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The Award Winning Newsletter of
THE JAGUAR CAR CLUB OF VICTORIA Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Issue #64 March 2009
INSIDE
• PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE GONE BERSERK • REBUILDING AN XJ6 TRANSMISSION • FEBRUARY PROWL & COFFEE KLATCH REPORTS
page 2
THE JAGUAR CAR CLUB OF VICTORIA 2017 Cadboro Bay Road, Box 112
Victoria BC Canada V8R 5G4 www.jaguarcarclub.ca
[email protected] founded 2003
The Island Growler is published monthly, and is distrib-uted by mail and digital file to members of JCCV.
Submissions are encouraged. Copy deadline is the first of each month.
All back issues are available by digital file.
All information and advice is presented in good faith, and no liability whatsoever will be assumed by JCCV.
Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of JCCV, the Directors of JCCV, or of the Editor.
Layout Editor: John Gordon 250-477-4695 [email protected] Events Editor: John Fitzgeorge-Parker
250-598-4626 [email protected] Members’ Stories Editor: Peter Williamson 250-658-3380 [email protected]
We are affiliated with The Jaguar Clubs of North America
www.jcna.com
JCCV meetings take place on the fourth Tuesday of each month, except December, at 7:30 pm in the Chiefs & Petty Officers Mess, CFB Esquimalt, at 1575 Lyall Street in Victoria. Our AGM is held with the November meeting.
MEETINGS
Membership in JCCV is open to anyone interested in and enthusiastic about Jaguar automobiles. There is no need to own one of these fine cars to be a member.
For information, email us at [email protected] or drop us a note in the mail. We’ll send complete details.
If you believe that a Jaguar is more than just a car, you are one of us!
JCNA Chief Judge: Gregory Andrachuk 250-595-7453 [email protected]
JCNA Representative: Doug Ingram 250-370-2820 [email protected]
2008 DIRECTORS
This is a very special automobile; a 1989 Jaguar 5.3L, XJ Series III, V12 Vanden Plas, 4-door saloon with a “New Crimson” exterior and Doeskin interior. This model was considered to be the fastest production saloon in the world with a top speed of 150 mph; in its day, the very “top of the line”.
This particular car was first owned by E.J. Hughes, the distinguished Canadian landscape painter whose pictures now command spectacular prices. He used to sit in this car to prepare his sketches.
Now owned by John Fitzgeorge-Parker, this car has done very well in Regional Concours, competing in the “Driven” Division. Recently, John bought new springs, front and rear, for the car and his friends, helping to install them, decided “to fix a few other things as well” (see that story at page 5). A truly beautiful car, it is now in “original” con-dition, just as it was when it left the factory.
Photo by Nic Harvey
COVER PHOTO
Display advertising of interest to Jaguar enthusiasts is accepted. For rates and other information, please contact the Secretary-Treasurer.
Classified advertisements can be placed at no cost, and will run for a minimum of three issues. Please send de-tails to the Layout Editor.
ADVERTISING
President: Ian Cameron 250-652-1260 [email protected]
Vice-President: Isabel Weeks-Lambert 250-383-1928 [email protected]
Secretary-Treasurer: Doug Ingram 250-370-2820 [email protected]
Director: Steve Koerner 250-384-3367 [email protected]
Director: Mark Mayo 250-477-0335 [email protected]
Director: Graham How 250-383-9473 [email protected]
Director: John Gordon 250-477-4695 [email protected]
Adjunct Director: Tim Leslie-Spinks 250-217-5899 [email protected]
Past President: Howard Liptrot 250-389-0755 [email protected]
2009 DIRECTORS
APPOINTED POSITIONS
MEMBERSHIP
page 3
I thought I’d put in a plug for my favourite time-waster, the Jaguar Lovers’ Forums. In spite of the fact that they don’t understand that the plural of “Forum” is “Fora”, it’s a great board. There are separate fora for every model from pre XK up to the XK8 and F-Type, and discussions on con-cours, racing, lumps, you name it. The forum with the most posters is the XJ, but the guys who post the most are the E-Typers.
It’s free, and if you want to know anything at all about your car, here’s the place to find it. For guys like me, who do all their own work, it’s a God-send. But even if you never intend to lift a wrench, you’ll get tips about common problems, how to save money on maintenance, and on and on. I can’t imagine buying a Jag without going on the board to find out what to watch for, and if I were going to take my car into a shop, I’d want to know what to expect, and what questions to ask, before I went in. For instance, some heads want to be re-torqued every so often, while others never need it. Do you know which yours is? Proba-bly not, and the owner’s manual won’t tell you, either. How often should you change brake fluid? Does that de-pend how much you drive the car, or not? How about coolant? When was the last time you changed yours? Does it matter? The web address is http://forums.jag-lovers.org/index1.php3
See you there, if you have an E Type.
