I’m not sure what accounts for the difference, but I have plenty of clearance between the rails and the engine. Separation between the pipes is also generally good, but narrows down to less than 1/4" at the bend. It’s hard to see all that in this photo, but the pipes are actually riding below the torsion bar and the frame rail, with about a 1" gap. And yes, I did add O2 sensors to make it easier to tune.
Managed to get the Bell exhaust installed over the last couple of days. Managed to shift the engine on the engine mounts and added a shim which opened up a gap between the header downpipe and the chassis rail. It was a bit of a pain of a job and glad I was able to use a freinds lift as it would not have been fun without it.
Jay
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Have been adding all the miscellaneous items to the under bonnet area a connecting the new wire looms. Most of the items in place now so hope to complete the wiring over the next week or so.
I did fabricate a new exhaust heat shield for the brake servo to replace the old asbestos or whatever it is.
Jay
Jay, that gets pretty warm. How is the material attached to the metal? Not with adhesive I hope?
If I recall correctly, my '63 Jag did not have hammertone on the trumpets but it did on the Delta. It’s been a long enough time since I’ve seen it, I could be wrong!
It’s self adhesive heat shielding but it’s probably a good idea to test it with something hot before it’s gets tested by the exhaust when running. Would not be good to torch the car on the first run.
Jay
I’m just thinking the adhesive will probably not hold up to the heat. If the material is the bitumen material, it may all simply melt as well.
I used stuff like this on the upper heat shield, the one closest to the manifolds, on my 2+2. It’s adhesive never failed.
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On my upper heat shield, i used a piece of Hardi plank siding and re-used the copper rivets. The back side color and texture is very close to the original.
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Nick is right. Yes I know it sucks, but he is right.
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Have been taking it easy the last month or so after the big end of year push. Nearly done with all the miscellaneous stuff now. Engine oil is in, brake and clutch have been bled and all leaks fixed. I have a few more wires to connect and then I will put fuel into the tank, check for leaks and flush the line to the carbs. Then it’s time to pluck up the courage to try and start it up 
.
Jay
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Looking good Jay… saw an aircon on eBay ( rwautos) looked ok but a bit expensive
I don’t know why it took me so long to find this thread… your work is amazing. I may have asked to be a shop intern!!
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Jay, Captain Obvious here. Be careful closing your bonnet for the first time. Every car is different, but the round plug wire bundle on top of the cam cover would not fit on my car. Looking good, Tom
She’s alive …
Started the week with a big setback when I added water to the car so I could try to turn it over and check for oil pressure, only for water to pour out the carbs and enter a cylinder bore. Thought it was a head gasket problem but after shop vacuuming the water and hair drying it out, I went to remove the intake manifold to find the nuts were not tightened. I had found my issue so reassembled it and this time tightened the nuts.
Turned the engine over for about 30 seconds and saw oil pressure on my mechanical gauge. I fixed a couple of fuel leaks and then had my son turn it over while I turned the distributor. It fired and died a few times before it started running. Sounds nice and smooth although still need to time it with the light but very happy it is running smooth. A big relief.
Next step will be to check it can get in gear and move forward and back. But for today I am a very happy fella.
Jay
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First drive today. Just a small drive around the block to make sure the rebuilt engine, gearbox and differential were working fine. All gears worked fine and no drama, felt quite smooth although I think the carbs need tuning as it would stumble when I tried to accelerate.
Video link below of first drive. Life feels good
Jay
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Congratulations- you have to be very happy with that.
Likely an idle trim screw adjustment required. If you don’t already have a copy, THIS document is an excellent source for ZS carb tuning information. Parts I and II of this document have rebuild and installation instructions.
Thanks for the document link but the car has triple SU carbs fitted. They were running well before the restoration but have been sitting for a couple of years so probably need to be re-tuned. Thinking he mixture may be off as when I try to accelerate it stumbles before it starts to pick up. I do have separate foam air filters so no longer running the factory setup.
Jay
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