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You're absolutely right, the water was really not warm at all! Even in a short wetsuit!!
Fish and Chips sounds a much better option! I popped down the coast on Friday evening and did just that!
18.9mpg on UK roads sounds really impressive, especially as the first few miles will be single figure consumption on a V12!
My wheels are the very short-lived diamond-cut 5-spoke, fitted for just 12 months to the first AJ16 cars before the Celebration was introduced. They look a bit like the Celebration chrome 5-spoke but not quite as blingy! I really like them. I had them re-diamond cut and lacquered about 11 years ago and they still clean up quite nicely, I think.
Overall, sounds like a good day for both of us, except for my slight problem with throttle closing as per my new thread!
Now all that old Petrol has been replaced by Esso Synergy as my Car has been standing for as long as yours, while I have been rebuilding the suspension and doing other less important stuff, She's now running the best She's ever done, since I bought her many Moons ago
What ever they put in that Petrol must be 'Rocket Science' and I'm loving the Esso Garage in its own right, as this morning there were loads of Classic Owners filling up and a sort of unofficial 'Mirror Mirror on the Wall, who's got the Swankiest Car of them all' sort of a Vibe going on!
Yes you're right the 'Handbrake' actually works and although I haven't adjusted it yet, it will hold the Car at 1,000 RPM which either may or may not be enough to pass the MOT Test in November
100% agree on that and so I've got to make the best of things while my 'blue patch' lasts!
Though now I'll tell you something, that I'm sure you do already know and this is that it was worth all of the 'blood sweat and tears' to even have just one trip out in that Car!
Rebuilding The Cage Of 'The Ice Princess' and Removing The Cage Of 'Cherry Blossom'
Including A Trip To The Seaside Town Of Aldeburgh!
Phew! it's been a really busy time down here at 'Orange Blossom Towers' so much to do and just for once the time to do it in as the Weather has been all over the place including some Flash Flooding as well as some very lovely days
During which time I've been able to get on with the Rebuild of the Cage of 'The Ice Princess' which is slowly coming together as well as making a start on removing the Cage of 'Cherry Blossom' for a rebuild
As last time She had an MOT although She passed it was a close run thing, as those Split Rim Rotors are starting to wear a bit thin and so there is no better time to replace them than now
Where what I have done so far is removed all the Cage Bolts and then replaced those with New ones that are just finger tight, so when I am ready to drop the Cage doing that will certainly help it all along when the time comes
As well as that I've also started disconnecting the Exhaust which was a bit of a PIA as all of those Bolts were Corroded and a real job to undo, so only managed to do one side at the moment, where once again those Bolts with be replaced with New ones just done up finger tight until I'm ready
Once I've got that Cage out, then I'll be replacing the Split Rim Rotors with New Solid Discs and then I'll rebuild the Calipers and then replace the Hand Brake Pads with those that 'Greg' designed and then hopefully have 'Cherry Blossom' ready for next Spring which would be nice as She is my favorite Car
By which time we will hopefully be out of 'Lockdown' for good and then be able to do all the stuff that we enjoyed before
Removing and replacing all the Cage Bolts on 'Cherry Blossom'
The IRS Diff of 'The Ice Princess' almost ready for Painting once the Calipers are on
During which time we managed a Trip to Aldeburgh a lovely Seaside Town on the East Coast and one of our favorite places to go for a great day out, where we had some Fish and Chips at their very famous Fish and Chip Shop, which often turns up on TV and local documentaries, as the goto place for a nice meal
Where the journey to get there isn't bad either, with lots of lovely 'B' Roads through the unspoiled Countryside, which literally ends at the Sea and though the Dash Cam was rolling the batteries went on the 'blink' as I was hoping to film a complete road trip
Though as luck would have it I managed to find a very short Vid from, which mostly features '50 Shades' my Grey XJS parked up in Aldeburgh but first as always we have to get some Petrol and lots of it!
Well improvised OB! We've become used to your resourcefulness!
Not a comment for you OB, as you well know this, but for any newbie reading, remember NEVER to undo the drain plug until you know the fill plug will undo first.
