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...I merely BASHED my oil pan into submission with a selection BIG hammers and several drifts..
After finishing welding the pan and filling it with water, I found it leaked like the proverbial screen door on a submarine. So I basically went the same route as you, LNR. I used a piece of 2" steel pipe on my floor jack to bend the oil pan slightly. It didn't need much - less than 1/4".
It's been a week since I've been able to get in the garage. Between fall lawn clean up and winterizing the house it's been busy. On top of that I got rid of my daily driver Jeep and picked up one of the new Land Rover Defenders so I've been busy squaring that up for the winter. That makes 3 of my 4 cars from a British marque.
Back to the Jaguar, Moss finally sent me the correct rebuild rack for my car. The correct one is on the left, the wrong one they sent me first is on the right.
Replacing the input pinion seals are easy enough, but I decided I wanted to test my work before I put it back on the car. Ebay came to the rescue and I found a brand new $30 power steering pump. With an integrated reservoir it's perfect for a test rig.
I chucked it in the lathe and started with a low speed to make sure everything was good. After bleeding the rack I switch the belts to the high speed position and tested for leaks.
The only leak was a loose hose fitting but that's an easy fix once the part comes tomorrow and I'll let it run until I'm satisfied she's not going to drip.
I've been incredibly busy with work and life the last few weeks, but I made some time today to get back in the garage. I finished re-sealing the power steering rack and ran it on my test rig for an hour without a single drop of fluid leaking out, so I marked that task done.
While the rack was out of the way, I pulled the left hand exhaust down pipe. I wasn't happy how close it was to the tower on the steering rack so I used my press and a hammer to gently reshape the section of pipe near the exhaust rack. The 2.25" pipe was ovaled to a short diameter of 1.87" which means I now how enough room to slip my pinkie between the steering rack tower and the down pipe.
Of course squeezing that section down to 1.87" meant the long diameter went from 2.25" to 2.5", but there's nothing close that was impacted.
I also had plenty of clearance between the re-shaped oil pan and the steering rack, so that's another item off my list. Which is getting shorter quicker than I expected. After the feedback from this group I decided to leave the stock distributor in place and not go a coil-on-plug ignition system. I need to decide if I want to stick with the stock style Bell exhaust I put on this year or go to a full 2" or 2.25" to the tail.
Besides that, I have something I want to try with the bumpers and I'm thinking about a rear AC and controls for the back seat.
It's been extremely cold in Chicago for the last week and I found it hard to get motivated to go out to the garage, but we climbed above freezing the last couple of days and I headed out.
First up was deciding what to do with the exhaust. I decided that I needed to weld in some flex pipes just after the down pipes to allow for engine movement and thermal expansion.
I also decided to put an X-pipe just behind the transmission and while it was tempting to redo the rest of the exhaust system, the Bell system I have is only a year old and in perfect shape so I'll leave that be.
This fall someone local to me was selling a set of Series 1 front and rear bumpers for next to nothing so I picked them up. They had two large holes that I suspected would fit on the Series 2 bumper mounts. I decided to see what it would look like. First up was pulling the S2 bumper.
Six bolts later and the S2 bumper comes off.
Setting the S1 bumper on the mounts the first things I noticed was that it was a few inches too far forward and a couple inches too low. Look at the hole in the fender where the end of the S2 bumper bolts for comparison.
I think the "too far forward" problem is probably an easy fix if I was willing to disassemble the hydraulics of the bumper mount. Aren't they pressurized? I did notice an nut at the back end of the mount which leads me to believe I could probably disassemble them if I were inclined.
The too low problem, in conjunction with the too far forward problem, might interfere with the hood opening which would be a show-stopper.
Any thoughts?
I think the "too far forward" problem is probably an easy fix if I was willing to disassemble the hydraulics of the bumper mount. Aren't they pressurized? I did notice an nut at the back end of the mount which leads me to believe I could probably disassemble them if I were inclined. The too low problem, in conjunction with the too far forward problem, might interfere with the hood opening which would be a show-stopper.
Any thoughts?
It would sure look very nice if you could resolve those challenges, but it looks like a LOT of work...
I think the "too far forward" problem is probably an easy fix if I was willing to disassemble the hydraulics of the bumper mount. Aren't they pressurized? I did notice an nut at the back end of the mount which leads me to believe I could probably disassemble them if I were inclined.
Any thoughts?
