"Progress"

And here's where we're at now.

The goal - Hallett!

Hallett is a nice 1.8 mile 10 turn road course in Oklahoma. It has 80 feet of elevation change and is considered Technically Difficult. It has wide, grassy run-off areas and zero concrete or Armco barriers. Hallett is unique in that it can be run in either clockwise or counter-clockwise directions ­ making it two completely different race courses.


Hallett also has a nearly monthly open track day for street cars. I'm trying to get the XJ-S ready for a late spring or early fall run, dragging along a few friends with a '71 Datsun 240Z and a modified 1959 Jaguar Mark II.


My plan is to continue breaking down the XJ-S. Anything that doesn't help accelerate, brake, turn, or make the car road legal is dead weight and comes off.  Additional brake cooling, very good brake fluid, track capable pads, good suspension bushings, shocks from this decade, new tires, racing helmet, steering lock removal, the list goes on and on.

Busy Busy.

   But mostly on other projects. A deck, a shooting range, replacing a cell phone, and so on. Also now working 6 days a week.
   The XJ-S is currently mostly stripped. I need to find a few pictures of that. Next Project, building a rolling chassis rotisserie.
   Dad's XJS is likely to join mine in the garage soon. It appears to be consuming excessive amounts of coolant.

Bead Roller!

Bead roller come in Friday. UPS did their very best to destroy it.

 They did manage to destroy one grease zerk. I guess all of the packages they rammed it against acted as cushioning.

 The one problem with this inexpensive bead roller is flex. Some tube steel and welding fix that, but does incur a weight penalty.










Very rigid now, and much more red.

24ga sheet metal (.0239") will not hold more than a couple pounds over a 10" span without deforming.











Tests of small and large bead rolling, 2"/2"large steps, 1"/2" large steps, and 1.25"/1.25" large steps. The last two will hold 235lbs, the latter even with moderate bouncing. Using correct floor pans material at about 19gauge (.0418) should increase that significantly.

Back in the garage.

 Back in the garage, but not rolling completely freely.

















A maze of wires, and a lot of rust near the floor pans.

 Air pump missing courtesy of previous owner. Mechanical fan, radiator, upper radiator support, AC compressor and condenser removed.

I think the headlight buckets may become cold air intakes. The front cross member appears rust free, primarily due to oil leaks. I'd also like to find a way to vent the engine compartment, maybe louvers in the fenders, or at the low pressure area just behind the radiator.

 Layers, and layers of carpet, padding, insulation, and sound deadener being removed. I know why they are so quiet and heavy. Still debating on whether to keep or pull the window frame and glass. Or maybe cut the welds to make it a bolt in and out assembly, sounds interesting.

New goal... street legal track car.

Seems like the best use of an old 11mpg jaguar is annoying the hell out of other cars on a track.
http://www.kutuka-north.co.uk/
I like it.

Antelope!

I think I've found the future paint color... Antelope metallic. Dark enough for the chrome to pop, and light enough for high contrast with the rubber. Shouldn't super heat in the sun like the current blue. Has a lot of character in the sun.

Free kittens...

are never free.

Fuel tank integrity and capacity test. 24 gallons and FAIL!
There are a few smaller holes just barely dripping below 'old faithful'. Once cleaned to bare metal I suspect a few other pinholes to show. Have not yet found a new tank, let alone a price for same. As it's a small area I'm thinking about solder/leading to repair.

 The other pinholes.
Also found a refurbished fuel tank... $1050!!!! Used tank, no pictures $600. Ridiculous.  I could have a custom aluminum fuel cell for that.

Tear down begins.

 Hood, bumper, and front valence off. The hood needs longer struts so it opens further. Front bumper has some light rust and rubber damage. Later models had aluminum bumpers.... hmmm. Headlight surround and grill are plastic, missing some chrome, and have some damage. Also one headlight bucket is missing a adjuster screw. Engine oil was thin and smelled of gas.

 Fuel tanks. Yes, tankS. The main 24 gallon tank drains into a 1/2 gallon sump tank. The sender is in the main, the pickup is in the sump.  I've heard rust nighmares on theses, but mine suffer mainly from battery acid damage. The main has been repaired with epoxy before. My pre filter on the pickup had come apart. There's apparently a larger replacement available.

Fuel tanks out. You can just see the ECU on the right. SO far not much rust in the trunk, but some battery acid damage. I'll have to install the new battery in a sealed plastic container vented outside the trunk.

Fascinating.

Jaguar does some of the oddest things. In an American car of the same vintage a front bumper would be a stamped and chromed steel single piece unit held on with 4-6 carriage bolts, or a one piece molded plastic part help on with a dozen screws in front of a painted metal bumper. Not Jaguar. 3 rubber skirts reinforced with metal held on by 20-some bolts with oval washers, possibly originally stainless steel, and a steel bumper, fabricated from several pieces, with a rubber covering held on with clips, more oval washer bolts, and springs to keep everything taut.
I can imagine a Ford accountant asking a jaguar designer how they could possibly make money given the expense, complexity, and and labor involved. "With panache." or "We can't." would have to be the answer, depending on whether the question was asked in 1978 or 1999.

The horror, the horror....

 Driver's 'floorboard'

 I don't even know the name of what's left of that panel. It's behind the brake and gas pedals, and I believe it's structural.

 Passenger 'floorboard'

The rail formerly known as frame. Taken from underneath, drivers side, beside the transmission tunnel.

DOH!

 Stable is getting full. Time for more spring cleaning.

 I didn't know brake fluid could coagulate?... crystallize?... do that.

 I hate rust.

 And bad paint, hate bad paint.













Rat bastards! Judging by the bones they died for their transgression though. Wonder if they were sipping green wine through a fresh hole in a radiator hose.

Lola

Repair manuals bought.

Amazon is a wonderful thing. $85 for both.

Home!

She's home! A 1978 Jaguar XJ-S with 5.3 liter V12 (Pre HE) motor, three speed automatic, salisbury limited slip differential, 4 wheel disc brakes with inboard brakes on the rear, and more hoses, wires and tubes than any sane person would put in an engine compartment.
Any old car is a bit of a question mark due to previous owners, and Jaguar even more so due to the factory! More specs to follow as they are checked. Engine turn freely, but not running due to mouse damage... probably. Fuel mileage... don't ask! Horsepower potential... high.