as hoped, because there was absolutely no oil from the breather pipe at all.  The concrete under the breather pipe was perfectly dry even of crankcase condensation.    Naturally the engine was only at tickover, but I'm confident that this minor battle is won. 

Why have the engine ticking over for so long ? ..even after the water was hot.    Well,  I wanted to assess the 150's standard cooling fan, and whether it was enough at tickover to prevent overheating. The earlier XK120 and 140 didn't have nearly so many blades on their cooling fan, and they had a reputation, even from new for overheating if left to stew in their own heat.  Carmen appears to be fine.  whether that will still be true after a fast run down the motorway and then sitting in Dart-tunnel traffic congestion remains to be seen, but as a workshop test, it proved reassuring.    

I did however find the cause of another worry, that I'd noted during my pre-purchase inspection.  That was an occasional but inconsistent slapping sound.  I feared it might be a slack valve timing chain or a faulty tensioner. More optimistically I hoped it might be the fan belt occasionally sticking in the deep V of its pulley, but that's not the case.  This car doesn't have deep V pulleys. The belt is a C-19524 duplex  / double-V type. as used on the E-type S1.  The noise I heard turned out to be one or more of the cooling fan's blades occasionally catching the inside of the after market (fibreglass) fan cowling.   Why it should only catch occasional ? is a mystery ..perhaps something to do with oscillating resonance or something, but it was an easy task to turn the fan by hand and feel (cannot be seen) which fan blade tips were closest, and with those being made from aluminium, to ease them away from that cowling.  Another worry seeming sorted.  

In answer to Stuart's query, as to whether D-type spec. camshafts were actually fitted ?  I haven't yet bought gaskets and so without venturing to lift the rocker covers ..I suspect the following suggest that they were / are . . .

     

^ Peeking through the oil filler cap, on the engine's exhaust side, with the help of camera with flash - I can see a pretty extreme cam-profile.  Certainly in my experience with (at their time) powerful British bikes, and subsequently quite an assortment of classic cars - I've not seen the likes.   Together with the the hi-torque starter motor being 'marginal' against the engine's compression, and the general lumpiness of this engine until hot (possibly a consequence of it having twin HD8 2" carburettors rather than the HD6), plus the sound of wider than 0.004 - 0.006" tappet clearances,  I'm inclined to suspect that Carmen's engine might prove to be somewhat of ..a beast waiting to be unleashed.   

That's not really what I wanted, As I may have said before - my first choice would have been a standard spec. 3.4 ltr. 190 bhp or 210 ?  whatever..  But with Carmen, I was simply buying the best (structure / body / chrome / interior trim / electrical & mechanical) condition XK150 FHC within my budget,  I didn't choose a 3.8, and certainly not a highly tuned one.

Despite having the workshop manual's supplement for the 3.4 ltr XK150 and XK150S, and a number of other books and manuals, I can find very little information on the 9:1 compression ratio engine, as supplied by Jaguar, but I believe it was originally fitted with twin 1-3/4" HD6 carbs.  The straight port type 'S' engine had 9:1 compression ration, but its cylinder head was different and it had triple HD8 carburettors.  Likewise I believe the E-type 3.8 ltrs had triple carbs.  The Mk.2 Jaguar 3.8 also used twin HD6 carburettors. Perhaps the twin 2" HD8 carburettors and manifold fitted to Carmen were off a Jaguar Mk.10 ?   Either way it doesn't effect maintenance, so I guess I'll just have to try the car in everyday use to feel how well it works. 

- - -

To summarise the tasks to date  ; 

