[Lumps!] New Lump owner - long - sorry

Lumps
1

Hi fellow infidels -

I’m a new lump owner (it’s a 1976 XJ12L - white with black interior - no
rust), and have a number of questions. I’m sure a lot of this has been
covered before (I’ve been to the archives, but some of it’s not covered).

I’m not sure what size engine is in my car. It was advertised as/supposed to
be a 350, has a tag on the door frame indicating it’s a 400, and my mechanic
has said it’s a 305. I’ve heard that one can get the number off the block
next to the water pump, and Chevy can decode the number. Is there a digit or
a series of digits in the block number that will tell me without me having to
piss off a guy at a parts counter?

Transmission - same problem. Supposed to be a 350TH, but the mechanic says
it’ got a square pan, and he says that this would indicate a 700R4. He said
that the O/D would have to be hooked up electronically, but even running as a
3-speed, the 700R4 is a good/better tranny than the 350TH. How would I find
out which tranny I have?

Various electrical problems: I know the folklore of the Lucas electrical
beast, but in the short time I’ve had the car, the wiring seems very heavy
duty, and the switches seem to be the weak links in the equation. Is there a
domestic source for switches? The switches I’m talking about are the 6-pole
rockers used for the windows. Is it the general felling that with new
switches, the windows will work correctly, or will the window motors need to
be rebuilt or replaced? The headlights/taillights/side marker lights don’t
work at all - what would be the proper sequence for determining the problem -
is there a separate fuse bank somewhere? The horn doesn’t work - is this a
common problem that has a usual cause that can be fixed by the average
schlub?

How do I connect the speedometer?

I also need some front signal lenses - any known source for these?

The a/c isn’t hooked up, but isn’t really a concern. How do I hook up the
wiring fromt the compressor to the climate control switches on the dash?

The dashtop pad is cracked (again, not a major concern) but are these
generally available?

What attracted me to the car was the “no rust” factor. I’ve been all over
the car and there really isn’t any. The paint is a little weak, but okay.

Mea Culpa/warning: I bough the car over the web, sight unseen. I know this
is extremely dangerous, and wouldn’t do it again, but I’m determined to make
this a great car (which it can be - no rust).

Any help would be great, and I’m glad to have my lump.

  • Paul

Now is the perfect time to take a new look at Shaklee
Demetra & Paul Kane
Body & Soul Wellness
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A>

2

Paul, the genius behind the Chevy Small Block is that there are so many
variations but they
are all almost the same size outside. If you mention a SB Chevy to most
anyone, they will
instantly blurt out “yea, 350” but there are a plethora of other
configurations out there (as you
have discovered) The real tricky thing is that when you rebild one, you can
change the stroke
(just swap parts with another SB Chevy) and you’ve instantly got more cubes in
your engine.
Reading the engine serial number won’t give you the right displacement unless
you’re sure the
engine hasn’t been rebuilt. The good thing is that on the outside they
(almost) all take the same
parts. Just tell the parts guy that it is for a SB Chevy.

-Chris Riek
SB Chevy (Sorry, not a 350. It’s a '67 327 with fulie heads)> Hi fellow infidels -

I’m not sure what size engine is in my car. It was advertised as/supposed to
be a 350, has a tag on the door frame indicating it’s a 400, and my mechanic
has said it’s a 305. I’ve heard that one can get the number off the block
next to the water pump, and Chevy can decode the number. Is there a digit or
a series of digits in the block number that will tell me without me having to
piss off a guy at a parts counter?

3

Does anyone know if Series 3 door panels will fit Series 2 doors?
Thanks,
Jim

4

Welcome to lumpland!

I recently bought a lumped '79 XJ12L (actually a '78 sold as the next year’s
model). I had a lot of the same questions you have and spent a fair amount
of time researching different aspects of the car. You’ll find that you have
quite a few resources at your fingertips - probably the most rewarding is
this list and the good people here. Here are a couple of small things I can
help with:

(snipped without mercy…)

I’m not sure what size engine is in my car…

I had the same question about my car. The PO lied about almost everything
regarding this car, so I didn’t have any reason to believe his claim that it
was a 350. I found the following website which gives great information on
decoding the casting numbers to be found on your engine (kind of an unlikely
name, but a good resource!). The page I’m sending you to is titled “Small
Block Chevy Engine Block Identification” -
http://www.nastyz28.com/sbchevy/sblock.html

I then found a site with even more detailed information plus a section
showing precisely where to look for various casting numbers -
http://www.mortec.com/location.html

Various electrical problems…

The first thing I learned is not to trust a fuse even if it looks good. I
immediately yanked out all existing fuses from the fuse box and replaced
them with fresh fuses, which solved a couple of problems. Re: your windows,
I would suggest trying to clean the existing switches before doing anything
else. There is a surprising amount of crud that can build up on the
contacts which affect the windows themselves. Replacement switches are
easily obtained and not difficult to switch.

My horn also did not work - I understand that the wiring inside the steering
wheel hub can sometimes be the culprit but don’t forget that there is a
separate in-line fuse usually located near the battery. Mine fuse was
blown - I discovered that the wiring was crimped behind the battery and I
had a short. Took care of that small issue, replaced the fuse and presto!

I also need some front signal lenses - any known source for these?

Moss Motors has these @ $13.15 each - you can download their catalogue in
PDF format from www.mossmotors.com. Also check with Paul’s Discount Jaguar
in Florida - always a good resource. (And don’t worry, I have no
affiliation with either of these!). Also a quick search on the internet
will give you a host of other parts sources.

The dashtop pad is cracked …

Easy and relatively cheap. I just replaced mine with a brand new one for
just over $100 - it’s an easy installation. The same dash pad was used for
several years so they are easily obtained.

Wish I could assist on some of the other issue, but hope this little bit
helps. Enjoy your Jaguar!

Michael
San Francisco