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Post by richard on May 21, 2011 17:10:30 GMT 10
I have the car, now to find the caravan to suit! The attachment is a picture of my 1957 Jaguar Mk VIII (AKA "Queen Victoria"). There's some more here: gallery.me.com/rmlane#100202- I'm the 3rd owner, I have full history back to first service receipt, 46k miles, incredibly original.
- 3.4 litre Jaguar "XK" twin-OHC straight-6. 210 cubes, for the oldies. Supposedly 180 HP (it is pretty damn quick for it's size & age). You Holden grey-motor boys better get out of the way, coming through
- Independent front suspension - live axle rear on half-elliptics.
- Four-speed manual with electric overdrive on top for a 5th. Cruises very nicely at 110 though you get some wind noise past 90. Accidentally had it up to ~130 (85MPH) indicated at one point... starts getting exiting at that stage.
- Drum brakes, but they're boosted and freakin' ginormous - tight fit into the 16" wheels. Very effective - Jag used pretty much the same drums to win Le Mans in '51 before they switched to discs.
- Seats five people easily (even with two of the rear passengers are in baby-seats)
- Boot the size of Tasmania
- First made in '51, when it was the first mass-produced four-door to do 100 MPH.
- 1,850kg according to the weigh-bridge (before I added the Dynamat and the to-bar, so call it 1900)
I've had it about a year and a half, and it's been great fun and trouble free until I cooked the (already fairly marginal) clutch getting up a 1:4 driveway with s-bends in it.... I rebuilt the front suspension on purchase and fitted five lap-sash seat belts and a pair of child-restraint anchors. Belts look old fashioned but meet modern safety standards. The previous owner stainless sleeved all the brake cylinders and upgraded the servo. Since the photo the tyres have been replaced by the correct 16x6.7 (100 aspect ratio) tyres, with a 3-inch whitewall (looks awesome). Massive improvement in the steering by going to the correct tyres - no power steering... I've bit the bullet and will do an engine & gearbox overhaul since replacing the clutch is an "engine out" operation. I'm also upgrading said clutch to a much more modern Jag clutch that's a lot more durable (original clutch is coil springs instead of diaphragm, and has pathetic clamping pressure, especially after 54 years). XJ-6 clutch, basically - 20 years more modern design and much tougher. I've also found and fitted an original tow-bar. Extremely solid looking thing, bolts onto the chassis (the Mark 7/8/9 Jags were the last ones built on a separate chassis). Now... who has some van suggestions?
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Post by sutcac on May 21, 2011 18:55:56 GMT 10
Hi Richard.Welcome to the forum. May I suggest an English van to go with your Jag? There are not many in Australia but there are a few..........the one that springs to mind is the Carlight Continental...........Fibreglass ends and roof...aluminium sides ......4berth.... beautiful timber interior panelling and fit out.......17' in length.......approx 1.3tonne ......considered to be the "Rolls Royce" of vans in England...........check them out in the Down History Lane section
Cheers Cactus
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Post by RollyDog on May 21, 2011 19:43:52 GMT 10
Richard, Welcome to the group and the English car fraternity. I tow with a Hillman, drive a Sunbeam Rapier fastback to car shows and a Princess Van Den Plas for weddings.
As Clyde said an English van would be the pick but also something with a bit of class and character to match the car would suit just fine. Rollydog
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Post by richard on May 23, 2011 21:59:37 GMT 10
My guess would be that you have never driven behind me then Richard?;D Pfft! I overtake the moderns if they're not careful! Especially up hills - 4.2 inch stroke and very long rods = massive torque. The 210 CID (3.4 litre) Jag motor has the same power as the 272 CID (4.3 litre) Ford Y-block of the same year - about 180HP. It has about three times the power of a Grey (60-70). Course... the wife wanted me to buy her a FC Wagon with a late-model V-6 in it, so who's in front will depend on how stock you are.... You can work a Holden to have as much power as your wallet can afford, of course The Jag is bog-stock, other than electric ignition hidden in the dizzy. Even if it wasn't, you're hard-pressed to get more than 300HP out of a streetable Jag motor.
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Post by humpyboy on May 23, 2011 22:03:39 GMT 10
Moderns don't need to be carefull when I'm around either, I'll pass em anyhow, up hill or down ;D ;D ;D and before you reply Richard, YES down hill would be a whole lot easier ;D
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Post by richard on May 23, 2011 22:56:19 GMT 10
Ah ha! Found the towing guide thread. Jaguar is good to tow about 1.3 - 1.4 tons (supposedly). 1.9 ton car, 180 HP. Anyone have any opinions on that maths?
