One week until E-Type 60 - Workshop update

With just seven days to go until E-Type 60 at Shelsley Walsh on the 12th and 13th of June we are in full swing preparing. Sales have been swift in recent weeks so it is hard to know exactly which cars we will be bringing to the show for sale. Sales cars aside we have a few treats in store for you including our D-Type replica taking part in the hill climb, Stirling Moss' XK120 FHC which we featured recently, an incredibly special SS100 with long standing connections to Shelsley Walsh and our series 1 E-Type restoration. That is just what Twyford plan to bring to the event. Beyond that there will be a huge gathering of classic cars, live music, food, stalls, technical talks, a competitive hill climb and much more. To buy your ticket please visit the E-Type 60 website.
In this weeks' update we catch up with our E-Type restoration, look at an S-Type having a suspension overhaul, check out a five-speed gearbox going into an XK150 and more.

 

Jaguar E-Type showroom Hampshire

Sold! Another XK on its way to a new home

As previously mentioned, the showroom has been very busy in recent weeks. We are still operating on an appointment only basis so please get in touch if you would like to visit. We have been delighted to welcome customers for test drives and to discuss work on their cars or restorations. It is great to be able to speak face to face again, all be it through a mask, and be planning out some exciting restoration projects for customers.
The Jaguar XK150 pictured here is the latest car on its way to a new home. It started life as a fixedhead but was converted to a drophead when it was restored in the 1980s. As such this car offered outstanding value for money. The car has now had a final check through in the workshop, had a new MOT and is ready to be delivered to the new owner's house. Just in time for a wonderful British summer and open top motoring!

 

Jaguar XK150 sold

Jaguar XK150 five-speed gearbox upgrade

One of our most popular upgrades is our five-speed gearbox conversion. The original Moss gearbox is often considered to be the Achilles heel of the XK range. They are, by modern standards, rather slow between the gears, they do not have synchromesh on 1st gear and parts availability is extremely limited. Although one of our rebuilt Moss gearboxes performs as well as they possibly can many people still feel they are too slow and ill suited to such high-performance cars. As such the best solution is to fit a modern five-speed gearbox offering a much smoother and quicker gearchange.
Pictured here is a new five speed gearbox along side the original Moss gearbox with overdrive. Also pictured is a fully balanced clutch and flywheel. The clutch is a modern diaphragm unit match to a roller release bearing making the clutch pedal lighter and more progressive. As can be seen from the photo the new gearbox is almost the exact same size as the Moss gearbox so no cutting is required to fit it to an XK140 or XK150 (some modification is required on an XK120 for the rear mount).

 

Jaguar XK150 five-speed gearbox upgrade

V12 E-Type carburettor O-rings

This lovely series 3 Jaguar E-Type is one of several which we have had in recently with bad fuel leaks from the carburettors after a period in storage. The O-ring pictured here seals the bottom of the carburettor and seems to be particularly susceptible to the effects of ethanol in fuel. We suspect this is exacerbated by the fact they are likely to have fuel on them when the car stops running and they will experience relatively extreme temperature changes. This issue is only likely to become worse when E10 fuel arrives or if you are using your car abroad where E10 is already prevalent. The good news is we can replace these parts with new O-rings which are manufactured with modern fuels in mind.
If your classic cars fuel system has not been brought up to standard to take E10 fuel please get in touch to discuss what might be required. We can replace everything from hoses to gaskets in order to make your car safe together with advice of storage and additives.

 

Jaguar E-Type fuel leak

Jaguar S-Type check over

Another week and another lovely Jaguar saloon in the workshop. This S-Type was brought into us for a check over and to have some perished suspension bushes and bump stops replaced. These Jaguar saloons should drive very well indeed. This is particularly true of the saloons which came after the MK2 as they utilise a similar independent rear suspension setup to the E-Type. The drawback of the suspension set up on these cars is that they can be challenging to maintain and put a lot of wear on the bushes. Once these bushes become worn the ride and handling of the cars is significantly compromised turning what should be a sporting saloon into a willowing great beast of a car. We not only have the technical knowhow and the tools but also (when it comes to these rarer saloons) the parts knowledge to source and fit the correct parts to the car. Once complete this S-Type will once again be the sporting saloon it was designed to be.

 

Jaguar S-Type servicing Hampshire

E-Type restoration update

As reported last week we are cracking on with our series 1 Jaguar E-Type restoration. The body tub is painted and ready to be unveiled at E-Type 60 at Shelsley Walsh next weekend. We also have the bonnet and front subframes back from the painter and these are looking stunning. The chrome work was sorted through last week and has been sent off for stripping. This will be retained to be repaired in the not-too-distant future before being chromed.
This week saw much stripping down of assemblies including the rear suspension subframe and the heater. This is now ready to be shotblasted and then powder coated. For us, in comparison to restoring XKs, it is an absolute joy restoring an E-Type due to its modular nature. Everything can be separated, stripped, refurbished and then reassembled ready to go back on the car. It allows for a much quicker restoration progress than on an XK which due to its design is a far more linear process.

 

Jaguar E-Type restoration

Jaguar XK120 OTS charging fault and leaky heater

This XK120 roadster has been in storage for the past four years so the owner brought it down to us to be checked over and recommissioned for the road. When checking over the car we found it was not charging and that the heater matrix had failed, had been leaking coolant into the cabin.
We began by testing the charging system to see where the fault lay. Bypassing the regulator showed that there was no output from the dynamo, so the dynamo was removed, and bench tested. The armature had failed so the dynamo was fully rebuilt using an original armature which has been rewound along with fresh components throughout the unit. The car once again charges properly.
Next the heater unit was removed, which is no easy feat in an XK120 OTS as there is very little clearance between the heater unit and the gearbox tunnel. The failed heater matrix was removed and replaced with a new one. We offer an uprated heater matrix for most XKs which delivers more heat but this unit is slightly deeper so cannot be fitted to the XK120 OTS. With the heater reassembled the unit was bench tested before being refitted to the car.

 

Jaguar XK120 charging fault