Engine rebuilds, restorations and rotor arms – Workshop update

The workshop is full and the upstairs storage is full (as you can see in this picture. Our team has been working flat out to keep up with the unprecedented levels of demand we are experiencing. If you are a regular reader of these updates, you may recall that back in the summer, in anticipation of our usual autumn rush, we ran a special offer to encourage owners to bring their cars in early. We were blown away by the response, but it didn’t quite have the desired effect. We seem to be just as busy—if not busier—than ever this autumn.
With that in mind, we would like to thank our customers, old and new, for trusting us with their cars. We would also like to thank everyone for their patience, as our lead times for booking cars in is presently a little longer than we would like.
In this update, we take a look at an XK150 and an E-type restoration, the substantial engine work we currently have underway, some servicing and upgrades, and our Christmas opening hours.

Jaguar XK150 restoration

This Jaguar XK150 FHC is nearing the end of a full restoration. We have worked alongside the owner to support him throughout the project. He wished to undertake some elements himself but wanted our expertise for several key areas, including the chassis build, engine and mechanical components. He also asked us to complete the car, from fitting the glass and chrome work through to setting up the suspension geometry and tuning the engine.
We are always happy to assist with home restorations as much or as little as required. This allows enthusiastic owners to focus on the aspects they enjoy and do well, while knowing they will still end up with a Twyford Moors quality car in all other respects. It also enables us to install selected in-house upgrades, such as our uprated windscreen wiper system.
This is going to be a fantastic car once finished, and it is lovely to see an XK150 FHC restored to such a high standard. It is being built to an excellent specification, including numerous upgrades ranging from a five-speed gearbox to colour-matched seat belts. If we can help you along the way with a project, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

How big is the UK Classic Car industry?

In our last newsletter, we shared the findings of AssetClassic. Among their conclusions were that the total value of the global classic car market is around €80bn, with a value chain of €89–90bn, and that the wider industry revolving around classic cars is significant at approximately €40bn. This prompted considerable interest among our customers, with a common question being: what size is the UK market? The point being that the classic car world has a far larger economic footprint than many might imagine.
While we could find no recent, fully reliable evidence, HERO-ERA produced a report in 2020 which supports the view that the UK market makes a substantial contribution to our economy. HERO estimated the value of the UK’s stock of classic vehicles at £12.6bn. In total, the industry contributes £8.7bn of Gross Value Added to the UK (a rough equivalent to GDP) and provides employment for more than 110,000 people. Finally—and pertinent given we have all been forced to become economic experts in the run-up to the recent Budget—the sector generates £2.9bn in tax revenues, mainly through income tax, National Insurance and VAT.
To put that into context, aside from financial services, the sectors most often cited for their economic contribution include the fishing industry (£1.1bn), Scotch whisky (£7.3bn) and the music industry (£8bn). The HCVA, the body representing our market, points out that the UK classic car sector is larger than all of these oft-quoted industries.
Our sector is therefore not only significant in size but also makes a meaningful contribution to the UK economy—a contribution that is scarcely understood, let alone recognised, by our political leaders.

Ferrari rotor arm

As ever, we like to include something non-Jaguar that has found its way into the workshop. This time it is a 1980s Ferrari belonging to one of our E-type customers. He contacted us because the engine had been running progressively worse—misfiring and losing power. Amazingly, given the fault we found, he managed to drive the car here.
Pictured sitting on top of the V8 engine are two rotor arms, one for each bank of four cylinders. The one on the right is intact and functioning correctly, if a little aged. The one on the left, however, has begun to tear itself apart, and this was the cause of the poor running. It was not immediately clear what had caused the failure, but it was certainly dramatic.
As you can see, the plastic of the rotor arm has broken down and, due to the rotational forces, has been shredded into a strung-out, hay-like substance which filled the distributor. So much material had come away from the base of the rotor arm that it had weakened and could no longer keep the top section in the correct position. This meant the timing was becoming increasingly retarded (sparking too late), resulting in the poor running.

