Well i made the biggest mistake of my life.

I bought an 82 XJS with a 350 Chev in it.

Why oh Why.

Please help me. So far I've;

• Exploded the radiator (turns out the previous owner had the cooling fan on backwards)
• Set fire to the engine bay by replacing the gas struts (turns out the previous owner ran a live wire behind the mount for the gas strut)
• Lost my 10mm spanner into the rear bumper
• Figured the reason the brakes were so average was that its an old car, and that just how they were back then. Nope turns out that the master cylinder was on the way out and on my way to the pub I lost all brakes going down a hill.

 

This is kind of related to the XJS, as it happened at the dealership where I had my first encounter with one. I'm 19 years old (1978) working as a new car prep mechanic. I also installed radios etc. So one day I'm handed the work order for an MGB, I went to the parts counter asked for a radio, and the antenna. I went back, and grabbed my drill with the hole saw, measured carefully, and drilled the hole to install the antenna on the fender, ran the cable inside under the dash. and found a second antenna cable. I jerked my head from under the dash, and looked at the opposite fender, and there stood the factory installed antenna. AAAAWWWW Shittles!

"MG Midgets" didn't come with factory antenna's.

"MGB's" did!

 

Couldn't you fit a CB radio instead?
Breaker, breaker, one nine and all that?

 

Yeah but it wouldn't have matched the factory antenna, any better then the one I installed. LOL!

Jack

 

Yours must be the one up for sale on TradeMe - a dark blue car with Momo wheels and a German girl standing next to it?

I haven't made many big stuff-ups with my XJ-S so far, but I did start draining the engine oil for the first time before realising that my normal-sized oil drain pan wasn't quite Jaguar size. Fortunately I have the 6cyl motor not the V12, or there would have been more oil overflowing onto the driveway...
One embarrassing brain lapse relates to the aftermarket wheels I put on the car. I bought one lock nut per wheel for security, and then for extra security, I did not keep the lock nut removal tool in the car. Then I took the car to a tyre shop to get work done... "Uh, sir, do you have the tool to get these lock nuts off?" I've had to drive home to get the tool..... and I've done this twice.....at the same tyre shop.
Now I keep the tool in the car.

I've also changed the upper and lower balljoints to fix play 'in the front suspension', only to realise I could have fixed it for free in 5 minutes by tightening the wheel bearings.
And a simple mission to change the rear speakers saw me end up driving around without a seatbelt - if you have to unbolt the belt mounting from the floor, first you should clean the threads of the bolt which protrude below the car. This is so it doesn't destroy everything during removal! In NZ you can't just buy new non-metric bolts and thread taps on every street corner.

 

I like this idea for a thread. I have owned this XJ-SC for 24 years and there have been some screw ups.

1. Changed the front springs and put all plastic shims on the bottom and now it squeaks over bumps and needs to be redone.
2. Rebuilt the brakes on the rear end and cheaped on new exhaust donuts and an exhaust leak screwed up a rear axle seal
3. Almost cross threaded a spark plug
4. I'm sure there's much more...

Jeff

 

Love it - makes me feel so much better about my own brain farts!
Just recently I acquired a Series 3 DD6. Ran beautifully, until it started to fart and carry on - felt like a fueling issue, almost like it was running out of fuel but the gauge said I still had a 1/4 tank - couldn't be...
Anyway pressed the button to change to the other tank as I was running out of ideas and who woulda thought? Problem fixed.
Lessons learned - 1. Don't trust the fuel gauge on a car you don't know and 2. check the basics first.
Another one on my Landcruiser - didn't put the oil cap back on after a service - what a mess!!!!!

 

Bought XJS straight from the barn after 13+ years of sleep. Partially stripped, used as donor car. Brakes seized. Pulled on the recovery truck with winch.
Got it back, shocked with British design started eBay hunt, Cam chain from tractor, fuel lines from kitchen tap. All sorted and ready.
Booked British MOT. Everything went well. Mr MOT tester said "underside looks liek it's brand new!" advised to replace tyres as the rubber is so brittle they can burst (Pirelli p600). He actually dug some of the side wall's rubber of with his finger nail.

Got back, bought new tyres and off we go. Daily drive.
Parked in front of hairdresser's saloon one day. Done some shopping.

While loading some bags into the boot noticed barber having a cigarette, odd-looking and saying:
"mate, your jag... Your radius arms are missing..."

Got back, bought radius arms, fitted and off we go...

​​

 

I recently refitted the OEM metalastic six shot front subframe front bushes to my car, having previously fitted some poly ones as part of my attempts to eliminate a steering shimmy. The actual cause (differential problem) having been found and cured, I wanted the OEM ride and steering feel back. The polys were good, but together with my JaguarSport rack bushes a bit too harsh for my taste.
Anyway, the polys were removed one at a time. Those who have changed the OEM bushes will know that there is a steel inner bonded to the metalastic bush, and another extra tube, that slides inside that bonded tube, to make the bush a nice fit on the huge bolt that secures it to the chassis.
The polys do not have that system, and one has to push the extra tube into the poly bush before mounting the bush. It is a tight fit and it needs to be pressed in. Now, my problem was how to get it out of the polys to use it with the metalastics.
I rigged up a 10mm threaded rod, nuts and a small socket one end to push the tube, and a large socket the other to be against the poly, into which the tube would be pushed. I used a 27mm 12 point socket for the large end, plenty large enough.
So I wound away and out came the tube. It may interest readers to know that this Jaguar six shot tube is an UNextractable 100% solid interference fit into a 27mm 12 point socket!
I had to cut the socket off the tube with an angle grinder to get the tube out!

 

SO, 28mm be the recommendation?? NOTED.

 

Hahaha,,, how long did ya TRY to - extract?