Real job made me stop working under the car and get cleaned up. One last thought for the day… is this shifter knob original to my 1969 FHC? I keep seeking ones with “Jag” logos on them
Looks original to me.
Same as the one on my '68
A and B doesn’t matter…C is the last to be removed.
Following closely and wondering : based on how far you’ve disassembled the car what are your ultimate plans?
You have the opportunity to address / access nearly all mechanical bits of the car which appears to have never been apart (or at least in a long time).
Over the last eight years I’ve basically addressed everything on my car and several of them required doing things twice (unload TB , remove entire exhaust system). Just trying to stand in your shoes and take full advantage of the situation…
Marco
1 Like
Steve, while your torsion bars will be stamped with either an L or an R it will be most useful to mark where they mate with their receivers using a sharp chisel before you remove them. If you do this you will not need to reset the torsion bars when you get around to reassembly.
If you look closely at the post of the rear gearbox spring mount you will notice a hole. Another thing you might do before you drop the engine is to put a stout nail through that hole. It will keep the heavy spring from unloading and make the drop go easier.
1 Like
That’s what I did except I used a Dremel tool with a cutting disc to make a shallow mark on each piece.
1 Like
Re supporting the rear end sans IRS in place –
I bought 2 sawhorses from Home Dpt - the metal ones, rated to 1000 lbs - and placed them in the rear arched space where the IRS was. Worked like a charm, and was a flexible way of supporting the car.
Agree with the rest that sliding the IRS back in, with a few bolts, is the best way to move the car while engine is being rebuild.
Vlad
67 e-type total resto
1 Like
So… Keep in mind, I rebuilt the carbs and ran the engine ran for 5 seconds then I turned it off. #2 cyl showed low compression, cam clearances were ok. I decided to pull the engine for further work. THAT’S ALL I KNOW ABOUT THIS ENGINE. Now that I have pulled the 4.2, I need some guidance on how to evaluate WHAT to do to it? Keep in mind, I would like to do a majority of the work myself to save money (to put elsewhere in the car!) I don’t have experience/machinery to do complicated tasks. If you have experience/advice/vendors you would recommend to me, PLEASE DO! If there is rules against mentioning vendors, message me directly. Thanks EXPERTS…
Pretty much the rule is it’s OK to make positive recommendations of vendors. That said, I can recommend Coventry West if you want a recommendation for an engine rebuilder.
The RE and RE is where you’ll save the money. Have the engine rebuilt by the experts.
Doing a leakdown test will help you isolate the issue with your bad cylinder, ie bad valve or ring/cylinder. It would be helpful for you to know this prior to disassembling it. Some people are adventurous and do their own head work. It’s a pretty machine heavy job though. The mating surfaces need to be dressed. The valve seats and guides might need to be removed and replaced. It’s not an easy beginner’s task. Most of the bottom end is relatively easy depending on what you find. If there is a lot of corrosion requiring welding and redecking then a shop will need to do it. If the liners need need to be replaced or overbored again shop time.
If however it turns out your bores are in good enough shape that you can get away with a light hone and new rings then you can do almost everything yourself. You might have to bring the crank to someone if it needs to be cut down, but that’s about it. Mind you, you aren’t going to end up with 100k mile engine doing this, but most of us don’t drive them that much. I just now hit 20K miles after 18 years.
At a minimum, I’d pull the head: follow other members’ cautions against bending valves, et al: when that’s done, you’ll have a good, clear idea of where to go, next.
Conditions of the bores will be clearly visible, and the crowns of the pistons will give a good idea the condition of the compression rings: my guess is, at a minimum, you’;; need to pull the engine all the way down.
Absolutely, contact Dick Maury at Coventry West. He has rebuilt two E Type engines for us in the past two years and his workmanship is superb!!
Len Wheeler
X3 – My engine was okay but out for a clutch change and with 70,000 miles on it I decided to send it off to Coventry West:
Plenty of time for cleaning and refurbishing the loose parts and ordering new bits before the engine returned:
The other stuff kept me busy all summer but spared me the details and decisions of a rebuild at home and (also important) had me back on the road much sooner.
1 Like
Several of us in the Dallas area use a machine shop in Arlington for head and engine block work. The owner is a good good guy, understands the XK engine, very fair prices. He completely reworked my cylinder head…guides, seats, and milled the head after I had the corrosion around the water jacket ports Tigged. Then I assembled the valve train, set the clearances, and took it back to him to check that the valves were sealing (no charge). The bores were within tolerance, so he just honed them and also balanced and surfaced the flywheel. Likewise the crank was within spec, but I had to have the rear seal surface turned down for the Terry’s rear seal kit. After a long search, I found a competent crank shop in Irving.to complete that task. He also polished the journals. Assembly isn’t all that complicated if you follow the book. Plenty of retired guys in the local Jaguar club who would offer advice and probably lend a hand.
2 Likes
“Plenty of retired guys in the local Jaguar club who would offer advice and probably lend a hand…”
And, ya know, ifn’s Im just popping by Denton, seeing all my exes…Ill drop in!!
1 Like
You say’in all your exes live in Texas? 
Not all: Just two.