Do you mean there is actually another way to do that, as it took me forever to come up with that Socket idea, as thoughts of a FBH and Chisel were starting to flick through my mind
Though interestingly or maybe not as the case may be, the Diff was quite low on Oil, which gave me a bout of Paranoia that I am still finding hard to recover from until I remembered that I probably lost a fair bit of that when it leaked out of the breather, all over the garage floor!
Last edited by orangeblossom; 07-20-2021 at 01:33 AM.
Something I always wanted but never knew I needed was a SAT NAV and though I've tried it out indoors, I thought I'd have a practice with all its 'Bells and Whistles' indoors first and set up a few locations in advance of doing a few Trips
Can't get outside at the moment as the Weather has taken a bit of a turn for the worse and so I'm looking for the ideal fixing point inside the Car and though I could stick it on the Windscreen, with its rubber suction cup, I would rather have it somewhere near the Radio or the Shifter
After extensive experimentation, I really think I found the perfect place, as with its built in Suction Cup I can stick it on the Ski Slope just behind the 'Shifter' which works really well
Last edited by orangeblossom; 07-24-2021 at 05:39 PM.
Getting Ready To Remove 'The Cage' On Cherry Blossom
But Doing It Different This Time!
This is a Winter Project to get 'Cherry Blossom' My V12 XJS ready for next Summer and so I am not in a rush and I'm taking my time and also doing it differently than I have before, so whether this works any better, we will have to see
But what I have already done, is to swap out the 8 retaining Bolts 4 on each side that hold the Cage in place, with the Nuts on Finger Tight, so I can take those Bolts out in just a matter of Seconds when I am ready and have also disconnected the Exhaust Pipes, behind the Middle Boxes while keeping them joined together with Zip Ties
Although the real main difference to how I have done this before, was to get an old couple of 'Star Fish' alloys that I had hanging around and also took the Tyres off, as they were Shot Away, with the intention of using these as Slave Wheels, so that I can hopefully just roll out the Cage from the back as they give me about 2in Clearance
Which should give me just enough room for a low rise Trolley Jack underneath
Two Old 'Star Fish' Alloys with Shot Away Tyres
'Star Fish' Alloys with the Tyres Removed
Road Wheels already removed from 'Cherry Blossom'
'Star Fish' Alloys to use as Slave Wheels now bolted on the Hubs of 'Cherry Blossom' in place of the Road Wheels to Roll the Cage out with when I am ready
With 3 inches of Clearance, this should give me just enough room to get a Low Rise Trolley Jack underneath and who knows it might even work!
I also found the right Spanners to remove the Caliper Bolts when the time comes, where a 5/16 BSF is the Perfect Tap on fit, although I wish I had a Ring Spanner that Size, instead of just an open ended one
The next best fit being a 5/8 or a 16 mm although I can't really notice much difference between the two of them, although the 5/8 may be just a nano fraction tighter
Last edited by orangeblossom; 08-01-2021 at 12:24 PM.
And to finish I measured the flats across a bolt and it is 15.75mm
So they must be 5/18?
My spanner was a little loose, I tried a better quality spanner and it as tighter, but not knock on at all, still a little slop.. not a lot.
So your BSF spanner at 15.24mm must measure closer to 15.70mm ?
I'm nowhere near doing the Caliper Bolts on 'Cherry Blossom' yet but the reason I even mentioned the Spanners was because I thought it might help you with the problem you have
As for the Size it's very hard to read it but I'm pretty sure it's 5/16 BSF
Because if I had got that wrong, then I know 'Greg' would be all over it!
As unlike me, he knows what he's doing, so you can take comfort from that!
Trying To Find Four Prop Shaft To Diff Nuts And Bolts!
For Less Than Thirty Pounds!
Knowing the problem I had last time in trying to find some Prop Shaft to Diff Nuts and Bolts, this time I thought that I would stay ahead of the curve and as such purchase them well in advance to replace the ones on 'Cherry Blossom' my V12 XJS who is in the process of having a Cage Refurb
Where believe it or not they are not hard to find providing you are willing to pay £7 each! so just in case you're asking and even if you're not, then I for one am not prepare to pay £7 for just one Nut and Bolt
As for one thing I was sure that my Fixing Specialist would have these in stock, as they have got a massive range of every nut and bolt that you could think of, as well as many that I've never heard of or ever seen before, where you can buy a Nut and Bolt for Pennies instead of Pounds!
