Suffolk Jaguar SS100
Discussion
We've now gone as far as we can with the chassis before fitting the engine and transmission, still being rebuilt By Mick Hicks at Tourist Trophy Restorations. Mick himself was stuck for parts he's ordered from M C Wilkinson, Jaguar parts specialists of South Yorkshire and they in turn were also waiting for a couple of parts from their engineering partners. Following a few weeks of fairly intensive work on the SS, this weekend with nothing to do came somewhat as an anti climax and, as I was at a loose end, I decided to drive over to Wilkinson's - only a couple of hours away (Yorkshire is the Texas of England!) - and collect what parts were immediately available. I was pleasantly surprised to be advised that most of the outstanding parts had arrived there on their previous working day and I was able to load up all the parts with the exception of two gearbox parts that Wilkinson's said would be 'chased up' with their engineering partners. I must say I was totally impressed with Wilkinson's - their enthusiasm and dedication to anything and everything Jaguar was incredible - and the work going on in their specialised restoration engineering shop - I could hardly call it a common 'workshop' - was mind blowing! And friendly people, too, enthusiastically and proudly showing me round. I shall count myself to be fortunate that they're within easy driving distance.
Which brings me to the real point of this 'blog' - one of the parts I brought back with me was a starter motor. Mick Hicks, drawing from his Jaguar racing experience, had already recommended that we fit a new Hi-torque starter motor that I understand was developed for racing E-types, being lighter and more compact. I mentioned this to Mike Tink of Suffolk which prompted him to advise me of something I wasn't aware of until then. The standard Jaguar cast aluminium bell-housing has a large bulge on the side to accommodate the standard starter motor's substantial pinion. Apparently in the case of the SS this would cause a rather inconvenient intrusion of the foot well - not good for a normally configured biped! It was brought to my notice that this is rectified on factory built cars by cutting away the bulge, plating the hole and fitting a smaller starter. My new starter motor would be suitable for this mod, so that's what we had to do. Here are a few more pictures ....
This is a standard bell housing with the bulge ....................... and here is the modified housing
The new lightweight Hi Torque compact starter motor
And for comparison purposes the old and the new ..........
Which brings me to the real point of this 'blog' - one of the parts I brought back with me was a starter motor. Mick Hicks, drawing from his Jaguar racing experience, had already recommended that we fit a new Hi-torque starter motor that I understand was developed for racing E-types, being lighter and more compact. I mentioned this to Mike Tink of Suffolk which prompted him to advise me of something I wasn't aware of until then. The standard Jaguar cast aluminium bell-housing has a large bulge on the side to accommodate the standard starter motor's substantial pinion. Apparently in the case of the SS this would cause a rather inconvenient intrusion of the foot well - not good for a normally configured biped! It was brought to my notice that this is rectified on factory built cars by cutting away the bulge, plating the hole and fitting a smaller starter. My new starter motor would be suitable for this mod, so that's what we had to do. Here are a few more pictures ....
This is a standard bell housing with the bulge ....................... and here is the modified housing
The new lightweight Hi Torque compact starter motor
And for comparison purposes the old and the new ..........
Edited by Roadstar800 on Monday 12th November 21:45
Squirrelofwoe said:
Watching with interest!
My fiance's dad has one of these under construction in his garage, alongside his Healey 3000. It's currently on pause (aside from parts arriving) pending completion of another project, but parts of the suspension components/wheel hub assemblies have been fitted, and pretty much everything else is there ready for the chassis, including the fully rebuilt engine.
He's currently helping me with a small garage build for my TVR on the proviso that I help him crack on with the SS100 in the new year- probably the easiest deal I've ever agreed to!
Now THAT is interesting - Before starting the build I tried to make contact with anyone doing the same. We could have swapped notes! It sounds as if your future F in L is at exactly the same stage as us. I’d love to hear of any problems he’s encountered to see how they compare to mine and how they were resolved. I assume he bought a 4.2 donor from Suffolk? Does he have the body yet? My fiance's dad has one of these under construction in his garage, alongside his Healey 3000. It's currently on pause (aside from parts arriving) pending completion of another project, but parts of the suspension components/wheel hub assemblies have been fitted, and pretty much everything else is there ready for the chassis, including the fully rebuilt engine.
He's currently helping me with a small garage build for my TVR on the proviso that I help him crack on with the SS100 in the new year- probably the easiest deal I've ever agreed to!
