From tiny Austins to huge V12s - Workshop update
With Spring in full flow and the driving season well and truly upon us, the workshop has been busy. Be it cars coming and going for servicing, sales or longer-term projects it has all been going on over the past few weeks. With the weather turning rather lovely many folks have been getting their classic out for a bit of use. We have had a number of customers out enjoying their cars on tours and quite a number bringing their cars in for pre-tour preparation. We have even sent an XK140 off on its way to Italy for the Mille-Miglia and one of our chaps will be following it out there to offer mechanical support throughout the event. Exciting times all around!
In this week’s update, we look at everything from a tiny Austin Sprite up to a V12 E-Type in for a five-speed gearbox upgrade. We will also look in on a few XKs passing through the workshop and update you on some restoration progress.
Jaguar XK140 servicing
It is always a pleasure to see cars which we have known for years if not decades return year after year for servicing, often from all over the UK and Europe. Knowing that our customers have enjoyed their cars on so many trips and are keen to continue trusting us with their cherished classics makes the job feel worthwhile.
This XK140 has been an annual visitor for our ten years and we have come to know it well. When it first came to us, we carried out an extensive programme of works to upgrade it to the owner’s desired specification. Today this car boasts disc brakes to the front, five-speed gearbox, pedal box and bucket seats to create more interior space, a louvred bonnet and more beyond. Since this initial series of works, the car has come to us every year for servicing and has had a few further upgrades along the way as technology has moved on or old parts needed replacing. An example of this would be the aluminium fuel tank which was fitted a few years ago when the old steel tank had reached the end of its life.
This year all that was required was a straightforward service and the car is ready for another summer of enjoyment.
Austin Sprite charging fault
In amongst the classic Jaguars, you will often find something from a different marque sneaking into the workshop. It was quite easy to miss this lovely little Austin Sprite between the E-Types and XKs as it is so compact by comparison. We love these little A-Series powered cars, be it with an MG or an Austin badge. The A-Series engine must be up there with the XK engine as one of the most iconic bits of automotive design of all time. Also, they just sound lovely when they are running well.
This Sprite is one of the last 1000 odd produced. By this point they had come into British Layland ownership. Healey were no longer keen to be connected to production of these lovely little cars so these final cars were no longer known as Austin-Healey Sprites. They were simply Austin Sprite. This I confess was entirely new information to me and I have the owner of this lovely car to thank for the education. Every day is a school day!
What a line-up!
We couldn’t resist sharing this photo. It is still an absolute delight to be working in our wonderful new workshop, to walk out into the workshop and be greeted by a sight like this is hard to beat.
In the foreground is an XK140 rally car having its tracking set up. We will look at this car in more detail later. Next is a Jaguar C-Type replica which has just been sold. The C-Type was in the workshop for a service and check-over prior to being delivered to its new owner ready for some summer fun. This particular example was built using parts from a Daimler XJ6 and a Realm chassis and body. These cars a fantastic fun to drive and offer great value for money. Do make sure when buying one that it has been properly registered as this one has.
At the back of the shot is a Series 3 E-Type which has been in with us for a five-speed gearbox upgrade. Again, we will go into this one in more detail later.
It really is a great pleasure to work on such beautiful cars in such a lovely environment.
Jaguar E-Type 3.8 servicing
Pictured here is a stunning, fully restored, early Jaguar E-Type Series 1 which we recently sold. The early Series 1s are notable for having the 3.8-litre engine (as opposed to the 4.2), curved back seats, aluminium dashboards amongst other things. They are generally referred to as ‘flat-floor’ E-Types as they lack the dished footwell of the later cars. Despite being slightly less comfortable, particularly for taller drivers, these cars are extremely sought after and command a significant price premium over later E-Types. In terms of collectability, these are second only to OBL or Outside Bonnet Lock E-Types.
Although we are best known for our XKs we have many years of experience with Jaguar E-Types. Be it sales, maintenance, upgrades, or restoration we are able to cater for every aspect of E-Type ownership. Please do get in touch to discuss how we might help you with your E-Type.
Michael and Linda Ballard visit
A couple of weeks ago we were delighted to have Michael and Linda Ballard visit us in their beautiful XK120 OTS. They popped by to see our new workshop and to discuss some of their upcoming events. Some of you will know that we supported the wonderful Jaguar/SS 100-year celebration which Michael organised at Brooklands last year. Those who attended will know what a great day it was despite adverse weather conditions. Michael did a great job putting together an unravelled collection of cars including Swallow Sidecars, SS bodied Austin 7s, SS100s, XKs, E-Types and countless other fine examples of the marque through to the most modern Jaguars.
This year they are putting on a couple of exciting events. First, they have the Mike Hawthorn track day at Goodwood on the 5th of July. This is to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Hawthorns’ first GP win. The track day is now fully booked but I believe it is still open to spectators and should have a wonderful turnout of cars including a display of MK1 saloons.
