A Jag-Lover's Tale

V. Progress Shmogress

At the end of February, I was still operating under the delusion that I would be able to get the car running without investing an enormous quantity of money in engine parts. I had an engine block which looked good to me, and a set of pistons which, if I could somehow get the rings out of the grooves, appeared serviceable.

My bubble burst when Penniman & Richards, my machine shop, called. I had taken the block, head, pistons and rods in to be boiled in solvent. I also wanted the head and the top of the block surfaced, and the cylinders de-glazed. The guy on the phone was telling me that I had eleven-thousandths of taper in the cylinders and they ought to be straightened. He figured a rebore of twenty-thousandths would do the trick. That, of course, meant I needed new pistons. Oh yes, I would also need more money.

I beat my head against my desk a few times, wiped away the blood and then made a few calls to my favorite suppliers of Jag parts, to see who had the best price on "twenty-over" 3.4L pistons. SICP won that contest by about $60. After taking my credit card number and shipping address, I was told that they wouldn't have them in for about 3 to 4 weeks. Never mind. I quickly called XKs Unlimited and they had them on my doorstep (again the parcel bomb-like package) the next afternoon.

One must remember that a key to my financial arrangements was the sale of the trusty, if unexciting, VW Jetta once the Jag was ready. This was supposed to occur by the end of January. Here it was March, I'd spent far more than I had intended, and I still had the VW. Trish gently reminded me that the sale of the VW was to happen after "a couple of payments" on the Jag. Money was getting tight, and one of the cars had to go. I placed the add for the Jetta on Friday, and it was gone at full asking price by Saturday at Noon.

The following Monday, I would make my first of many trips to work on the bus.

By the end of March, I had all of my engine parts back from the machine shop, clean and shining. I spent much of a Saturday afternoon removing the block which came with the car. After my experience with lifting an engine out Ryan Borders Mk 1 parts car, I decided to try lowering it out through the bottom. It was, in general, a good decision. I did have some difficulty reaching a few of the bolts attaching the bell housing, and ended up standing in the engine bay straddling the partially removed engine block. I got stuck once and called for help. My wife's response was to run for the video camera. Sadly, nothing stupid enough happened to make the tape worthy of "America's Funniest Home Videos." Looking back, maybe I should have slipped in a puddle of oil and gently impaled myself on the head studs. Ten-grand would have easily paid for the rebuild.

The only real mishap occurred when the torque converter piddled its load of transmission fluid all over the garage floor. In my enthusiasm, it seems that I forgot to drain it.

I then had a very empty looking engine compartment and the remains of two complete engines scattered about my garage.

On 15 May 1994 I installed the crank and the pistons with new bearing shells all around. I made a terrific mess with 20W-50 Castrol as the pre-lube. The following weekend, I mated the assembled block with the transmission, and raised the pair back into the engine compartment. This was a momentous occasion. I was no longer taking things apart. It was going back together.

After this, parts began to fall together quickly (by my standards). Thanks to Jag-list member Dan Graves, who supplied an operable valve-spring compressor, I had the head re-assembled and installed by mid-June.

I am not entirely sure what caused me to fall into yet another two-month lull, but I do know what brought me out of it. Ryan was gaining on me. Having removed his 2.4L engine due to a cracked block and nuts in the intake valves, Ryan began rebuilding a 4.2L XK from an 1983 XJ-6. It became something of a game to see who would finish first. I had a head start, but I had to contend with my own ignorance in the methods of engine rebuilding. Ryan started later, but he had the benefit of watching me make all of the possible mistakes.

By the middle of August, I managed to find all of the necessary parts to re-assemble the front suspension. Since all of the lower engine work was complete, I installed the front suspension and set the Jag on all fours for the first time in nine months. By all appearances (listing to port), I was going to be replacing springs soon.

In the ensuing week I installed the cooling rail, thermostat, radiator, and all of the requisite hoses. Feeling the enthusiasm of completing a system, I filled the radiator with coolant. All was well until I hit the 3/4 full mark. Coolant came gushing from a hole in the cooling rail. Reminder: install the water temperature sensor before adding coolant. I cleaned everything up, installed the sensor and finished filling the cooling system. Drip, drip, drip from the joint between the thermostat housing and the manifold cooling rail. I drained the coolant (again) and opened the thermostat housing. A calcified layer of crud had grown in the groove where the thermostat is supposed to seat. Gentle scraping with a screwdriver followed by a healthy dollop of blue RTV and a new gasket sealed everything up. Re-fill the system. Done.

The same night, I attached the oil-filter assembly, and the following evening filled the engine with oil (7 quarts). Following a careful inspection, I commented smugly to Trish, "I thought Jags were supposed to leak oil."

I spent much of a Saturday with a toothbrush, soapy water, and mineral spirits cleaning grease from the dual SU carburettors. Ryan arrived and helped me put the bonnet back on. I was a bit premature here, as it is necessary to climb inside the engine bay to get to the bottom mounting nuts on the rear carubrettor. None the less, the carbs went in, and the linkages and springs were attached. All that was left was to install the spark plugs, distributor cap and wires, and battery, and it ought to run!

During the last weekend in August, Ryan and I did precisely that. The battery showed 13 volts on the voltmeter, but zero once in the car. I pulled up the trusty Volvo and a pair of heavy jumper cables. With a dollop of oil in each of the sparkplug holes, we spun the engine on the starter looking for oil pressure. I did show the presence of mind to disconnect the fuel pump, but not the coil. It got just a bit warm. Once the oil pressure needle wiggled, we put in the plugs, connected the coil, connected the fuel pump, and pressed the starter.

Next, "Renewed Vigor"

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