Hi Plum
You've built TWO? Wow! I suppose by now you'll know how to built the third one! https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/imgs/2.gif
You sound just the man I was hoping to hear from.
Is there any way I can PM you?
I'll hold my hand up to the 'cable brake' for par - I should have written 'mechanical' .
I've tried the link you provided but it tells me it doesn't exist - I'll keep trying ...
Cheers
You've built TWO? Wow! I suppose by now you'll know how to built the third one! https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/imgs/2.gif
You sound just the man I was hoping to hear from.
Is there any way I can PM you?
I'll hold my hand up to the 'cable brake' for par - I should have written 'mechanical' .
I've tried the link you provided but it tells me it doesn't exist - I'll keep trying ...
Cheers
It was great meeting Bodmino at the NEC Classic Car show a couple of weeks ago and being able to swap notes with a fellow builder. I'll certainly be keeping in touch and looking forward to comparing notes with him as and when the occasion demands it - for advice as I strive to catch up with him!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch .... we're fully worked up as we await the next stage of the build - installation of the power train - and work has come to a grinding halt until we get the engine. Mick Hicks has now rx'd all the outstanding parts and is busy building up the engine which is a slower process than normal as, apart from Mick being extraordinarily meticulous, many parts call for plating, painting or polishing as they are reassembled. Here are a few pictures for your interest ...
Block blasted and painted authentic period Jaguar colour with casting suitably highlighted .....
New pistons and con rods. The original crankshaft reground to take the modified crankshaft end oil seal and installed .... all internal moving parts balanced beforehand, including flywheel and clutch.
Timing chains and tensioner installed - the original tensioner was hydraulic and depended on the oil pressure, meaning that on start up was 'slack' until the pressure built up. Later models were modified to 'spring and ratchet' to avoid this and so we elected to fit the later type as being mechanically preferable. Sump on .....[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/OHr8hAnk[/url]
Building up the front end with new water pump etc., oil filter mounting and bypass installed, new head studs ... flywheel and clutch on ......[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/GCmct0cQ[/url]
All ready to accept the power train ........ !!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch .... we're fully worked up as we await the next stage of the build - installation of the power train - and work has come to a grinding halt until we get the engine. Mick Hicks has now rx'd all the outstanding parts and is busy building up the engine which is a slower process than normal as, apart from Mick being extraordinarily meticulous, many parts call for plating, painting or polishing as they are reassembled. Here are a few pictures for your interest ...
Block blasted and painted authentic period Jaguar colour with casting suitably highlighted .....
New pistons and con rods. The original crankshaft reground to take the modified crankshaft end oil seal and installed .... all internal moving parts balanced beforehand, including flywheel and clutch.
Timing chains and tensioner installed - the original tensioner was hydraulic and depended on the oil pressure, meaning that on start up was 'slack' until the pressure built up. Later models were modified to 'spring and ratchet' to avoid this and so we elected to fit the later type as being mechanically preferable. Sump on .....[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/OHr8hAnk[/url]Building up the front end with new water pump etc., oil filter mounting and bypass installed, new head studs ... flywheel and clutch on ......[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/GCmct0cQ[/url]All ready to accept the power train ........ !!
Edited by Roadstar800 on Monday 19th November 23:29
Alloy cam covers and various engine brightwork de-greased and cleaned - assembled ready to be polished
The head being prepped after skimming - new valves and guides, painted with the correct Jaguar colour code and the alloy cam covers half-way polished
Making a start on the gearbox .... ! All it apparently needed was a new layshaft as the original showed evidence of the hardening wearing thin but we're also replacing all the bearings too, as a matter of course. All gears and synchro's in good original condition.
Edited by Roadstar800 on Thursday 22 November 10:54
While I'm waiting for the power train to be finished, which is well on its way now, Mick Tink of Suffolk has been keeping me up to date with progress of the body shell. It's been molded and is in their workshops being readied for the doors and alloy bonnet parts to be fitted. The fitting of these is a specialist craftsman's job - it isn't just a case of bolting them in. The individual doors are meticulously hand fitted to the apertures and skimmed, shimmed and adjusted until they are in perfect alignment. When finished they close with a satisfying 'clunk' with the shut-lines just 'so'. I know this because I've seen them do it in Suffolk's workshops! Similarly with the centre hinged louvered alloy bonnet that is precisely lined up to the radiator cowl. These are specialist craftsmen jobs that will be completed before the body is delivered to me - or, in this case, before I go to the factory to collect it. I have ordered the body unpainted but I could just as easily asked for it painted in a colour of my choice. I was in two minds in this respect as I originally intended to complete the body installation unpainted as it would be a relatively simple matter to rectify any holes drilled in error whilst a mistake with a painted body would be quite a different matter! Of course, assembly with an unpainted body would mean a lot of extra work pulling it all apart afterwards in order to have it painted and then re-assembled! As it happens I've decided to have the body put in colour locally and I'll be fitting it to the chassis in its new coat on the premise that at least 'my' painter will be at hand to repair any damage that may or, hopefully, may not occur.
