I agree with Clarke about a board under the plate, however;
I Much prefer a very thick slab of plywood (called Five Quarter as it's 1-1/4 inch thick) cut to the size of the plate.


The Red arrows indicate the position of this board, centered on the floor jack. There is a corresponding mark on the handle which is lined up with the bottom center of the rear bumper to show how far to shove the jack under the car before any jacking starts.

This is Very stable, Nix has Never fallen off and the plate has no new dents or bends since I got the car.
(';')

 

Great thanks for the advice with the wood. Will use next time. So its turning over just fine now. Jaguar noob question, Which position does the fuel tank button go for left and right tank? There has been a gas fume smell in the garage from the car but I haven't noticed any gas leakage until today. Now im getting a drip of fuel every 30 seconds or so under the 1/4 panel. Hopefully its not the tank.

 

If you're *Very* fortunate your fuel leak is only a hose. But if gas is dripping from a quarter panel sounds like something more serious. The only way to know for sure is to go In Search Of.

On the side of the tank switch button is a diagram and letters indicating which tank is engaged at what switch position. Also on the front (the part you see) are lighted arrows pointing to which tank. The lights must be on to see it though.

As my tanks are plumbed together and only one sender works, I leave my switch in the same position; pushed in I think, reads the left tank. But I could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time, even today.
(';')

 

If its leaking you will probably find it is the drain plug in the bottom of the tank. There is actually a hole in the rear quarter panel on the bottom. If you search on eBay you will find new seal for it. I actually made mine from some stuff i bought at Autozone. It came in a sheet and was made by felpro and it is made for fuel..

 

Alright guys I haven't posted in awhile but just was going to catch you up with the progress. I have gotten the car to where I can drive it reliably around town. Also had to wait for some of the legal paperwork process to clear up, so I will have the car title in my name later this week... phew!


I took the car to the best local shop, Charleston Import Automotive, and they are going to start helping me do some of the mechanical repairs needed. That includes: synching carbs, checking valve adjustment, new steering rack and tie rod ends, new cross member mounts, miscellaneous electrical work, ignition tune up, and servicing the tranny. So we are trying to tackle the main systems and get this car running well.


After the car is cleared mechanically and is safe to drive Im going to tackle some of the body work and get this baby painted up. Prob wont be till early-mid 2017 but I got plenty to do in the mean time. Trying to get this series 1 xj12 back on the road one step at a time. I will keep you all updated as we progress!

 

I have been quiet for awhile but I thought I would give an update.

In short I was able to get the car running again to at least drive it to our local shop (Charleston Import) and Im having them take care of some of the more labor intensive work, and work at this point in time I dont feel comfortable tackling myself. Primary goal at this point is to get all the major mechanical systems repaired/inspected to get this car on the road to where she can be safe and reliable.

Most of the heavy mechanical work has been completed. Transmission has been serviced, and engine was inspected for overheating and valve seat depth. All internals looked good. Ignition tune-up with new wires, plugs and distributor cap, etc. installed.

Installed remanufactured brake calipers all around. Each original had at least 1 seized piston in it. Explains the trouble braking i was having...

New subframe mount and cross member mounts installed along with new steeling rack and outer tie rod/tie rod ends.

From here were having issues with the radiator leaking but once we get the cooling system functioning moving along to sync carbs and inspection fuel system along with the gas return line im having issues with.

So lots being done and Im learning a lot as we progress and I read. On a bright note the seats in the car were shot and I have been dreading on buying a leather kit and trying to repair the seats. Luckily the shop owner has old seats from his parents car that he has had bagged up in his shop. Same color stitching etc. Basically bolt in replacements and im getting a steal for them, so I feel very fortunate and it was meant to be. Attached are some pics of the before and after seats and the car as she sits now.

 

So its been some time since Ive posted. Since this project has started I have also moved and been busy on at home projects which is more my comfort level. I have the car back in hand and it is running better than ever. The fuel filters have been replaced and no longer have any leak issues. From a previous post the fuel smell and leaks was coming from the drivers side tank which has been repaired. Both sending units have been replaced and we are having accurate fuel gauge readings too. Other work done includes replacing the exhaust from the headers back to the mufflers. The headers were cracked and circulating exhaust fumes back into the intake. Brakes are workings good and the steering rack has been replaced. New distributor cap, cables, etc. We ended up replacing the steering wheel with a new nardi, so I have the old one hanging up as a wall ornament in the new house. We were able to install the new seats in the front and back. I will have to post more photos soon.

now a couple questions. One of the rear door latches wont engage. I need to take the door card off to take a look inside but cant open the door. Is it possible to take the door card off without being able to open the door?

The second question is about procedure for rust repair. Attached are a couple photos.
There is a ton of information out there but its hard to sort through all the bad information. Below are a few conditions im seeing. What repair methods are typical for these conditions?


Looks like some surface rust inside one of the pillars



the door sill has a small hole on it.



both front doors have this condition



inside the boot

 

As the house projects start to slow down I will begin more work on the jag. I had to get someone with experience working on these cars to get the bulk of the mechanical work done but I plan to take most of the work over from here to save cash and for my own edification.