Reviving all sorts of classic cars – workshop update

With the Goodwood Revival in the rearview mirror, we are now looking forward to enjoying the last few weeks of the driving season and our last show of the year. If you haven’t been before the NEC Classic Motor Show in November is well worth a visit. If you do make it, please do come and visit us in Hall 2 Stand 550.
We had another wonderful, if scorching hot, year at the Goodwood Revival. Thank you to everyone who came to visit us over the weekend. If you want to read more about this year's Revival, please check out the article in our news section.
We have seen a huge influx of work towards the end of summer and have a number of cars we are preparing for a tour. Currently, we are having to book further and further ahead. If you are planning to book your car in for any “winter work” please do get in touch sooner rather than later so we can ensure we can accommodate you.
This week’s update takes a bit of an unusual turn featuring a Spider along with some kind of insect nest inside a rev counter. We also look at some of our more usual classic car content including XK restorations, engine and carburettor rebuilds, E-Type cooling fans and accident repair.

Jaguar XK140 restoration

We have shared photos of this Jaguar XK140 drophead coupe restoration in the past so we thought it was about time for an update. Last time we wrote about this car the engine and gearbox were just being fitted into the chassis. We like to get the chassis fully built-up including fuel and brake lines, suspension and engine and gearbox before refitting the painted body. This minimises the risk of paint damage to the beautiful bodywork when it comes to finishing the car off.
In the background you can of the photo you can see the bodyshell which was fitted and set up on the body before being painted. At this point, we fit everything from the hood and windows to the fuel filler flap and bumper irons. We endeavour to drill all holes and make all alterations before the bodyshell is painted. The body can now be lifted up on our two-post lift and the chassis will be rolled underneath. The body is then carefully lowered into place over the chassis allowing the body spacers to be fitted and then everything is bolted down. If you would like to watch a time-lapse video of this process please head over to our Facebook or Instagram page.

Jaguar XK120 engine rebuild

As many of you will know we moved into our new building six months ago. Amongst the many improvements over our old workshop is our lovely new engine building room. In here you will find all sorts of beautifully engineered bits of machinery ranging from a little Fiat 124 engine up to Jaguar E-Type V12s. We also have a splendid block cleaning tank which can be used to completely submerge engine blocks, cylinder heads or gearbox casings to clean every inch of them inside and out. Even the waterways will be cleaned. We are pleased to be able to offer this service even to those building their own engines at home so if you wish to have engine components cleaned please do get in touch.
Pictured here is an XK120 engine in the process of being rebuilt. The image shows the bottom end of the engine with the oil pump at the top and the flywheel at the bottom. When we rebuild engines all the components are fully balanced and the flywheel, crankshaft and clutch are balanced together to create the smoothest engines possible. Also visible in the photo is our rear main oil seal upgrade. Those who have owned a car with an XK engine will know they tend to leak from here so this upgrade is a great improvement.

Jaguar E-Type cooling fan

This shot captures three of the many E-Types which are currently with us. Although we are best known for our XKs we have a great deal of experience with many classic Jaguars and have worked on a great deal of E-Types. In fact, with ever-increasing demand from customers E-Types now probably account for a third of our work.
The maroon E-Type in the foreground had failed to proceed due to electrical problems. We recovered it from the owner’s home and brought it in to diagnose and repair the fault. We found that the Kenlowe fan had failed and was overloading the wiring. Many of us can be forgiven for thinking of a Kenlowe cooling fan as a very modern upgrade but most of them are decades old. Indeed, Kenlowe stopped making fans for the classic car market some years ago. With the fault identified we also found that the wiring to the fan had not been installed ideally and the circuit was not protecting the rest of the car's electrical systems. We have now fitted a new fan and returned the wiring to the original E-Type wiring which is suitably protected.

Jaguar XK120 rev counter rebuild

The rev counter pictured here belongs to an XK120 OTS which is currently undergoing a full nut and bolt restoration. We are well-practised at dismantling and cleaning up XK gauges so when this one didn’t want to come apart we were a little puzzled. The rev counter on an XK also houses the time clock. To dismantle them one must first remove the time clock which should be as simple as removing the two retaining screws and lifting it out. On this occasion, however, the clock moved a few millimetres and then no further. These components are very delicate so using brute force to remove parts is not an option. Looking through the gap we could see a build-up of what appeared to be mud inside the gauge and around the clock holding it in place. Using a very fine screwdriver to chip away at it we eventually released the clock from the gauge.
Once the clock is out you can take the glass off and release the inner working and face of the gauge from the housing. Inside we were amazed to find that many years ago an insect or insects of some kind had made nests inside the gauge. The car came from a southern state of the US and fortunately, any sign of life is long gone.

