Escadrille Ecosse Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 3 hours ago, Sprint95m said: What a fantastic looking car. Always thought the Series 1 was the best looking, especially with the indicators above the front bumper. The late Queen Mother, during her annual holiday at the Castle of Mey, (which she had restored in the 1950s,) used an early XJ12 to get about. You are in good company! Ian Yup, a lovely car in excellent nick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted November 11, 2023 Author Share Posted November 11, 2023 7 hours ago, JohnD said: When I visited Poland (It was in 1992) the main transportation outside cities seemed to be horse and cart - the 'hard shoulders' of main roads were marked for their use! Not my own pic, but just the same as I saw then! When I arrived in '96, I hired a Peugeot 106 to visit Berlin. The easy option, by train, would have taken me 7 hours, but masochism prevailed and I travelled the much-vaunted single-carriageway Moscow-Berlin highway. Including a delightful four-hour sojourn on the German border, it took me 12 hours. Main Polish roads in those days were reasonably wide, but had a hard white line separating a shoulder zone for farm traffic. The last 100km-or-so leading up to the German border was memorable for being adorned with a vast array of garden gnome shops and ladies of pleasure (locally known as 'TIRówki - lorry ladies) touting their dubious wares. But I digress... With neither respect for the law, nor basic common sense, Polish drivers would assume that when they needed to overtake, oncoming traffic would courteously move aside. My bleary-eyed introduction to the concept was on the return journey, when I crested a low hill to be greeted by a horse and cart coming towards me, being overtaken by a FIAT 126, being overtaken by a 38-tonner, being overtaken by a large and ancient Mercedes saloon. Simultaneously. There wasn't room for all of us on the road, and the oncoming traffic had no intention of yielding, but fortunately, the grass verge was soft and the Peugeot suspension compliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 2 hours ago, PaulAA said: Polish drivers would assume that when they needed to overtake, oncoming traffic would courteously move aside Syria was like that. And farm traffic would use whichever side of a dual carriageway they found more convenient, regardless of travel direction. Africa had it’s moments too, but my closest call personally was in Cyprus - absolutely deranged overtaking! Having just braked hard and almost crashed to make room for the lunatic overtaking us in the face of an oncoming truck, we rounded the next bend to find the same lunatic upside down in the ditch having had to avoid two oncoming trucks side by side…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 Evening, chaps. With six months of Jag ownership behind me, I thought it might be time to share a couple of discoveries and observations. First, the good news: - the first service eliminated the smell of fresh fuel in the boot and was probably down to incorrect and under-tightened hose clips. - the wiring behind the drop-down panel carrying the five subsidiary dials is a joy of braided cabling untouched by enthusiastic restorer. I have spent several evening sat in the driver's seat, lost in admiration at the tidy and ancient array of cables and fuses. - despite needing to tickle the deadman's switch next to P on the gear selector, it has yet to fail to start at the first turn of the key. - I have already experienced a Great Moment, learning, digesting and applying the laws of vacuum ventilation control to resolve a spaghetti of disconnected tubes and correctly reconnect them to deliver heat and fresh air. I was so pleased that I shared this momentous news with The Boss, who was considerably less overjoyed than I was. Now the rest: - the recent-model radio was installed by a small-brained incompetent with no understanding of basic electrics whatsoever. Why it had not gone up in smoke and flame is little short of a miracle. - the front timing cover and gearbox shed generous, though not disconcerting, amounts of oil and the rear wall of the garage now has two black elipses at exhaust pipe height, which give me an excellent target to aim for when reversing into the parking space. Clearly, I need to have the engine pulled and at least re-gasketed, but I've bought a larger drip tray instead. Can kicked down the road. - it is not nearly the fanny-magnet that the TR is. Sorry, I meant to observe euthemistically that it doesn't attract as much attention from the casual bystander as the Triumph. - fuel consumption is eye-wateringly dreadful and completely unconnected with the delivery of anything akin to power. In fact, the greatest sense of velocity is the speed at which the fuel gauge moves. - I have identified one web forum, where participants respond copiously, selflessly and sometimes usefully with