Except that unbelievably they didn't have anything like them that would do the job as they needed to be High Tensile with the correct shoulder and neither did any of the other Suppliers that I phoned up
So what was really needed here was a Miracle! and though I didn't know it, the Miracle I needed was standing right beside me!
" Would you like me to go and get some, how many do you need?"
This was taking 'Wishful Thinking' to another level except the GF was beaming which was always a very good sign, that She knew either someone or something that I couldn't hope to know, as in the very early days She used to work at a Motor Factor and has a list of Contacts that are right off the Charts!
So making it Crystal Clear to her that I am not paying a fortune for a Simple Nut and Bolt, She jumped in her MX5 and simply speed away into the Sunset returning in about an hour with a great big handful of Prop Shaft to Diff Nuts and Bolts, exactly the same as the ones I was taking off!
All I could say was Wowser! where on earth did you find those! and in case I forget to mention it, how much did you Pay!
Well since you're asking She replied only 30p each!
You're Joking! "No I'm Not" except She added that these are Not for a Jag! at which point Paranoia was starting to set in, where I was mortified to the Max on the off chance that they wouldn't fit
Although comparing them to a Jag one, they looked exactly the same in every respect including both the Shoulder and the Thread!
At this point I was puzzled and wanted to know more!
OK I give up what's the difference?
"How about £6-70p less than the Jaguar ones" came her reply, so I've saved us enough for a Takeaway and a Bottle of JD!
And though I am truly 'Over The Moon' and almost Crying Tears of 'Epicness' I'm still trying keep my Composure and Style it out just as best as I can, as I have been here before and know that Smirk that's painting itself right across her face, will once again be ending in humiliation for something that I know I should have known
Ok, Ok, if they're not for a Jag then what Car are they for?
A Land Rover Defender, then came her reply!
OMG! how did you know that!
"Talk to the Hand" Darlink! what would you like for Tea?
And though I'll never live this down, as first She Fixed the Speedo and Then the CPS which was a Genuine Marelli that She Magicked out of nowhere, the only thing that I could say
Was "Ok You Got This"
I'm promoting you to 'Muse'
"Darlink What's a Muse?"
OMG! I've just found something that She doesn't know!
Last edited by orangeblossom; 08-18-2021 at 07:01 PM.
Summer took a while to get here and was still here today, so what better time could there possibly be to get on with removing the Cage on 'Cherry Blossom' my V12 XJS that somehow found itself on the 'Back Burner' while we went out 'Tripping' in '50 Shades' my Grey XJS
Though this time I decided to take a bit of a different approach to propping up the Car, as I was intending to roll the Cage out from the rear by using some 'Slave Wheels' which were basically just a couple of old 'Star Fish Alloys' with the Tyres removed
Jacking up a the rear end of a Car this high, needs to be done with lots of care so that it cannot fall, especially when I am underneath, so this time I decided to make a very simple 'Jack Up Rig' to help to support it, along with other fail safes, like putting a stack of two or three tyres underneath
As for the home made 'Jack Up Rig' I just repurposed a couple of 'Old Rotors' that I then turned into Axle Stands, which will be located on the on the pegs of the 'Trailing Arms' when they are removed and then joined together with a Scaffold Pole using a couple of those Builders 'Key Klamps'
That not only provides the rear end with a very rigid support but by way of a bonus, supports the rear Exhaust Pipes as it gives them something to rest on when they are disconnected from the rear Silencers
'Jack Up Rig' to support the rear end and also the rear Exhaust Pipes when the Silencers are disconnected
This 'Rig' will be moved forward when the Car is 4 inches higher than it is at the moment, where the Pegs of the 'Trailing Arms' will be located into the Top of those upstanding Scaffolding Poles
The Crossbeam Connecting Scaffolding Pole can be raised up to support the long Exhaust Pipes, while also adding rigidity to the whole structure
Cage Support Bolts already removed and replaced with New ones, that only need to be pulled out as I've left the Nuts off for the moment
Removing The Cage From 'Cherry Blossom' My V12 XJS
Disconnecting The Speedo Cable In The Boot/Trunk
Removing The Cage on 'Cherry Blossom' is coming on leaps and bounds, or well at least it should be as by now I've had plenty of practice so in case you missed the Cage Removal on '50 Shades' My Grey XJS then this is a bit of a 'Rinse and Repeat' with one or two improvements thrown into the mix
Starting with the removal of the 'Speedo Cable' in the Boot/Trunk which on paper should just take a couple of minutes to do, though owing to an interesting way of routing the Cable, it took me about an hour, because of course it's a Jaaag!