The finished GRP moulding needs time to cure before being painted and so the time taken to fit these components proves to be quite convenient. It is scheduled to be ready for us at the end of January, after we've recovered from Christmas!
Here are a couple of pictures of the newly molded body in Suffolk's workshops, courtesy of Mike Tink
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/wbqMc1CI.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/0oDnZK4J" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img[url][img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/0oDnZK4J.jpg)
The finished GRP moulding needs time to cure before being painted and so the time taken to fit these components proves to be quite convenient. It is scheduled to be ready for us at the end of January, after we've recovered from Christmas!
Here are a couple of pictures of the newly molded body in Suffolk's workshops, courtesy of Mike Tink
Edited by Roadstar800 on Monday 3rd December 22:32
When I first embarked on this project I was asked if I wanted all the components in one shipment or to take them in stages. I elected to take it in stages for two reasons, firstly because I would have needed two parking bays - one for the chassis and the other for the body - and my second bay was occupied by another car, and, secondly, I was originally planning the build over at least a year. As it happens, once started we were imbued with such enthusiasm that we couldn't put the job down and it looks as if we're going to finish it much earlier, possibly in six months. I've already made arrangements to put my spare car into local storage for a month when the body arrives. Meanwhile Mike Tink has asked me to provide him a list of options as some of them have to be specially made and take a couple of months. These include the archetypal headlights. There are two options, the expensive one being hand made replicas of the original. The standard ones are almost - but not quite - as good and unless you know what you're looking at, you maybe wouldn't realise the difference. But I'll come back to the headlights in the future, when we're fitting them - right now I want to tell you about the steering wheel option. The steering wheel has always irked me because I knew it couldn't truly be replicated because of the engine controls on the boss - advance/retard and suchlike - that aren't necessary on a modern engine. The most common option is the wood rimmed alloy spoked Motolita that admittedly looks nice enough but in my mind, maybe wrongly, shouts 'out of era'. So I was very pleasantly surprised when Mike advised me of a new replica option with a black plastic rim and molded covers over the spokes. The only things missing are the engine control levers, but I can live with that! But enough of written descriptions - let me show you what I mean. Here are two pictures - one is of a genuine 1941 registered SS100 (probably built in 1938 and stored during the war years) and the other a Suffolk SS100 (picture courtesy of Mike Tink) and I defy you to tell the difference (without resorting to the clues I've already given you!) All I have to say is that it's a testament to Suffolk's pursuance of visual perfection!
Coincidentally, both cars are finished in white with red leather - the choice of finish for my SS100. The genuine article on the left sports a red leather dash inlay too, which I'd proposed for mine well before I came across the picture. You may be interested to know the picture was uplifted from Sothesby (I think) catalogue for this SS that was offered for sale this summer for £235,000. I don't know exactly how much it made - anyone?
To go back to the Suffolk - I think I will dispense with the engraved SS and finish the plain alloy boss in matt black paint. What do you guys think?
Coincidentally, both cars are finished in white with red leather - the choice of finish for my SS100. The genuine article on the left sports a red leather dash inlay too, which I'd proposed for mine well before I came across the picture. You may be interested to know the picture was uplifted from Sothesby (I think) catalogue for this SS that was offered for sale this summer for £235,000. I don't know exactly how much it made - anyone?
To go back to the Suffolk - I think I will dispense with the engraved SS and finish the plain alloy boss in matt black paint. What do you guys think?
