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When those wear out, I think I may have some identical ones in my loft from my late Mum's house, that you can have!
Apart from filtering used fluid out of my parts washer, sadly I've found very little use for net curtains out in the garage. Do please tell me if you've found a clever way of tying up brake calipers wishbones with them whilst changing the front discs, or something similar!!
Epic 'Frap Up' Meant I Had To Start All Over Again!
Oh Noooo! Oh Yesss!
I still don't know what happened to make such a simple mistake but doing so then caused a 'Frap Up' of Epic Proportions, where I had to strip down one side of the IRS Diff and then start all over again!
Can you tell what it is yet?
Well when I installed the New Rotor, I put a Shim on the wrong side of the Disc which had the effect of moving the Rotor too close to the Caliper and that is why you can see a Black Circle of Paint which was scraped off the Caliper
Since the Caliper Body was only just touching the Rotor, you won't believe how Tempted I was to leave it as it was and just bury my head in the Sand and walk away but that would not only have been a bodge but could have resulted in 'Greg' and 'Grant' never wanting to speak to me again, which would have been worse
That Rotor was way off Center and so the only Solution was to pull it all apart and start again!
First the Caliper had to come off, where I was told that in order to work on a Car
You have to follow 3 Rules of Engineering
Rule (1) You need to have the right tools in order to do the Job
Rule (2) The Right Tool is always a Hammer
Rule (3) Any Tool can be used as a Hammer
The Caliper came off dead easy!
4 Hours Later including multiple Tea Brakes, once the Shims were swapped around the Rotor was Centered Perfectly and now I was back in the game and would have put the Locking Wire on, except it had started to rain
Just got to Torque all the Bolts up and then put the Locking Wire on which I will do Tomorrow
Useful Tip: When you put the Caliper back do the Top Bolt first 'Just finger tight' then using either a Screwdriver or in this case a FB Lever, use it to gently push on the head of the Bottom Bolt, then rock the Caliper up and down until you feel the Tip of the Bottom Bolt start to go into the Hole
Then Carefully remove whatever you're using for a Lever and try and Screw the Bolt in the Hole with a 5/8th Spanner (it worked for me!)
Last edited by orangeblossom; 10-22-2021 at 04:20 PM.
Pulling the Diff apart again was really quite good Fun in a Weird sort of way, where I tried to imagine I was fixing someone else's Car and they were going to pay me Shedloads of Money (we can all dream!)
And Yes! I did use another New set of those Special Locknuts and then I can use the ones I took to go on the Fulcrum Shafts
Having now Corrected my Ahem!....Deliberate Mistake by putting a Shim the wrong side of the Rotor its now all back together with hopefully just a Couple of easy jobs to do, which include fitting New Rear Brake Pads and then Installing the Handbrake Mechanism
Which this time are going to feature my Specially Modded OEM Jaguar Handbrake Pads, where I Bonded the Friction Material to its Wimpy looking Backing Plate with some JB Weld and then I drilled a recessed hole in the Friction Material to take a much thicker M6 Bolt which I also Bonded in place with JB Weld
That in a YouTube Shear Test wouldn't break with 100lb Weight attached and so hope springs eternal that they will hold up to the Rolling Road MOT Test but more on that Tomorrow
Note to Self, Don't ever do that again! (having made a frap up with the Shim Spacers)
Re-Lock Wiring that Caliper again!
Yass! There are prizes for neatness, a very obvious Talent going to waste
Looking Good for Tomorrow, lets hope it doesn't Rain!
Just the Brake Pads and the Handbrake Mechanism to go back
That looks great Alex. As to the pads, I recommend testing them by placing the pad in a vice, just gripping the plate, then hitting the pad material with a hammer very hard and sharply. A static weight on it will not prove much - mind you, as your axle maintenance skills are the top of the Forum now, a third drop to put in some decent handbrake pads will be a breeze!
As in the interests of research, I have hit all kinds of Brake Pad material with a Hammer and it Shatters on impact, although the good news is I've found a way or at least I think I have of removing the Handbrake Mechanism without dropping the Cage by removing the Handbrake Mechanism and Caliper all in one piece
Though hopefully I won't have to do that, as I never ever use the Handbrake, except for 30 Seconds during the MOT Test and for dropping the Soft Top, where I only ever give it the minimum of Clicks that are needed to engage the Micro Switch
Last edited by orangeblossom; 10-24-2021 at 03:30 AM.
Rebuilding The IRS Cage On 'Cherry Blossom' My XJS V12
Real Progress At Last!
