Thursday afternoon when I got home, husband informed me that Friday, since neither of us works that day, we were going to the Wrecking Yard to pick up the IRS under that '83 we found last week, the one I got the Opticell from.

So he made a list of all the tools we could possibly need, which included some Really big hammers, various wrenches, sockets, ratchets, tubing wrenches, everything but a floor jack which the yard won't let people bring in anyway; something about liability if someone dropped a car on themselves.


The weather was Very good in the yard; a nice Delta Breeze was coming up from the South, bringing cool marine air and poofy cotton ball clouds.

There was a good sized square of carpet under the car so husband could work under there in relative comfort. While he did what he had to do, I scanned the cabin again to see if there was Anything I could use. When I opened the glove box door (hadn't done that last time) I discovered a light and switch! The light cover was a little discolored, but not warped, cracked or melted. So I took the whole box and all the mounting screws. This was between running tools for husband, and holding the odd flex handle when he needed 3 hands.

The hardest thing about dropping the unit was getting the exhaust out of it. It would have been easier except that husband forgot to take a hacksaw. It turned out OK though, and we salvaged all the special muffler clamps and the BL mufflers. Resonators will be replaced with glass packs.

I think it was over in JagLovers that I saw mention of this bar to pry the Big Donut bushings off the radius arms. Husband says it was a Great idea and worked Very well.


When the IRS was on the ground under the car, we went back to the desk to ask if someone with a forklift could bring it up for us and load it in the pickup. On the way to the desk, husband told me to do the talking, so I asked if they could use a fork lift to get the IRS up front for us (we deliberately didn't ask beforehand).

Two of the counter staff said it was against company policy and we would have to use their rinky dink little carts. So we took another of said carts and tried to get the unit out from under the car, but no way could we even drag it on the gravel let alone get it on that cart. Even if we had succeeded somehow, the tires on the carts are so underinflated we would Never have got it back to the front.

So we went back to the desk, and I explained what we had and exactly why a fork lift was needed. Still the answer was No, so I said, "OK, then, are you gonna let us take the pickup back there and drag it up with a chain?"

I thought I was asking nicely and respectfully, but also being firm and precise as to why such mechanical help was needed. Then The Boss said to take him out to look at what we had and I agreed. After Boss and I left to check out the situation, one of the staff asked husband, "Is your wife mad?" He said, "No, when she gets focused she's just a little abrupt."

Upon seeing the IRS lying Under the car, The Boss said, "Oh yeah, there's no way. I'll grab a couple of my guys and we'll get that for you". He did just that! And even dropped the thing in the pickup! Nice guy!


As we went away we left them a 12-pack of water, for which they thanked us profusely.

This unit has a Bazillion miles on it. It's dirty and greasy, all except for the calipers which look almost new. They're rusty, but it's a light, new, surface rust, and most of all, they aren't dirty or oily. Now husband has another garage decoration!

The purpose for this is to rebuild it over the winter (if we even have a winter) and when Nix needs new rubber in the rear, just swap this one in.
(';')

 

Cool story! I thought by the title that there was trouble with the taxman ��

Love the inboard disks, great design.

 

Nice story!

junkyard folks are often good folks. Looks like it didn't take you guys long at all, are those brackets on the side all that is holding the unit onto the car? like, 4 bolts a side?? does it attach in the middle anywhere? neat.

 

great story, like the bit about poofy clouds :-)

did the yard mean mad cranky? or mad crazy?

 

I particularly like the 4 "persuaders" lined up in the tool kit, conveniently ranging from gentle to mental!

 

If you cant get it out with that lot its oxy acetylene time

 

good find, it looks in great condition, even the green brake lines are original, glad you didn't have any accidents, it's a pain to work on gravel without proper support.

 

Thanks, Guys,
Mikey:
I chose that title for that exact reason; word play and all that.

Tim:
Staff at this particular yard have a reputation of being very hard-nosed. That's why husband wanted me to do the talking; one of the Especially hard to deal with was on duty and as I'm cuter than husband is he thought I might get a better deal.

Yes, I was surprised we got it down so quickly, even under conditions in the yard. We dropped it onto a rear seat cushion from a Taurus on one end and a Huge unmounted 4x4 tire on the other end so as not to damage it any more than the Bozo who put a floor jack under the diff drain bung bending the tie plate all up.

Breaking into the exhaust system took Ages! If husband had brought a hacksaw like he kicked himself for not doing, we might not have got those special clamps. Now we have a full set for Nix.