Edited by Roadstar800 on Monday 3rd December 22:18
Edited by Roadstar800 on Monday 3rd December 22:19
Edited by Roadstar800 on Monday 3rd December 22:23
We're midway through December and the engine rebuild is nearly finished now and will be hooked up to the transmission very shortly. The ignition system has been converted to electronic by Powerspark and a new alternator has been fitted, cunningly disguised in the original dynamo casing, also from Powerspark. The exhaust manifold, yet to be fitted, will be a stainless 'bunch of bananas', an option offered by Suffolk who also offer refurbished ceramic coated cast iron XK originals. The original SU carbs have been fully refurbished with parts supplied by Burlen, who else? All the cast alloy components, such as the iconic 3.8 XK cam covers, have been meticulously polished to mirror standard with many hours of work by Mick Hicks, who is responsible for the whole engine and transmission work - a dedicated and skilled Jaguar mechanic with more years than I care to recall under his belt.
We're virtually at Christmas Eve and the engine's finished now except for the bits and bobs that can only be completed when it's installed in the chassis, such as throttle linkages and rerouting of a bit of pipework when the individual air filters are fitted.
In the following pictures the 'bunch of banana' exhaust manifolds have been temporarily slotted into place for the photo-shoot. These are optional from Suffolk, the standard ceramic-coated cast iron XK ones being standard fitment. Although I love the look of the stainless 'bananas' I wouldn't haven't been averse to the standard cast iron manifolds as they are actually more in keeping with the original SS100 2.5 litre engine.
The pics show the superb alternator disguised in an original type dynamo casing. It really looks the part and it would have been a pity to have spoiled the look by fitting a modern style alternator. The bolts and stainless cap on the back of the casing has been fabricated by Mick of Tourist Trophy Restorations to cover the takeoff for the power steering pump that was originally fitted to the donor car. As the SS100 doesn't need power steering, the pump has been discarded.
In the following pictures the 'bunch of banana' exhaust manifolds have been temporarily slotted into place for the photo-shoot. These are optional from Suffolk, the standard ceramic-coated cast iron XK ones being standard fitment. Although I love the look of the stainless 'bananas' I wouldn't haven't been averse to the standard cast iron manifolds as they are actually more in keeping with the original SS100 2.5 litre engine.
The pics show the superb alternator disguised in an original type dynamo casing. It really looks the part and it would have been a pity to have spoiled the look by fitting a modern style alternator. The bolts and stainless cap on the back of the casing has been fabricated by Mick of Tourist Trophy Restorations to cover the takeoff for the power steering pump that was originally fitted to the donor car. As the SS100 doesn't need power steering, the pump has been discarded.
Work resumed in the New Year - which reminds me ... HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.
The engine and transmission has been installed in the Suffolk chassis, and very well it looks, too! It's really starting to look like a motorcar now and almost as if we can see the end in sight. I did say ALMOST as I appreciate the amount of intricate work in front of us. I have been continually reminded of this after meeting - and overcoming - one or two little problems, or challenges as I prefer to call them. Most of them have been a result of my sourcing a 3.8 XK engine instead of the more usual 4.2 version. Naively I assumed there would be no difference between the two, at least as far as installation was concerned but it turned out that there were differences in the ancillaries, the main one being the water pump, that called for various mods.. Since Christmas we seem that we have taken a step back for every two forward but hey - that's the joys and challenges of building your own car! And we're certainly enjoying the experience.
For those interested I'll tackle the problems - and solutions - under separate headings, one by one, but meanwhile here are a couple of pics of the car in its current state
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/Haizz10p[/url]
The engine and transmission has been installed in the Suffolk chassis, and very well it looks, too! It's really starting to look like a motorcar now and almost as if we can see the end in sight. I did say ALMOST as I appreciate the amount of intricate work in front of us. I have been continually reminded of this after meeting - and overcoming - one or two little problems, or challenges as I prefer to call them. Most of them have been a result of my sourcing a 3.8 XK engine instead of the more usual 4.2 version. Naively I assumed there would be no difference between the two, at least as far as installation was concerned but it turned out that there were differences in the ancillaries, the main one being the water pump, that called for various mods.. Since Christmas we seem that we have taken a step back for every two forward but hey - that's the joys and challenges of building your own car! And we're certainly enjoying the experience.
