About one hundred years ago, a group of British drivers formed The Automotive Association (AA) to figure out ways to mitigate speed traps set up by local British police. They employed scouts on bicycles to patrol suspected traps and warn AA members. The notion of marking cars who were AA......
Preparing a classic car for winter storage typically involves a car cover of some sort. While deluxe covers sporting Jaguar logos, reflective welting, cable/lock and carrying tote cost up to $600, a simple grey lightweight cover provides good dust and debris protection (inside use only). Budge, a respected brand, offers......
British Pathé made this brief newsreel (see embedded video below) on October 6, 1962 about a grueling circuit called The Motor Six Hours International Saloon Car Race located at the Brands Hatch, Kent track. The race was won by Michael Parkes and Jimmy Blumer driving a 3.8 Mk2. They finished......
See also spinner tool enhancement post. The 3D printed sleeves work just as intended; they hold the wood “paddle” in place without hands so one can swing the hammer accurately....
Between October 1959 and September 1967, Jaguar manufactured 83,980 Mark II vehicles, split between right- and left-hand drive, and spread across three engine sizes (2.4, 3.4, and 3.8 liter). During the course of production, Jaguar also made many change orders, some to improve performance or eliminate defects, and others to......
See also hub spinner tool overview. The polyurethane mirror finish on the wood spinner tool has kept its surface clean, but the performance of the tool hasn’t meet expectations. The problem is that once in position over the hub, the wood piece tends to move off the ears at an......
Post-graduate update In August 2017, we drove the Mk2 to the Annual JCNA Concours d’Elegance (New England chapter) held at Sturbridge, Massachusetts. We entered Class 8 (Champion category that has strict period-correct rules) and suffered deductions for 1) leaving the radiator in its natural brass finish, 2) modern hose clamps,...
Continue reading...With the Mk2 now on the road, attention turns to maintenance. Here is a quick summary of inspection and lubrication tasks. WEEKLY check coolant level, add if necessary up to bottom of filler neck check belt tension for 1/2″ of play; inspect for wear check engine oil level, add if......
See also the complete replacement parts list. What does it cost to restore a Jaguar saloon? First, project cost is roughly proportional to the condition of the vehicle you start with. Second, cash outlay depends on how much work, or “sweat equity”, you put in yourself versus relying on the......
Jaguar provided new owners with a Handbook for each model (the 3.4 and 3.8 have slightly different versions of the Handbook). Several upgrades – alternator, expanded fuse box, electronic distributor, hazard warning, and so on – will be change specifications and operation, so an updated Handbook would be handy. We’ll......