WORDS FROM THE PRESIDENT
Ian Cameron
As promised in our February issue, on pages 5 and 6 of this issue, Simon Scutt and John Fitzgeorge-Parker tell their entertaining and very informative story about how Simon and Mike Hancock volunteered to help John fix “a few things” on his car and how “one thing led to another”. In order to install new springs, they borrowed some spe-cial tools from Malcolm Ives, which proved to be very use-ful; so much so that Simon took the opportunity to manu-facture some duplicates. Readers, in particular anyone who is contemplating “messing” with a suspension, will find the article, and the accompanying photos, helpful.
In our November issue, in this column, I suggested that any member, who had a notion for a Growler story but was unsure about it, should contact Peter Williamson to discuss it. Immediately after that issue was “posted”, Pe-ter received an e-mail from Daniel Daigle setting out his “notion”. Correspondence followed in which Peter encour-aged Daniel to write his story. Now, on pages 7 and 9, we have that story and Peter reports that, in the end, very little editing was required. Daniel, one of our younger members, tells how, with a Borg-Warner XJ6 transmission that had ceased to function, and no prior relevant training or experience, he removed the transmission from the car, took it all apart on the dining room table, found and fixed the problem, reassembled and reinstalled the transmis-sion and made the car go again. He is a fine example for us all and his story should inspire each of us to push our own boundaries in dealing with our Jaguars and then to write down the stories about our experience for The Island Growler.
On page 11 we have the reports of the February Prowl and Coffee Klatch. These are both monthly events which are great opportunities to get to know your fellow mem-bers better. Some of our members have turned out faith-fully all through the winter, rain or shine. Now that the weather is getting better (we hope!), we expect more of you to come out and socialize.
Peter Williamson gives us a review of Karen Trickett ‘s presentation at the Club’s February meeting (page 9) and, in his Jaguar Jottings column (page 13), shares his thoughts on the Mark 2 as a practical, affordable and us-able collector car, plus other subjects.
And, finally, on page 15, we have downloaded from the internet some news items about the Jaguar Company and its new owners.
We are always pleased to receive any comments and / or suggestions you may have for us.
That’s all for this issue. Enjoy!
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS
EDITOR’S NOTES
John Gordon
page 4
In February of each year, our Membership Director com-piles our Club’s roster, accounting for all members who renewed for the current year, those that did not renew, recent new members and reinstatements of former mem-bers. All this information is summarized and sent to the administration office of the Jaguar Clubs of North Amer-ica, along with that portion of our dues that are attribut-able to JCNA. This year, we registered 124 members, a record high number for our Club. We expect our member-ship will grow during the year, as it has in all previous years, with late renewals and new members. Our associ-ate members, who have their JCNA membership through another club, are not included in these numbers.
In spite of the fact that our Club operates in an area with a relatively low population, we are the tenth largest among the 65 JCNA clubs. This is quite astounding when you consider the population of some of the metropolitan areas in Canada and the USA that have Jaguar clubs. Jaguar enthusiasm in Victoria and on Vancouver Island is truly alive and well.
Our JCNA dues are US$22.00 per member, and of course we are all aware of what has happened recently to the Canadian/US dollar exchange rate. Last year, we re-mitted CAD$22.37 per member, while this year it will be nearly CAD$29.00. We should be pleased that our Club’s finances are strong, and that this added expense did not result in an increase in our local dues.
Now that the bulk of our membership renewal process has taken place, our Club’s roster has been updated and is available to members on request. If you would like a copy, send an email to [email protected].
All regular meetings for the remainder of this year will be back at our usual location at the Chiefs & Petty Officers Mess. Having the February meeting at the alternative lo-cation was an anomaly due to a previous facility booking. Remember: meetings are the fourth Tuesday evening of each month, beginning at 7:30 pm.
Lastly for this month, the Board is pleased to advise that Tim Leslie-Spinks is serving as an appointed and non-voting Adjunct Director. We welcome Tim and the contri-butions to the Club we are sure he will make.
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTORS
keeping you informed
The next meeting of the
JAGUAR CAR CLUB OF VICTORIA is on
Tuesday, March 24th at 7:30 pm
at the Chief & Petty Officers Mess CFB Esquimalt,
1575 Lyall Street, Victoria
We'll be screening the short film: "Jaguar - The Racing History" which details the marque’s competition story
beginning with the XK120 and right to the Formula One team, and includes rare colour footage of the 24 Hours
of Le Mans from the 1950s. You’ll enjoy this video.
Come and enjoy the evening with fellow members. As usual, the cash bar service will be available along with
complimentary coffee.
SEE YOU THERE!
page 5
A PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROJECT GONE BERSERK
by Simon Scutt & John Fitzgeorge-Parker, photos by Nic Harvey & John F-P
Unbelievable! My lovely Crimson Series III Vanden Plas is twenty years old. After competing in the Jaguar Clubs of North America Concours events with some success in the "Driven" category, my friends and I decided that it was time to give the external cosmetics a rest. The focus was to become a thorough mechanical review and parts re-placement where necessary.