Classic car accident repair

This great little Lea-Francis is in with us for some minor accident repair work. Like Jaguar, Lea-Francis was another Coventry-based car producer. They started manufacturing cars in 1903 so really were at the fore of the budding motorcar industry in the UK. They produced several notable sports cars over the years, particularly pre-WW2. In the 1950s they even supplied chassis and engines to Connaught including those used on the L2 sports cars and their A-Type race cars. By the mid-1950s Lea-Francis were having financial problems and in 1962 the company closed. These quirky little British sportscars are therefore rather rare.
An incident on a busy roundabout resulted in damage to the off-side front wing and bumper. Repairing these aluminium panels needs to be handled with care and delicacy. We are well-versed in carrying out accident repair work on XKs, E-Types and many other types of classic cars. Our experience allows us to deal directly with insurance companies and ensure your classic is repaired and cared for in the right way. If your classic is in need of bodywork please get in touch.

Jaguar C-Type replica

We love this photo of this C-Type replica getting ready to leave. The car had been with us for a service and a check-over with a view to budgeting for further improvements in the future. To the left of the shot are the rear ends of two XK140 OTSs and an XK120 FHC. To the right is a Series 1 and a Series 2 E-Type coupe. Jaguar designs from the 1950s and 1960’s were just so iconic and elegant that they look great even when only a small part of them is in the photo.
The C-Type in the centre of the photo is a Realm Heritage C-Type. These replicas generally use XJ running gear with a tubular chassis and a fibreglass bodyshell. We recently sold a similar C-Type and have one of their wonderful RAM D-Type replicas for sale at the moment. These replicas are well-engineered and beautifully looking cars. They offer great value for money costing a fraction of what a real C or D-Type would cost and are often less than half what you would pay for an aluminium-bodied replica. If you are looking for a beautiful classic car which is fast, handles phenomenally and at a very sensible price then these are well worth a look. 

Triple SU carburettors

This beautiful sight is a fully rebuilt set of triple 2” SU carburettors on their inlet manifold. This setup is quite rare and sought after as it is the correct setup for an original XK150 S. The later inlet manifolds were of a different design and it is always a good way to spot a real S if it has the correct inlet manifold with the separate water rail and three pivot points for the carburettor linkage. The early E-Types featured a similar setup but only had two pivot points and then later on the inlet manifold had an integral water rail and looked very different.
We carry out all our carburettor rebuilds in-house from SUs to Webers. With our new cleaning and blasting machines, we are able to get a top-quality finish on every part of the carburettors. All our rebuilds use ethanol-resistant parts so you can rest assured that your carburettors won’t spring leaks as a result of modern fuels. We are happy to offer our carburettor rebuild service to those who are working on their own cars at home so if you would like to remove and bring your carburettor to us for a professional rebuild, please do get in touch.

Classic car storage

When designing our new building we were acutely aware of two challenges we always faced in our previous location. One was that if you had a car in for some medium to long-term work we often have periods of downtime where we cannot work on the car. This is generally when we are waiting for parts, machining work or even for our chaps to complete an engine rebuild. As a result, we often found we had cars that we were unable to progress with taking up valuable workshop space. The other challenge we often faced was that we generally had more demand for storage from customers than we were able to meet.
In an attempt to remedy these two challenges, we invested in building a large mezzanine above our new workshop to store cars. This allows us to move cars which are waiting for work up off the workshop floor. In this way, they are not taking up valuable workshop space keeping the workshop a more clear and efficient space. We also use this space to offer short to medium-term storage to our customers who cannot immediately collect their cars once work has been completed. We had hoped to be able to offer space for longer-term storage but as can be seen in the photo we are experiencing very high levels of demand and our storage space is very full.

Fiat 124 Spider engine rebuild

This beautiful Fiat 124 Spider is nearing the end of an extensive refurbishment with us. It came in with an intermittent overheating problem, oil being expelled from the breather and to have some minor paint defects looked at. On draining the oil we found it had large amounts of coolant mixed in with it and the fault was traced to a crack in the cylinder head. Further inspection showed the engine required a full rebuild so the engine was removed whilst the bodyshell went to have the paint defects attended to.
Further investigation showed that the specific engine fitted to this car was a very rare example of the Fiat twin-cam which was only produced for six months. It quickly became apparent that sourcing parts was going to prove a challenge. Many parts had to be specially made in order to rebuild the engine including the new pistons which were manufactured in Italy by a specialist. All this sadly caused significant delays in completing the car and getting it back on the road for the owner.
We are thrilled that this project is now complete and has been returned to its very patient owner so they can get some enjoyment out of it before autumn sets in. Once the weather turns we will have the car back for a check-over and to attend to any niggles which have been identified.

Jaguar XK150 servicing

This Jaguar XK150 drophead coupe was in with us for servicing. We carry out servicing on any number of Jaguars and other classics. When we carry out a full service our engineers undertake an over 100-point inspection of the car. We do our very best to leave no stone unturned to ensure any potential issues are identified. We will then report back to the customer having completed this inspection and can plan any additional work required. We will always advise if work is needed immediately or if it is something to budget for in the future.
On occasion, we will identify an issue before it causes any noticeable problems. This can take the form of leaking brake seals, worn-out bushes, corrosion or issues with the fuel or ignition system. Sometimes customers will quite rightly point out that they were not experiencing any issues when driving. Our response to this is that we have found a potential issue that the customer can then monitor. By keeping on top of these kinds of items you can ensure that your classic car stays reliable and you can continue to enjoy using it.