•  I've move the driver's seat back by 90mm ..so I don't have to chop that much off the bottom of my legs
•  I've learnt a lot about this car's history, what she's been through since 1989, and what her current specification is .. or rather how it differs from standard !  So I now have more of a clue when ordering parts and in doing everyday maintenance.   Things like ; the higher compression ratio and D-type camshafts, tappet clearances, and twin 2" carburettors also are factors to bare in mind concerning my expectations.   ie., re. how the engine sounds  
• Shopping list is growing. Thankfully nothing horrendous yet, nor critically urgent, rather it's things like ; door seals & furflex + more convenient seat belts + rubber gaiters and ball joint rubbers + a few gaskets + the gauze plate for the crankcase breather + Shims and lock washers for the steering track rods + under-the-car paint+ chassis wax injection, + an assortment of stainless steel nuts, bolts and washers.  + Spares ; like a fan belt.
• Steering rack mounting                                   - tightened     = worry that the (expensive) steering rack was fkd  - pacified
• Excessive loose play in front-left road wheel   - corrected     = worry that the wire wheel splines were fkd  - pacified
• Alternator / fan-belt alignment                        - corrected     = Likelihood of premature fan belt failure lessened
• Fan blade clearance from its cowling               - corrected     = worry noise eliminated
• Crankcase breather cover leaking                    - corrected   (if only with a home made gasket for the time being)  = worry that the front timing cover or crankshaft seal were fkd - pacified
• Oil from crankcase mist separator gauze         - made & fitted.   Although I modified this, and plan to fit the standard plate with gauze, I see no reason why what I fitted should not remain in place as a second layer of oil separation. 
• Engine, gearbox and rear axle cleaned of leaks, so we might yet learn if 7 where there are other leaks. 
• preliminary coolant test for 20 - 30 minutes, as if sitting in traffic with a hot engine.  - happy with that 

So, although there's not yet been a whole lot of work done - there's been a lot of learning, as well as lateral checking.. tightening of nuts by 1/8th turn, lubricating (if only with spray penetrating oil) ..and the tick-list is growing nicely, which equals lesser anxieties and a greater confidence in Carmen.

more to follow 

Pete

  

 

[Bfg]

Update - Carmen's work-in-progress.  

Another thing which I'm not sure what's happening is with the battery's discharge.   The hi-torque starter motor only just copes with starting this 3.8 ltr high compression engine, and so I assumed the battery was not fully charged.  I reasoned that with long periods of standing the battery must now be close to useless.  Upon investigation, I discovered the battery discharges even when the after-market isolator switch is turned off.  But once recharged and off the car holds its charge at 12.75 - 12.85 volts.   Not having to buy a new battery is an unexpected bonus. 

    

With the battery isolator switch turned off I'm seeing 0.04v between the solenoid and earth.  I lifted one end of each fuse out of their holders, to isolate all circuits, and still the meter read 0.03v.   12.85 volts with the switch back on.  So it seems to me that the isolator switch is not quite isolating and somewhere there's a slight drain, which did flatten the battery overnight.   That's annoying but easy to sort out, I'll buy another battery isolating switch.   

      

^ I cannot get to the existing isolator switch, which is through-the-bulkhead, because it is in the tight gap behind the engine, So I've ordered another switch which actually fits onto the battery. But that's not easy to get to either.. as the battery is housed in a locker under the LH side front wing.  It can possibly be reached through the bonnet opening, as long as those exhaust manifolds are not too hot, and even then one has to reach around a far under the over-sized windscreen washer bottle. I've ordered one whose switch will be just a little closer.   It took the seller four days to even provide a tracking number, it seems they don't want future custom from me. 

I've looked at the battery discharge issue and had thought I was winning after cleaning up and Vaseline each of the fuse holders, the main battery wires onto the solenoid, and the battery terminals themselves.  The voltage dropped to 0.02v and then 0.02volts and then finally 0.00 Volts .. but it was fooling with me after I turned the isolator switch on and off again, the previous 0.04v showed. After starting the engine and then turning the switch off again the meter was reading 0.13 volts. 

Nothing was on in the car, the battery isolator was also off, but there it was ...   I guess that's why some call it electrickity. 

funny thing though is that when I earthed between the solenoid and the engine block the voltage dropped to zero.  It's as if something had been charged and was slowly discharging.  That might suggest that the battery isolator was working and the voltage reading is from something (..like a capacity ?) discharging.  But that doesn't change the fact that the battery does loose its charge when both its leads are on and the isolator switch is off. 

I don't know much about electronics, but for the time being at least the alternator is working / charging, the battery holds charge as long as both leads are not connected, and (when it arrives, I'm hoping the new battery isolator switch actually does what it says on the packaging.  

Pete

 

[Asimo]

The digital voltmeter is extremely sensitive, it has a very high input impedance, which means it will read a voltage off of that battery even when the isolating switch is almost perfect.

A vastly more useful test is to measure the current drawn from the battery. I think it'll be so close to zero you have nowt to worry about.

[Bfg]

1 hour ago, Asimo said:

The digital voltmeter is extremely sensitive, it has a very high input impedance, which means it will read a voltage off of that battery even when the isolating switch is almost perfect.

A vastly more useful test is to measure the current drawn from the battery. I think it'll be so close to zero you have nowt to worry about.

But the battery still drains when it's connected, and the switch is off .. 