What started it all? Simon rang me to advise that Malcolm Ives had received a set of rear springs for an XJ12 VDP incorrectly. Can I use them? Yes, I can. So, I took them off Malcolm's hands. Mike Hancock came over not long after and suggested that, if they were going to install the rear springs, the front might as well be done too. The springs and suspension kit arrived within a week from the States.
Simon writes: John arrived at my new garage and sat me down before opening the car boot. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that the boot was full of parts. Mike unloaded the front springs, followed by the rear springs and front suspension kit, including bushings. Neither Mike nor John let me know what they had been up to.
It was time to get on with the job. I started out with the rear springs and it became apparent that the rear shocks were not all the same. They needed replacing. We dis-covered later that the front shocks required the same. John had paid one of the local establishments for this work. Clearly, it was not done. We must mention that it was not one of our advertisers.
It now seemed a good time to examine the brake pads. We found that the pads put in for John were of poor qual-ity and we decided to replace them with a decent set. Malcolm Ives was due to leave for a holiday in Britain. He made sure that all the parts needed were available to me before he left. Better still, he lent me his engine support frame, which was needed to hold the engine up, and his spring compressor rod. The front springs and suspension could not have gone ahead without them. New front
shocks, a new rotor and pads, two front wheel bearings and seals were installed. The old front shocks did not match.
The exhaust system required close inspec-tion. John reported that some fumes were get-
ting into the car. We removed the system on both sides and discovered a leaking gasket. I had one made with grade eight studs and replaced some sad exhaust clamps.
Both the exhaust system and the rack & pinion had to be removed to allow the lowering of the front sub frame. This needed to be done to change the bushings and to take the bolts from the A-arms. We could now change the bushings on the front suspension, sway bar and boots for the rack and pinion.
Between times, Mike had taken some of the sus-pension parts, bead blasted and painted them. In order to
reassemble the front springs we had to make a new spring compressor rod for safety reasons. This is dangerous work and should not be attempted by the inexperienced. John tells me that his heart was in his mouth while watching me wind down the springs! I decided to make four spring compressor rods; one for
Mike, two for Malcolm and one for myself. As mentioned earlier, Malcolm left me his engine support frame, so I took the opportu-nity to make two from his pat-tern; one for Mike and one for myself. The frame is quite ingenious and fits across the engine compartment into the wells above the wings (fenders). Mine is available to any Club members wanting to borrow it.
So many of us tend to forget the plumbing; I decided to replace all the hoses, top and bottom, including bypass hoses. While doing this, I discovered that a wrong bottom hose had been installed and it was rubbing against the sway bar! Not good if there was a trip in mind. So the hoses and thermostats, along with all the correct belts, were replaced. This seemed a good time to put in new air filters and engine mounts, one of which was badly worn.
We had had to lower the back of the engine down to re-place the front suspension mounts so it seemed a good time to check the plugs, vacuum hoses, cap and rotor leads. All seemed okay except the plugs which we de-
(Continued on page 6)
Below - Rear spring compressor rods
Left - Front spring com-pressor rod (3 used)
Engine Support Frame
page 6
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE, continued
cided to replace. The rear plugs are a challenge. All other items were okay. I flushed out the system, put new fluid in the brake system and put in new antifreeze.
Mike started out with the project but, as we became more involved in it, he had to back-off. He needed to prepare the Clarke Jaguar XJ-S for the Pacific Jaguar Enthusiasts Group 44 Concours at Pitt Meadows. We are glad that he did because he went on to take the North American Championship with the car.
Meantime, John left the Jag with me and took off for North Vancouver to visit his mother and to meet Mike at the Concours. Just before he left, we found that the boot lock would not open manually. I took out the rear seat thinking that I could gain access to the boot. No such luck. Mike was with us and remembered that the rear licence plate and a grommet behind it had to be removed. You have to fish through a small hole with a rod to pull the lever to open the boot. Once done, we were able to adjust the rod on the linkage to the right position. John is glad that it did not fail on the Oregon Tour. Of course, in the ensuing flap, he left for Vancouver with the car keys. Fortunately, John's neighbour had an extra set and I was able to get the car off the hoist.
The project is nearing completion. There were some less than major issues. The master cylinder developed a crack, causing a loss of brake fluid. I was able to repair it and fill it up. The cruise control had become inoperable and we decided that a leak had developed in the vacuum canister. Mike used some sealant to resolve the prob-lem.
The driver's door mirror had never worked properly since John bought the car in November 1998. He had picked up a replacement from Tom Kat Auto Recycling but the in-stallation intimidated him. I took off the old one and re-placed it. The removal of the door panels and electronics proved challenging!
Finally, while the car was still on the hoist, I checked all the U-joints and lubricated the chassis. John planned to take the car for an appraisal by Rudi Koniczek, so I power washed the engine compartment. I removed the pepper pot wheels and power washed them both inside and out.