Later in the year, they are organising a motor show in aid of Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care in Churt, Surry. This event will include access to a wonderful private classic car collection. If you want further details of either event please do get in touch.
Jaguar XK120 refurb and upgrade
We are proud that customers from far and wide choose us to care for their XKs. We have cars from all over the UK and even Europe visit us for servicing and upgrade work. We have restored cars for customers all over the world including Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and North America as well as countless UK cars. Specialising in what we do for so many years has allowed us to refine what we do to the point that we believe we create the best-driving XKs on the market.
The lovely XK120 OTS pictured here is visiting us from Germany. It is with us for a series of mechanical and cosmetic improvements. The biggest task undertaken was a conversion to a five-speed gearbox. The owner uses the car to drive long distances, touring across Europe and visiting the UK. In fact, we first met the gentleman at the Goodwood Revival. The original four-speed gearbox is not well suited to cruising at motorway speeds so a five-speed gearbox is an ideal upgrade for this kind of use. The car has also been improved with polyurethane suspension bushes and had an interior retrim along with bucket seats being fitted to improve comfort in the car. The car is now ready for road testing ahead of collection.
Daimler SP250 (Dart)
Another non-Jaguar sports car to sneak through our workshop in the past week was this Daimler SP250 or Dart. Originally launched at the New York Motor Show in 1959 as the Dart but Daimler was ordered to change the name under threat of legal action from Dodge who owned the trademark for the Dart model name. Without much time to deal with the situation, they reverted to the project number used during development, SP250. Apparently, the car wasn’t well received upon its New York launch and was generally considered to be the ugliest car at the show. The chassis is based on the Triumph TR3 and the body was produced in fiberglass to keep the tooling costs low. Allegedly early cars suffered with flex in the chassis causing the doors to swing open at speed earning them a poor reputation early on. The Dart is perhaps best known for its use by the Police, most notably the Met who used them to keep up with ever more powerful production cars.
This example is with us for recommissioning, a service and a check over. Once our inspection is complete, we will report to the owner and together plan out any necessary work to get the car back in tip-top shape.
Jaguar E-Type five-speed conversion
In a recent post, we were extolling the virtues of the V12 E-Type as a very competent and stylish GT car. The following week we ended up with three red Series 3 E-Types in the workshop at once. We are seeing increasing numbers of V12s coming through our workshop. There seems to be a lack of appropriately skilled technicians out there who are willing and able to work on them but we are delighted to have these big E-Types in.
The E-Type pictured here started life as an automatic but is here with us to have a five-speed gearbox fitted. This is a great conversion on a V12 E-Type as it allows you to make full use of the power that the big 5.3-litre engine produces. It gives a much sportier drive than either of the original gearboxes as well as making it much nicer for motorway cruising. What’s not to like?
It can be a bit of a challenge squeezing a five-speed gearbox into the rather narrow gearbox tunnel of an E-Type but given that this example was originally automatic there is plenty of room. In fact, I would suggest that an automatic car is in many ways the ideal example to convert to a five-speed if you are in the market.
Jaguar XK140 rally car
The XK140 pictured here was built with some serious touring and rallying in mind. This car wasn’t just built for reliability on a gentle tour around some lovely European roads but instead designed to tackle some of the toughest roads and tracks in the world. It features a long-range fuel tank which is why the spare wheel is mounted on a frame on the boot. It has a seriously chunky sump guard under the car which would allow it to slide over some substantial rocks without the risk of damage. Beyond that, it has many of the features you would expect of an upgraded car such as a 5-speed gearbox, disc brakes to the front, an alternator, electric cooling fan and electronic ignition.
The car was simply visiting for a good thorough check-over and service. With the sort of use a car like this gets it needs to be kept in top condition. Being a car from the 1950s and having been used in anger it was suffering from significant oil leaks from any number of places but particularly from the cam covers. We have now gone over the car and it is once again fighting fit and ready for its next adventure.
Jaguar XK140 restoration
There are always stages of restoration that feel like significant steps forward. Reuniting a car with its engine is certainly one of them. This Jaguar XK140 has been undergoing a full nut and bolt restoration with us and we have recently finished the bodywork and removed the bodyshell from the chassis ready to be painted. We fit the bare metal body to the chassis and then build it up with doors, windows, hood and chromes to ensure everything fits before then removing it again for paint. At this point, we like to fit the engine to the rolling chassis as it avoids having to later lower it into the engine bay of a freshly painted car.
The engine pictured here is the original 3.4-litre XK engine belonging to this car. It has been rebuilt to our fast road specification with a focus on low-down torque to ensure the driver can make the most of the engine without having to rev too high. The owner of this car wanted 2-inch SU carburettors fitted along with improved stainless steel exhaust manifolds which will mate to a 2-inch sports exhaust system. We will share more progress with this project in the coming months.
