I found an old MGB headlight bucket in my stash of parts and took a look at it. The bracket in the bottom of the outer bucket is what the outer end of the spring attaches to - it just needs to rotate so it can be used. I ended up drilling out the rivet, positioning the bracket where I needed it, and bolted it to the outer bucket.


This isn't the headlight I'll be using, but it shows how the XJ6 7" trim ring lines up. It could probably afford to be a little tighter against the headlight but I'll adjust it and see where things stand.

 

Just buy a set of Lucas H4 European headlights & original trims for them. They even Dip in the correct direction. The lens is important to the direction of dipping. i.e. dip to left or dip to right. Built in pilot lamps only required for Germany ~ ignore. Germany from '67 required pilot lights to be fitted in the headlights. So Jaguar just did not connect their sidelights. The car looks much better with it's original sidelights connected.

Rogers Motors (Jolly Rogers Motors) usually stocks them. You might have to go to Barratts for correct outer buckets & rubbers.

Be careful. Rogers also stock for RHD. I got my headlights from them for South Africa ~ RHD. ~ uprated H4 Lamps

https://jollyrogersmotors.com/store/...-Pair-New.html

 

I emailed Rogers Motors the other day but haven't heard back, so I pressed ahead with what I had on hand. I bought a set of 7" outer lamps to match the inner set I already had on the car. I think it looks better than before.


I was also experiencing some hesitation in the upper rpm range. At first I thought it might be the air cleaners, but removing them didn't solve the problem. Pulling the choke didn't help either, so I deduced it was ignition related.
I picked up a 123ignition distributor with the 16 presets. I started at setting 0, went to 3, then 4, then 5. If you've never seen the switch on the distributor, it's behind a plug. It only takes 10 minutes or so to pull the distributor, remove the plug, change the setting, replace the plug, then reinstall and time the distributor.


My upper rpm hesitation is now gone and the car accelerates better through the entire rpm range. It's a nice distributor.

 

I think it looks much better than the Noddy car LEDs. The car looks odd without 7" outers. If you are not an originality nut I think it looks very nice.

 

I've been sending most of my time driving, but decided today to pull off the vacuum servo motor that controls the fresh air vent at the base of the windshield. It's kaput just like I expected it to be, and it's NLA just like I expected it to be.

I really like the stock way of it working, push the "Air" button the dash and the vent magically rises. I'm not even sure if the dash switches still work, but I'd like to try to keep some of that magic if possible. Does anyone know of a vacuum motor that would work?

I could always replace it with a choke cable or something but that seems kind of lame.

 

I would try A/C retrofitter like Old Air Products or Vintage Air. The big 3 use to use a ton of vacuum motors. You will probably have to modify the arm to make it work.

 

I checked the switch block in the dash and it's not working, so I am going to abandon the idea of a vacuum motor top open ad close the flap. I will probably end up using a linear actuator to control the flap but that's gonna be part of the winter activities.

Today I got my Mike Eck rebuilt clock back in the mail and got it put back in. It looks great!

 

This is the same vacuum switch that we have on the S Type. The Mk2 had a lever that opened the vent.

I am surprised that your vacuum switch is not working as these tended to be fairly bomb proof but the vacuum switch that operates the heater switch (Situated under the heater box under the bonnet) is normally the one that goes. This is due to the way the switch works in that it allows water to pass across the top of the metal lid to the diaphragm which then rusts out, The vacuum switch on the dash normally does not have a problem unless the rubber diaphragm dries out and splits. Have you tested the switch to check is is not working with a simple vacuum tester? Normally the reason the vent switch does not work is either down to a split vacuum hose or the vacuum tank situated under the left front wing behind the lights is damaged. When I bought my car I found that the tank had rusted out where the bracket is welded to the side of the tank. I repaired mine with Araldite temporally until I sourced a new one.
The Vacuum switch is BD23528 but you are very unlikely to find a new one for sale but second hand ones come up occasionally on EBay. I would check that yours is actually defunked using a vacuum tester before throwing it out.

Can I also ask that if you are asking a new question about a part for your car that you start a new thread as this makes it much easier for anyone searching for a similar topic to find it rather than it being lost in 100 pages of general chat that started with a different topic. Thanks.

 

the 3--button Vacuum Switcher under the radio is rarely the problem, there are 3 vacuum hoses connected to it. If a hose becomes disconnected from one of its 3 Ports, then it stops working as this causes a vacuum leak. It is very easy for a hose to slip off its port as they are not very tight. I used vinyl ties to keep them in place in my car.