[Bfg]

Update - Carmen's work-in-progress.  

 

    

Another rattle found. Between the radiator filler and the cooling fan cowling.  The cowling wouldn't move and without a massive amount of disessembly to alter things, a piece of rubber between the two sorted that one out. 

RH side of the steering rack - excessive play . . .

     

I could feel the play was in the track rod's inner ball joint ..lots of it..

    

With the (damaged) gaiter pulled back to reveal the offending ball joint, I found the lock washer well and truly chewed up and reused.  I need new ones, but they are specific.  The mainstream suppliers (Moss and SNG Bartratt) appear to offer a three-eared lock washer.  But the assembly is a little different, which I found in a Guy Broad parts list diagram . . .

 

Bottom Left hand corner of this illustration and you'll see the track rods, the same items being offered as parts or as complete assemblies.   Item 40, the complete assembly option, shows the outer track rod end, and the inner track rod ball joint together with its male-threaded-end ...which goes into the end of the steering rack (item 29).   In the end of that rack you'll note the cut indents for a locking washer (item 28).  But within that inner ball joint - there's a second locking washer (item 27) which locks into the male-threaded-end  .. so belying engineering belief ; the steering rack-track rods include a lock washer to secure the nut around the inner ball joint, which otherwise locks into the male-threaded-end ..which also relies on a tab washer. 

If it weren't bad enough that one safety-critical tab washer essentially relies on another ..  the big (36mm AF ) nut has very round ends so it's a sod to lock in place at all.  Nope, it's not practical to use Thread-lock compound because the assembly is swamped in grease.  Never mind, hide it all under a rubber gaiter and you'll note even be able to see it working loose ! 

         

  So, to ensure of its total safety in the steering - the prior owner reused, previously reused lock washers. . .

 Rich Crew-Read advised me that the adjustment of free-play in these was via shims.  I thought it must be just tightening that big nut down.  Rich was correct (item 35 on the illustration).  Non were fitted ..which accounted for the steering's looseness on this side.  I cannot understand how there are were several MoT's passes .. after this steering rack was bought and one presumes fitted (as the previous PAS one was part exchanged). 

I'll order new parts, but in the meantime I've placed a washer in place of shims, to eradicate the free play.  But it'll all have to come apart again sooner rather than later,   

   

The rack appeared dry of grease so I slapped plenty under there before refitting the gaiter.    The outside end of the gaiter (usually cable tied to seal) was missing so I made a new end from a wrap of innertube, bonded and sealed to the gaiter with silicon.  It's an easy fit which I've used before and is twice as strong as it originally was. 

Another task checked and temporarily dealt with, even though I need to get parts and do all again .. properly this time.  I think she's getting fitter to pass a genuine MoT. 

Pete 

 

 

[Bfg]

And to think, so many people pay a premium to buy cars from a reputable dealer because they feel it's altogether safer.  

[Asimo]

35 minutes ago, Bfg said:

But the battery still drains when it's connected, and the switch is off .. 

A Lead-acid battery does self-discharge at quite a rate. Especially near the end of it's life.

Lead-acids  are not much good, and never have been.  

They have been successful in cars because they are very cheap to make, and very re-cycleable.

To prove the point, just pull a terminal off, and repeat the test...

Anyway, it doesn't really matter: the best Jaguar ever.  One of the great aspirational products of the twentieth century.

[captain_70s]

3 hours ago, Bfg said:

I cannot understand how there are were several MoT's passes .. after this steering rack was bought and one presumes fitted (as the previous PAS one was part exchanged). 

No glaringly obvious fault to look at, and lack of knowledge about what a 70 year old steering setup should feel like.

"Of course the steering is loose, it was probably crap when it was new".

My Dolomite 1850 passed an MOT with steering that would bind up and not self centre because the car body had dropped on one side where a subframe mount had rusted out, leading to the steering column dragging where it went through the bulkhead...

[Bfg]

15 hours ago, Asimo said:

To prove the point, just pull a terminal off, and repeat the test...

Anyway, it doesn't really matter: the best Jaguar ever.  One of the great aspirational products of the twentieth century.

I've taken the battery off the car, recharged it and it holds 12.85 volts. Likewise with the negative terminal removed.   

[Bfg]

Update 19. - Carmen's work-in-progress.  Wishbone ball-joint and their gaiters   ..and other stuff. 