John took the car over to Malcolm Ives to have the air conditioning recharged. Afterwards, when we put the fan on in my garage, there was an incredible fluttering sound. Nothing else could be done; I had to take out the fascia to find out what it was all about. I was astonished to find a
little paper bag in the ducting. None of us can figure out how it got there. Problem solved.
John concludes: This type of project can be spread over the years. To Simon it is a hobby. The car was in and out of his garage over about six weeks. The project went far beyond
(Continued from page 5) my expectations. Malcolm Ives supplied most of the parts and shared much of his technical expertise with Simon. I am grateful to him and, of course, to Mike and Simon for the hours spent in bringing my car to such an incredibly high standard.
Preventative maintenance is the key to trouble free motor-ing. We have shown areas requiring attention and hope that you can benefit from this report. My Jag is ready to take on another twenty years. I am not sure that I am!!
SCM© AUCTION REPORT RM Auctions
Toronto, ON - October 24-26, 2008
page 7
REBUILDING A SERIES III XJ6 TRANSMISSION by Daniel Daigle
Editor’s note: Many of us are old codgers (to use an old UK phrase) able to afford at last the dream machines of our youth. Nowadays, if we need attention to our Jaguars we consult experts such as Frank Beckter of Frank’s European Cars. Not so for one of our younger members, 22 year old Daniel Daigle; this amazing chap, by dint of research and meticulous care, was able to solve the problem of a malfunctioning automatic gearbox by re-moving it from the family XJ6 and taking it apart (on the dining room table!); then diagnosing the problem and fit-ting the necessary parts so that the car ran smoothly once more. And he’s not even trained as a mechanic; he learned much about the intricacies of computers and electronic circuitry before delving into the mysteries of Jaguar automatic transmissions. Amazingly, in the follow-ing article, he recounts in detail his procedures in carry-ing out the delicate operations involved in rectifying the damaged transmission - and all this without the specialist equipment of a commercial shop. The whole account is a tribute to his delicate techniques and his ability to diag-nose and solve these intricate problems. Do you recall that saying about “an infinite capacity for taking pains”? Here’s Dan’s story: (PW)
It all started back in the spring/summer of 2006, when my friend showed up to get an amplifier repaired (I design and repair electronics). I was standing at our picture win-dow looking down at a marvelous sight; a Rhodium Silver Jaguar XJ6 was parked right in front of our house! I called my mom over and together we ogled this gorgeous car. Then my friend came in and I asked him if he knew
this Jag; he told me it was his and in fact it was for sale: was I interested? We weren’t in the market for a car at that time, but, to make a long story short, we bought the car.
About a year after buying the Jag, the transmission failed: no forward power whatsoever, but it was barely able to move a little in re-verse. This was a pretty sad day for me but, as I was home from university for the summer, I decided to see if I could solve the problem. I put the car up on jack stands in our driveway and set about draining the transmission before removing the valve body; I put another jack in the middle of the car, just to be on the safe side. I found the transmission fluid black with metallic particles. I’d never opened a BW66 auto box before, but I realized this was a serious symptom. I was absolutely determined to make the car work again, somehow, and figured that something was stuck in the valve body. That really showed my inex-perience at the time!
I rebuilt the valve body very meticu-lously on our dinner table, very carefully cleaning it out and re-assembling it. Then, after fitting it back in the car, I refilled the
transmission with fluid, only to find that my careful work was futile - the situation was exactly as before, with the beautiful car going nowhere. This was very discouraging as I had to go back to university and leave the beautiful Jaguar immobile in the garage for who knew how long?
So, another year later, when I had finished school, I re-turned home and decided to do the job again. Although I had no money to pay professionals, I was able to arrange with the High School to let me pull my transmission in the auto shop. (I am quite well known there with my four years’ helping in the electronics classroom.) Getting the transmission out this time was easy, and with student help I pushed the car out to the gated storage lot. Here it stayed for the entire winter while I worked on the auto box. The poor Jag sat out there in frost and snow, un-touched for three or four months.
Meanwhile, I brought the transmission home and disman-tled it on my workbench, taking pictures steadily along the way, constantly consulting the repair manual. First, I re-moved the valve body, then the tail housing, speedometer gear, bell housing and then the pump, thus far not seeing anything out of place. Out came the forward clutch as-sembly, leaving behind part of itself in the inter-mediate clutch assem-bly. I didn’t notice at first, but when I contin-ued taking the core apart, the problem be-came obvious. The thrust bearing surface of the forward clutch as-sembly, which rides against a brass bearing on the intermediate clutch, was worn through completely! This prevented the forward clutch from ever building up any pressure, thus disabling all forward drive.
Thus encouraged, I finished the disassembly and sorted out all the parts to determine which needed replacements. It turned out that my planetary gear assembly was
(Continued on page 9)
Valve body assembly
Front clutch carrier failure
Rear clutch - front clutch thrust bearing
page 8
page 9
REBUILDING A TRANSMISSION, continued
cracked due to shudder in reverse caused by the bad fluid. It was clear that I needed a new forward clutch drum and a new planetary gear assembly. Everything else ap-peared to be in good order.