Christmas dates

With Christmas not too far away (I apologise to any of you reading this while it is still November), we thought we should let you know our plans for the festive season. Our last full working day will be Monday 22nd December. We will then be undertaking a deep clean and site maintenance on the 23rd and 24th, during which time the phone lines and emails will still be manned. From 25th December until 4th January we will be closed to allow the whole team a well-earned break after what has been an extremely busy year. We will reopen on Monday 5th January, ready for an exciting 2026.
To contact us while we are closed, please email us or use the contact form on our website. We will not be monitoring messages constantly, so please forgive us if you do not receive an immediate response. We appreciate your patience while we all enjoy the Christmas break with our families.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire team here at Twyford Moors, who have worked so hard this year to turn out what must be a record number of cars. I would also like to thank all our customers who have trusted us with their cherished vehicles. We continue to be busier than ever, and we have you to thank for that.

Jaguar S-Type and 420

In this photo we have what I think are two of the most underrated classic Jaguars out there… and by underrated, I really mean undervalued when compared to an equivalent Mk2 saloon. Now, please don’t get me wrong—I love a Mk2 saloon. They are great sporting saloons, look fantastic, and drive very well when properly maintained. But they are mechanically less advanced than the S-Type and 420, are less refined to drive, and cost significantly more. I accept that the Mk2 is the cleaner and more sporting-looking car, but there is a stately grace about the S-Type and 420 which I find very charming. They also have an enormous and very practical boot—perfect for stashing bags of cash when using the Jaggggg for a swift getaway.
Putting looks aside, the big advantage of these cars is that they have a similar rear suspension set-up to the E-type, which improves both ride and handling. For a big car, they really do drive well when maintained properly. But here is the biggest issue with these saloons: because they have been undervalued for so long, many of them have suffered from poor maintenance. If you let the suspension bushes or subframe mounts deteriorate, the driving experience really does suffer. This is where we can help. If your saloon is not as sharp as it should be, please get in touch.

NEC Classic Motor Show

The dust has now settled after the NEC Classic Motor Show, and what a show it was. In the interest of full transparency, we had been considering whether this would be our last year at the show, as it had been quieter in the years following the pandemic. However, this year seemed to be busier than ever. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the stand to see us. We found ourselves somewhat overwhelmed with visitors at points over the weekend and were conscious that people were waiting to speak to us. Thank you all for your patience, and our apologies to anyone we did not manage to speak to. I know I waved to a fair few customers whom I would have loved to catch up with but didn’t get the chance.
We will be back again next year, though in a slightly different location with a slightly larger stand. We will be moving into Hall 3, close to the Jaguar Classic stand. We have enjoyed over a decade in Hall 2 near the auction, but with the growth of the auction this year we found ourselves positioned right by the entrance, making it difficult for people to get on and off our stand—hence the move. If you are attending next year, please pop by and see us, but remember we will have moved.

Jaguar XK140 dropheads

Pictured here is a rather nice pair of Jaguar XK140s, both prepped and ready to leave. The XK140 in the background is a regular annual visitor for servicing and maintenance. It recently completed a tour, without fault, and has been in for a service and check-over ahead of winter storage. With the car in fine fettle, it is ready for collection and to be enjoyed next year.
In the foreground is what I believe to be the bluest XK I have ever seen. As is obvious from the photograph, it is a striking shade of blue with a contrasting dark blue hood. You can also just about make out that the interior is blue. What you cannot see from the photo is that everything else which could possibly be painted blue has been. All the suspension components, the cylinder head, the battery boxes—you name it, it’s blue. This isn’t a case of sloppy painters getting overspray on things; this car has been beautifully restored by a previous owner who went to significant effort to paint all these components blue to a very high standard. Although it is somewhat unusual, it is hard not to admire someone who had a vision for how the car should look and executed that vision so well.

Timing chain tensioner

This slightly abstract photo shows the front of an E-type engine with the sump and timing cover removed. The car had come in with a noisy engine, and we had been tasked with finding out why. It was immediately apparent to us when hearing the engine on arrival that something was seriously amiss and that it should not be run any further for fear of causing damage. With the cam covers and engine breather plate removed, it became apparent that all was not well with the timing chains, so the borescope—a small camera which can be inserted into the engine—was used to investigate further before stripping it down.
The camera confirmed our engine builder’s suspicion that the pad had come off the timing chain tensioner. This pad is what you can see held in the foreground of the photo. This is not the first time we have seen this happen, a particular feature of the cheaper tensioner options available. Fortunately, the pad had come to rest in the sump without causing any damage, and the tensioner itself had not been pushed out so far that it had popped out. With everything else checked over, this engine got lucky, and a new set of chains and a good-quality uprated tensioner will have it back up and running.