So lets start with a look in the Boot/Trunk which is where all the action begins
Once the Spare Wheel is out of the way you can see the Grey Wire of the Speedo Cable just to the left hand side of the Fuel Filter, with the rest of it hidden away behind the Carpet Trim (which has to come out) No problem easy to do
With the Carpet Trim now out of the way you can see the Blue Plug of the Speedo Cable connected to the Black Socket (which has to be disconnected) Easy!
Blue Speedo Plug disconnected from its Black Socket
With the Speedo Plug disconnected, all you now have to do is to very carefully pull and feed the Blue Speedo Plug and Grey Wire through the gap in the Black Metal Baffle 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong!' as after all there looks enough room to drive a Double Decker Bus right through that gap!
Since looks can be deceptive, the Gap behind that Baffle Plate is about 1/2 Mil too small for the Plug and so the only way around that is?
That's right you've guessed correctly Start to dismantle the Car! aka begin by removing as many Baffle Plate Holding Bolts as you need to widen that Gap, which in this case was Seven! which is more than enough to have you reaching for that trusty bottle of JD
As while it's not a difficult Job because that Gap is so fractionally a little bit too small, it can really frustrate the heck out of you, so when I come to put it back then I will be routing it a very different way!
At last I've got the Plug pulled through but now I see its wrapped around a Fuel Pipe! 'And No I don't know why either!'
After wrangling it out from behind the Pipe, the agony was over so all I had to do now was to push the Cable with its Plug and Grommet through the hole in the Firewall and then coil it up for safe keeping inside the Cage to protect it when I finally drop the Cage to pull it out
Yass! at last the Speedo Cable is out!
If you look deeper into that Internal Fender/Wing you can see the ECU and that little 'Black Box' beside it is the Speedo Interface, so if your Speedo Stops working that could be the cause of the problem, although it's much more likely to be some corrosion or dirty Multi Plugs behind the Speedo Binnacle on the Dash or a Bad Earth
Last edited by orangeblossom; 09-14-2021 at 06:30 PM.
Having got the Car Jacked Up at an insane angle, which was so steep I couldn't bear to look the next job on the agenda was to disconnect the Trailing Arms from their Stubs after having removed the steel brackets that hold them in place
The Trailing Arms are held in place by Wired and Bolted Brackets which need to come off
Once the Locking Wire is Cut the next job is undo the Bolt that holds the Bracket in place and then undo the Big Bolt in the Middle, as this is the one that Bolts the Trailing Arm onto the Stub
Having first undone the Bolts and then removed the Bracket, the next thing is to disconnect the Trailing Arm from the Stub by literally knocking it downwards, as it needs a Shock of Force instead of Torque like you might get from a lever
While there are many ways of doing this, the Safest way that I have found of avoiding damage to the Stub and Bodywork is to use a 'Slide Hammer' which I made from bits of Scrap that lay around my 'Shop'
Where as you will see from the Photo is very easy to make and basically is nothing more than a Rod with an 'L' Shaped bend on the end and an old Boat Pulley to use for the Hammer, although in reality any heavy piece of Steel with a hole in the middle will do
All you do is slide the Rod with the 'L' Shape into one of the holes in the Rubber Bush and then twist it round so the end of the 'L' is hanging over the Metal inner ring of the Rubber Bush and then raise whatever heavy lump of metal you are using for a Hammer then send it back down with some moderate force to give it a bit of a 'Clump'
Where after just a few of these, the end of the Arm will come off, although a bit of Pre-Oiling may well help things along if the Stub looks to be a bit rusty (See Videos)
All Ready To Drop The Cage On 'Cherry Blossom' My XJS V12
Propshaft And Handbrake Cable Disconnected
Having sat on the 'Back Burner' for what seems like forever as we made the most of the Summer in my other XJS I suddenly had a Burning Desire to get stuck in and drop the Cage on 'Cherry Blossom' but first there were still a couple of jobs to do before that happens
