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I had a day where I just need to laugh at myself a little. It was a very good day. I painted the parts I had primed yesterday and they really do look nice. I also cleaned up the cage and the differential. I decided that the rusty iron of the differential would be easy to cover up with a little paint ...

I've always loved these cars, but man, that looks like a big deterrant to actually wanting to own one..


The IRS was designed for the E type which came to the market in 1961. That IRS never really changed much prior to it being used in my car. It was 30-year-old technology when my car was new ...

https://take4digital.com/jag29.jpg

The disassembly phase is complete. I got one of the four nuts to release, and I cut the other three. The driver’s lower control arm pivot axle was a bear to extract, but I won the battle in the end. I also removed the outer pivot on both control arms which ...

My first attempt with the impact this morning was a surprise success, but then nothing else after that wanted to move so I began the cutting process. I was able to cut two nuts without damaging the studs and then the rotor on the passenger side was free. Well, it was free except that the lower ...

I should buy some new wrenches. I had been looking at the GearWrench style. I love having a minimalist toolbox because everything is easy to find, but I am probably operating a bit too minimalist.

It is now 97 degrees outside so I am hiding from the heat. I got an early start this morning and ...

Today I began disassembly of the IRS. The first problem was finding out that most of the bolts that I needed to undo were 11/16” which is the only socket I don’t have in ½” drive. I also only owned metric impact sockets which made sense when all I owned was a Nissan and a VW, but not when I have a ...

https://take4digital.com/jag28.jpg

The beast is out. I was able to slide a couple of 2X4s into the IRS from the rear that gave me some leverage to control the roll of the assembly. It mostly sat nicely on the jack through the process. It had to come out sideways but I had enough forward and aft ...

It was another successful day, although I put in more hours than I expected today.

My first effort was at getting those radius arms disconnected. I really don’t know how we worked on cars before the internet. Between seeing actual pictures of the bushing and reading one Jag enthusiast’s ...

I had another good session with the car today. I got all eight main bolts undone. It is a frustrating nut and bolt arrangement with the nuts tucked up behind a frame rail. Luckily none of them were too difficult, but the wrench on the nut was difficult to manage while using a big breaker bar or ...

After a couple of nights of sleeping on it and a brief additional effort at trying to get that stuck brake pad to slide out, I decided that I bought the car as much for having something to work on as having something to drive. I have been spoiled by the driving. It is time to do some work. I have no ...

I have done some preliminary investigation on the air conditioning system. The compressor is not coming on, but there is still some positive pressure in the system. It is possible the system has leaked down enough that a pressure switch is preventing the compressor from running. It is possible that ...

It has been a lot more driving than wrenching lately. I finished my first 1000 miles in this car going out to dinner on Wednesday. So far, I am averaging over 13mpg which isn’t too far off the EPA rating of 14 combined (12 city/17 highway). It seems a little low given my mix of driving, but maybe I ...

I think the overheating problem is fixed. The dealer confirmed my suspicion that the fan was not running. Their explanation was that the factory missed a fuse and that they have seen this before. I haven’t yet verified that the problem is solved, but at least they found something simple. This ...

We took a great cruise yesterday. We drove north through the fun winding roads of Wind Cave NP and Custer SP to the park office to get our window sticker for the Honda. While we were there, we hiked our favorite trail in Custer SP. Then we headed north on the Needles Highway, one of the most famous ...

I had my first real trail run in the Honda yesterday. It was far less jarring than the Nissan used to be on that trail. Nothing on that trail is particularly challenging so it wasn’t much of a test, but certainly typical of the types of things I need a rugged vehicle for. The Honda did start to get ...