At this point I recalled that a year before, Craig Talbot (JCCV Calgary member, Ed.) had offered to ship a BW65 transmission to me, one he’d pulled from a friend’s car. The cost of shipping had deterred me at that time, but this time I managed to get it couriered to my door for a moder-ate $65. This was a big help and I’m grateful to Mr. Tal-bot. However, the BW65 transmission had a damaged planetary gear due to a part missing from its last rebuild. This was a setback, but I called upon David Boger (www. everydayxj.com), who parted out a BW66 and sold me the part I needed. He was very helpful. .
Another helpful friend, at Alberni Automatic, supplied a rebuild kit and gasket and, thus armed, I proceeded with a straightforward but very careful rebuild. This was my first rebuild and I wanted to ensure that everything was done perfectly, studying the manual again and again, and triple checking my work. One thing that some rebuilders seem to miss is that the steel plates in the intermediate clutch pack are faintly dished and must all be oriented with their dishing in the same direction. In my own BW66 and in the BW65 Craig sent me, these dished plates were mis-matched with the non-dished ones for the front clutch pack. You can identify the dished ones by the number of notches in their periphery. The dishing is only .010” and is hard to notice unless you measure against a flat surface with a feeler gauge. I was even lucky enough to have the right selection of bushings from my transmission parts to get the end-play right on spec. I found the most difficult part of the rebuild is compressing the spring and installing the retainer on the intermediate clutch assembly. This is a very stiff spring and must be fitted very carefully so as not to damage anything.
When the rebuild was completed, I brought the transmis-sion back to the high school to put it back into the car. The students helped me push it around into the bay and onto the hoist, with me cranking hard on the un-powered steering. Two of the students helped me to lift the trans-mission up to the car and, the next day, I bolted it in and connected everything up. While the Jag was on the hoist, I also rebuilt the prop-shaft universal and added a fresh zirk fitting, also cleaning the cooler lines and cooler with solvent and pressurized air. Once the transmission was in place, I filled it with fluid, changed the engine oil, flushed the radiator, refilling the coolant, and then connected up the newly-charged battery. Then came the moment of truth: I turned the engine over - it took a moment, and then fired right up! It ran true and smooth as ever, amaz-ing after sitting for a winter outside in the cold.
I shifted the gear lever through the various ranges, noting a firm engagement into forward and reverse. This was such a great day for me! I filed insurance and set off to road test the silver Jag; she shifted perfectly and smoothly through all the gears. It seemed that the detent
(Continued from page 7) cable was just about perfectly adjusted; (I didn’t have a pressure tester available to check it, but the shifts were correct, so I didn’t worry.)
The car drove well for about a year, but the transmission is now burning out, due to what appears to be a problem with the valve body. Of course, I’m seriously disappointed by this, but I’m still proud of my efforts. When I’ve done it, I’ll tell you how I fitted a TH700R4 transmission, along with a new head gasket and a fresh brake system. I still get much satisfaction out of my ongoing relationship with my Rhodium Silver Series III XJ6!
What possible interest could an old Chevy station wagon have for our purist members? Quite a lot, as it happens, as we were treated to a fasci-nating account of the total rebuild of an ash-framed body of a 1947 Chevrolet “Woodie”, a relic of the postwar days when the shortage of steel made wooden-bodied station wagons popular.
The speaker, boat builder Karen Trickett, gave a well-illustrated talk describing her complete reconstruction of a moribund classic. From the windscreen back, this skilled craftsperson methodically stripped the decaying wooden-frame, windows and doors, recording the process by pho-tos and measured drawings as she went, and fabricating careful replicas to replace the original parts. As Karen said, she had to discard ideas of verticals and horizontals, as the body had almost no straight lines. Here her experi-ence as a boat builder was vital, as she had to replicate the subtly curving members and their complex joints, as with boats, devoid of right angles and straight lines.
Karen’s presentation was made more effective by her well-organized slides and clear commentary. We saw the original sad state, then the careful removal of worn and rotten wood, to be replaced by new ash, the shape main-tained by precise jigs. From one side to the other, then the ten foot long roof built up from gently-curving lathes, plus double tailgate and complex, curving doors, we were treated to a master class in traditional coach building, documenting the return of the wagon to classic status.
The entire presentation was a pleasure on many levels, from the entertaining commentary to the unveiled anat-omy of the wagon, to the skilled fabrication and fitting of the beautiful ash parts, one to another. Judging from the lively question and answers, during and after the talk, members found it quite enthralling. In that old phrase, “a good time was had by all!”
RESURRECTION OF A “WOODIE” JCCV February Meeting
page 10
page 11
The February Prowl, held on February 1st, was advertised as “The Town and Country Semi-Rally, taking participants through lesser-known streets and back roads of Colwood, Langford and Metchosin.”