Yes, there are *Only* *Four* (4) bolts on each side holding the whole entire rear suspension to the body of these cars!! (You have to take the lower bolt out first so you can get a wrench on the inside of the upper one) The arms are held pretty tightly by the donut bushings, it took a good bit of effort to break them loose, but they don't do much holding the IRS to the car.

Steve:
You know exactly what poofy clouds are too, don't you!
They meant angry. In this part of the world that's what 'mad' means. If you want to know if someone is a 'little off,' you ask if they're crazy.

Rubber Wrench (torch) isn't allowed in the yard but battery rattle wrench certainly is!! It's not powerful enough to actually break stuff loose, but it sure beats one flat at a time with an end wrench! There were places a right-angle battery wrench would be handy too.

Tony:
The one he found most useful for that job was the one to the right, the "Short Handled Basher." There wasn't much room under the car to swing a hammer so that's the one that beat the mufflers off the pipes.

Edit:

Jose:
It was a bit of a pain, literally, because sometimes the rocks got on top of the carpet scrap. They're Very hard when one sets a knee on it.

I'm thinking the woman who owned it (I found owner's ID and emergency contact info in the glove box) took good care of it until something bad happened. Those new rear calipers couldn't have been cheap even 15 years ago. But the car had set out in the sun and weather for Many years before it was scrapped. All the leather was hard and cracked, but showed Much wear especially on the driver seat. Leather was flaking off the steering wheel and the dash was badly cracked.

In the end, it probably wouldn't pass SMOG but she couldn't bear to part with it so kept it in the driveway where she could see it every day. She might be dead now (say, in her 40s in '83) or at least old enough to face the reality that the car is beyond fixing. But like all the others we find in wrecking yards, it will serve to keep Nix on the road a bit longer than she might otherwise be.
(';')

 

Good story Elinor, that IRS looks in good shape. Never seen one here looking that good for sale.
It will be a good project for the winter.





Just the 8 bolts, tailshaft,handbrake cable, two sectins of exhaust and one brake hose

 

Thank you, Clarke, I ejnloy writing.
I have no experience with these units except for the one I own. If you (and others here) say it's a good one, then I have no choice but to believe you. That makes the day in The Yard worth while.

As the center section in this one seems to be in better condition than Nix's, we might even just trade them straight across rather than change it out. We have little experience (I have NONE) at setting up a diff, but even though this one is 2:88 as opposed to mine which is 3:31 it might be advantageous with that Stump Pulling 1st gear of my 700R4.

But that will be Next Winter, assuming I ever get to drive her in 2015!
(';')

 

Before



After

 

Yes, Clarke, I remember this process well.
Further inspection of the IRS currently hanging in the shop reveals the bearings are tight, the U-joints are tight, there is little slack in the diff, as seen in pictures, the calipers are New!

Some Bozo jacked it up without a proper board under the tie plate, bending it all up and damaging the drain bung, but that seems to be the only really Bad thing about this. We'll have to change the pipes to the calipers because mine comes from the other side, but that will be easy.

All this has to wait though, because there's no space in the shop at this moment to work on another Large project. Until Winter then.
(';')

 

LnrB:


Great story and nicely illustrated. what else from the both of you, of course.


If a floor jack was not allowed, how did you get it on to stands?


As to work condtions in a junk yard, those looked fairly decent.


No matter what, one never has enough tools on a task away from the shop! Missing only one, is as good as it gets.


Those are sometimes known as "pinch" bars. fingers, I suppose. The pointed end is useful in getting parts to mate up for the installation of the fasteners. iron workers used them in assembling big beams for bolts or in the old days, hot rivets!!!


A cordless recip saw would have been neat for the exhaust. Cut the pipes long to save the wanted for disassembly at home.


Sad, as to the car. I feel a bit of a kinship. My car is an 83. Lumping saved it from Jaguar Heaven. Oddly, such a place is near Stockton. That is where my DOHC went up in smoke.


My car does have a 2.88.rear ratio. I like it. With the .70 OD, it's freeway legs are long indeed. And, as my LT1 was tuned to haul a humungous Fleetwood Brougham, lotsa of torque early on, it fits just right. The Cad's rear ratio was 3.09, so relatively close.


Relatively new calipers, pads and even rotors, a definite bonus.


Wonder how that yard handled folks buying regular straight axles. Big, heavy and even more clunky.


As you had the whole unit, I suppose you might have put wheels on t and trundled it!!! But, the lift into the truck, wow.


Seems like a pick and pull yard. other more conventional yards pull the parts, once selected. their methods are brutal. In this case, roll the car on it's side and use the cutting torch to cut the IRS loose. Tie a chain to t and hook it to the yard 'dog' and drag it up front. the yard dog is the remnants of a running car. badly battered.


