I am wondering if anyone can tell me how much clearance I will need to drop the cage. I currently have the car jacked up and have about 18 inches below the rear differential bottom cover plate, and I want to lower the cage using a motorcycle jack, which takes about 5 inches away from my 18! My field measurement suggests I may not be high enough with the motorcycle jack, but I suppose I could lower it with the jack and then slide it onto the floor to get it out from under the car. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I need to do brake work and after reading posts on this site about doing the work with the cage in place, and looking at the limited access, and concern on my old arthritic bones laying underneath the car, I quickly decided the lowered cage looked a lot easier! Comments?

 

It's been I few years but I think 18" would do the trick....if your 18" is the clearance directly below the IRS itself.

It seems to me that sliding it out from the side, rather than from the rear, requires less vertical space

Others with more recent memory will chime in

Cheers
DD

 

i attempted to slide it out the back and couldnt get the car high enough, but it slide out the side no problem at all.

 

Thank you Doug and Sunchip. I am hoping that I can take it out the back, as my winter storage area (and work area) does not give me an option to go to the side. So, hopefully the 18 inches will be enough. If anyone else has done this and can comment, your input will be appreciated. Thanks again Doug and Sunchip!
Also, I should say that if I thought 18 was not enough, I could jack some more before I start, although I am a bit worried about stability; I am at the max range on my jack stands so would have to put planking under the stands. I also have some planking already, for a secondary support, just in case the stands do not do the job for me!

 

Hi I have also done this a couple of times, and the surface I was working on was cement so not having a trolley I used my trans mission jack - which worked perfectly. Steel wheels on cement. It was easy to roll it out to the side as others have suggested - also getting it re installed can be a bear if you are working with limited space. However I would support the car very very very well ..if you lose control (while lowering /raising of the car or the rear cradle ...) results could be disastrous. Don't use those puny little car stands Find some big timber blocks (slices of tree trunk work well under the sills).

Thus is not a difficult job ,..get organized and have a realistic plan of attack and take your time, work safe with big pieces of car/major parts , balance everything as you lower / raise it. Helper if you can find one.. Keep track of shims. Grease the hell out of all the parts you will have access to. My 20 cents

 

I have done this many times over the years.

I have 2 safety stands that I have welded a short tube to the top pad, and this tube slides neatly over the jacking point/pin of the car.

They give me 21" at the jacking point, with my 3" block of hardwood under each stand, I have plenty of height for rearward removal.

The stands alone are 18".

Like you, sideways removal, althongh simpler, not easy without that sideways room to do so.

When attaching the cradle to whatever lifting/lowering device you select, ensure it is secure, as when that thing drops away from the cradle mounts it is NOSE heavy. Found that the hard way the first one I did.

 

I used a piece of 1/2 ply under IRS and put the floor jack under it... was able to get it out the rear of the car.


The pretty rear end cover is wasted as others cannot see it while going down the road!

 

I have two small 2 1/2" high dollies I made up for moving around motorcycle engines. Dropped the IRS with the jack straight onto them then rolled it out the side. Not too hard to do on your own, but as Grant mentioned it does tend to want to fall over forward.
Reversed the process to replace it. just roll it under ,lift off the dollies with the jack and done.

Having the dollies makes it really easy to move the unit around on your own, probably about $3 each for the wheels and couple of bits of ply.

 

Thank you o1xjr (Clarke), Roger, Grant, and alynmurray for your posts on this project! I appreciate all the tips and suggestions, and the pictures really are helpful! Nice to be able to tap in to the benefit of you experienced folks who have done this job before. Initially, for me, it seemed like an overwhelming project and I considered going to a garage and spending thousands to do the brakes and other required fixes on the IRS! Nearest Jag dealer charges $149 per hour for labour! I now am ready to dive in and give it a go myself! So, thanks again for the feedback and advice!

 

Change the front two brake hoses and the rear one... before you flush and bleed the brakes.. they become soft over the years!

 

I've never dropped a Jaguar IRS. But, decades ago, I dropped a Corvair engine and then another pair of decades, I dropped another. Transmissions attached in both cases.


I used a hefty length of 2 x 12 to land the assembly on. then, levered it up for pipe rollers. stripped them on the plank, fixed 'em still on the plank and reversed the process to install. In my case, a troolly jack and a bottle jack to lower and raise.


I've mover' dolly in the side yard. About 2' x 2' on casters and padded. I'd use that or similar to roll them around.


Agree, I don't do that flat on my back on concrete work well anymore. Swapping starters over and over demonstrated that!!!


Carl

 

First roadblock! Is there any special method to dropping the radius arm? I have removed the locking bolt and the arm is still extremely tight! I tried a large pry bar but I did not want to get too aggressive with it as the rubber bushing appears to be in decent shape. Would I be correct to assume there is a metal sleeve on the inside of the bushing, where the bolt goes thru, and the bushing is just somewhat seized in place? Any special tool required to get it off? I have not tried the other side yet but I expect it will be the same.

 

Check out this link - it explains the whole thing.


Jaguar Specialties

 

I had similar trouble removing mine. So now I make a point of loosening off the bolts and dropping the front of the arms 1/2" or so to get a scraper in there then blow the dirt away and pump some grease in when I have the rear end on stands to grease the wishbones and uni joints.(every 6 months or so)

 

Mmmm, those front large bushes have a tapered sleeve as the inner section, and that taper slides over an apposing taper welded to the floor of the car.

Areas that have snow and use salt etc cause these 2 bits to become ONE.

I have had a few tight ones, but I usually spray some "penetrating type" fluid in there for a few days prior to doing that task, and they usually come off. They are TIGHT, and AGRESSION is good. I have also BELTED them in the UP direction, and that has sometimes loosened tham, sometimes not.

Getting something between the body and actaully striking that inner taper steel is the only way. Relying on the rubber to persuade them off is a lost cause.

 

Thank you again Roger, Clarke and Grant for the advice. I will give it another go tomorrow if I can get to the car.....we are having a "nor'easter" here tonight.....that means lots of snow and wind!!!! My day tomorrow is already scheduled i.e. plowing and shovelling and snow blowing just to get around! The joys of a northern winter! Thanks again.....I will be back at the Jag soon!