Participants agreed, some vehemently, that it lived up to its billing. While following some-what opaque directions, participants had to an-swer questions about the names of the roads they were on or crossed, and avoid the
pitfalls caused by the rally-master’s (moi) sloooooooppy distance readings.
At the Stonehouse Pub, where those who didn’t get lost met for lunch, scores were tallied. The third place team, Brian and Julie Bailey, knew that Alexander Mc-Kenzie was a surveyor who journeyed overland to the Pacific, but didn’t know the date. They also knew there was a general named Burnside, who gave his name to the facial adornment. They didn’t know his first name, however. They knew a lot more, for 19 points out of 65.
In second place, with 21 points, were Phil and Lois Smith, who knew that there is more than one corner of Granville and Hastings; that one of the examples of con-fusion in the English language is that we park on a driveway and
drive on a parkway; that Otto Jelenik was a figure skater who, with his sister Maria, won a gold medal for Canada in the 1960’s (but not at the Olympics).
And the winners, Roger and Valerie Barrie, knew all that and much more, includ-ing the fact that E. Davy Fulton was a federal minister in the conser-vative government in the 1960’s, and that a pelican is a wonderful bird (and why) for 27 points.
My congratulations go to them, and to anyone who found the lunch spot without using the cheat sheet. And my thanks go to the rest for being such good sports.
A bright cloudless sky greeted the many enthusiasts at Turkey Head on Sunday morning, February 15, and, al-though the fresh offshore breeze was on the '' cool side'', chatter and gossip continued well approaching the lunch hour. Ten Jaguars were counted, as well as several '' lesser'' type vehicles, along with Dorothy and Terry S. on foot and Steve K. via his self propelled two wheeler. Mike S. arrived in his utility vehicle, loaded with automobilia goodies for sale and, moments later, John G. made a splendid slalom style entrance that would have made Karen Jones blush – in his 120, top down and gleaming. Simon S. kept busy advising members on mechanical and '' Prince of Darkness '' related problems, while Nic H. was busy composing and shooting throughout the morning. Someone asked about the annual '' Oregon Trails '' drive, and apparently Doug I. is working on the details. There was also some talk about an '' All BC/ALTA '' run, possibly as far as Calgary, which would be easier on the pocket book given the poor Can/US exchange rate. Liz L. dragged Howard away from the couch and tube, arriving just before Patricia and Paul G. cruised in with their spot-less E-type - its chrome wires sparkling in the bright morning light. The pendulum has swung '' full swing'' for Terry S., his 150 MPH E-type racer is going on the auc-tion block in favour of a 7 MPH sailboat! Julie B. has good reason to be aggravated these days; firstly, N. Saanich is building a waterslide monstrosity smack in front of their living room window and secondly, JCNA has decided to place the new XK in her slalom class, which has resulted in her losing the first place award in the national standings - how-ever their upcom-ing two weeks in Mexico should ease the pain somewhat. Next Coffee Klatch is March 15th - anytime 9 – noon.
FEBRUARY PROWL REPORT by Ian Cameron, photos by Isabel Weeks-Lambert
TURKEY HEAD COFFEE KLATCH report by Marke Simmons, photo by Nic Harvey
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS
page 12
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS
page 13
A LAYMAN’S GUIDE TO THE MARK 2
Most people would be thrilled to own an E-Type, but the expense is daunting. It’s certainly exciting to see and of
course to drive, but you’re limited to one passenger. The Mark 2, however, bears an obvious relationship with its sporting ancestors and you can take your family with you. It may not be quite as exciting as the E-Type
but it offers practicality and much of the fun at half the cost! Richard Dredge, of Octane magazine, says “buy a Mark 2 that’s been sympathetically upgraded and you’ll have something that’s even more usable”.
“Sympathetically upgraded” presumably means retrofitted in carefully selected ways calculated not to spoil the origi-nal character of the car. For example, power steering would certainly make for easier low speed handling, and perhaps electronic ignition or updated shocks might be acceptable. Even fitting a compatible modern 5-speed gearbox would be nice. But what about doing it all your-self? Dredge advises against buying a restoration project unless you can afford a professional rebuild or, like some JCCV members, have the skills, equipment and, of course, patience, to undertake the restoration yourself. Rust problems seem to present the greatest difficulty. Mark 2s, having a monocoque body (i.e. no separate frame as in older vehicles) plus little or no rust protection, can devolve into mere rust traps. That means that, unless you have time, skills, patience and equipment, you may have to pay as much as $50,000 for a full body shell re-build. Clearly, rose-tinted spectacles must be put aside: a long, hard inspection is necessary.
Fortunately, mechanical overhauls are more straightfor-ward, so brakes, steering and suspension are feasible for a keen owner. XK engines offer a greater challenge, but still within possibility; specialist garages are probably a better solution, albeit potentially expensive. Discuss pos-sible expertise with fellow members.
The third aspect of restoration is re-trimming the interior, another well to pour money into. If you want to replace the entire upholstery, leather, wood panels and carpets, you could be facing a $10,000 to $12,000 bill.