Clearly, as is becoming increasingly apparent ;  the box file of history and invoices is proving to be not so accurate when it comes to what's actually fitted to Carmen.  The new front suspension ball-joints (and their gaiters) probably fall into the 'not exactly believable' category, because rubber gaiters don't perish in just ten years ..on a car that's unused and garaged . .

        

My pre-purchase inspection ignored the box file and relied on physical evidence as seen by my own eyes and as recorded in photographs taken at the time (above)..  So I knew the top and bottom ball joints were not sealed from the elements by intact gaiters and grease.  And those on the LH side of the car in particular were in bad shape.   

You can see in the first photo - the top ball joint is rusty within and devoid of grease, and its gaiter is not pulled up to even seal the rust in.!   The bottom ball joint gaiters, on both sides, are flattened and the rubber is both perished and split open.   Again these are not new occurrences ..and inconsistent with the last MoT passes.  ..Not to mention the dealer's description "All in all an excellent example that we feel is competitively priced at .."

^  I didn't want to delve too deep ..and take the car off the road while I waited for parts to arrive.  I just wanted to see what was what - so I might order what's needed for the task to be done sooner rather than later. I've squirted penetrating oil all around, and disconnected the upper ball joint from the upper wishbones. I released the steering's link arm to get to the ball joint's bottom nut, but without the correct ball-joint cracker I could go no further.  As an interim, I've packed inside the gaiter with grease, pulled the gaiter up and secured it with locking wire and reassembled it back onto the wishbone ..using Copaslip on each of the fastenings.  This investigation didn't actually take very long but was useful to see just what was needed, and I've benefitted from seeing how it goes together.  Although there's no play .. because of the failed gaiters and dirt ingress I think that top and bottom ball joints (with grease nipples) need to be replaced for new on both sides, along with new locking plates and split pins. 

I haven't yet come across polybushes yet.  Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong places.?

The Koni Classic shock absorber is described as an "Uprated Damper With Adjustable Rebound Damping"   I understand suspension dampers to control the amount of bounce and free floating ..in conjunction with springs and anti-roll bars, but "infinite adjustment" of just rebound sounds like BS.  And why I should want to adjust just the 'rebound' ..rather than both the bound & rebound together ?   Perhaps someone might enlighten me.   

These dampers are uprated ? Uprated from what to what's more ?   I've looked on the internet and seen how they are adjusted, but I really have little idea how to identify what the optimum adjustment for my car might be. 

- - -

Moving on with other tasks..  the (as bought) flat spare tyre I took into a local tyre place, who said it was just a loose valve (tubeless tyres) ..but they've tightened it and rebalanced the wheel - £12 please !   The spare that was fitted onto the rear near side I pulled off and found the DoT date of manufacture on the inside tyre wall. . . 

   

^  fifth week of 2002 ..I presume, although I don't know what the four dots indicate. It's enough to suggest this tyre is 24 years old.  In my view it may be confined to the spare wheel well and driven with care if ever used.  Although it can wait, I'm still considering trying a pair of new EV / HEV / van tyres of a 185 width, to ease the scuffing friction of the 205/70-R16's at parking speeds and equally to regain the full turning circle.  The present 205 wide tyres scuff the inner wheel arch on full lock.  On the back axle they're fine. 

   

Rear springs and general condition of the axle I knew about from my pre-purchase inspection.  Until I get around to power-wire-brushing those parts, I sprayed penetrating oil inbetween the cart leaf springs ..and all around ..  if only to buy me a little more time ..for when the weather is warmer and there's possibly even sun light to help me see what I'm doing.  My task at the moment is to inspect, so that I might formulate a priority list to tasks, but otherwise to get the car back on the road. 

   

Tyres are now the same on all corners, and the car is up on ramps to check fluid levels in the gearbox / overdrive and rear axle.  Both were nicely quiet in operation but I was concerned about driving around with possibility of too little oil in either.  I needn't have worried on that count.  I first took to cleaning up the oil leaks, using parts cleaner followed by dry paper towels, so that I might stand a hope in identifying where they are leaking and perhaps by how much.  I then removed the filler plug and let the excess oil drain out of each.  2nd photo above shows the amount of oil overfilled in the gearbox/overdrive.  Speaking to Rich C-R he suggests that too much oil may contribute to the oil leaks but I really need to check their breather-vents are clear. 

Overfill of oil from carmen's gearbox+ overdrive and differential.  The pots are from Tesco's or Aldi's Hummus, which is sold a 200g ..so the excess oil is probably 100ml each.   