Off to errands, Jaguar, yahoo!!!


Carl

 

Thank you, Carl, and Good Morning!
We didn't get it on stands. We had a rear cushion from a Taurus on one end and an unmounted tire on the other end so as not to damage anything by dropping it from that full height onto rocks. And then husband pulled out the last 4 bolts (one of each pair) and let it fall. It did fall with a thud even with all that padding!

The longest bar from the HF set was Just Right. Had it been any longer it wouldn't have cleared under the car, and any shorter wouldn't have given him the leverage needed to pop the bushings.

I also snagged the center vent grill which was covered in black sticky gunk from the inside. I got to thinking while I was cleaning it up, I'll bet the heater matrix sprung a leak! (If you haven't tried to access one of those you're missing a treat!) If that's indeed what happened, after she spent all that $$$$ getting the brakes fixed, it must have broken her heart.

We know this one is 2:88 and Nix is 3:31. That shouldn't make a big difference with the 700R4.

I don't know how they handle people pulling engines or axles or any large component. Maybe they bribe them with a 12 pack of something stronger than water.

I'm SO glad you got your car running! Enjoy!
(';')

 

Elinor:


Woops, wrong car. That is Clark's car securely on stands on firm concrete.


Far better working conditions than you and hubby had.


Tis a good thing that you are "cuter' than hubby.


1. That bashed tie plate can be beat back into the proper shape. Not a big thing. or, it can be swapped in situ with the one from NIX when the time comes.


2. That big nut on the pinion sure looks clean. Evidence of work there. Pinion seal perhaps. If the slop is excessive, that might be why.


I'm taking time off Jaguar work. Needed respite from months long thrash. Enjoy it "as is' for a time.


Cabinetry: I spotted a lower smallish kitchen cabinet down the road with a "free" sign. Jaguar not a good hauler. So, I went hoe, got the Jeep and came back and loaded up. Not quite a fit in the hatch. Could have reconfigured and got more. Short haul, so roped in place.


Not super quality, particle board, etc. But looks good. Nice drawers with sliders. Will work well in my "office" to replace a "make do" shelf of nice Birch veneer bosrd over TV trays!!!!


No counter top of Carrera marble, granite or anything else!!! The aforementioned Birch boards will make a neat top.


Working out a fitment sans fasteners. Easier to cart in and assemble in situ.
Table saw and cordless drill and driver in action. Diversification is relaxing.


Oh, and more fix the whacker, whack, fix whacker, whack, etc to go.....


Carl

 

Thank you, Carl,
After I looked at the tie plate closely, it was plain that a judiciously applied Big Hammer and one of husband's press blocks would fix it right up. It was merely an indication of ignorance on the part of whoever jacked it up that time, and leads to questions of what else was effected by that ignorance.

There is no 'excessive' slop anywhere in that whole unit! Even the U-joints look good.

We went back to the yard this afternoon to get the plate and pan under the drive shaft as Nix's is none existent, but only the captive nuts give evidence of what was once there.

The Yard Guys had used the fork lift to first tip the car (her name was Rhonda) on its nose! That certainly gave them more room to chain up the IRS, and gave us Great access to those two pans.

I wanted to snag the headlight buckets from the fenders to modify them for different lights, but one bucket was broken and the other fender was completely gone since Friday when we were last there! It's a good thing we don't need anything else from the car, because I'm thinking it's not long before it goes to the crusher because the other fender is badly dented.

We're probably done in that yard for a while. We already have projects stacked on top of projects.
(';')

 

The shields "over" the drive shaft? I wondered about their purpose a decade or so ago. I did clean them up and replaced them. But, I wonder if they are the source of a mystery rattle in my car? If I was doing it now, I might just dump them, as the lumpers of Nix apparently did.


I guess I misread as to pinion slop. Great news.


I do have four "early" head light buckets. The common 5 1/4' size, not the prized "7's". One is rusted through!!! If you want them, yell. I've no use for them. just eating space under my bench1


Carl

 

Um, these were Under the drive shaft, sort of lending a false sense of aerodynamic improvement, on a car that's already about as aerodynamic as a brick?! I thought about the possibility of rattling, but that's what Loctite is for.
Yes! That makes it all worth while! The side seals are weeping a bit so they might get changed anyway, just because, but other than that, this could be put in Right Now, if Nix's was out from under.
Thank you, Carl, but husband has a plan and I'm not sure what it is. Until I fully understand what he wants to do to my car, I'll just hold off.
(';')