When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I mentioned earlier that one of the club members donated his Series 3 Xj6, Black Beauty, to the club as a restoration project for eventual sale and the club's profit. The car has Numerous problems, expensive and time consuming to fix (we know, as we just fixed many of them for Nix) among them, loose steering, tired engine, slipping transmission, fading brakes, sun baked leather, cracked crash roll and the usual S-3 rust. It had lived for Several years in near Clear Lake, Ca., and was to be trailered to a rejuvenation facility near Sacramento.
Nix heard about this and asked if we could go over on loading day so she could give encouragement and emotional support to her younger sister, since Nix has some experience being loaded and transported for longish distances, and as far as we know, this is the first time Black Beauty was transported in this manner. I said, Sure!
It was an Excellent day for such a drive. After a couple months driving the Adequate Vehicle, driving Nix was like a Dream! Her ride is like a flying carpet; one doesn't feel bumps in the road. Steering is Crisp, smooth and Positive. Engine performance is Instant!
We met the Transport Crew in Williams, just off I-5, an easy reach and about half way for everyone. The weather was Beautiful; no wind, scattered high thin clouds.
Highway 20 is a twisty mountain road from Williams west to highway 101, but Nix performed *Flawlessly* on curves, hills, twists and turns. As she had been there before it was somewhat familiar, but she Really Likes finding the line of a curve and hugging it; entering and exiting at the Perfect point.
We arrived to find Black Beauty sitting outside with her current garage mate, enjoying the sunny morning like true cats.
The Crew backed the trailer up and loading began.
The transmission was slipping so badly that it took 3 tries and a good run at it before he actually got the front of the car on the trailer!
During the tie-down procedure Nix kept a close eye, from a discrete distance, within Black Beauty's sight but out of the way of the workers.
At one point the Former Owner gave way to a show of emotion, weeping at the prospect of walking out next morning and his Black Beauty would not be there to greet him.
Last of all, there was time for the sisters to say good-bye to each other, reminiscing about the time two Black Jaguars virtually raced from Ukiah to Santa Rosa down 101, almost 2 years ago to the day; how Beauty led most of the time, being Much more experienced on that road (several years), and how even though it was Nix's first time on those curves, she made a good showing for herself. Now that Nix has renewed suspension and steering, Beauty said that the Next time they do that (how incredibly gracious! Who was encouraging whom?) Nix will do even better.
Nix assured Black Beauty that riding on the trailer would be no big deal, even on the curves and hills from there to I-5. She shouldn't be concerned about the cornering, it can be unnerving from that height, but she's well secured to the trailer, which is Quite wide and stable. And Nix would visit when she could.
There was quite a stir for a while as we went through town, a Black Xj6 on a trailer followed by another Black Xj6. We turned Many heads!
And then it was time to hit the road. After an Excellent lunch, we parted ways, each to our own destinations.
It was a good day, a good deed well done, many miles well traveled.
(';')
bill70j (08-21-2016),Daf11e (03-28-2016),Grant Francis (03-28-2016),jagent (03-28-2016),o1xjr (03-29-2016),Sarc (03-28-2016) and 1 others liked this post. (Show less...)
Steve:
It Was generous of him, but also expedient. He doesn't have a shop to work on this one because an XJS is currently parked in there. He doesn't have the time, expertise or money to fix what needs attention (he's not really very mechanically minded), and I imagine it will be a write-off as a charitable donation.
As it has several rain leaks it had to be under cover, but even then rust was taking its toll. So rather than watch it sit and rot, he gave it to the club where it will be a full on restoration project for a couple years at least, where anyone who wishes can spend a couple hours or days learning to restore such a car. Its absence makes room for the XK8 under the car port.
That little white-haired guy on the front of the trailer guiding the car on is 81 and runs the shop. (The transmission was slipping so badly he tried 3 times and finally took a long run at it to get the car on!) No one questions his knowledge nor messes with him. He knows Jaguars inside out, from XK-120 to the latest XJS and has had them all in the shop at one time or another. He's the most dignified and soft-spoken gentleman I've ever met, besides being generous with his time, knowledge and experience!
The work he supervises is Concourse quality. Several members drive cars donated or bought by the club for little or nothing, which were then restored in that shop and sold at a small profit for the club. All that free labor makes for Very Reasonable prices on some Really Nice Classic Jags!
And yes, the old line members are a Very close knit bunch, most of them going back 20 or so years. When we joined in early 2014 they hadn't had a new active member in a Very Long Time!
Carl:
I was asked to photo-document this event by the editor of the club newsletter. So I had an official excuse to be there, besides an excuse to write up the story line. The Former Owner's wife had a phone and was taking her own pictures, but I'm given to understand she's not particularly diligent about sharing. And it's a bit hard to be in a frame of a picture I'm taking. If anyone wants to see me, look here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/o...7/#post1276787
I doubt I'll be posting very much of the restoration. It's taking place 2 hour's drive from here and it's not happening every week. Black Beauty is third in line at the moment, but the Shop Boss says the MK IX Saloon is drivable but not finished, and only a few touches remain on the XK120. Both should be out of the shop by summer.