    

^ Draining the excess of oil, out of the rear diff / rear axle.  ^ ^ I wonder if the numbers indicate the supplied part number or perhaps the ratio.?  The standard diff ratio for the automatic (as this car was originally built) and for the manual 4 speed gearbox is 3.54 , whereas that for the manual-with-overdrive was 4.09.  I think perhaps these may have been the same for both the 3.4 ltr and the 3.8 ltr., but I'm not certain.  The 'S' specification cars had a limited slip diff, and this one is not one of those. 

As this car's gearbox + overdrive is from an early Jaguar XJ6 - I don't know what the  gear ratios were for that car. But the XJ6 S1 was fitted with 205/70-R15 tyres, so its wheel diameter is an inch smaller than the XK150's.   I guess I'll discover the bottom line when I see what rev's the engine is pulling at 70mph.  

Important to me, is the gearbox and differential oil levels have now been checked / corrected and I'm more confident they'll not come to harm when I drive the car  .. which as I've worked through most of the critical items on my list ...will be soon !  

- - -

Other little jobs I've attended to this past week were ; the bonnet release and the spare wheel. 

The bonnet latch was sort-of-working but a little iffy.  Not something I really want to see fail before my eyes !  The cable lacks lubrication and was a sod to pull.  I've oiled the pull slider and that's helped a bit but I suspect the cable needs lubrication along its very long length.  Cable oiler are sold for use with motorcycle cables so I probably need to buy or make one of those ..to inject oil from one end to the other. 

    

I also pulled apart the latch and greased it.   I reckon the spring is overly stiff so I'll look to change that too. 

    

^ While at it I added an emergency bonnet-pull string (..you see I did learn something from owning a Triumph) which is pretty crude but it does work.  I'll most likely change that for a piece of fine (bowden cable) wire but for the time being the cord will do.  The bonnet's bottom safety latch was out of adjustment, and didn't catch ..so that was adjusted too.  And then again the bonnet hinges were adjusted, so the bonnet now closes centrally at the front ..it was 1/2" to one side.   It all helps and whereas the edge paint of the bonnet was being chipped - it's now good. 

Finally.., for this report .. the spare wheel well . . .

    

^ As it was, the spare wheel well had a screw-down block bolted to its floor.  The spare wheel / tyre fits over this ..which means that all that valuable space within the wheel's dish is lost from practical use.  I removed that screw down block so the spare wheel can now face the other way up. . .  

     

I had a modern scissor jack, which I'd bought to use with the Daimler as she never came with a car jack.  Now with a bit of carving of its polystyrene holder - it sits nicely within this wire wheel ( Carmen likewise came with no car jack so someone somewhere must be an avid collector).  I have tried this car jack and it does lift under this car's chassis adequately well to change a tyre.  The wheel itself doesn't need to be fastened down anyway, because its cover (the boot floor) locks down over it.  Now she has a car jack + the block of timber for between the car-jack and the chassis + the block of hardwood I use to protect the wire wheel spinners from impact damage and of course a lump hammer to undo the road wheels.   I haven't had a puncture stop me in a car for years, but if I don't carry an umbrella - it's sure to rain. !     

That's it from me for this weekend.  I bid you spring sunshine to brighten your day and good health to enjoy your own classic loves. 

Pete 

 

[Bfg]

17 hours ago, captain_70s said:

No glaringly obvious fault to look at, and lack of knowledge about what a 70 year old steering setup should feel like.

jack up under the car and the front wheels wobble by 1/4" or more, was pretty obvious to me, and I think to the seller who after seeing it readily knocked £1000 off the asking price. 

[Dobloseven]

Really loving this thread,but can't help wondering what would have happened to a motor trader who'd sold a £2k Fiesta or some such, to someone with the MOT failure faults you've found already,and Watchdog or Rogue Traders had got hold of the story.

[Bfg]

  

Tuesday 24th Feb ; and a slight deviation from Carmen's  Work in Progress . . .

   

As you may recall, a primary objective has been to consolidate my cars, so my time and effort, as well as the costs are in one car rather than spread over several.  Katie., my TR4A, was by far my most expensive ..at double the value of my Daimler 250 v8 ..an original manual with overdrive car, which I worked through brakes + cooling + engine oil pressure + driver's seat + a number of other minor issues - and was now a very nice driver  with a genuine 91,000 miles and unrestored.  I had also bought a Daimler 2-1/2 rolling body shell (grit blasted and restoration work being done to build a concourse example of this lovely Daimler compact saloon. 