For those interested I'll tackle the problems - and solutions - under separate headings, one by one, but meanwhile here are a couple of pics of the car in its current state
[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/Haizz10p[/url]Challenge #1 NEAR-SIDE ENGINE MOUNT
Suffolk supply the powder coated engine mount brackets in the kit. Because the engine and transmission is slightly offset to the left they are by necessity asymmetrical - the right hand one having a greater reach than its opposite partner. The right hand one fitted without a problem. The left hand one would have, too, had we opted for the standard alternator as supplied by Suffolk but we had decided on our rather snazzy dynonator - an alternator built into the original dynamo casing - instead. There are pics of it in previous posts. The original dynamo was mounted on the substantial original left hand engine bracket which didn't fit the Suffolk chassis because the engine mounting points in the chassis had been subtly altered - both in longitudinal position and also the angle of the chassis pad. After weighing up our options - which included reverting back to a modern alternator - we decided to try and modify the original Jaguar bracket incorporating the dynamo mount to suit the Suffolk chassis. This was not as easy as it sounds because one of the mounting points in the block was now conflict with the newly positioned (and re-angled) plate to which the rubber mounting was to be bolted. Another two mm and we wouldn't have been able to do it - as it was there was no room for a normal bolt head, much less access for a spanner or even a socket, so we had to resort to an allen bolt instead. Even then we had to drill an access hole through through the bracket to reach it. Here is a pic of the newly fabricated bracket on a trial run before we cleaned it up and had it powder coated. The brazing that can be seen is merely for cosmetic purposes as a 'filler' - the weld is on the other side. I'm pleased and relieved to report that it was a success and we've managed to hold on to our lovely dynonator.
Suffolk supply the powder coated engine mount brackets in the kit. Because the engine and transmission is slightly offset to the left they are by necessity asymmetrical - the right hand one having a greater reach than its opposite partner. The right hand one fitted without a problem. The left hand one would have, too, had we opted for the standard alternator as supplied by Suffolk but we had decided on our rather snazzy dynonator - an alternator built into the original dynamo casing - instead. There are pics of it in previous posts. The original dynamo was mounted on the substantial original left hand engine bracket which didn't fit the Suffolk chassis because the engine mounting points in the chassis had been subtly altered - both in longitudinal position and also the angle of the chassis pad. After weighing up our options - which included reverting back to a modern alternator - we decided to try and modify the original Jaguar bracket incorporating the dynamo mount to suit the Suffolk chassis. This was not as easy as it sounds because one of the mounting points in the block was now conflict with the newly positioned (and re-angled) plate to which the rubber mounting was to be bolted. Another two mm and we wouldn't have been able to do it - as it was there was no room for a normal bolt head, much less access for a spanner or even a socket, so we had to resort to an allen bolt instead. Even then we had to drill an access hole through through the bracket to reach it. Here is a pic of the newly fabricated bracket on a trial run before we cleaned it up and had it powder coated. The brazing that can be seen is merely for cosmetic purposes as a 'filler' - the weld is on the other side. I'm pleased and relieved to report that it was a success and we've managed to hold on to our lovely dynonator.
Edited by Roadstar800 on Saturday 16th February 20:56
Edited by Roadstar800 on Saturday 16th February 21:00
Swallownut said:
Coming along nicely, isn't it? I see you have opted for the replica Hartford shock absorbers; visible from the front. A nice touch. For those who are unfamiliar with this detail, these lever arm dampers are a nod to the originals but are merely cosmetic. The actual working units are coil overs as per XJ6 and adjustable. It is just this kind of detail that sets the Suffolk apart from the rest.
When I was at the Classic Car show at the NEC last year, I took the opportunity to photograph the real thing from the days when all cars had leaf springs and live axles - but regretfully didn't make a note of the make and model of the car at the time! Anyway, here is the pic.... You can clearly see the interleaved discs of friction material (similar to disc brake pads). By tightening the central pivot the discs are pressed tighter together thus resulting in a stiffer damping, the little red pointer giving some indication on the star indicator what you can expect, in this example over a range of 1 (soft) to 5 (stiff). I imagine they would be a nightmare to set up accurately but thankfully, as Swallownut points out, the Suffolk has modern (but nevertheless adjustable) hydraulic dampers.Edited by Swallownut on Friday 15th February 17:49
Challenge #2 - THE 3.8 WATER PUMP AND RADIATOR FAN
The kit came with a rather unimpressive bright blue six blade plastic fan of small diameter. I'd originally imagined that the reduced diameter was dictated by a narrow radiator and bonnet line. When we tried to bolt it to the 3.8 Jaguar water pump boss we found that there was no way it would fit as the mounting bolts on the pump boss were way too wide apart. The plastic fan was designed for a 4.2 water pump with a narrower boss. And we couldn't drill new holes in the plastic fan as they would have been outside the moulded centre. After unsuccessfully surfing the net for a suitable fan we referred to Mike Tink at Suffok. He suggested changing the 3.8 water pump with that from a 4.2 that he said could be done with minor mods to the front alloy timing chain cover. I didn't fancy that! So I elected to fit the original 12 blade metal engine fan and cut it down as required. When we came to fit it - ostensibly to see how far we had to reduce the diameter (which would have been considerable!) - we found it fitted perfectly and didn't need cutting down at all as the radiator was mainly the same width as the donor car rad. There was plenty of room. This left us a little mystified until we realised that the 4.2 water pump had a much deeper boss, although much narrower, than the 3.8, which effectively pushed the fan nearly a couple of inches forward. Then the penny dropped! Immediately in front of the engine there is a transverse chassis member and the reduced diameter of the plastic fan was necessary to clear that - not, as we imagined, to accommodate a non-existent narrower radiator! The large diameter fan mated to our original shallow boss 3.8 water pump meant the plane of the fan was moved nearly two inches rearwards to that of the plastic fan and thus cleared the chassis member by a good half inch. A result!