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Post by richard on May 29, 2011 17:30:24 GMT 10
Jag update: Engine block has been fully disassembled, insides are in fairly good shape so. Most importantly there's no corrosion in the block or head, which is unusual in a Jaguar engine. Alloy head + cast iron block almost always leads to serious corrosion in the head. My water passages are in fantastic condition - so the head won't need to be welded up and re-machined. Even the water pump is completely serviceable - doesn't even need new bearings. Crank also checks out well, doesn't need a re-grind, just a good clean up. Rods are straight. Pistons will be replaced, as it does need a light re-bore. The previous owner let it sit for a few years at one point, and that's showing in the bores - they're showing a bit of discolouration and the odd bit of scoring. Cylinder head is off, but not apart yet. Number 1 & 6 cylinder are very oily in the combustion chamber, this is probably caused by leaking valve guides. All 6 cylinders need a thorough de-coke. Head will get cleaned up, new 3-angle valve seats, new valves, valve guides and springs. Once cams are off & tappets are out of the head the tappets can be checked for wear - they look OK bit can't be measured until they're out. Cams are clearly OK just by visual inspection. Cam covers have been welded up where they were split, now off at the polisher along with the inlet manifold and the water rail. Once polished, I'll clear-coat them with Glisten PC from same people that do POR 15. Next thing to happen is gearbox apart. Has taken a week to clean the 50 years of greasy crud off the gearbox so it can be cracked open without getting the insides filthy. Box is getting full set of new bearings and gaskets. Well, except the overdrive. That's getting new external gaskets, but not being opened up because they're a complete PITA to service. It's working, it can be left alone. Expectation is that the gears are fine because the box works fine - just has a rumble that seems to be the input bearing. Flywheel gets machined to take a clutch from an XJ6, then new clutch assembly fitted as mentioned above. The wheels are steel, but after half a century they're not quite straight (or they were crooked to begin with) so they're having tyres, tubes, hubcaps & rimbellishers removed, then being trued-up by an alloy wheel repairer who's feeling brave. Then I'll get them paint-stripped & powder coated black. Then back to the tyre place to have the tubes replaced. Tyre shop made a mistake first time round with tubes, not really their fault but they're fixing it at their expense anyway - I highly recommend Spinning Wheel tyres. Engine bay needs to be stripped of loom & panel-mounted accessories, then the painter is going to paint-strip it and do a full re-paint of the engine bay. Painter will also re-spray air-filter and a couple of other under-bonnet doohickeys that should be black - heater box, etc, etc. Engine block and cast iron section of gearbox get new black engine enamel. Head gets painted "duck egg blue" (actually a pale green, go go English colour descriptions) and oil filter assembly gets green Hammer-tone. Clutch & brake fluid reservoirs are being replaced with correct ones, new vacuum-powered screen-washer is coming from the UK, new chassis plate and a couple of other under-bonnet accessories are being replaced. New distributor with EFI hidden inside, new plug leads with correct lead guides and caps instead of ugly modern ones currently fitted. I think that't it... $2,500 in parts (all coming from the UK, thank God the AUD is strong), $1,500 in painting and somewhere between $7,000 and $10,000 is labour.... at mate's rates. Ouch.....Upside is that I'll have a fully rebuilt drivetrain (well, excluding the diff, but they're rock-solid) and a close to concours level engine bay. With regular use and correct maintenance it should be good for another 30-50 years, which will see me out.
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Post by richard on May 29, 2011 21:44:30 GMT 10
Hey Humpyboy, its easy to follow a jag, just follow the oil drips HEY! I resemble that remark! You can actually buy an upgraded rear oil seal for Jags now, that apparently disables the built-in rust prevention system. The rust prevention system is also known as the "rope oil seal". Yes... rope. No, it doesn't stop the oil leaking out. No matter, there's 16.5 litres (29 pints...) of the stuff in there. However, to fit the seal, you have to machine both the crank and the block. Since my crank doesn't need any other machining, and the block only needs a re-bore, I've decided not to fit it. But it is possible to have a non-leaky Jag. Personally, if mine ends up only leaking form the rear seal, that will be a pretty massive improvement....
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Post by seeshell on May 29, 2011 23:41:11 GMT 10
Hi richard Yes - there's a Lucas part number for both the smoke and the oil leak. And I'm allowed to say it, because I've rebuilt one! Love your work! Seeshell
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Post by richard on May 30, 2011 9:18:36 GMT 10
Surprisingly, it hasn't been blowing any smoke even with #1 & #6 cylinders looking a bit oily.