Once I'd made the decision to consolidate - the rolling body shell went first ..to a gentleman who races a Mk.2 Jaguar in classic events. You may see it sometime next year blasting around Goodwood.   

I then found Katie, a new home with a gentleman living near Bridgenorth, only a handful of miles from M&T Classics where her chassis was swapped. 

And now it was time for Burble, my beautiful Daimler, to likewise find a new home.  A number of individuals had shown interest, but each dillied n' dallied,  and as I found with Katie's numerous prospective buyers.. no-one would make a decision.   With Burble, the latest was David from Glasgow. He came very close, but then decided to borrow money rather than use his savings.  We agreed a price and I waited for things to happen. A week later he text me to say that the loan was approved but the figures weren't working out...  would I accept another £500 off the asking price.? 

I said no (not least because he'd already said that he otherwise enjoys ownership of a Saab 900, and already has savings enough to buy Burble outright, and without reason or fault with the Daimler or on my part (..having just put off another prospective buyer for a week) - he's suggesting I give him, a complete stranger who I may never meet, a £1000.   

Why ?   I don't understand the rationale . 

Is this a new-age cultural thing where people just give money away for no good reason.?   In my younger years (..I dare not say good-old-days ! ) a vehicle's final price may be negotiable if the prospective buyer finds an undeclared fault, like a damaged tyre, a rust hole, or like when I bought Carmen - excessive play in the steering.  Perhaps a price may be adjusted for sake of a quick and trouble free conclusion (..not that was applicable here ! ).  But, judging from recent experience, prospective buyers just want a chunk off the price so they can feel like they've got the upper hand. 

Whatever happened to a good & fair agreement - for both parties ?     

Anyway I'd said no to David's low offer, and he replied by text that he'll 'leave me to think about it'.  Our previous conversations and interspersed text communications had been confusing anyway and I felt like I was being played.  David didn't like that term ..to which I replied that it wasn't an accusation, it was as I felt.!  My listing on Car & Classics included a detailed and honest description and 90+ clear photos.

I'd held off others and waited for him to conclude his finances, and in return he'd offered an even lower price.  As far as I was concerned - this concluded my gentleman's courtesy.  And so I phoned Piers from north Devon ..the gent who I'd put off from coming up to see the car.  I explained the situation, to which he replied that he would come up the following week to see and test drive.  Okay no problem. I would wait upon him now.  

David then comes back to me and offers me more than our formerly agreed price, but I said no. I explained that I'd now said to Piers that he can now come up from Devon to see Burble .. and I would honour that appointment.  Even then he text me to say to let him know "early as you can, enable me to finalise business this end and obtain funds".   I ignored him. But do some people have no understanding of 'personal integrity', or is that something a quaint mannerism left over from a bygone era that only old wrinklies now have ?   

I was thinking about Burble being driven down to Devon, over 300 miles away.  If I were to drive down there, I'd first want to check the fluid levels in the gearbox and differential, brake and clutch reservoirs, and squirt a little grease into ball joints down under.  The Daimler is unrestored and so some oil seals that were iffy even when new are a little less-than-perfect some 68 years later. So that's what I did. . .

      

^ I don't recall when I last checked the gearbox and diff' levels, but I had the car three or four years and it's not something I do very often. But before a long journey I think it's a sensible precaution ..and very much cheaper than rebuilding damaged components.  Of course the drain plus are rather inaccessible, so I check the level ..using a small Allen key as a dip-stick and then top up via a surgical syringe.  ^^ here you see 40ml being infused into the differential. 

Not much more to show, when it comes to maintenance, especially of the dark underside components of a black car, in a dimly lit barn.  So instead.., I'll share a few comparative photos of the 1968 Jaguar-Daimler compact saloon -v- the 1960 Jaguar XK150 fixed-head-coupe. . .    

 

    ...    

 

Piers from Devon, came up the following day (Wednesday) with his friend Tim.  the weather was beautiful, and we met at the Sorrel Horse, Barham for lunch, a viewing and a test drive. He / they liked Burble, and decided to buy.  After a silly offer (£2000 off ! ) - which I instantly rejected.   Why the silly offer I don't know ..because he found nothing undeclared / wrong with the car, and was very impressed with the way she drove). Anyway, he immediately agreed to the price David had offered, transferred the funds to my bank account and gave me a lift into Ipswich, where I could catch a bus home.   