After a bit of a Stuttering Start where everything else was getting in the way of doing the Job I finally made some real progress and got loads of stuff done on this beautiful day which was unusually very Warm and Sunny for this time of the Year
So job Number 1. was the Brake Pads
After Skimming the edges of their Backing Pads, they went in dead easy and now it was on to my Specially Modded OEM Jaguar Brake Pads, where as I described earlier in this Thread, were a Standard Set of OEM Handbrake Brake Pads
That had been injection Bonded to their Backing Pads with JB Weld and then drilled with a recessed hole to accept a much stronger M6 Bolt that had also been Bonded in with JB Weld
Having reinforced the Bonding to the Backing Pad with JB Weld I then used JB Weld so I could fill in the recessed Hole that I drilled in the Brake Pad
I also added Washers to give a bit of extra height to the Nylock Nut, so I could get a Socket on it if I had to take it out at any time, where having done that I fitted the Handbrake Mechanism
Handbrake Mechanism with Modified OEM Brake Pads
New Forks and Keeps as in 'Nothings Too Good For My Baby' (Greg)
Having Fitted the Handbrake Mechanism including my Modified Brake Pads they needed adjusting, which meant removing the Split Pin in order to turn the Adjustment Rod
As this is a Total PIA especially when the Cage has been put back on the Car, I had an idea!
As rather than use a quaint old fashioned Split Pin, I used an 'R' Clip instead, which turned out to be the Perfect Solution to this Age Old Problem
The 'R' Clip worked so much better than the Jaguar Split Pin idea and can also be easily pulled out from inside the Cage with some Long Nose Pliers
Having pulled the 'R' Clip out, you then need to be able to Turn the Adjusting Screw and if you've ever tried to do this from inside the Cage, it can be a bit of a Nightmare to even attempt it, as what was really needed was a Special Tool, which I made in about Ten Minutes from a Redundant Socket and a Washer
Homemade Handbrake Pad Adjuster that works on a Ratchet and can be used from inside the Cage
Home Made Handbrake Pad Adjuster that works with a Ratchet: Take one redundant Socket cut a slot in it and then JB Weld a Washer into the Slot
Yass! The Perfect Tool for the Job that works with a 1/4in Ratchet
Home Made Handbrake Pad Adjuster is also easy to use inside the Cage
IRS Already to put the Cage Back on, including the refitting of the Fulcrum Shafts
Benefit of Hindsight, what do you think about putting that 'R' Clip in the other way around, as it would be easier to pull it out from the Bottom, rather that to have to lift it out from the Top?
Benefit of Hindsight, what do you think about putting that 'R' Clip in the other way around, as it would be easier to pull it out from the Bottom, rather that to have to lift it out from the Top?
OB,
It should be fine, but if its not an absolute mongrel to remove, I'd keep it in the current orientation, as then you don't have that tiny chance of it vibrating out if its not a perfect spring fit.
As for the State of Play so far the Cage is back over the IRS Diff and the Fulcrum Pins are both in!
All of which I did Yesterday and it took me less than an hour and so there will be a Write up to show how I managed to do it so quickly, which will include some Photos and a short Video
As for Today my next job will be to connect the Springs to the Axle drop arms and then Sort and Clean that Crazy set of Washers and Seals that go between the Fulcrum Pins and the Cage, which no doubt Today could be replaced by a Single Washer!
Myself and Greg both came up with a couple of interesting but also different ideas, where mine was a Big Rubber Washer that was wrapped around the 'Penny Washer' but I will leave it up to Greg to Chime in with his own idea if he wants to, as it was really nothing short of 'Genius'
Although it required a Component that may not be 'Off The Shelf'
As such I am intending to go with the OEM set up, even though getting those Washers in can quickly have you reaching for that bottle of JD where a blessing from 'The Jaguar God's' could come in very handy, so we will just have to wait and see how it goes
Rebuilding The IRS Cage on 'Cherry Blossom' My XJS V12
Finally Putting The Cover On The IRS Cage And Refitting The Fulcrum Shafts
Although this may sound like a difficult Job its really a 'Walk in the Park' and took less than an hour, with a couple of Tea Breaks thrown in, where the Secret if there is one is to replace the Fulcrum Shafts with slightly shorter 'Dummy Shafts' when you take them out
These can be made from solid steel Bar or even some resilient Metal Tubing or you could even use a couple of Old Fulcrum Shafts with about half of the Thread Cut off from each end, which would be my Weapon of Choice if you have them
The idea being the 'Dummy Shafts' keep all the Bearings in Line and being a bit Shorter than 'The Real Fulcrum Shafts' you took out, allow the Cage to be lifted off the IRS which Full Length Shafts would not allow you to do
As for myself I just used a couple of lengths of Copper Water Pipe, although you do have to be Careful that you don't deform it, where in order to try and prevent that, you have to try and make sure that the Drop Arms are propped up in a way that there is no stress on the Tubing
Which may not be quite so important if you are using Solid Bar or Old Fulcrum Shafts
Lifting the Heavy Cage Cover on which can be a very Tight Fit (Just make sure you don't cut through or trap the Speedo Cable Wire when you do it)
Drum Roll Ta da! The Cage Cover back in position over the IRS inside those holes where the Fulcrum Shafts go are the Two slightly Shorter 'Dummy Shafts' as if they were not Shorter than the 'Real Fulcrum Shafts' then they would be sticking out too much to be able to lift the Cage Cover ON or OFF
At this point keen observers will note that unlike the Nice Clean IRS the Cage Cover looks a 'Hot Mess'
Not so on the inside which was Cleaned and Repainted to match the IRS but the outside of the Cover was deliberately left unpainted, as what is going to follow in my Write up Tomorrow would really mess it up and so the Painting can wait until its all finished
A Pictures Worth a Thousand Words, so what you're seeing here, is one of 'The Real Fulcrum Shafts' being 'Tapped in' to knock 'The Dummy Shaft' Out the other side and if you're using a couple of lengths of Copper Tube like I did, 'Tapping' is really the Name of the Game, as Bashing it with a FBH might deform the Tube
In the Following Video, it may look and sound like I'm giving that Shaft a real Bashing, although the reality is I am using the minimum force required to do the job
OG great video - I was hoping that your rods would not just push in real easy as I had to him mine with a hammer... quite hard.