many and varied details and guidance. Other than that, the Jaguar fraternity appears not to indulge in the kind of cameraderie and mutual support that is the very bastion and bedrock of Sideways and the Triumph Brotherhood. Not only in fora, but also in Instagram, there is a palpable disinterest from owners in other, similar Jags. I'll be generous and call it snootiness, although a selection of Father Jack's words spring more readily to mind. But here's a picture of old girl: 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshire_spam Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 10 hours ago, PaulAA said: I have identified one web forum, where participants respond copiously, selflessly and sometimes usefully with many and varied details and guidance. Other than that, the Jaguar fraternity appears not to indulge in the kind of cameraderie and mutual support that is the very bastion and bedrock of Sideways and the Triumph Brotherhood. Not only in fora, but also in Instagram, there is a palpable disinterest from owners in other, similar Jags. I'll be generous and call it snootiness, although a selection of Father Jack's words spring more readily to mind. Funny how different marques/enthusiasms for cars vary in terms of the engagement. A long time ago I helped my dad restore and rebuild a pre-war Rover, with a small number of exceptions the owners/enthusiasts for that era of cars were a funny stand-offish bunch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Try the Ford Transit Mk6/7 page on Facebook. Any Q gets facetious/sweary "advice" whatever the problem. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshire_spam Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 42 minutes ago, JohnD said: Try the Ford Transit Mk6/7 page on Facebook. Any Q gets facetious/sweary "advice" whatever the problem. John Thanks John, I might just pass on that experience! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zetecspit Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 But what do you expect from a group who by definition are "white van man"? A campervan group may be more genteel experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Oh, there are better! Much better! Transit Owners website for instance. !Sorry - thread diversion! Back to Jaaaaaaaaaags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egret Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 13 hours ago, PaulAA said: That is looking particularly beautiful! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 On 3/5/2024 at 10:22 PM, PaulAA said: have already experienced a Great Moment, learning, digesting and applying the laws of vacuum ventilation control to resolve a spaghetti of disconnected tubes and correctly reconnect them to deliver heat and fresh air. I was so pleased that I shared this momentous news with The Boss, who was considerably less overjoyed than I was. This made me laugh Can definitely relate. As for partner appreciation….. “that’s good dear” is about as effusive as it gets! On 3/5/2024 at 10:22 PM, PaulAA said: fuel consumption is eye-wateringly dreadful and completely unconnected with the delivery of anything akin to power. In fact, the greatest sense of velocity is the speed at which the fuel gauge moves. As I may have remarked before, these are somewhat notorious for drinking like a navvy on shore leave. So whether yours is normal or worse than normal is a little hard to judge! If it’s got those auxiliary cold-start enrichment devices tacked on to the SUs then these have a rep for adding to the problem. If the exhaust smells fuelly and makes your eyes water, look there first. They are fine wafty ride though. I still remember my first encounter with one in the early 80s, aged maybe 13/14, being chauffeured from school to a hospital appointment by an attractive South African lady. They had brought the Jag back with them from SA and it was pristine. And utterly unlike anything I’d ridden in before. And yes, as noted - it’s a fine looking beast. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andymcp Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 IMHO Jaguar have never produced a bad looking car... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted March 8 Author Share Posted March 8 10 hours ago, andymcp said: IMHO Jaguar have never produced a bad looking car... I see where you're coming from, but I feel that their 21st century stuff has not been outstanding. I read yesterday that they will stop making saloons as they phase out the current XJ/XF ranges, to concentrate on SUVs. They certainly seem to have lost their way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted March 8 Author Share Posted March 8 1 minute ago, PaulAA said: I see where you're coming from, but I feel that their 21st century stuff has not been outstanding. I read yesterday that they will stop making saloons as they phase out the current XJ/XF ranges, to concentrate on SUVs. They certainly seem to have lost their way. Hold me beer - I've just been to their website and that's already happened. Why would the Tata-owned Jaguar compete directly with the Tata-owned Range/Land Rover range in the same market sector..? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStupps Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 24 minutes ago, PaulAA said: Why would the Tata-owned Jaguar compete directly with the Tata-owned Range/Land Rover range in the same market sector..? A folk-memory of British Leyland days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 1 hour ago, PaulAA said: Why would the Tata-owned Jaguar compete directly with the Tata-owned Range/Land Rover range in the same market sector..? Why indeed? 1 hour ago, PeteStupps said: A folk-memory of British Leyland days? And with a similar reliability rep too…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 On 3/7/2024 at 10:01 AM, Nick Jones said: As I may have remarked before, these are somewhat notorious for drinking like a navvy on shore leave. So whether yours is normal or worse than normal is a little hard to judge! If it’s got those auxiliary cold-start enrichment devices tacked on to the SUs then these have a rep for adding to the problem. If the exhaust smells fuelly and makes your eyes water, look there first. I had a chum help me with checking (and ultimately replacing) the thrust washer on TR yesterday (a process which revealed something I wish I hadn't seen...), who happens to know a thing or tow about the XK engines, so we sauntered over to the XJ. He showed more pragmatism that I would have given him credit for, and opined that all XKs leak copiously, even when the gaskets (including one of asbestos rope) are replaced. Best investment is a good drip tray. But the HD8s involved much more teeth sucking. Clearly, they are not as straightforward as the HS6s (it's a Jaaag - how could they be?) and now I have a lengthy shopping list of new needles, spindle seal kits, jet assemblies and overhaul kits. This should be fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 Just now, PaulAA said: a thing or tow I think that might be a Freudian slip I will live to regret. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 26 minutes ago, PaulAA said: a process which revealed something I wish I hadn't seen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 58 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: Yeah. Slightly concerning. Good luck with the HS8 rebuilds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 7 hours ago, Nick Jones said: Yeah, well... I pulled the rear main bearing cap to access the thrust washer and discovered that the crankshaft is sufficiently scored to be detectable with the fingertip, with corresponding signs of wear in the lower bearing shell. The shells themselves are Vandervall 5106, so I'm assuming that the engine has been re-built at least once. * disclaimer: not my fingers The engine holds good oil pressure and there's no knocking, so I'm going to kick that can along the road a bit as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 The VP5106 is an OE bearing number, so hasn’t necessarily been changed before (unless there was also an undersize marked on it not shown in pic). Good oil pressure, no noises…. Don’t sweat it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 18 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: unless there was also an undersize marked on it not shown in pic There isn't. This is the other side: Apologies for the blur. The stamp is 149082 I naturally assumed that Vandervall was far too good to be mid-70s BL parts bin material... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 Nope, OE was Vandervell VP2 tri-metal. Best of the bunch. Unfortunately NLA…. May not actually be original, but original quality. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted Wednesday at 01:42 PM Author Share Posted Wednesday at 01:42 PM On 3/7/2024 at 10:01 AM, Nick Jones said: As I may have remarked before, these are somewhat notorious for drinking like a navvy on shore leave. Loins girded, we had an outing in the XJ over the weekend. Lovely weather and we went to visit the in-laws. A round trip of 160km, starting and finishing in the city, but mostly on the equivalent of A-roads, cruising at about 80kph. Gentle stuff, no severe gradients, no 'launch control' starts I brimmed the (left) tank before the trip and have just re-brimmed it after. And then fell over. 19litres/100km = 12.5mpg. I wondered if there is a hole in the tank, which odourlessly eviscerates the contents. Or a wily neighbour with a pass key to the filler lock and a long piece of flexible tube. I even wondered whether I'd re-filled the wrong tank in a moment of delirium. But no. It really is that thirsty. Thank goodness I didn't buy a V12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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