This week in the workshop 04/07/20
Welcome to the first of what we plan to be regular updates on work we are undertaking in the workshop. We are now back up to full operating speed! Suppliers are now back on line and as we explain below customers are supporting us, if not pressing for work to be undertaken! These articles will be varied and won't include everything we are doing at any one time but we hope to give a flavor of what we're up to on a day to day basis. This will also give us the opportunity to check back in with longer term projects and restorations as they progress. If you have any suggestions or anything you would like to see, please do get in touch and let us know.
XK150 and XK120
Here we have a regular customer's XK150 FHC in for a service and MOT. We know this car very well and have been looking after it for almost 10 years. It is one of the finest XK150s out there and is a joy to drive.
In the background, you can see an XK120 OTS which is at the very end of a full nut and bolt restoration. This is a very special car which has been built to a lovely specification with extra attention to reproducing how it was in period. We will feature more on this car soon.
V12 E-Type Gearbox conversion
This Jaguar E-Type V12 has been with us to be converted from an automatic to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The customer has also taken the opportunity to remove the air conditioning and the restrictive American market air intake. We are just in the process of testing and modifying the interior panels.
In the background, you can see two body-shells from restorations we are currently undertaking. Above is an XK150 DHC and below is what will be built as a fast road/rally specification XK120 FHC.
XK120 pedal box upgrade
This stunning Jaguar XK120 OTS or "roadster" is in for a pedal box upgrade. This is one of our most popular upgrades and can really transform an XK for the taller driver and is of particular benefit in an XK120. This conversion allows more leg room by moving the drivers bulkhead further into the engine bay and fitting a custom set of hydraulic pedals
E-Type rear axle overhaul
Jaguar E-Types are wonderful cars to drive and this is in no small part due to the invocative rear suspension setup developed for it. Worn and tired bushes can really take their toll on an E-Type's handling and this is even more apparent on the V12 models. We are carrying out an extensive program of works on this E-Type and this week we have removed, rebuilt and refitted the rear axle assembly. It is worth taking the time to attend to all aspects of this at once including brakes and shock absorbers when you have the unit removed.
Jaguar XK150 electrical work
A key element of reliable classic motoring is having your electrics in tip-top shape. Tired wiring or poorly installed upgrades can cause no end of problems. This XK150 is lucky to have good wiring but had developed intermittent faults with its electric cooling fan and the automatic choke. The cooling fan issue has been resolved, the car has been run up to temperature and kept hot for some time in the workshop to test this thoroughly as can been seen from the photograph with the exhaust extractor fitted. The otter switch was found to be causing the choke fault so the customer opted for our manual choke switch upgrade.
