Building the Legendary Jaguar XKSS (Inside Jaguar) Saturday April 27th 2019 Channel 4 (UK) TV Documentary at 8pm

 

recorded it. will watch when "she who must be obeyed" is reading a book

 

Hi Leo

Give her your Workshop Manual, that ought to keep her amused

 

I cant tell you how unlikely that would be. Its hard enough to get her to go to classic shows in the summer. We have two shows to go to this sunday, one at Rickenhall and one at Bardwell. They should be quite good as they are small. We have been to the one at bardwell a couple of times before. a nice way to pass an hour or two and it keeps me out of the shed doing DIY
which is a blessing. Planting bloody plants today and I will have to cut the sodding grass soon ho hum

 

Hi Leo

And you think you've got problems!

Just bought another MGB that's stuck in someones garage 'make that the smallest garage that you have ever seen' but she's stuck in gear and I can't get the pesky thing out (unless I demolish the garage)

 

for christs sake STOP BUYING CARS. You cant save all of them

 

Hi Leo

A 1980 MGB for a Grand all original with no rust, if I hadn't bought her then I'd never Sleep at night just an itsy bitsy little problem to overcome, either take the Engine out or else knock down their garage or perhaps do both

 

maybe drop the driveshaft?

 

Mmmm!

Thanks Jig Jag

I'm liking that idea a lot, I wish I'd thought of that!

 

OB,

Take a power pack / spare battery and kangaroo it out on the starter motor.

Well done for buying it as well!

Paul

 

Good idea as long as it's stuck in either reserve or a gear that is in the direction of the exit. Take the spark plugs out and get some lubrication in the cylinders (which you'll need to do anyway). That way you won't be fighting compression.

Know anyone with a winch equipped Land Rover?

 

Hi Paul

Good thinking!

But before I go for the 'Nuclear Option' Today I took off the rear brake drums, which was unbelievably nearly impossible to do and then with all that friction removed, Tomorrow I will Start her up and play around with the gears

As I am hoping that some sort of Splash lubrication within the gearbox might free off the 'Slider Thingy' that enables you to change the gears, although of course I have no idea how a gearbox works, or even if the MGB Gods exist!

Although if they do you'll be the first to know!

I just need another run about for when the XJS is broken down

 

Hi Mac

Great idea! but since the Garage has no roof, what I really need is someone with a Crane!

Maybe a Truck with a Hiab or something like that

 

You couldn’t just jack up each wheel and put a car dolly roller skate under each wheel and roll it out?

i don’t think they’re terribly expensive!

 

Hi Vee

I've got two of those already for moving furniture around but as I cannot get to the front of the Car, if the front Disc Brakes are seized on then that could be a problem

Also almost impossible to jack up the front end because there are filing cabinets each side that the P.O. kept his tools in and the Car is surrounded by Junk

So I will see what happens when I start her up and if I can get the gearbox to change gear then anything is possible

Thanks for your Suggestions

 

OMG - looking forward to the next episode.

 

Hi Duke

Somehow I seem to sense a kindred Spirit!

 

MGB Update

Took off the Brake Drums to Free off the Hubs which was a nightmare job to do in such a confined space but that was nothing compared to trying to put them back which was really the kind of stuff that bad dreams are made of

Then went up to the Front of the Car to free off the disc brakes and then with the help of a mate, I managed to Tow her out of that Garage with the Merc

Eventually we manged to turn her round so that She was facing the right way but as we hadn't got a Trailer I decided on the 'Nuclear Option' which was to Tow her home, as by this time She was rolling well sort of anyway

Though when we arrived at 'Orange Blossom Towers' we decided to try and Start her up to see if She would drive but as the Clutch return Spring was missing we tied a rope round the pedal so that we could pull it up by hand

Which with the benefit of hindsight was not the best idea I've ever had, as during 'Beta Testing' and nobody sitting behind the Wheel, as soon as we pulled on the rope She just took off all on her own which sort of caused a bit of an outbreak of Panic

Which meant that we had to run after her before She demolished the house and then jump in just like they do in the movies which was more exciting than a Bungee Jump although ten times more dangerous at which point we managed to stop her

Just in time!

Maybe not the best way that we could have done it, so lets just say that lessons have been learned and every available space in the Car was filled up with all sorts of interesting Junk, most of which I haven't even unpacked yet, including an Old Nokia Phone

Together with a Brand New Acetylene Torch with a Circle cutter still in the original wrapping although heavily corroded and in the centre glove box, was a Brand New Clutch Spring!

If only I had known!

There is also a Shed load of Spares that I'll go and pick up tomorrow

But as for the Car apart from the Seats which were completely rotten, after a wash and a bit of a Polish She's already looking a bit of a Bobby Dazzler!

But then I ran out of Polish! and the G.F has named her 'Rusty' because there isn't any rust on her at all!

No idea why that might be its still a mystery for a 40 year old MGB which by now should have turned into a real rust bucket

 

try going over it with a magnet to see if it is all fibreglass. Is it rubber bumpers??. in my sorry experience of hateful mgbs it should have disolved long ago

 

Hi Leo

She's as solid as a rock and looks like She's been under sealed from New, all the Carpets were soaking wet but without any rust underneath and the engine Starts on the button and runs like a little Swiss Watch

The only bad points being that Pigeon 'Guano' has dissolved some of the paint on the bonnet and made it start to bubble up a bit but this was just a chemical reaction

None of the electrics work and neither does the Clutch unless you want to go driving around with the Steering Wheel in one hand and a bit of rope in the other, although the brakes are thankfully working very well

By the time I've got her sorted She will be a little beauty and even has a detachable Hard Top as well as overdrive and sounds amazing!

I'll try and put up a pic of her the next time I do an XJS post but this Shopping Trips not over as I'm after a 1980's R107 500SL to use as a daily driver