We are warned that “replacement parts” can vary greatly, so “original equipment” should be fitted whenever possi-ble. Remember, however, that most of the value of the Mark 2 is in the body shell, so be careful when you check the body’s integrity.
Finally, if you’re on a limited budget, like the rest of us, and can’t stretch to a Mark 2, consider the Mark 1, 240, or 340, all of which share the Mark 2’s structure and equip-ment. Although they have a lower specification, they are likely to be cheaper, if not quite as desirable.
MARK 2 HISTORY
Oct 1959: The Mark 2 is introduced with a choice of 2.4, 3.4, & 3.8 litre XK engines. (It is an upgraded version of the Mark 1 and has disc brakes, wider rear track and im- proved front suspension.) Sep 1960: Power steering becomes optional. Sep 1967: The 240 & 340 supersede the Mark 2 (With thinner bumpers, no picnic tables, fog / spot lights optional.)
Performance: (3.8 L) 0-60 mph (103 kph) 8.5 seconds; top speed 125 mph. Numbers made: (lhd) about 21,000
JAGUAR XF BEATS THE GERMANS!
Googling the Jaguar XF, I found the report of a four-way comparison test in which the Jag emerged as the clear winner. The competitors were:
Audi awd A6 4.2L V8, 350 bhp. Price US$ 63.5 k Rank: 4th BMW 550i 4.8L V8 360 bhp, manual 6 speed. $ 70 k 2nd Mercedes E550 4.8 L V8 382 bhp 7 spd auto $ 64 k 3rd Jaguar XF Supercharged 4.2 V8 420 bhp 6 spd auto. $64 k FIRST!
The XF beat the 2nd place BMW by 11 points. It was fast-est through the slalom with its grippy Pirelli pZero tyres, and 2nd around the circle at .87g, and had the shortest stopping distance from 100 kph at 108 feet. Comments about its livability were favorable, too. Conclusion: “the XF does all the things the Germans can, without feeling so serious about it…and it lives up to its price tag.”
CAR EVENTS in EUROPE & UK THIS SUMMER
In spite of the current economic situation, some members will be going to Europe this summer, and may be inter-ested in classic motoring events. Following are some of the offerings that you might sample:
1-5 April Techno-Classica Essen www.ciltd.co.uk/ Techno/tcindex.htm 16-18 April Manx Classic www.visitisleofman.com 24-26 April Concours d’Elegance, Villa d’Este www.concorsodeleganzavilldeste.com 13-14 June Le Mans 24hrs www.? 5-7 June Jersey Festival of Motoring www.jerseyinternationalmotoringfestival.com 13-14 June Brooklands Double 12 www.brooklands.museum.com 3-5 July Goodwood Festival of Speed www.goodwood.co.uk 25-27July Silverstone Classic Races www.silverstoneclassic.co.uk Various dates Prescott Hillclimb www.prescott-hillclimb.com 7 Aug AVD Oldtimer GP Nurburgring www.avd.dc 12-13 Sep Beaulieu Internat.Autojumble www.Beaulieu.co.uk 18-20 Sep Goodwood Revival www.goodwood.co.uk
JAGUAR JOTTINGS
by Peter Williamson
page 14 page 14
page 15
Lotus Assisting with the Small Jaguar Sports Roadster
Jaguar has reportedly tapped Lotus to aid planning and design on its rumoured new small convertible sports car, now said to be dubbed the XE. Lotus’ duties are identified as configuring the aluminum chassis as well as judging the production reality of the lightweight roadster.
Plans for a small Jaguar sports car that would be lighter and more nimble than the XK series were hatched during Ford own-ership with the F-Type Concept, first shown nine years ago. More recently, rumours suggested that rather than a small sports car, Jaguar would instead produce a super car in the vein of the 200 mph-plus XJ220. Now, those reports appear to be unfounded as more evidence comes in for a smaller car to go head-to-head with the likes of BMW's Z4, Porsche's Boxster, and Mercedes-Benz' SLK. If signed off, the XE could appear as soon as 2011 or 2012 at the Geneva Motor Show with a version of the 5.0-liter V-8 employed in the new XFR and XKR.
According to sources cited by Autocar, the model will compete directly with the Porsche Boxster and Mercedes-Benz SLK and will be slightly shorter than the current XK coupe. Ratan Tata, owner and chairman of Jaguar, has put his full support in such a halo car that he believes will portray a "new face" to buyers.
"Putting exciting projects on the back burner is the thing we should not do," Tata said to Autocar. "Certainly we must attend to business by doing our utmost to cut costs and reduce time-frames, but above all we must ensure that we come out of this slump ahead of where we were - with exciting cars like the roadster that show where we want to go."