Starting with my Favourite (Not!) undoing the Propshaft to Diff Bolts that are bolted up so tight they're a PIA to undo and always require a FBH on the end of a Spanner to get them to move but it is what it is and I got there, though it took me a couple of hours
Those Propshaft Bolts were a PIA to undo
Next to go was the Flexy Rear Brake Pipe which is false economy not to replace and since it is a lot easier to undo the Brake Pipe Fittings once the Cage is out of the Car I just cut the old one through with a Hacksaw Blade
Since I was intending to fit a New Rear Flexy Brake Pipe, I just cut the Old One through with a Hacksaw Blade, as it is so much easier to undo the Brake Pipe Fittings once the Cage has been dropped and is out of the Car
Then I undid the Rear Silencers and rested the Middle Silencers on the Jack Up Rig that I built, which so far has exceeded my expectations, as for one thing having something on which to rest those Silencers makes the whole job easier to do without damaging them
My Jack Up Rig was the Perfect Place to rest those Mid Silencers on
Then Finally all I had was the Handbrake Cable to undo, which can be one of the most awkward jobs to do on a Jag and when I did this the First Time, I seem to remember that it took about 3 Hours!
Only this time it just took a Couple of Minutes! without Slackening Off the Cable or detaching any Springs
Because sometime ago I made myself a Handbrake Cable 'Wrangler' out of a piece of Scrap Strip, which only took about 10 Minutes to make!
Being no more than a Flat Piece of Strip with a Slot cut down the Middle and then a Chamfered edge on one side of the two resulting Prongs with the Bench Grinder
Homemade Handbrake Cable 'Wrangler' made from a piece of Flat Strip with a Slot down the Middle and then Chamfered on one side (not shown in this photo)
No need to Slacken the Cable or Remove any Springs!
Just Slide the 'Handbrake Wrangler' behind the 'Knob Stop Thingy' as Shown in the Photo, then lever it down and the Cable will be released and Slide out of its Groove
If the Handbrake Cable is very tight then you may have to Slacken it off with the Handbrake Cable Adjuster which is just behind the Drivers Seat and set into the Side of the Sill on the Floor (UK) Car
(But I didn't have to do that) and Stating the 'Captain Obvious' don't forget to take the Handbrake Off!
Handbrake Cable off and Cage is ready to be dropped
Making a 'Handbrake Wrangler' can save you hours of frustration on what can easily otherwise turn into 'Job from Hell'
Removing 'The Cage' Of 'Cherry Blossom' My V12 XJS
Though dropping the Cage of 'Cherry Blossom' was due to happen Yesterday, unexpected Visitors decided to drop in as they are known to do, which then made my best laid plans go right up the Creek
Although with any luck we'll always have tomorrow which is of course today and though it was the perfect day for 'Tripping' I really felt I had to get that Cage out and as such didn't want to leave it for a moment longer, as I wanted to refurbish it in time for next Summer
So now with the GF well out of the way on the hunt for bargains at a local jumble sale as well as a big clear out of old books and records at the Library, at last now left to my own devices I could get the Cage out undisturbed
Where I simply lowered it down until it was resting on its Slave Wheels, which because the ground was soft, didn't work as well as I expected, so I rolled the Cage onto a Trolley to get it closer to my 'Shop' for Cleaning where like the other two I did before, this one looked a real mess
And so the Plan will be to Pressure Wash the Crud off and then start to dismantle it as soon as I can, which is going to need loads of WD as everything looks very rusty and as well as that will need my Impact Wrench
Plus of course a fair amount of Blood Sweat and Tears, although when the GF got back to 'The Towers' She was doing 'Handstands on The Lawn' with the Bargains She found which included 3 'Harry Potter' unread First Editions (with the all important Printing Errors) that would easily make them worth at least £200 each!
Though what She picked up at the Library Clear Out in an old box of Vinyl Records really blew my mind!
'Sgt Pepper' 'Abbey Road' 'With the Beatles' and the Super Rare 'White Album' to name but a few!
Meanwhile back at 'The Towers' 'The Cage is out and ready for Cleaning'
06-13-2021, 02:34 PM