However, our joy was somewhat mollified when we then realised that this success led directly to two more problems - the radiator hoses!
Next challenge ...
Challenge #3 - THE BOTTOM RADIATOR HOSE
The 3.8 water pump inlet spigot is not only in a different position to that of a 4.2, it is also of a smaller diameter. The custom made hose supplied by Suffolk was designed for the 4.2 pump. Although, obviously, it fitted at the radiator end, which incorporates a more than 90 degree turn to clear the offside front lower suspension fulcrum and chassis, it was nowhere near in direction, diameter or even length at the water pump end. For a while we contemplated having a one-off custom hose made up, but we found out that this would mean first having a metal hose fabricated as a pattern which would then be 'wrapped' in silicone 'bandage' and cured. We could only imagine the cost, let alone how long it would have taken! After consulting Performance Hoses of Derby - recommended by Mike Tink - we finally resolved the problem by reducing the Suffolk hose in length - which also conveniently got rid of an unnecessary curve and the wide diameter 'funnel end' - and having Performance Hoses make us a new, straight end of correct diameter to suit the 3.8 pump and mate it to the modified Suffolk hose by means of an alloy tube insert. The cost? £23 plus postage! Oh - and the cost of two extra jubilee clips! The waiting time? Next day!
The next challenge - the top hose - was a horse of different colour! Not because of the water pump but because of our big Jaguar fan ! Watch this space .....
The kit came with a rather unimpressive bright blue six blade plastic fan of small diameter. I'd originally imagined that the reduced diameter was dictated by a narrow radiator and bonnet line. When we tried to bolt it to the 3.8 Jaguar water pump boss we found that there was no way it would fit as the mounting bolts on the pump boss were way too wide apart. The plastic fan was designed for a 4.2 water pump with a narrower boss. And we couldn't drill new holes in the plastic fan as they would have been outside the moulded centre. After unsuccessfully surfing the net for a suitable fan we referred to Mike Tink at Suffok. He suggested changing the 3.8 water pump with that from a 4.2 that he said could be done with minor mods to the front alloy timing chain cover. I didn't fancy that! So I elected to fit the original 12 blade metal engine fan and cut it down as required. When we came to fit it - ostensibly to see how far we had to reduce the diameter (which would have been considerable!) - we found it fitted perfectly and didn't need cutting down at all as the radiator was mainly the same width as the donor car rad. There was plenty of room. This left us a little mystified until we realised that the 4.2 water pump had a much deeper boss, although much narrower, than the 3.8, which effectively pushed the fan nearly a couple of inches forward. Then the penny dropped! Immediately in front of the engine there is a transverse chassis member and the reduced diameter of the plastic fan was necessary to clear that - not, as we imagined, to accommodate a non-existent narrower radiator! The large diameter fan mated to our original shallow boss 3.8 water pump meant the plane of the fan was moved nearly two inches rearwards to that of the plastic fan and thus cleared the chassis member by a good half inch. A result!
However, our joy was somewhat mollified when we then realised that this success led directly to two more problems - the radiator hoses!
Next challenge ...
