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I realized last night that the Chicagoland MG Club's Swap Meet is in a week and a half and while I usually take my MGB there, I decided I was going to wrap up all the work on the Jaguar and drive it there.
That means I need to kick this project into high gear. Tonight I ran the new wire for the AC compressor and hit a milestone with all 4 wheels back on the car. It's been several months since I've had that.
I finished the wiring on the left hand side and put in the under-dash cover and center console extension.
The radio also came home tonight and I got to listen to it for the first time in months.
Tomorrow night the plan is finish up the passenger side under-dash area. The clean up the inside.
It was almost 70 degrees today in my corner of Chicago so I closed the lid on my laptop and went out to the garage.
I decided to get the car on the ground and get it outside. I put the exhaust shielding back on the exhaust pipes and got it off the jackstands. Here she is sitting in the sunlight for the first time in about 6 months:
Even though I still have work to do on the interior, I couldn't resist the opportunity to drive her around the block and see how the new transmission works. And the answer is not too good. It wouldn't shift oout of 1st gear.
I came back home, checked the fluid level (it was fine) and tried it a few more times. 1st gear was all it would do.
My mind immediately went back to the governor and the trouble I had getting the shift adjustment kit to work a few months back. In the end I put it back to the stock configuration and said good enough, but I am starting to wonder if maybe something is wrong with my governor and that's why I couldn't get the shift kit to work. And why I only have first gear.
Before I tear back into it can anyone think of why it won't come out of 1st gear? Would the TV cable adjustment prevent it from shifting?
EDIT: I think I might not have enough transmission fluid. I checked it with the engine running and while it's hard to read the dipstick, it looked like it was at the right level. For grins and giggles I checked it after the engine has been off for a while and the fluid level was obvious. I'll add some more fluid tomorrow and try again. I think I have about 2 gallons in there but I am running the extra cooler.
I came back to the transmission today with a fresh set of eyes. I checked the transmission fluid level with the engine running and it took about half a quart to get it up to the middle of the dipstick lines. I'm pretty sure I've got the level right. The aftermarket dipstick is a little hard to read but I can make out the fluid line. I took it for a drive down the street and all I have is first and reverse gear.
I ordered a rebuilt 700R4 governor from Monster Transmission. This weekend I'm going to get the car back in the air and see what I have to do to swap the governor. I am guessing the exhaust and the rear heat shield have to come out. I'll probably need to remove the transmission mount and lower the tranny a couple of inches to get to the governor. I'm hoping I don't have to pull the driveshaft. I am thankful I flanged the exhaust - that's going to make removal much easier.
I'm hoping that fixes it. If not I'm going to have to make a tough decision about my next step.
Lots of great suggestions here - and I do need to join the Jaguar club. It's been on my list for a while.
Not one to enjoy the feeling of being stuck or having being beaten, I made the post above and remembered I had a set of front wheel drive bearing adapters that I used to press in wheel bearings on the back end of my BMW 635CSi. I dug the box out and found that one of the adapters was the perfect size for the big bushings on the radius arm.
I ended up trying the two in the top left of the picture below. The second one in from the top left was the winner.
I tried using the bolt and nut that came with the kit to push the bushing out, but I soon stripped the threads off the bolt. I wasn't surprised - I was asking it to do a lot of work. So I took the wife to dinner and stopped at Harbor Freight on the way home to pick up a 20 ton shop press.
Using the aforementioned adapter as a press foot and the arbor plates to support the arm, The large bushing came right out without any complaints.
The large bushing, the press foot, and the radius arm. Not shown was the immense feeling of pride I had.
For the small bushing I used a 1-1/16" socket as a presser foot and the arbor plates to support the arm. The small bushings popped out without issue.
All done.
Tomorrow I will take the cage, the bottom plate, the two wishbones, and the two radius arms to the powder coater. I'm thinking gloss black will look really nice for something no one will ever see.
This week I will pull the rear calipers, sand blast and powder coat them, then rebuild them. I'll also clean up the diff and see what it needs although it seems to be in pretty good shape. I also have new stainless steel pistons on the way for the front calipers - I will rebuild the front calipers I powder-coated this summer.