My god the underside is greasy, however... The crud is several mm thick in some places. Combination of grease, oil and dust. Still, no rust found, which is awesome for a '50s Jag.
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Post by curtis on May 30, 2011 9:26:57 GMT 10
There is nothing wrong with a bit of rust proofing from the engine I say, especially when you have 16.5 liters of oil in there. I thought my Morris was large with 11 liters.
Actually the way the prevented this in the old days was to encourage it - the clutch in the old Morris is made from cork and runs in sump oil, so no need at all for a rear main seal!! Still the external oil ways, filter, gearbox, timing cover all leak eventually - took me weeks to get all the "rust proofing" off the chassis, interestingly the only rust issue in the chassis was in front of the motor, under the radiator.....
Keep up the good work on the Jag - nice to see another British icon returning to the road with care and attention a classic deserves.
Dave
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Post by seeshell on May 30, 2011 9:48:16 GMT 10
Hi Richard Hadn't you realised that that is why there is a part number for the oil leak? Rust prevention! Just kidding. Sounds like a great project, and I'm a bit envious! Cheers Seeshell
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Post by richard on May 31, 2011 16:24:44 GMT 10
Hey Jenno! I've got a problem how can I follow the oil drips if I'm in front? You'll just have to wait till I lap you again.
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Post by humpyboy on May 31, 2011 19:03:13 GMT 10
UMMMMMM , if I've got no drips to follow wouldn't that mean I was in front ? if this is the case then how could you "lap me again?" as I see it you would only be lapping me for the first time would you not? besides you would have to catch me first then make an attempt at getting around to the front,Hmmmmmm may need to call in an expert to get to the bottom of this conundrum, what do you think Richard? agree to disagree ;D
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Post by cruisindoug on May 31, 2011 19:21:13 GMT 10
Line 'em up boys! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Now, wheres the nearest drag strip??? Or straight road Seriously, the Jag doesn't have a chance against the might of the humpy grey ... ;D ;D ;D With or without the vans in tow?
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Post by seeshell on May 31, 2011 21:03:31 GMT 10
It's starting to look like the lead car might have to be a DeLorean, with some sort of flux capacitor, to go ahead/back to ensure there is an oil leak to follow...
1.21 gigawatts? 1.21 gigawatts? Great Scott!
Seeshell
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Post by richard on May 31, 2011 21:17:49 GMT 10
Line 'em up boys! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Now, wheres the nearest drag strip??? Or straight road Seriously, the Jag doesn't have a chance against the might of the humpy grey ... ;D ;D ;D Standing quarter with no van sounds fair. FJ: 20.5 Jag: 18.4 ;D ;D ;D ;D That's actually a lot closer than I was expecting... just checking something... AH HA!FJ Kerb weight: 1,012 kg. Jaguar: 1,702 kg.... I put mine over a weigh-bridge and it was actually more like 1,850kg... not sure what "kerb weight" is supposed to be... No oil/water/fuel? To even things up, I think Humpy can drag me towing his van. Sound fair?
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Post by Jennison on May 31, 2011 21:42:50 GMT 10
Drag race down the same road.......That'd be cheating......couple of practice runs and with all the oil on the road the mighty grey would never get traction ;D
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Post by humpyboy on May 31, 2011 21:47:10 GMT 10
1850 kg man that's one heavy kerb ;D
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Post by Jennison on May 31, 2011 22:15:22 GMT 10
kerbs the performance somewhat
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Post by humpyboy on May 31, 2011 22:46:35 GMT 10
Only if your driving a heavy kerb ;D
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Post by kaybee on Jun 1, 2011 7:35:39 GMT 10
Standing quarter with no van sounds fair. FJ: 20.5 Jag: 18.4 ;D ;D ;D ;D That's actually a lot closer than I was expecting... just checking something... ....sounds like you gents are having a SLOW race........ ;D....maybe you can find a helpful pushbike rider to give you a tow....might help speed things up a little.... ;D ;D
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Post by cruisindoug on Jun 1, 2011 17:08:03 GMT 10
From a time when drag racing was rounded to the nearest minute! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D 1/4 mile might be a bit long ..... the Jag does ONLY hold 29 million litres of oil ..... ;D ;D
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Post by sharpie on Jun 1, 2011 17:52:14 GMT 10
I don't know what you Holden guys are worried about, with all that lucas stuff Jags break down in the garage i should know i had one. Sharpie.
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Post by drylander on Jun 1, 2011 20:52:17 GMT 10
and mine is ;D a 69 420g Pete
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