So I was pleased to see you doing the same.
The tube works well, does the threaded part go in to the tube?
I used ali bar but not having the threaded part go in to the bar made it a little difficult for the last part.
That was one of the reasons why I used a piece of Copper Water Pipe, as the Threads go inside the Copper Pipe to protect them and being a soft material seem to help
it slide over the joins
Where the main thing to remember is to keep the drop arms as horizontal as possible to try and prevent the tube kinking and getting caught up at the time when you 'Tap' it right through 'with the real Fulcrum Shafts' which then knock the 'Dummy Shafts' out so they can take their place
Rebuilding The Cage On 'Cherry Blossom' My V12 XJS
This Time Upside Down!
Only one Job left to do and that is to refit those Combination Fulcrum Washer Seals, where I've found it much easier to do so when the Cage is Upside down, where once having inverted this, the Fun can really begin and quickly have you reaching for that Bottle of JD to Calm your nerves
I mean how hard can it be replacing those Washers?
Its one of those interesting jobs that will very likely have you shaking your head in disbelief at how such a simple job can very quickly turn into a Nightmare!
With the Cage now upside down and the Fulcrum Shafts back in, its time to refit those Combination Washers
Rebuilding The Cage On 'Cherry Blossom' My V12 XJS
Refitting The Fulcrum Washers And Seals
'The Nightmare Begins!'
When Refitting the Fulcrum Washers and Seals you have to be very Careful and Watch what you are doing and above all keep your Fingers well out of the way, so if you have to spring the side of the Cage to Refit the Washers and Seals, always use a pair of long nose Pliers!
Or what happens in this Video could catch you unaware and spoil your day and maybe even your life!
Every time I've done this job I've always left the bottom plate in place, as I find it easier this way and as its just a personal preference, if you want to take the Plate off that's entirely up to you and I also like to Refit the Fulcrum Washers and Seals, with the Cage upside down, as then you can do the Greasing points at the same time
Before Refitting the Washers and Seals that go on the Fulcrum Shafts, it may help to take a look at these and see how they go back, as they are about as far away from Normal Washers and Rubber Seals as its possible to get
Starting with the 'Penny Washer' right at the Top of the Photo, this is the order in which they have to go back, altogether or one at a time, its entirely up to you
When the Washers and Seals are assembled, this is how they should look
All of these Washers and Seals (including the Big Penny Washer) go inside the Cage, as there are bizarrely no Washers on the Outside!
If this looks pretty simple then you may well find that this is not as easy as it looks, because as you try and do your best to slide this Crazy Conundrum of Seals and Washers onto the Shaft, the whole lot have a habit of falling apart, which of course means that you have to start over again!
And maybe even again and again and again!
This is how its supposed to look when you've done it
This is an out and out Fail, as the Flimsy Rubber Washer fell off the 'Penny Washer' and got jammed!
It really almost beggers belief that they couldn't come up with something a little bit better than this, so just for fun I decided that I would try and make one of my own
Using the Stock 'Penny Washer' that goes on the Fulcrum Shaft, I got a Rubber Washer from a Hardware Store to go around it
Which was much easier to fit and much more heavy duty than the OEM Set up in every possible way (according to me!) although there may be a reason as to why this wouldn't work IDK but maybe you do?
My Homemade 'Modded Washer' and Rubber Seal, looks an absolute Breeze to Fit, compared to the Complicated OEM Set up but whether this would work of not, I have no idea!
Having got as far as this I thought that I would try it myself and see
Just for the sake of Comparison, the OEM Setup is Shown above with my Own Modded Set up below
So, So, Simple and Slipped in 'Easy like Sunday Morning', in just a couple of Seconds but as the other 3 had been done the OEM way, I decided to remove it and also replace it with the OEM Set up
All done and dusted apart from a Wash as I had deliberately left the outside unpainted until all the dirty work was over
10-20-2021, 07:48 AM
