Tales from the workshop; bodged Jaguar MKII and easy LandRover fix

[thieuster]

For a long time, we've been (and are) working on a firetruck-red Jaguar MKII. The car is in a really bad shape. It's also RHD - that lowers the value of the car. In our opinion the car is beyond economical repair. But the owner is too much attached to it. Over the years, the sills have been replaced, parts of the b and c pillars, the inside of the rear wheel arches, the floor pans, both sides and from the front to the rear. Always one side at the time - just to have references and just to be sure that the integrity of the body is still okay.

Last month, one of the guys in the shop welded new lower parts in/on all 4 doors. And we haven't started with the fenders. Always a major operation on a Jag: these beautifully curved fenders are welded and lead-loaded into shape. Last Friday the owner came by and asked how long it would take before work on the fender would start. First thing was a magnet to check if there was any sort of bondo or filler. The first magnet didn't 'catch' any metal. A stronger one failed to find metal as well... Out came the flex grinder and the result? The worst bodging I've ever seen. It looks like someone has tried to render the walls of the Tower in London! Tons of filler, filler and filler. One pic says it all, I suppose!



The LandRover County-story...

This morning an old customer arrived. A few years back, someone came in with a LandRover County V8 on LPG. He wanted the LPG removed. We took it off, tuned the engine (timing, carbs, plugs etc) and off he went. Now, 3 years later, the owner's father arrived with the car. Asking for help. His son had moved to the mostwesternpart of the country and his Landy had developed a problem: the engine refused to rev above 3200, 3400 rpm. Below that, the car ran fine: easy starting, brilliant idle run etc. The owner and his father had already spent 700 euros on repairs, but nothing really worked! New ignition, new plugs, tuning, head gasket test (how and why, I wonder). So he took the car on this beautiful day - drove it back east where the guys in the shop did a great jobb a few years ago.

So, off came the air filter box, the air filters etc. The owner had tried that as well and found the car more free-revving when the box was removed! So we checked the Stormberg needles (more air = better running? Perhaps a little more fuel?) But the car ran flawless when hooked up to the gas flow tester! Revving the engine by hand wasn't a problem as well. We took the car for a spin without the airbox and there was some improvement. But not really a big one.

Then we realised that we hadn't checked the opening of the valves inside the carbs! So one of us sat in the driver's seat and I watched the spindles. Then it became clear what was the cause! The cable attachment to the LH carburator (and interlinked the RH as well) was obstructed by plumbing that runs across the top of the engine from one valve cover to the other! A simple tie-wrap cured the problem!! With the airbox installed, the lower part of the box pressed on the hose and the other end (under the carb) was pushed upwards, hindering the spindle even more. That's why the car ran more easy without the box!

Total costs? One hour work @ 60 euros.

[sish101]

For a long time, we've been (and are) working on a firetruck-red Jaguar MKII. The car is in a really bad shape. It's also RHD - that lowers the value of the car. In our opinion the car is beyond economical repair. But the owner is too much attached to it. Over the years, the sills have been replaced, parts of the b and c pillars, the inside of the rear wheel arches, the floor pans, both sides and from the front to the rear. Always one side at the time - just to have references and just to be sure that the integrity of the body is still okay.

Last month, one of the guys in the shop welded new lower parts in/on all 4 doors. And we haven't started with the fenders. Always a major operation on a Jag: these beautifully curved fenders are welded and lead-loaded into shape. Last Friday the owner came by and asked how long it would take before work on the fender would start. First thing was a magnet to check if there was any sort of bondo or filler. The first magnet didn't 'catch' any metal. A stronger one failed to find metal as well... Out came the flex grinder and the result? The worst bodging I've ever seen. It looks like someone has tried to render the walls of the Tower in London! Tons of filler, filler and filler. One pic says it all, I suppose!



The LandRover County-story...

This morning an old customer arrived. A few years back, someone came in with a LandRover County V8 on LPG. He wanted the LPG removed. We took it off, tuned the engine (timing, carbs, plugs etc) and off he went. Now, 3 years later, the owner's father arrived with the car. Asking for help. His son had moved to the mostwesternpart of the country and his Landy had developed a problem: the engine refused to rev above 3200, 3400 rpm. Below that, the car ran fine: easy starting, brilliant idle run etc. The owner and his father had already spent 700 euros on repairs, but nothing really worked! New ignition, new plugs, tuning, head gasket test (how and why, I wonder). So he took the car on this beautiful day - drove it back east where the guys in the shop did a great jobb a few years ago.

So, off came the air filter box, the air filters etc. The owner had tried that as well and found the car more free-revving when the box was removed! So we checked the Stormberg needles (more air = better running? Perhaps a little more fuel?) But the car ran flawless when hooked up to the gas flow tester! Revving the engine by had wasn't a problem as well. We took the car for a spin without the airbox and there was some improvement. But not really a big one.