Challenge #3 - THE BOTTOM RADIATOR HOSE
The 3.8 water pump inlet spigot is not only in a different position to that of a 4.2, it is also of a smaller diameter. The custom made hose supplied by Suffolk was designed for the 4.2 pump. Although, obviously, it fitted at the radiator end, which incorporates a more than 90 degree turn to clear the offside front lower suspension fulcrum and chassis, it was nowhere near in direction, diameter or even length at the water pump end. For a while we contemplated having a one-off custom hose made up, but we found out that this would mean first having a metal hose fabricated as a pattern which would then be 'wrapped' in silicone 'bandage' and cured. We could only imagine the cost, let alone how long it would have taken! After consulting Performance Hoses of Derby - recommended by Mike Tink - we finally resolved the problem by reducing the Suffolk hose in length - which also conveniently got rid of an unnecessary curve and the wide diameter 'funnel end' - and having Performance Hoses make us a new, straight end of correct diameter to suit the 3.8 pump and mate it to the modified Suffolk hose by means of an alloy tube insert. The cost? £23 plus postage! Oh - and the cost of two extra jubilee clips! The waiting time? Next day!
The next challenge - the top hose - was a horse of different colour! Not because of the water pump but because of our big Jaguar fan ! Watch this space .....
Edited by Roadstar800 on Tuesday 19th February 18:18
Challenge #4 - THE TOP HOSE
The Suffolk kit is designed around the 4.2 XJ6 engine and as such it comes with a cast alloy Suffolk water jacket, to bolt on to the front end of the 4.2 inlet manifold, incorporating the outlet spigot that accepts the top hose. The alloy Suffolk radiator is beautifully made and has the inlet spigot and radiator cap sited in the centre of the header tank and pointed downwards with a slight offset to the right, away from the fan, which normally would be the small diameter plastic fan provided, as shown in this pic with the original large diameter donor Jag fan fitted instead of the Suffolk fan ....
Normally the Suffolk supplied top hose would clear the Suffolk supplied small diameter fan and execute a right angle turn directly into the Suffolk water jacket modification - as the following pic of a 4.2 engined car photographed in Suffolk's own workshop shows. Also in the pic, the Suffolk water jacket can be seen, although this one is an earlier type and the current later one-piece jacket is much neater. As a matter of interest, our 3.8 manifold doesn't need this modification and the top hose can go straight on to the original 3.8 manifold spigot that conveniently is more or less in the same position as that provided by the Suffolk jacket ...
But you can clearly see, in the previous pic, that in this case the top hose would get in the way of our large diameter fan. Our solution - with the blessing of Mike Tink - is to cut off the spigot to the filler cap, blank it off leaving the filler cap in situ, and move the separate spigot to the right in place of the threaded fitting that can be seen in the pic of the unpainted radiator. This threaded fitting is intended for an expansion tank outlet that is mostly never used and is in our case superfluous. The one on the left is for the supplementary electric fan switch. This work is currently being undertaken as I write but I can include another pic of the spigot and header tank prepped ready for welding ...
TO BE CONTINUED ....
The Suffolk kit is designed around the 4.2 XJ6 engine and as such it comes with a cast alloy Suffolk water jacket, to bolt on to the front end of the 4.2 inlet manifold, incorporating the outlet spigot that accepts the top hose. The alloy Suffolk radiator is beautifully made and has the inlet spigot and radiator cap sited in the centre of the header tank and pointed downwards with a slight offset to the right, away from the fan, which normally would be the small diameter plastic fan provided, as shown in this pic with the original large diameter donor Jag fan fitted instead of the Suffolk fan ....
Normally the Suffolk supplied top hose would clear the Suffolk supplied small diameter fan and execute a right angle turn directly into the Suffolk water jacket modification - as the following pic of a 4.2 engined car photographed in Suffolk's own workshop shows. Also in the pic, the Suffolk water jacket can be seen, although this one is an earlier type and the current later one-piece jacket is much neater. As a matter of interest, our 3.8 manifold doesn't need this modification and the top hose can go straight on to the original 3.8 manifold spigot that conveniently is more or less in the same position as that provided by the Suffolk jacket ...
But you can clearly see, in the previous pic, that in this case the top hose would get in the way of our large diameter fan. Our solution - with the blessing of Mike Tink - is to cut off the spigot to the filler cap, blank it off leaving the filler cap in situ, and move the separate spigot to the right in place of the threaded fitting that can be seen in the pic of the unpainted radiator. This threaded fitting is intended for an expansion tank outlet that is mostly never used and is in our case superfluous. The one on the left is for the supplementary electric fan switch. This work is currently being undertaken as I write but I can include another pic of the spigot and header tank prepped ready for welding ...
TO BE CONTINUED ....
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