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I enjoy a combo of both. New technology daily driver & old technology for high days & no rain ~ cleaning the underside is no fun. The sterile modern vehicle gives little more than pride of ownership if it is the right brand (in my case the 3 pointed star) & gives an impeccable & safe drive. The old Jag attracts much more attention & interest & the driving experience is more seat of your pants & fun. Far more connected. And now rated concours 100> points. Now I can drive it & enjoy ~ it's going to be no trailer queen. It's even picked up a dent on the front wheel arch the size of a dime thanks to my electricians working on the house. Hope to have it rolled/rubbed out next week. No broken paint.
For a 1000Km drive in one shot the new technology any day. All the comfort features, speed, non tiring & most importantly more safe by some margin. Multiple crash zones & surrounded by airbags ~ even legs, pyrotechnic self tensioning seat belts etc. You wont crack your skull on a piece of wood or the windscreen or be speared by the steering column.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; 10-12-2022 at 11:30 AM.
I respect all of your forum comments, but I will stick to my guns and say, "go for basic running and driveability before going into any modifications, upgrades or re-painting".
As a register leader in my local Jag club, I have been called upon to checkout numbers of MK1, Mk2 and S type cars many of which are deceased estates.
I also see projects which have failed due to finance, loss of enthusiasm or cannot proceed for other reasons (lack of capability to do the work is typical). I call them "gunnados". i.e. I'm going to do up this car one day.
By the way I will not purchase any of these vehicles as it would be a conflict of interest. Many are then advertised through our magazine for nominal advertising sums.
Weirdly two of my current Jags were advertised in this club magazine but I had never seen them prior to publication.
But let's cut to the current in this case and get the 420 mobile and running before anything else.
Once it is "sorted" then you are welcome to repaint it, modify it, go concourse or whatever suits your fancy. But in the initial stages stick to the basics to avoid the project becoming a "gunnado"
Ok, on the theme of getting this here car driveable:
Replacing the starter motor- is the best way to remove the carbs at the manifold and leave everything connected, or take carbs off individually, rebuild then sync? Or try and wrestle the starter out the front of the engine bay? I am leaning pull carbs. I would rather get the car running for a bit as-is before I dig into rebuilding the carbs. (I would also like to polish them, which seems like a good idea to do down the road)
I am in possession of an ultrasonic cleaner, so I COULD rebuild them.
Removing the carbs will help but not necessary as the starter will come out of the bottom of the car. It is tight but it is easier than removing the carbs which is harder than you think or trying to feed the starter under the carbs and out the top by the radiator. Going this way with the carbs in place you still need to remove the top radiator hose and the distributor. My only advice is that the starter is very heavy and if you are lying under the car trying to get it out from the bottom becareful you do not slip and drop it on your head as sometimes it is only possible to hold the starter with one hand and it is bloody heavy.
OK- so I ended up removing the carbs with the air horn. I am glad I did because the linkage and butterflys were all gummed up.and the linkage was not correctly set up (I think) so I was able to work them and clean them. I will need to likely recalibrate the carbs.
1. After removing the carbs I attacked the upper bolt with a socket and a wrench adapter so I could use a ratcheting wrench. I pulled the heater hoses to get better access as well.
2. For the second bolt, I cracked it with a box end wrench, then use a shorty ratchet and socket to do the rest (pictured below)
3. Pulled the starter out the top.
Took about 4 hours total. Fires up quick and on the button now. engine is a little uneven- I blame the carbs being adjusted by the last person to compensate for leaky hoses, etc etc.
Next up is flushing the cooling system and replacing the leaky bits (overflow container, I am talking to you)
There is a metallic screeching sound, I believe it is the alternator- will cut the belt tomorrow to isolate it.
Accelerator pedal stull stuck frozen solid with rust. May have to cut the nut off.
Am not getting temp or oil pressure readings, but the gas tank reads 1/4 tank so that appears to be working.
Pic of my car radio in case anyone is wondering
Last edited by dsnyder586; 10-15-2022 at 07:44 PM.
MAIDEN VOYAGE!
She now starts easy, and idles well. (not perfect, but ok) Goes forward and reverse. Accelerator pedal pin was fused to the bracket, so I had to grind off both sides. Looking for a replacement. Floor around the location is shot, so that will need work. Coolant tank leaking like a sieve, gonna need a new one, but Moss is like $500! Anyone holding a good used one? The battery drains like SUPER quick- I get 1-3 tries to start and its almost dead. (new battery) Any idea?
Also what is this green electrical item, and where Can I get a new one?