He, with Tim in the escort car, drove off into the sunset ..almost literally.  They headed off around the A14 and across to Coventry, then dropped down onto the Fosse way and were planning to stay the night in Stratford upon Avon. 

And that was the last I saw of Burble.    whimper 

Carmen is now my only classic car, although I still have two 1953 Sunbeam motorcycles and a 1972 sailing boat to otherwise keep me busy.    

Pete

 

 

 

 

[lesapandre]

Well done. Selling cars is always hell. 🥳

Look forward to more Carmen Mijaguar exploits.

[Bfg]

27th Feb ; and a slight deviation from Carmen's  Work in Progress . . .

   

This is what a garage looks like when empty.  No Katie,  no Burble, just a void waiting to be filled.  

    

And this is what the garden looks like when the boat has been emptied of 'stuff' and the polytunnel is stuffed full.. This polytunnel btw is the same, albeit just half of what was formerly the polytunnel-garage, under which I did a lot of work on sorting Katie after her chassis replacement (which was moved to here when I moved home). 

The motorcycle is 'Nudge' my lovely old  (1953) Sunbeam S8, which aside from moving here (when I move home) has not be used for something like five years.  But now I needed her service one again.  First of all she needed air in her tyres. And then a quick check of oil level and half an hour on the battery charger.   A fuel tap was leaking, but that just proved to be a loose petcock (possibly due to the cork seal inside of it having dried up).  And then she was good to go.  Amazing to think that she's now what 73 years old and yet she pops back into spritely life when called upon.  But the issue was that Carmen was in the storage barn 9-miles away and I wanted her here in the garage ..so that I might potter around fixing a few more things without that to-the-workshop commute. 

    

The ride across to the storage barn was surprisingly enjoyable. The greatest distraction was in fact my own anxiety, having not ridden any motorcycle for a number of years, plus of course the usual damp country lanes and the back-of-the-mind feeling "..will we make it ?".   Anxiety killed the fun of the moment, but was otherwise so good that I went out to the unit, and used the bike this past Monday morning, on a beautiful spring day, to attend the first Coffee & Classics @ Needham meeting of the year . . . 

   

Oddly, just as pulled into the event's entrance gate, after a 15 mile ride across country, the engine suddenly cut out. Dead as a dodo. apparently electrical / ignition, so I did what I do best.. I ordered a cup of coffee and a delicious breakfast butty and allowed myself a moment to think.     

'Nudge' used to be my daily rider, and I know the bike inside out (literally).  I quickly checked the obvious, the leads to the coil, the coil's temperature, and the lead to the distributor.  Yes the Sunbeam is unusual for a motorcycle in that it does have a distributor.  A quick lift off the cap, and a little poking around revealed the condenser-to-contact-breaker wire's insulation having been rubbed away by the spinning distributor's rotor arm ..which then allowed that wire (to the points to short).   I guess it's an issue of an aftermarket condenser being a bit bigger than the original and with a very slightly different wiring route.  I've never come across that fault before so I'm still learning, but also quietly chuffed with myself at having discovered the fault so pragmatically.

 

   

It was a fabulous first meeting of Coffee & Classics with 60+ cars of great diversity in attendance. Emma, the event's organiser also remember to bringing along gorgeous springtime sunshine.  I met up with old friends, and also met a new one who came on his 1953 AJS. ...same year, both 500cc twin cylinder engines ..but oh so very different a British motorcycle. 

When I came to leave 'Nudge' was unusually hesitant to start,  but then we no issues all all as we rode back (15 miles) across the beautiful Suffolk countryside to Woodbridge.  In fact after four or five years of not having used the bike I enjoyed the ride so much that I'm motivated to use her (and care for her ! ) very much more this year.

      

Conversely, Carmen was crawling along like sick dog for the 9 miles back from the storage unit to home. I even pulled in to a service station to see if I'd inadvertently knocked one or two of HT leads off, or perhaps swapped them over.  yep she felt like she was running poorly on four cylinders.  No sign of issue, no fuel pissing out all over the place, so back onto the road. Road works, congestion, and then dual carriageway, followed by more heavy congestion did absolutely nothing to help.  But she limped home.  As this was the first drive since my pre-purchase inspection, test drive and delivery up from Kent ..it was very disappointing and discouraging.  The one thing I did note was that the fuel gauge was reading a very quick drop in fuel level.  One would think she was a TR6 !   

Anyway she's home, and now I (hope) I can get to the bottom of things. . .