The Heater Valve / Heater Tap in these cars, ( S type and 420 ), referred to by Cass as a "switch", opens and closes by vacuum via the HEAT button in the 3-button Vacuum Switcher.

The original Heater Valves or "taps" are no longer available but you can get a Normally Closed / Opens by Vacuum generic / universal Heater tap from Auto Zone that has 5/8" Ports and 1/4" Vacuum port.
I used a 1965 Ford Galaxy Heater Valve in my S type and it worked fine. Just make sure it is the Normally Closed / Opens by Vacuum version as there are Normally OPEN / CLOSES by Vacuum Heater valve versions and used by Jaguar from 1973-on.

The AIR button in the Vacuum Switcher controls the Scuttle Vent between the wipers via the Vacuum Valve located at the top center of the firewall.
These vacuum valves are also no longer available but can be remanufactured by a business in Australia for around $120. They open the valves and replace the diaphragms.
Short of that, you can look for General Motors vacuum valves still being made, the difference will be the long attaching Rod of the original valve. Nothing that can't be remedied.

 

I pulled the switch out from under the radio. I hooked up my vacuum pump/gauge to the supply port and capped the two other ports - and it wouldn't hold vacuum. I moved the pump/gauge to the Air port and capped the other two - and it would not hold vacuum. Same thing with the heat port. I deduced that whatever seals were in the switch were no longer working.

I'll wait until this winter to see what I do with the AC and make a decision about the heater too. I

 

a metal port might have cracked from the case allowing vacuum to leak. Repairable with solder or opening the case. This 3-button switcher was used in MK-X, S type, 420, and 420-G.

 

Rather than checking the vacuum at the back of the three button switch you have to check each of the vacuum switches themselves for many reasons. One might be that the rubber hoses have been damaged leading to each switch. I had a problem with my scuttle vent barely opening and then shutting the second I turn the engine off and upon investigation I found a very small hole in the rubber hose. Once repaired the vacuum held and the scuttle vent opens fully.
To check the scuttle vent vacuum switch disconnect the rubber hose that comes through the bulkhead to the switch and connect the vacuum tester direct to the switch. If you create a vacuum in the switch the scuttle vent should open but not necessarily. Also make sure that the scuttle vent does move up and down easily by lifting it by hand first as the hinges are prone to seizing and if this happens no amount of vacuum will open it.

These photos show the vacuum switch and the hose coming through the bulkhead that you should disconnect.

 

That vacuum unit looks very tired! The push button units are very long lived.

 

That vacuum unit is the one on my car Glyn. There were the before I stripped it down photos, the one below is the same unit cleaned polished refurbed and back on the car fully working.

 

Great job Rob ~ I'm impressed, I started with a very neat looking unit still.

Just required a wash & coat of black paint. Guess I got lucky. Overspray cleaned since this. Did a bum masking job and paint got under the tape. Mark at top is a reflection or buffing compound. Boots not pushed up over the starter solenoid connectors yet. Original etched plate. Chassis numbers were on a separate CDA plate on the LHS wing on SA cars hence blank here.

 

With nothing to lose, I pulled apart the vacuum actuator to see where things had gone wrong. I was surprised at all the rust inside:


But the smoking gun was a hole in the diaphragm.


If one were so inclined they could probably find a replacement rubber diaphragm to replace the torn one. Something like this or this might be a good place to start.

 

You think that is a lot of rust. This is the other vacuum switch that operates the heater which was on my car. I decided to pull this one apart to have a look to why it was not working and found that it was not the diaphragm that had gone but the metal centre had rusted away. The problem with this design was that the water flowed through the switch and was in contact with the metal parts which without an rust inhibitors went like this.
This one was not saved and I was luck to find a NOS one and a good secondhand unit which I have as a spare. A similar amount of rust came out of my heater matrix when I washed it out but I was lucky that it had not caused any leaks.

With both these vacuum units a spray of a silicon grease every now and then into the area of the diaphragm should preserve the rubber and lubricate the metal parts.

 

Yugh! What a mess. No coolant. Tragically many of these cars were seen as worthless at the time & they saw no real maintenance. Top up the oil & drive or left standing.

 

Just a small change today. I took out the carpet floor mats...


And replaced them with a set of cocomats...


Other than that - I just keep on driving her!

 

there's another 420 in Pennsylvania for sale. Car is factory air conditioned. Looks like all the parts are there. For restoration, not a running car. but looks complete and not bad condition.