Reply With QuoteLovely car and very interesting post - thanks!
Last Saturday, a nice Jaguar E Type Coupe Series I (imho the nicest version!!) was rolled into the workshop. The car couldn't drive under its own power: the was something wrong with the gearbox.
Monday was used to take out the engine (looks to be in good nick) and the gearbox. Tuesday was use to open the box and start a search for new parts... And THAT proves to be difficult! Gearboxes for these cars are thin on the ground and a well restored box is like hen's teeth! Add to that that you can't look inside a restored box... you can imagine that the best option for this moment is to restore the box 'in house'. There are other options (I'll get back to that later).
First, the car: an older restoration silver coloured/ dark blue leather interior:
Sorry a flimsy pic of the front. Note the propeller shaped fan! The motor of that fan is more or less similar to a Lucas wiper gear motor with other internals. Most owners have ditched this archaic contraption for a Kenlowe (I prefer a Pacet fan, btw). We've 'tuned' the fan for the owner by alterering the angle of the blades - so that it wil displace more air...
A really nice engine bay; clean, complete and straight. No signs of previous accidents!
Here a few of the 'usual suspects'... When you look at it, you might think that this dirty tray isn't the best spot to build a gearbox.
But after a closer look, you'll agree that these shafts cannot be used 'as is'...
This is more like it! Notice all these bearing pins (dunno the correct word for them in English). These are not caged and have to be counted when you take the box apart and when you install it...
The idea is that the car will be ready next Friday (now Wednesday).
We had to use three boxes to make one new box. An alternative is the use of a BMW gearbox. Preferably from a BMW with a bigger engine, e.g. a 6 cyl car. Not cheap, but imho a good investment. You can imagine that the owner wasn't too keen on that idea - given the fact that he prefers the original fan over an electric fan.
Rumour has it that these BMW boxes are getting too expensive as well and the latest solution is a box from a Japanese car. For now I have no idea about that route.
Menno
Last edited by thieuster; 19th December 2015 at 19:18.
Lovely car and very interesting post - thanks!
I really enjoy these threads from you. Just wish that I could get involved in some of these things!
Couple of questions: Was the main issue the scoring on the shaft, or the pitting on the gear? Also, the pins; are these used as roller bearings, or are they dowel pins to hold the assembly together? If bearings and uncaged, it looks like a nightmare to get the pins back into position and re-assemble.
First and foremost: I forgot to mention that I personally am not capable of doing this sort of work! I really respect the guy who does this sort of job *) Silently, always in a positive mood and with a cigarette nearby he does wonderful things! Most of the wonderful pics I've shown here - including the complete restoration jobs on a Morgan and Volvo P1800 are work done by him. And since he's in his mid 30s, you can imagine that he has still a wonderful carreer ahead of him.
It's always hard to tell. The idea is that the teeth gave up and that 'swarf' has caused the scoring. What I didn't show is a couple of roller bearings all caged but also damaged.
The roller bearings on the pic are NOT caged... they have to be reinstalled uncaged. But with the help of proper grease and a large rubber band, things are apparently not so difficult... (hear say that is, I haven't done it myself...)
M.
*) Every now and then, this mechanic takes a few days off and travels to the UK. There's a collector with more than 100 cars in his garage. He does interesting jobs for that guy. That collection includes an Allard, Mercedes Gullwing (from the 50s), Ford Group B rallye car, GT40, a 356 and more. I personally haven't seen that collection. Only on pics. He does that on his own, we have no connection with that man and his collection.
Last edited by thieuster; 16th December 2015 at 14:06.
love your car threads and posts :)
every car is awesome
Thanks for posting Menno....my problems (today) with a modern Jag XF diesel and an old quartz ESA 947.111 pale into insignificance compared to this!
Paul
The only words I can think of are "patience of a saint".Originally Posted by thieuster
Thanks for the response. Gives a great insight into your world and the workshop.
I had to look three times to see that radiator fan.
Holy moly.
Rob.
Stunning motor, is the gear box auto only curious as there appears to be ATF on the bench.
I used to work in Harrogate the bloke next door had a stunning E-Type convertible given to him on his 21st birthday, lucky bigger.
Three pics from earlier this day. I'd anticipated that the car would be ready this morning, but half way through the process, we had a good look at the clutch etc. and convinced the owner to have that replaced as well. Granted, it still looked good, but when you're performing surgery like this, a new (complete) clutch replacement is relatively cheap! So we had to wait a day for the parts to arrive...