Jaguar E-Type restoration

This Jaguar E-Type is an ongoing nut-and-bolt restoration. It is a 3.8-litre fixed-head coupé, and being a later 3.8 car it has the dished footwells, making it more comfortable for the driver. We have been making steady progress with this car and now have the suspension and rear axle built up, the engine and gearbox fitted, and—pictured here—the exhaust being installed. This is a full stainless steel system from our friends at Classic Fab and is a piece of jewellery. Their systems are beautifully made, improve both fuel economy and performance, and, best of all, they fit. Having fitted many different exhaust systems over the years, we know that some take a great deal of fettling to get right—and that fettling inevitably turns into labour hours on any bill.
We shared a video of this car when the shell was freshly painted, which proved to be very popular. We will be doing a follow-up video soon, showing the car now that we are building up the mechanical components, and we will talk more about the specification. To ensure you don’t miss it, please subscribe to our YouTube channel @twyfordmoorsclassiccars.

Jaguar XK150 S engine rebuild

There are few things quite as satisfying as a fresh, tidy-looking engine bay. The engine bay pictured here belongs to a Jaguar XK150 3.4 S. We have just completed a full engine rebuild, and this photo shows it most of the way through installation—just a few finishing touches remain. The engine and gearbox have already been tested and run up on our test rig, so we know everything is good to go.
The engine has been built to a fast-road specification, which includes fast-road camshafts, larger valves, lightened and balanced components throughout, a custom-made flywheel, an improved rear main oil seal (to stop the characteristic XK oil leak), an uprated water pump and much more. We have also rebuilt the original Moss gearbox and overdrive. The carburettors have been rebuilt with ethanol-resistant components and are paired with freshly enamelled exhaust manifolds. Other upgrades in the engine bay include electronic ignition, an electric cooling fan hidden behind the radiator and a dynamo.
Our focus with these engine builds is to deliver reliable power. XK engines excel at producing low-down torque, and that is what we aim to maximise. Our engines provide a nice, flat torque curve with usable power across the rev range, making them well-suited to everyday use.

Jaguar XK140 cylinder head rebuild

The Jaguar XK140 drophead coupé pictured here is about to have its cylinder head refitted. It came to us with a suspected head gasket failure following an engine rebuild not that long ago. On investigation, we found that the previous work on the cylinder head was less than optimal. It appears that the car must have suffered a major overheat at some point in the past, and when the head work was carried out dur ing the rebuild, this was not taken into account. The result was not only head gasket failure, but also a very noisy top end, with tappet clearances all over the place and rattling bucket guides.
We were concerned that the head might be beyond repair, but our trusty machine shop came through for us once again. The head is now flat, and the bearing saddles have been machined to hold the cams straight. Hats off to those guys. The customer also took the opportunity to have fast-road camshafts, larger valves and oversize bucket guides fitted, along with our hold-downs.
With that work completed, we are now refitting the head and will soon have the car back together, ready for the owner to enjoy.

Pedal box upgrade

We have had an enormous amount of interest in our pedal box upgrades lately—so much so that I am likely to film a video taking a deeper dive into them soon. Pictured here is one of several pedal box conversions currently underway. This particular example is on a left-hand drive Jaguar XK120 OTS, but it is worth noting that the upgrade is also suitable for the XK140 and XK150.
As shown in the photo, the floor has been removed and the bulkhead area has been cut out. The new pedal box has been temporarily fitted on its mounting plate to the chassis to allow the owner to sit in the car and test the driving position. We can then move the pedal box backwards or forwards to suit their needs. Once that is finalised, we fabricate new panels to fit around the pedal box and steering column and create a new bulkhead.
The biggest advantage of this upgrade—particularly on an XK120—is the extra legroom it provides. If you are a taller driver who dreams of fitting comfortably in an XK120, this could be the solution for you. There are other benefits too, including dual-circuit braking, a hydraulic clutch and adjustable pedals to improve driver ergonomics.