Especially CAN Networks etc. Rob.

 

Only at a specialist places. A friend of mine did a 4 year degree is Automotive Restoration and their teaching of technology stops at about 1970. This is obviously a very niche market, as there are very few cars on the road anymore with carbs.

When I go to my local junkyard there are not many cars that have model years starting with 19. I just checked the online listings, and 84% are year 2000 or newer. For a general mechanic, there is no reason to know anything about carbs, just as there isn't any reason to know about pouring babbitt bearings.

 

That's why we do it ourselves then.

 

And that is possibly why the average age of a classic car owner is over 75 because younger owners can't do the repairs due to a lack of knowledge. I was taught (if that is a word to describe it) by my father who always fixed his own cars. He had a Mk2 Jaguar and we were always doing something to it as he raced and rallied the monster. He would give me a simple task to do and leave me to figure out how to do it. Sometimes it took three or four goes to get it right but that is the experience part. When I service my boys cars I try and get them to help but it is a task they would rather leave to me whilst they play on their computer.

 

Hey! I'm only 71 Rob!!!!!

 

I am only 66 so we are on the low side of the average. Hands up all those above 75?

Besides everyone knows that 64.3% of all statistics are made up on the spot. Well 25.7% of them do.

 

I'm 80 and still tinker with my cars. I rebuilt my Daimler V8 2 1/2 litre engine myself, allbeit was a few years ago! I took it down to even the core/expansion plugs crankshaft bungs out and replaced. I even found a long chunk of cast iron in the waterways of the cooling system! It helps to have some knowledge and a workshop manual and decent machine shops nearby! AlecG.

 

you found a piece of cast iron in the waterways ?
did you take a picture of it ?

 

This is more normal than most people think. If you get an original Jaguar block and wash it out thoroughly you will often find pieces of metal left over from the casting and sand from the moulds. The metal can as in this case be too large to to get out of the water ways but it cannot get into the oil ways. It can rust away which is why the water in an old engine is dirty brown. Most of the sand is still attached to the inner walls of the casting but over time breaks loose and settles in the bottom of the radiator causing over heating problems which is why it is so important to flush your water system out at every major service.

 

There's no getting away from the fact that 1952 was a vintage year.

The flushing out of petroleum plant produces unbelievable stuff: gas cylinders, welding equipment, tool boxes, valves, ...

In that degree course on restoration, do they teach how a 1952 vintage should lift a 420 subframe complete with ancillaries out of the back of an X-type station wagon? Preferably without doing whatever I've done to my back tonight. ​​​​​​

 

Stupid boy. 71 years of experience should have taught you that you call your younger neighbour over to give a hand and then go and make him a coffee whilst he lifts it out by himself.

 

With a crane obviously. I've certainly become a big fan of "push the button" rather than putting my back out.

 

JB, Indeed, the man who 'borrowed' my engine crane was the target of my curses last night and again this morning during my first attempts to get out of bed.
On the subject of cranes, any suggestions of features too look for beyond the obvious of reach and capacity?

 

I had an issue with my engine crane in that although the height reach was tall enough for a normal car when it came to lifting the XK engine up over the top of the grill of my S Type I could not get it high enough. When I pulled the engine out on disassembly I had to lift the engine up then take the wheels off the car and drop the front on to the floor. This was solved when it came to installation with an extra solid bar welded into the tube between the top of the hydraulic ram and the reach arm. (Circled in yellow) It is only 3 inches long but it allows the arm to reach a good 12 inches higher and gave us the extra height to go over the top of the grill with room to spare. A bit Heath Robinson but it worked.





That is an adaption we fitted but if I was looking for a new one paramount on the list would be a decent set of wheels. Trying to push a ton of engine and gearbox suspended six foot in the air across a bumpy garage floor with precision was almost impossible with mine and what we ended up doing was lifting the engine and then rolling the chassis under the crane before lowering the engine down into place.

 

I keep my engine crane locked away at all times. I probably only use it once a year, but it saves my ancient 81-year-old body from extreme pain.
It is currently in my aircraft hangar as we had to lift and hold my 65 pounds propeller while it got bolted back onto the aircraft crankshaft after a propeller overhaul.
Immediate previous use was removing and later replacing the cylinder head on my MK1.
I have lost track of how many times I have used it apart from lifting engines. It was used for anything heavy or even stuck such as an old fence post that had to be pulled out of the ground.
I have owned it for about 25 years and it has been one of my better investments.

I started tinkering with cars at 12 years of age helping my father repair a 1937 Ford V8 that he bought cheap. The previous family car was a 1928 Chev tourer.
My first motorbike at age 15 (Villiers Ambassador 197) and my first car at age 17 (a bloody Renault 750) all required acquisition of the "knowledge".
Numerous Fords, Holden, Austin, MGs etc until first Jag (MK7) at age 21.
None ever saw a "mechanic" and you learnt to do everything yourself.
That was just the way we functioned, and I look back on some interesting times.

 

I am painting all removed brackets in Red because I have nothing else to do. The block is black, should be a different color, you can't see anything in there if everything is painted black. No thank you. I will be doing it my way so go ahead and laugh.
Red brackets everywhere.

 

At the age of 18 (1976) I had a Mk1 Ford Cortina 1600 GT. I had an oil leak and the oil level got low resulting in the big end bearings making a noise. I was in the ARMY at the time so had no garage or workshop and only basic tools. I bought a standard size set of replacement big end shells to fit with a new sump gasket. I removed the sump whilst the car was sat on its wheels lying on my back on the side of the parade ground. The near side wheels where on a kerb to give me a bit more room under the car. Unbolted the conrods from the crank, fitted the new shells and reassembled everything. No torque wrench, or plasti gauges, just a basic set of spanners and a hammer. Took a couple of hours and luckily it did not rain. Filled her up with oil and ran the engine for a couple of years with no problems. The new sump gasket even cured the oil leak. Even today I cannot believe that I did this with the basic tools I had but it was a case of having to do it and learning as you went along.

 

Jose, No half measures on the block. Give the raised 'Jaguar' and engine size a good brushing with a brass brush and then highlight them with gold paint.

 

The one feature I like about my engine crane is that it disassembles completly for compact storage, and most of the connections are with large clevis pins that slide through. Makes assembly really quick and easy. Only a few places are bolted.

I also have an overhead electric trolley hoist attached to a piece of I beam that I have running across my shop ceiling. I can lift something, and then roll it across the shop and set it down easily. I have one similar to this:https://www.princessauto.com/en/220-...t/PA0008873192

Makes it really easy to take a fifth wheel hitch out of a truck for example. I'm not lifting an engine with that, but something like an IRS is within its capabilities. There are also larger versions available.

 

I had exactly the same JB but I then lent it to a mate who broke the switch, told me he would repair it before returning it and five plus years later I am still waiting for it to be return in any condition. Now you have reminded me I must ask for it back.