Thorsen, they look the same as the XJS ones used for the US market. If so, that bolt at the rear undoes and the unit just pulls out of the chassis tube it is inside. In the UK the chassis tube just had a round plate at each end and a long bolt going though the centre of them to the bumper.
Here is a pic
See part 22 here (XJS) https://parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.../brand/jaguar/
I am pretty sure it is not pressurised in any way but filled with some sort of inert material that on impact absorbs the pressure by being squeezed through an aperture. I think it might have been granular in nature, and once impacted had to be replaced.
Thorsen
I think you have a series 2? If so, I think that this clip shows how Jaguar got over the problem in the non-US markets that did not have to fit those dreadful huge ruuber bumpers.
Greg,
Correct, mine is a S2.
The UK cars had a different bonnet hinge assembly. They are very difficult to find on ebay UK and when you do, one of them is usually rotted away. Jaguar Specialties makes a new hinge that fits the reproduction stainless steel bumpers coming out of Vietnam, but once you're all done you're looking at around US$ 2,000. I know I've spent a lot of money on my car without qualms but that's a tough pill for me to swallow.
EDIT - Jaguar Specialties has a good picture showing the UK vs the US mounts.
LOL I think this one is a keeper. I love the ride, it's super reliable, it has tons of room to haul people when I need it, and it has more than enough power.
LOL I think this one is a keeper. I love the ride, it's super reliable, it has tons of room to haul people when I need it, and it has more than enough power.
HA!
My Converted Jag is the most reliable thing I own!
Better than my Work Truck even!!
LOL I think this one is a keeper. I love the ride, it's super reliable, it has tons of room to haul people when I need it, and it has more than enough power.
It should be a shoo-in to get the funds released then!
Been busy with visiting the family for the the holidays, but took some time today to work on the exhaust. I'm adding flex joints just after the down pipes, then running that into an X-pipe near the end of the transmission. From here it will go back to the Bell exhaust system. I'm keeping everything stainless steel to keep rust away.
Today I was able to finish up the exhaust. When I do exhaust work, I usually start at the front and work my way back, tack welding along the way. Then I drop the whole exhaust system and finish welding it.
Since I already had a start and an end, this time I slip-fit the entire system, blocked it in place, and then tack welded it in place.
I still dropped the entire section from under the car to finish welding it, but it went back together perfectly.
With the exhaust work done, I'm down to the last two items on my 2024/2025 winter punch list. I need to drop the fuel tanks and replace the silicone vent lines with something that is resistant to gasoline, and decide if / how I want to tackle a rear AC.
A bout 4years ago I wanted to do away with the bumper "bench" on my Series 3. To collapse the bumper shocks, I just drilled two holes in the shock body and tapped the collapsible part with a FBH and as I tapped it a white substance came out. I tapped it to the desired length and then used some JB weld to seal the holes. Kind of messy work though. My 4 inch' bench' is now 2 inches. I have used my series 3 to push my XJS and the bumper did not move any further in.
Ditto in these cars being keepers. Since I restored mine 8 years ago, it has become my most reliable daily driver. my restored Series 3
Last edited by sanchez; Dec 26, 2024 at 02:55 PM.
Reason: add info
Today everything I pulled off the engine over the last two months went back home and I was able to start the engine for the first time since I think late October.
I also took the opportunity to replace a split steering rack boot. Those are silicone boots and it looks like something sliced it - not sure what but it was easy to replace.
With everything back together, I was able to pull it out of the garage and flip it around. I wanted to see why I never heard the cowbell sounds from the rear air flaps, and I wanted to see about putting an extra AC in the trunk for the people in the rear seat.
To the surprise of no one, I didn't have a cow bell sound because I didn't have any rear flaps. The air exits were completely closed with duct tape. Someone had been here at some point in the past because they used RTV silicone to glue the shell to the rear deck. I guess they decided the flaps were not needed to exhaust cabin air.
I'll throw this in the sand blaster to clean it up.
I know it's extra, but I have been stuck on the idea of a rear AC unit that is controlled by the back seat passengers. I've been thinking about putting a small evaporator under the front passenger seat and ducting that to the center console, and I've been thinking about a small trunk mounted unit that pulls air from the rear deck and spits it back out. A couple years ago I put a huge trunk mounted AC in my 1967 420 saloon, but I don't need anything that big. I have this universal under-dash system on the shelf but I don't think that's the right solution either. More to come.