As an additional note on this process for those of us who do not have 20 ton presses and don't feel like buying one (or don't have the space). I just took a torch and melted out the rubber, you can also drill it out as well. Then carefully cut the remaining ring not going too deep. Pops right out. Was able to use a bushing removal/installation kit to pound the new ones right in. I probably had about an hour into each one. Thanks.
As an additional note on this process for those of us who do not have 20 ton presses and don't feel like buying one (or don't have the space). I just took a torch and melted out the rubber, you can also drill it out as well. Then carefully cut the remaining ring not going too deep.
That's certainly an option but I'll go one better. If you're in the Chicagoland area feel free to stop by and we'll pop the old ones out. If you're not close, mail me the arms and new bushings with a return mailing label and I'll do them for you.
Yesterday was my wife's birthday so I wisely stayed out of the garage, but today I made up for lost time.
First thing was round 2 of Spring Cleaning. I can't stand it when my garage is messy so I pulled most everything out and threw away a bunch of stuff. The junk man was happy to pick up an old MGB engine block and cylinder head as well as a bunch of other scrap metal. I swept, vacuumed, and rearranged until I was happy with where everything was. Then I decided to go ahead and pull the governor out of the 700R4. You can see the domed governor in the picture below.
I had to remove both exhausts, the big heat shield under the back seat, and both heat shields along the transmission.
The driveshaft did not have to come out as I was able to lower the transmission enough.
And here's the governor.
I showed it to my GM master mechanic neighbor and he thought there was definitely something wrong with it. Hopefully my Monster Transmission governor comes this week and I can see the difference.
I definitively found the smoking gun with my 700R4 not shifting out of first gear.
I have to give credit to Monster Transmission for their excellent YouTube videos; this one in particular helped show me that the governor I had was not working properly.
There are 3 ports on the governor. The middle port is where fluid flows into the governor. There is a plunger moved by the fly weights that dictates which port is open. When the fly weights move outward the port closest to the gear is open which signals the transmission to shift. When the fly weights return to a normal position the port nearest the gear closes and fluid is released by the port nearest the weights.
This is a simple explanation of course and I believe transmission line pressure play a role as well.
In the picture below, the governor that came with my transmission is on the left and the rebuilt Monster Transmission governor is on the right. On the governor that came with my transmission, the plunger hangs up and does not move correctly. The port closest to the gear is always closed meaning the transmission will not and can not shift to the next gear.
With the Monster Transmission governor, the port closest to the gear is opened and closed when the weights are manipulated.
The Monster Transmission governor should enable maximum RPM shifts in the 4,800 to 5,200 rpm range, but the V12 still has more to give. There is another option - the blue-geared Sonnax 730 governor for Camaros and Corvettes. This is a new governor (vs the rebuilt Monster Transmission governor) and should allow shifts in the 5,500 rpm range. The Sonnax is the one I will be putting in.
With the weather this weekend I have already conceded that I will probably drive my Jeep to the Chicagoland MG Parts Swap meet but I would at least have the option to drive the Jaguar.
New governor is in, all the heatshields and the exhaust system is back on. The transmission is full of fluid and all that is left is a final bleed of the brakes before I take her off the jack stands again.
If it doesn't snow (and if the streets aren't salted) tonight, I should be able to get her on the road tomorrow.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a picture of my speedometer taken this morning while cruising down the tollway. I'm doing about 68mph and turning about 1,900 rpms.
I can't find the "before" picture but I believe the rpms would have been closer to 3,000 with the TH400.
I am pleased to announce that my new governor cured my shifting issue and I now have 4 forward gears + a locking torque converter. The 700R4 is a great transmission for this car. The 3.06 first gear really wakens the car up from a standing start. The torque converter locks up a split-second after the transmission shifts to 4th gear - it's subtle but noticeable if you are looking for it. I only have about 15 miles on it but it seems to drive very well around town.