Then we realised that we hadn't checked the opening of the valves inside the carbs! So one of us sat in the driver's seat and I watched the spindles. Then it became clear what was the cause! The cable attachment to the LH carburator (and interlinked the RH as well) was obstructed by plumbing that runs across the top of the engine from one valve cover to the other! A simple tie-wrap cured the problem!! With the airbox installed, the lower part of the box pressed on the hose and the other end (under the carb) was pushed upwards, hindering the spindle even more. That's why the car ran more easy without the box!

Total costs? One hour work @ 60 euros.

I have a 1996 Defender County. I wish all my fixes were so easy and cheap! Horror story with that Jag though. The owner certainly has dedication to the cause.

[Plug]

The LandRover County-story...

This morning an old customer arrived. A few years back, someone came in with a LandRover County V8 on LPG. He wanted the LPG removed. We took it off, tuned the engine (timing, carbs, plugs etc) and off he went. Now, 3 years later, the owner's father arrived with the car. Asking for help. His son had moved to the mostwesternpart of the country and his Landy had developed a problem: the engine refused to rev above 3200, 3400 rpm. Below that, the car ran fine: easy starting, brilliant idle run etc. The owner and his father had already spent 700 euros on repairs, but nothing really worked! New ignition, new plugs, tuning, head gasket test (how and why, I wonder). So he took the car on this beautiful day - drove it back east where the guys in the shop did a great jobb a few years ago.

So, off came the air filter box, the air filters etc. The owner had tried that as well and found the car more free-revving when the box was removed! So we checked the Stormberg needles (more air = better running? Perhaps a little more fuel?) But the car ran flawless when hooked up to the gas flow tester! Revving the engine by had wasn't a problem as well. We took the car for a spin without the airbox and there was some improvement. But not really a big one.

Then we realised that we hadn't checked the opening of the valves inside the carbs! So one of us sat in the driver's seat and I watched the spindles. Then it became clear what was the cause! The cable attachment to the LH carburator (and interlinked the RH as well) was obstructed by plumbing that runs across the top of the engine from one valve cover to the other! A simple tie-wrap cured the problem!! With the airbox installed, the lower part of the box pressed on the hose and the other end (under the carb) was pushed upwards, hindering the spindle even more. That's why the car ran more easy without the box!

Total costs? One hour work @ 60 euros.

A guy I used to work with had been a junior Jaguar mechanic in a previous life (back in the 90s). Part of his job was to take the cars out on the road and give them a "bit of a clear out" (i.e. hold it in gear and redline it for a minute or two) as part of a service. He took out a V12 XJ one day and was disappointed to find it wouldn't rev past 4K. They tinkered with it for ages (and several "road tests") to no avail, before some hours later someone had the bright idea of putting it on a Sun tester or whatever it was they had.

Turns out the car was revving out fine - the tacho was knackered...

Cheers,

Plug

[Franky Four Fingers]

It's amazing how simple some fixes are sometimes, you start looking at the more complicated thing and it'll be simple, you check the simple stuff and it'll be complicated.....you can't win!

[anz3001]

For a long time, we've been (and are) working on a firetruck-red Jaguar MKII. The car is in a really bad shape. It's also RHD - that lowers the value of the car. In our opinion the car is beyond economical repair. But the owner is too much attached to it. Over the years, the sills have been replaced, parts of the b and c pillars, the inside of the rear wheel arches, the floor pans, both sides and from the front to the rear. Always one side at the time - just to have references and just to be sure that the integrity of the body is still okay.

Last month, one of the guys in the shop welded new lower parts in/on all 4 doors. And we haven't started with the fenders. Always a major operation on a Jag: these beautifully curved fenders are welded and lead-loaded into shape. Last Friday the owner came by and asked how long it would take before work on the fender would start. First thing was a magnet to check if there was any sort of bondo or filler. The first magnet didn't 'catch' any metal. A stronger one failed to find metal as well... Out came the flex grinder and the result? The worst bodging I've ever seen. It looks like someone has tried to render the walls of the Tower in London! Tons of filler, filler and filler. One pic says it all, I suppose!

Thats the worst bodging you've ever seen? Lucky you!

[Thewatchbloke]

I got through quite a number of MkII's, S-types and 420's back in the day when they were just large, used, uneconomical barges that nobody wanted. I've seen thicker filler although not around the "a" pillar section of the front wing! Concrete sills and rear valances, the lower 8 inches of the front wings lovingly sculpted from filler, side light pods made from filler and rear spring hangers crafted from what looked like castrol gtx tins were some of the delights I remember uncovering on various steeds.

[dejjl]

My very first car, a Morris Marina Super in bright orange which cost £180, had one door filled with Sunblest bread bags. Imagine my surprise when I sanded it down and found the bags 'hiding' in the filler.