Restoration, 2001
After moving car to own garage, it was
possible to dismantle bigger parts. I started with front axle subframe, as all
joints and rubbers needs to be replaced and with axle out comes also steering
box, to which I have to do something, to repair the disappearing power
assist.
All bolts came loose quite easily, thanks to friendly
California climate (no rust), but removing heavy front axle subframe is
definetely two man job, luckily my brother came to help me.
After removing the front-axle, I started replacing rubbers
and joints. Of course it is impossible to use normal spring compressors in Mk2
subframe, so I made the special tool mentioned in workshop manual to compress
the spring. Everything else came out pretty easily, but ball joints required
quite a big sledgehammer to hit the wedge several times. Maybe easier with
pull-out tool?
And here is front axle subframe back
together with new joints and bushes, ready to go back to chassis.
Next step was brakes, first master cylinder which leaked. I
had ordered new seals couple months ago, trusting that this old car should have
Dunlop master cylinder, based on chassis number. Maybe I should have bothered to
check (but the car was in garage few miles away), because now I found out that
the car has Girling master cylinder and I have wrong seals. Oh well, I need some
other parts too, so new parts order is needed anyway.
Here are front calibers, as whole
and in parts. All seals looked good, so I didn't replace those. Something I will
regret some day... Update May 2002: Rear seals started leaking...
Replaced.
Next step was to open power assisted steering box. Drawing
in the service manual looks pretty complicated and so is PAS opened! Anyway, if
a man has made it, a man can open it. And hopefully put back
together...
And here it is in parts. It's actually
pretty simple to dismantle. But you better to do that over a big bowl to collect
all recirculating balls. I guess previous opener did not do that, as there were
23 silver balls and 20 black ones (should be 22 each). And U-tube (left in
picture) was hammered to cylinder so that it was bent and balls could not go
through it. I hope this and wrong number of balls are the reason for my steering
problems. Of course finding imperial sized balls is impossible from metric
Finland, but I got 5.5mm ones which differ only 0.033mm from the correct one, I
hope poor old PAS won't notice the difference! And I was able to bend and grind
the tube so that balls move through it again. With new seals I put everything
back together. Piston rings are really difficult to put back, specially if you
don't have 'special piston ring compressor' mentioned in service manual. I
didn't. Othervise it was pretty simple to put back together.
Reassembled PAS box. I don't know yet if service helped, I
haven't put it back to car yet, because I'm doing some other things in the
car.
As PAS hoses were removed, it was good time to check
generator and PAS pump, specially when this car has charging problems. After
opening generator, I found that one brush spring was broken, most likely the
reason for charging problems. In this picture there is already a new spring,
which I luckily found from local auto electric service, no need to order it from
UK.
Here is a PAS pump opened. No problems inside, so I just
cleaned it.
And here is a generator (type C42) and PAS
pump attached into it. Next step is to put all parts back and try it!
Everything back together. I haven't tested yet if steering
improved or not, because I'm going to open and service rear brakes also and I
won't put brake fluids in before that. And I won't take test drive without
brakes! Thanks to my friend Harri for helping to put the heavy axle subframe
back.
I got temporary bored to dirty works (grease etc) and
decided to do some interior work in between. Steering wheel center was fastened
with tape as fastening clips were broken. I had no idea how the original
fastening clips look like, but I figured something like in the picture and it
seems to work quite well. At least prettier than tape. I also painted Jaguar
emblem back red as old color was fainted/cracked.
Here is the radio console with a new
vinyl. The radio is old but not old enough, not original. Will do for me unless
original one comes to my way. Or maybe I put a modern CD/Radio in someday, I'm
not so purist for originality.
Then rear brakes, including handbrake. In the picture
before and after. Pads were so seized that I had to hammer them out. Kind of
swollen, strange. As car has narrower (Mk1?) rear axle, the handbrake cables
were too long and PO had shortened them by clamps. I made new cables, but in a
long run I need to find Mk2 rear axle.