Things have been happening on the XJS the last few weeks. I think it's the warmer weather combined with breaking the back of the heavy body work on the car.
The doors are now epoxy primed inside and out. This only leaves the bonnet and lower front valance panels to go. All of those panels will wait until closer to final assembly. The bonnet because it's so large and I don't want it getting damaged when it's in primer almost ready to go, plus I may or may not need to modify it a little for engine clearance. The valance panels can wait because they're unimportant right now and they don't butt up to any other panels without a break, so colour match isn't critical.
The doors all primed:
And I put some pinchweld along the bottom edges after they were primed to protect the edges while they sat around:
All the bolt on panels will get scuffed down and hi filled in the next week or two (there are a few tiny dings that have become obvious after putting on the fairly glossy epoxy primer that need reworking), then I can wet sand everything back and start thinking about putting some colour on everything!
I've also rebuilt the master cylinder and painted the engine bay hard lines to make them look a bit nicer again. They still have plenty of zinc left on them but were a dull grey and mottled. I like to paint lines in an aluminium coloured paint, the aluminium in the paint weathers just as the lines would and look about as natural as painted lines can.
The brake booster/pedal bracket also got a proper wire wheeling, epoxy primed and aluminium paint as well. No more corroded, pitted white bracket for this Jaguar ever again! I also lucked out and found a recently reconditioned brake booster in my stash of parts I'd been collecting over the years. So the brakes at this end are all brand new now.
I took the opportunity to re route the rear brake hard line away from exhaust manifold heat as well. It also saves it from damage and looks much neater:
I've still got to paint the hard line that runs across the firewall to the LH side and fit it. All it's related hardware will get painted as well. The positive battery cables have also been refitted on the firewall now although not in the photo above.
The pressure differential warning block also get disassembled and reconditioned. Yes, I know, they can't be rebuilt....but oddly, I did it. They are simple to disassemble, pop switch and end cap off. In the recess the switch screws into are two circlips on the differential valve that limit motion. Remove them (if they bend big deal, they are only circlips, easily replaced), and slide the valve out through the big plug end. The seals inside will remain undamaged, but they are only O rings, so again, easily replaced. The valve doesn't move in normal use, so there is absolutely no seal or valve wear. Pop it out, clean everything well and reassemble.
If you own an XJS with this valve and it's never been apart, I strongly recommend disassembling it. The one on my car was very stuck with a fair bit of corrosion on the body at the outer ends internally. I doubt it would've moved with differential pressure applied to it. It's a useless item if it's not free to move. To check it just remove the switch and use a screwdriver to try and move the valve back and forth. No movement and you know what to do:
Bonnet latches have also been dug out of hibernation along with bonnet hinges and these with some other small parts and their fasteners will get ultrasonically cleaned shortly, refinished and installed. I've found plain old bicycle brake/shifter cable is a perfect replacement for the firewall cables for the latches.
Upper and lower front control arm bushes have also been ordered, balljoints to follow. As the body progresses up to final paint, the front suspension will come into the garage and be disassembled and cleaned, then I can bolt up the crossmember and recondition the control arms and brakes. That will allow me to start work on engine mounts etc after the body is painted and not be anywhere near fresh paint for several weeks whilst I play around with that.
Of course the rear suspension and cradle will have to be offered up to trial fit the engine as well and that'll get recoed at some stage as well.
So some good progress is happening and the momentum is picking up again.
The doors are now epoxy primed inside and out. This only leaves the bonnet and lower front valance panels to go. All of those panels will wait until closer to final assembly. The bonnet because it's so large and I don't want it getting damaged when it's in primer almost ready to go, plus I may or may not need to modify it a little for engine clearance. The valance panels can wait because they're unimportant right now and they don't butt up to any other panels without a break, so colour match isn't critical.
The doors all primed:
I've also rebuilt the master cylinder and painted the engine bay hard lines to make them look a bit nicer again. They still have plenty of zinc left on them but were a dull grey and mottled. I like to paint lines in an aluminium coloured paint, the aluminium in the paint weathers just as the lines would and look about as natural as painted lines can.
The brake booster/pedal bracket also got a proper wire wheeling, epoxy primed and aluminium paint as well. No more corroded, pitted white bracket for this Jaguar ever again! I also lucked out and found a recently reconditioned brake booster in my stash of parts I'd been collecting over the years. So the brakes at this end are all brand new now.
I took the opportunity to re route the rear brake hard line away from exhaust manifold heat as well. It also saves it from damage and looks much neater:
I've still got to paint the hard line that runs across the firewall to the LH side and fit it. All it's related hardware will get painted as well. The positive battery cables have also been refitted on the firewall now although not in the photo above.
The pressure differential warning block also get disassembled and reconditioned. Yes, I know, they can't be rebuilt....but oddly, I did it. They are simple to disassemble, pop switch and end cap off. In the recess the switch screws into are two circlips on the differential valve that limit motion. Remove them (if they bend big deal, they are only circlips, easily replaced), and slide the valve out through the big plug end. The seals inside will remain undamaged, but they are only O rings, so again, easily replaced. The valve doesn't move in normal use, so there is absolutely no seal or valve wear. Pop it out, clean everything well and reassemble.
If you own an XJS with this valve and it's never been apart, I strongly recommend disassembling it. The one on my car was very stuck with a fair bit of corrosion on the body at the outer ends internally. I doubt it would've moved with differential pressure applied to it. It's a useless item if it's not free to move. To check it just remove the switch and use a screwdriver to try and move the valve back and forth. No movement and you know what to do:
Bonnet latches have also been dug out of hibernation along with bonnet hinges and these with some other small parts and their fasteners will get ultrasonically cleaned shortly, refinished and installed. I've found plain old bicycle brake/shifter cable is a perfect replacement for the firewall cables for the latches.
Upper and lower front control arm bushes have also been ordered, balljoints to follow. As the body progresses up to final paint, the front suspension will come into the garage and be disassembled and cleaned, then I can bolt up the crossmember and recondition the control arms and brakes. That will allow me to start work on engine mounts etc after the body is painted and not be anywhere near fresh paint for several weeks whilst I play around with that.
Of course the rear suspension and cradle will have to be offered up to trial fit the engine as well and that'll get recoed at some stage as well.
So some good progress is happening and the momentum is picking up again.