Monday the last and final jobs: fuel lines, airbox, radiator and... the bonnet! It can be done with 2, but 3 men is a better and safer solution. And then a test run. Little tricky, remember, the 'new' box is built from two other boxes... But it's not the first car that has undergone this treatment.
At least the car will be back in its stable before Christmas.
I received a question about the value of this car. Well... given the fact that it's a beautiful specimen, with an older paint job, I think that if you want to sell a car like this, an asking price somewhere north of 100K euros would be correct. This car is not for sale, btw.
The engine back in - a shiny jewel.
Look at the engine bay: totally straight, clean and unmolested. Quite rare; most Jags I see have had an accident somehow
Isn't it a beauty? One of the nicest cars in the workshop this year.
Stunning. I carried out a full restoration on something similar (1966 Series 1 4.2 FHC) in the 1990s. Mine was right hand drive though but your pictures take me back.
Going by the cylinder head colour this is either a 1961-64 3.8 Series 1 or a 1964-68 4.2 Series 1 as they both had the 3 SU carb set up. I'm going to go for the earlier 3.8 as the boot only has "JAGUAR" on it. The later 4.2 would have had "4.2" under the JAGUAR badge. If there was a picture of the bonnet then that would help as the bonnets of the early (Flat Floor) Series 1s lock down from outside.
However, the body coloured bracket and quadrant you can see below the control box (below the heater fan box - above the battery) would suggest that the bonnet for this car locks from the inside by using the chrome levers, one on each side below the dashboard.
Great job with the gearbox by the way. You've made someone's Christmas!!
Is that a new chassis? Looks very 'modern'?
Any interior shots, I think the E Type's dash is a work of art :)
A new chassis? I suppose you're referring to the subframe? Yes, could be a new one. Close to 3000 GBP will buy you a new subframe. Instalment is straightforward, but you have to consider the fact that both sides, where then shocks are located need to be absolutely in line! A few mms/thou off can jeopardise the steering!
I have no pics of the interior. My inferior(...) Nokia Lumia is not capable of taking proper pics without a flashlight. And the interior was pulled apart because the g/box tunnel had to be removed.
Menno
Yes thats what I meant, subframe. £K is a lot of money! So to get it onto the chassis with mm precision, how do you achieve such accuracy of alignment; does the whole thing need a custom jig?
Well, that is certainly a problem. According to my knowledge, the factory mounted the front frame / engine cradle arms (another term I've heared in the past) before the car was painted. QC on the tub was pretty good in the factory. Most tubs were pretty straight.
Jaguar came up with an ingenious gizmo to assure good alignment of the front frame: at the back of the frame, mounted on the bulkhead sits a fully adjustable reaction plate. That plate enables you to tune the geometry - provided it's not too far off due to an ill-repaired accident off course. Best is a square tub when you start. With a FHC like this, it's much easier to check all known measuring points. A roadster needs more attention. Only after you know that the tub is square, you can start replacing these arms!
And only after you've made sure all sits perfectly, you can take it apart again for the painters.
Note that these arms are strong, but also note that there are only a few setscrews that hold the engine + front suspension + lower part of the steering AND have to cope with bouncy roads! These bolts need special attention. And your local Halfords store might not store these Grade 5 (I think it is - I have to look it up!). I think that forumite find-400 can add useful, first hand information!
One of the things you need to check when you buy an E Type as restoration object!
Menno
Great stuff, Menno. Thanks for posting.
With regard to value, I reckon that €100k is very conservative, even for a left hand drive car. There's a specialist E-Type restorer in the New Forest who charge upwards of £200k for a restored car. Find one with a competition history and FIA papers and you can think of a very large number and double it.
http://www.newforestclassiccars.com/cars-for-sale/
definitely 3.8 has the bellows brake servo
Some of the geometry can be set reasonably simply though time consuming, With carefull levelling of the shell on stands on a GOOD flat floor, A drop test can be carried out with a plumb bob and chalk, There used to be multi car manuals with dimensions Etc but after enough info is transferred to floor it is relatively easy to check square/alignment, Snap on did such a manual, I have REALLY simplified this but it is not rocket science.
I saved this link for Christmas Day. Man! What a prices. It looks as if their work is excellent - according to the pics, it's stunning. But their asking prices are also stunning. 260,000 GBP is close to 300,000 euros for an early E-Type! Thanks for the link. Food for thought, I might say.
Menno
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