Jonn continued work on our 1963 Jaguar MKII, initially addressing an issue with the replacement water pump, which was found to be defective. The original unit was sent away for repair. He then turned his attention to the braking system, fitting new front pads. To ensure proper fitment and avoid any sticking within the callipers, he carefully sanded down the edges of the pads before installing the retainers.
Further inspection revealed complications with the front subframe mounts, where both studs had previously been welded back on and spacers had been added. Jonn replaced the mounts and fabricated a matching spacer for the nearside using a 12mm Nyloc nut to mirror the existing offside spacer. Once fitted and secured, the area was painted black for protection and consistency.
The rear axle trailing arms were stripped, aligned, and replaced with new components. Once secured, Jonn extracted the old fluid from the brake master cylinder reservoir and refilled it with fresh brake fluid. With John’s assistance, the entire braking system was bled and inspected for any leaks under pressure. The handbrake was checked and found to be functioning correctly.
Moving to the gearbox, Jonn investigated a weak return action in the 1st to reverse gate. After removing the centre console and gear lever gaiter, he inspected the gear lever mount but identified the issue within the selector mechanism. The tunnel cover was fully removed to access the top of the gearbox. Upon disassembly, the fault was traced to excessive stiffness in the gear lever mount, which was preventing the detent spring from returning the lever to its central position.
He stripped and cleaned the lever mount, lubricated it thoroughly, and reassembled it, taking care not to overtighten and compress the detent spring as it had been previously. A new split pin was fitted to the securing nut before reinstalling the assembly onto the gearbox. Subsequent testing showed significant improvement. The tunnel and centre console were refitted, gear engagement was checked again, and all was operating correctly. The seat bases were then reinstalled.
Finally, masking tape was removed from the fan, and any exposed areas were touched up in black paint, which was left to dry overnight. The wheels were refitted and securely knocked up, allowing the vehicle to be moved off the ramp if necessary.