That green thing is a wirewound resistor for multiple fan speeds. Suggest you clean yours up or look for one on ebay. They are not available & seldom fail. If you don't fuss with originality Barratts sell a round black replacement for 19.99 Pounds P/N C33391
By coolant tank I presume you mean radiator? They are brass & can be repaired & recored. 5 years ago I paid GBPounds 550 for my new tropical radiator. They are now approaching 900 pounds. The 420 has a crossflow radiator with upper tank. Yes that's the price. If you were in the UK you could talk direct to Northampton Radiators that manufacture for Barratts & cut out the middle man.
You give no history of this battery but it sounds like a new one would be a good idea & keep it on a maintenance charger with low use so that it does not sulphate.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; 10-17-2022 at 06:38 AM.
do you mean the EXPANSION / RECOVERY / OVERFLOW tank that is fitted away from the radiator??
you can use any auto parts store tank until you get yours fixed or until you find one that fits the space you have.
In my S type I have a VOLVO 1800-E vertical coolant expansion bottle adapted by the previous owner because there is little space to fit a horizontal tank and S types never had any.
In the 420 there is more space. You might be able to fit a 1980-1987 XJ6 horizontal coolant recovery tank.
The 420 does not need one which is why they fitted the large top tank I show above and a crossflow radiator. To fix the cooling problems properly. The drain pipe is only there if you overfill the tank.
The 420 is overcooled like my car is now & depends on the thermostat to keep the temperature up. I could still use a surge tank so that it does not contaminate the road with coolant but the 420 does not require one.
BTW ~ legislation was just starting to raise it's head as to what cars were allowed to dump on the road. Probably lead by California & Germany but I would need to research that.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; 10-17-2022 at 05:16 PM.
Reference your short life battery even though it is new
I suspect you have an 'electricity thief" in your car. ie something which is drawing power while everything is switched off.
Electric clocks are one small power drain which can flatten a battery over a few weeks of non-use. another is glovebox lights not turning off.
I recently found a boot light not turning off in a friends 1956 Rolls Royce
You suspected the alternator of not working and referred to "cutting the belt". Alternators diode failure is another way to flatten a battery.
I suggest you lift one terminal of the battery and insert a multimeter set for 10-amp scale and see if anything is indicated.
If nothing much shows come down to the 1-amp scale or even lower.
Even a 1/2 amp drain will flatten a typical car battery in 3 or 4 days
I have battery isolator switches on my MK1, Mk2 and XJ6 as they only get used infrequently versus everyday drivers like the X300
A simple test if you do not have a multi meter is to make sure the ignition is switched off. Then undo the lead on the positive terminal of the battery and disconnect it from the battery post. Offer the lead back up to the battery post slowly and see it there is a jump or spark across from the lead to the battery post. If there is then you are drawing power from the battery to something that requires it.
Can't offer any help on what it might be though.
Cass
I would be very wary of using your "spark test".
Batteries may be venting hydrogen especially if just off charge. Even so-called sealed batteries can vent hydrogen.
The effects can be catastrophic. As a 16-year-old apprentice in aviation a group of us witnessed a controlled demonstration of a battery venting blowing up. It still sticks in my mind!!
Another method is to insert a low wattage light bulb in place of a multimeter. e.g. a festoon light. If it glows, then there is leakage
We were working on an ad shoot & a chap kept sparking a car battery with clamps with battery on the floor running a filler light from time to time. I said to him don't do that. He did not listen & the whole battery exploded & he ended up in hospital in a real mess. Lost one eye on top of it all. Lucky not to lose both.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; 10-23-2022 at 10:41 AM.
Hydrogen has very wide flammability limits and a very low minimum energy for spark ignition. Small sparks can ignite it at very low concentrations. It's much more hazardous than gasoline or methane. Don't rely on experience with other flammable gases.
Just an update- Wired up the button for the push button start. works like a charm. The engine is now loosened up a bit and starts pretty much every time right away, even cold. Took it for a spin up the street and back- its a driver!
Next up is to fix any remaining coolant leaks and flush the cooling system out. Before or after that, I need to pull the distributor and install the electronic ignition/clean/polish/lube it.
I pulled the second fuel pump- I think I will take my time on this one an get it just right, then make it the primary.
Next stop will be the brakes, so I can drive it around comfortably. Any tips? The front looks pretty straightforward- rebuild the calipers, new rubber lines and turn the rotors. The rears look more.... difficult. Looking for guidance here.
Good set of bumpers have arrived at the shipping depot, picking them up tomorrow. I would add pics, but nothing looks different, I sure do love the work though. Looking forward to when I get to the body and welding/interior work- thats the most rewarding.
10-12-2022 | 05:53 AM
