When I worked at the Jaguar dealer I sometimes answered the shop phone on the wall and one of the most frequently asked questions was "why is the engine running so poorly after I just put chains/tensioners on?"

After the caller says that the cams were set with a straightedge and the pistons at TDC................

WHOA!!!!!!!!!! I say........... You did WHAT??????????????

People need to get the 'old-school' notion that engines are timed with #1 Piston @ TDC.

RTFM

bob

 

A bit of advice, after getting the guides and tensioners on and starting to put on the primary chains, you may have to put the top and bottom sprocket on sequentially. When I did mine back in Feb, I literally had to guide them on that way because they were so tight (to say). Apparently the chains I removed were a tad bit stretched (about an 1/8" I guestimate) and came off quite easily and thus, I wasn't expecting that kind of tension.
I locked my flywheel in place with a large flat blade screwdriver, don't cringe motorcarman (lol). After you pull off the balancer, feel under the crank nose and you'll feel a key keeper at 6, so when you put the balancer back on, you'll know what to line up.
Also, this is a simple ooboo, check you new crank seal direction before tapping it in.

 

Thanks everyone. The car is running perfectly.

 

What is your option of the chain connector link ? I have seen them used in industry ..

 

I don't think the chain with connector is a good idea for long term use. In the attached pic you can see my new secondary chain to the left (with bicycle-like connector) and the much heavier primary chain to the right. There's no comparison and as soon as I can I'll be performing a complete refit of OEM chains, tensioners, thermostat and water pump.

But for today? The car is running perfectly. Genuinely fast, very comfortable and as soon as the engine was determined to be good I spent about three hours buffing out the paint. Best Sunday ever. Thanks again for the kind advice given. It's a thrill to bring a vehicle back from the dead and I could not have done it without this forum.

(if only I had gotten a nice pic of it before the sun went down)

 

Here's a Vimeo link to the car gently enjoying Mullholland Drive yesterday.
https://vimeo.com/189187344/93bd238082