(';')
(blush) Thank you, Carl,
We have visited the shop once last year, and could probably do it again. We could make a day of it after Black Beauty gets her turn and report back if anyone is interested.
(';')
Black Beauty, 1985 Xj6 Series 3, arrived successfully at the Restoration Facility and immediately made friends with the permanent resident, a 1998 XJS named Phoenix.
Two other projects are close enough to finished that she has moved up in the line. Her official designation is Project XI.
Initial evaluation identified no fewer than 19 issues, some of them critical to the safety of the vehicle. I'm sure more problems will be discovered as work proceeds if my own experience with Nix is any indication.
As already mentioned there are known water leaks in the front windscreen and rust bubbles around the base of the rear one. The leather is hard and cracked. The transmission was slipping badly and steering was so loose it was dangerous to drive on the open road. I can't help but feel that most if not all of these were the result of not paying attention and taking care of little things, so they became BIG things.
One of the reasons the crew decided to trailer the car from Upper Lake was that the owner had become afraid to drive it any distance. Here's why:
All 3 rack bushings are Gone! No wonder he could hardly keep it between the ditches!
It was said the car was more than merely marking her territory, and it had become a matter of checking the gas and filling the oil. This might have had something to do with that:
Cam cover gasket is missing large chunks and they weren't stuck to the heads! They are Gone!
These problems are easy to see. It will be interesting to see what else they find.
(';')
*All pictures in this post were supplied by the Recovery Team of the Sacramento Jaguar Club.*
As posted earlier, all 3 rack bushings were so worn as to allow nearly 5/8 inch end travel before the wheels moved. The shoulders were completely missing as shown above!
Removing the outer steel shell proved quite difficult for the Recovery Team but they prevailed. Installation of new poly bushings were a cake walk by comparison.
One of the new items on the list, the brake warning light was continuously on. The PO had installed a new reservoir cap but that didn't fix the problem. The float was found to be half full of brake fluid!
As this is the Greater Sacramento Area, they simply went looking for a good one at local wrecking yards but none was found. So one of the team machined a 'cork' to replace it. All is well now.
The AC didn't work due to a blown fuse link. Replacement cost, less than $10.
New AC Fuse Link with Mounting Bracket
New AC Fuse Link Installed
As mentioned in the first post, the transmission was slipping badly in D but still moving after a fashion although it wouldn't downshift. The cable checked out OK. The transmission can be manually forced into D1, D2, D3, so the clutches and bands work, although sluggishly.
The Shop Boss says these symptoms point to dirt and wear of the governor, governor valve, connecting tube seals or down shift valve. The PO had picked up a working transmission a couple years ago so they're going to simply change it out rather than overhaul this one. Later they'll take a look at it.
The original list of 19 issues grew to 23 in the first month. 9 of these are now resolved. But we all know how it is working on old Jaguars, everything you touch reveals new surprises.
The original list of 19 issues grew to 23 in the first month. 9 of these are now resolved. But we all know how it is working on old Jaguars, everything you touch reveals new surprises.
I'll post more updates as I get them.
(';')
Ha Ha...surprise after surprise......some pleasant though.
*All pictures were supplied by the Recovery Team of the Sacramento Jaguar Club*
The old transmission was examined and was found to have dirty degraded automatic transmission fluid. It was concluded that the downshift malfunction had been caused by dirt/grit restricting travel of the downshift valve plunger.
Crew members then checked out the replacement transmission's valve body.
Rather than risk damage to the torque transfer plate and ring gear, the crew opted to reuse the original torque converter.
A new rear mount was also necessary as the old one was bashed.
Installation of the replacement transmission was completed and on a short test drive, it down-shifted on throttle command.
The headliner was sagging badly and needed replaced, requiring removal of trim.
After that one of the crew blew out all the foam dust.
Some of the crew reapplying fabric to the headliner backing.
Black Beauty is back on the road, and was present at the Planning Meeting in January but I didn't get a picture of her (none of the work shows) before the crew chief took her home.
I'm told she'll be returned to her home in Upper Lake as soon as weather clears over the passes, and will participate in the next Club Drive, again safe on the public roadways after nearly a full year in the shop.
This completes the report of the Xj6 Sisters, thank you all for your kind attention.
(';')
I paid someone else to pull trans when trans went bad, and when flywheel had to be replaced, when i replaced the torque converter though, i did it myself, no harder than any other car, its just nuts and bolts! The higher you can get car in the air the better!, just remember motor must be supported or will rest on steering rack with ill consequences...
I'm not aware of any completely definitive way to test a transmission out of the car with normal tools and equipment. I have a vague recollection of a big remake having facilities to spin them and take dynometer type readings.
As to your spare, on the ground, or on an engine stand, I can only suggest what Elinor reported as the Jaguar wizard did. Visual. Bad oil, dirty case, detritus in the pan all point to "core only".
The issues with swapping out a transmission with the engine in place are proper converter engagement. Case to housing aligning to get the way up in there, fasteners started and driven home.
The pro's have the tools and skills and do it regularly. We DIY folks not so much.
03-27-2016, 11:38 PM
Xj6 Sisters