 

Pete

 

   

[Bfg]

27th Feb ; Back to Carmen's Work in Progress . . .

Now conveniently in the garage at home, and so devoid of the 9 mile commute through contraflow roadworks and heavy traffic congestion, and equally less impacted by icy cold winds and perpetual drizzle that seemed to be a theme throughout February, Carmen's engine bay was to be the focus of my attention. . .

    

Although first impressions shows Carmen's engine bay to be nice and clean and not overly tangled...  upon more thoughtful consideration there are things that don't add up to common sense for ease of access.  My first point of call was to visit the distributor ..it's access is something the XK engine is renown for ...a long reach down into.  The width of the front wings and the narrow bonnet opening of the XK150 is easier than the even narrow bonnet openings of the XK120 & 140. But it must have been a wonder for marketing when the Jaguar E-type featured such fantastic engine bay access. Introduced in 1961 ..just two years after the Triumph Herald.    

With Carmen running so badly - I first wanted to check that I'd not inadvertently swapped the order of HT leads.   Firing order is ;  6, 2, 4, 1, 5, 3  with spark plug nearest the bulkhead as being #1 cylinder (which always seemed arse about face to many).   These were correct but when I lifted the cap off (..only to find electronic ignition inside, and no points) it was a devil of a task to refit that cap squarely in place.  The cap appears to be a horribly thin after market item and its indexing to the distributor body is very poor.  I'll be on the look out to replace it with an original. 

Oddly the bonnet stay is on the left hand side of the engine bay on LHD cars.  I don't know why it should have been fitted in the way for RHD cars, but its rubber block (for when the stay is not in use) is a flipping nuisance.  A prior owner had deemed it 'a tidy thing' to run the new wiring loom under the carburettors.  I moved it on Katie because I didn't like the idea of any petrol leak dripping onto electrical wires,  and so I'll do the same for Carmen.   Another prior owner 'feature' was that the compressor pump for the air horns should be at the top, whereas the fuel filter was hidden down low where its glass bowl could not be seen.  That should be where the air horn pump is.   I didn't like the wobbling coil on a home-made bracket above the fuel enrichment device.  The position is close to being original but the bracket is completely wrong.  Anything that shakes that much cannot be good for wiring connections.  And if I'm to diagnose and tune these carburettors, then I want better access that that coil position offered.   So their were my tasks . . .

 

     

^ With the coil removed, you can now clearly see the home made bracket, taken from two of the carburettor mountings.  ^ ^ It was an elaborate but poorly engineered bracket, which they'd gone to the trouble of having zinc plated.  It's now in the scrap bin.  I've also removed the compressor pump for the air horns and found the bonnet release cable. 

 

       

The AC Delco glass bowl fuel filter showed a non-standard / after-market paper element filter and absolutely no debris in the bottom of the glass bowl.   I'd come across these paper element filters before ..and the fault in their fitting.  The design of the filter is that ; the fuel enters the middle top of the bowl, Dirt particles and sediment (from a rusty fuel tank) settle into the bottom of the bowl, and then there's a gauze mesh around the top through which the fuel is filtered before being fed to the carburettors.  The issue with these paper element filters is that the fuel is fed inside the element, which because of its small internal size get clogged up.  My third photo shows just some of these sediments after being gently tapped out on paper.  I have experienced one (my 1966 S-type Jaguar, similarly fitted) get almost totally blocked, whereby the engine faltered through lack of fuel.  

The paper element filters are good, insomuch as their filtration is very much finer than the original wire gauze. But when used - the feed into and out of the filter housing need to be reversed.  Then, the fuel (from the fuel tank) is fed into the glass bowl. Some dirt particulates fall out of circulation and settle in the bottom. The petrol is then drawn through the paper element from around its outside ..which is always being washed by the flow of petrol.     

   

 ^ The fuel pipe used has braided covering, but I don't know if its ethanol proof.  After all this car was restored over many years. It didn't feel as if the rubber was dissolving, and so I've cut this one down to reverse the petrol feed to the filter (a new element has been ordered), but I'll replace all the fuel pipes in due course, just to be safe.    

By the way .. an Oops by the prior owner or mechanic .. Neither end of its wire clip, which holds the bowl tight against a seal, was seated correctly in the filter-body's grooves.  Should either end of that clip have slipped into its groove, then the glass bowl would no longer have been tight against its seal, and being hidden away down there any fuel leak might have gone unnoticed.    

More updates to follow . . .

Pete