It's in the low 30's and heavy grey overcast this morning in Chicago but the Vintage Air unit is putting out plenty of heat. I think you could fire pottery in the footwells if you turn the heater knob all the way up. There is plenty of air flow and the blower noise is unobtrusive.
The exhaust system is pretty quiet and there is no drone. I have a low tolerance for drone so I was keeping my ear out for it. I ran the engine under load all the way to 5k rpms and there was nothing. The sound level is maybe slightly louder than stock but not obtrusive at all. The only thing I don't like is how close the exhaust pipes come to the rear tires right where it enters the resonator. I don't want it to weaken the tire or cause a blow-out, so I am going to look to see if I can tighten things up. The Bell stainless steel system is looking like a valid option.
I was also finally able to put in the wool floor mats I got from Cocomats. They have been patiently sitting in the trunk for the day when everything was done.
I still need to do something with the glove box. My HVAC project took away enough area behind the passenger side that the original box won't fit. I'm either going to trim the original one to fit or make a new one from ABS plastic. I am also going to go back and review the TV cable adjustment. It seems to shift where I want it to but I am paranoid about that.
Finally, a huge thank you for all the support, encouragement, and help this forum provided getting me to this point. Whether it was help finding parts, listening as I talked through next steps, or just saying "nice job" I appreciate everyone who contributed. The best classic cars to own are the ones that have the best communities - and this one is wonderful!
REALLY WELL DONE Thorsen. What an achievement, and the HVAC installation is a first as far as I know! When you have a long winter evening, please do full illustrated write up of the HVAC installation with parts etc etc. A very important sticky for the future, I would say.
No clonks from the exhaust? That is the reason I am so interested in your mod! I cannot see why the exhaust should be any closer to the tyre than OEM (see pic below), it is just coming into the tunnel from below rather than above; but maybe I cannot visualise it properly. The advantage you have got is the exhaust pipes are nowhere near the brake calipers and diff seals!
Last edited by Greg in France; 03-26-2022 at 11:41 AM.
Great Job, Thomas!!
I have followed this thread with great interest and I'm gonna miss it. However, I'm even more glad for you that your car is On The Road just in time for Drive the Wheels Off season (depending how gas prices)!
Nix has a 700R4, which locking TC hasn't worked properly since I got the car, so seeing your tach/speedo numbers almost makes me Envious! It certainly gives me an itch to see what's amiss.
No clonks from the exhaust? That is the reason I am so interested in your mod! I cannot see why the exhaust should be any closer to the tyre than OEM (see pic below), it is just coming into the tunnel from below rather than above; but maybe I cannot visualize it properly.
No clonks at all. It's closer to the tire just from how I cut the pipes. On the driver side there are three finger widths between the pipe and the tire. On the passenger side (below) it's only about one finger width. It's too close for comfort. I'm going to see what I can to do to clean it up but I have to be honest - the whole exhaust system has a "shade tree mechanic" look to it.
It's great to hear about your first drive! That must have been quite an emotional as well as satisfying experience!
I'm sure I speak for many when I tell you how much I admire the creativity, determination and technical expertise that you've show in getting to this point, specifically as regards the HVAC solution. I'm seriously in awe of what you've done!
It was 22° this morning but I decided to take the Jaguar to the Chicagoland MG Club Parts Meet. I like this picture because it really shows off the refinished wheels.
There weren't many British cars in the parking lot when I got there but Barney *******'s well-traveled MGA was there. I think he drove it up from Florida over the last week.
Inside was well-packed with mostly used parts with some new parts sprinkled in here and there. It was mostly MG and Triumph related but I did find some some Jaguar and Lotus parts as well too.
I did a lap and decided there was nothing there I had to have, so I took the long way home and enjoyed the drive.
I did pick up some exhaust rattle this morning I attribute to the cold weather because it disappeared when the car warmed up, but I'm about to address the right rear exhaust pipe and will see if I can find what was causing the rattle. I'm also going to look at the cruise control and see if it's time to put a more modern replacement in. I also need to figure out why the horn stopped working.
03-15-2022, 08:21 PM