Lotus’ other involvements with Jaguar included chassis tuning and development of the 200 unit run XKR-S - work that would also benefit the 2010 XKR. Source: Autocar
Jaguar Cuts 450 Jobs Worldwide
Jaguar, like the rest of the auto industry, is going through some rough times, if you hadn't already noticed. But unlike most other automakers, Jaguar's recent tale, as early as last spring, began with profitability, a flood of hir-ing, and a gung-ho attitude towards upscale product de-velopment. Late last year, however, the world's economic troubles began to trickle into the West Midlands, U.K re-gion and the automaker had no choice but to lay off around 850 of its support staff. Another 500 were later eliminated by voluntary buyouts.
On January 14, 2009, Jaguar announced a second round of cuts due to a "severe" fall in demand. Fifteen percent of managers - or around 300 positions - will be laid off and
an additional 150 salaried workers will also lose their jobs. No bonuses are planned for 2009, with pay increases for managers to come, at the earliest, by October 1. Com-pany officials are continuing their push for government loan funding to help kick start buyer confidence and main-tain company stability. "We don't expect sales conditions to return to normal levels for some time" Chief Executive David Smith said.
Emanating from U.K. publications recently was Jaguar's dedication to developing an all-new sports car heralded by company owner Ratan Tata to show the brand's "new face" to consumers. Whether such an image car is too little too late, or if it will even be produced, has yet to be determined. But, safe to say, if the money is there to build it, it wouldn't hurt. Source: Reuters
Jaguar Sees a Global Sales Rise of 8%
Despite a 75% sales plummet in the U.S. market over the past six years, Jaguar announced its global sales have increased by 8%, over last year, amidst a worldwide eco-nomic slump. In 2008, the United Kingdom overtook the U.S. as Jaguar’s biggest market, a fitting return for the British-based (but India-owned) automaker. The Com-pany’s sales increased by 50% in Russia, 35% in the Mid-dle East and 25% in the burgeoning Chinese market.
Jaguar is also quick to attribute its success to the XF, a car which garnered much praise at our 2009 Car of the Year feature. This year, the company will introduce a per-formance variant of the new sedan, the XFR, and a re-freshed version of the XKR performance coupe, both with 510 hp supercharged V-8 engines. Source: Jaguar, Automotive News
Nearly Stock XF-R Shatters Jaguar Record at Bonneville
In its spare time, while reinventing the Company and set-tling in with a new owner, Jaguar's boffins somehow found time to take their new XFR to the Bonneville Salt Flats for a top speed run last November. To do so, the XFR's development team headed to the only place on the planet suitable for such an attempt - the Utah desert and the famed Bonneville Salt Flats - with a near production prototype and called upon accomplished Jaguar racing
driver Paul Gentilozzi to pilot the high speed cat. Wearing only revised safety and aerodynamic modifica-tions mandated by location officials, the XFR managed a top speed run of 225.675 mph (363.188 km/h), - well above the brand's previous
217.1 mph record set by the rare twin-turbo XJ220 super car, and making it the fastest Jaguar EVER.
Much of the high speed credit goes to the XFR's revised supercharged 5.0L AJ-V8 engine (510-hp/461 lb-ft), which has only received a remapped ECU, a less restrictive air intake and exhaust system, and updated supercharger settings. In stock "R" form, the luxurious cat can hit 60 mph in a claimed 4.7 seconds. From Internet News Sources
JAGUAR NEWS
page 16
take part in our
April Prowl! “IT’S A JUNGLE OUT
THERE!”
Mt Newton X Rd
The run is approximately 35 miles long and should take around one hour to complete. We will end up at J.J. Morgan’s Restaurant (250-721-2188) at 1:00 pm
for a buffet lunch which will cost around $15 per person. If your Jaguar is cosseted in a warm and dry garage for the winter,
your daily driver is, as always, most welcome. This will be a fun event, so join in!
For more information, call Mike Skene at 250-592-1448 or [email protected]
Meet outside
Tim Horton’s
Our April Prowl Sunday, April 5th
Meet at 11:30 am outside Tim Hortons at the Northerly end of the Saanich Plaza
Save-On-Foods
page 17
OREGON TRAILS V - THE BIG LOOP TOUR plan now to take part in our fifth tour to Oregon
July 13th - 18th
Doug & Eileen Ingram are pleased to invite you to participate in our fifth summer tour to Oregon. Like our previous tours, it will offer spectacular scenery, wonderful driving roads, and lots of
interesting things to do and see. To celebrate five years of touring to Oregon, this one will be a little grander, but the pace will still be relaxed with reasonable distances each day, and we’ll take plenty of breaks.
At tour’s end, we’ll take part in the annual show hosted by the Jaguar Owners Club of Oregon, this year at Blue Lake Park along the Columbia River in the Portland area.
The best part will be a spending time in your Jaguar on the road with some really nice people.
Planning must start now, so please have a look at our proposed itinerary, and consider coming along. Don’t miss out - let us know right away if you are interested. This will be another great Oregon Trails Tour!
OREGON TRAILS V - THE BIG LOOP TOUR
Proposed Itinerary
It’s tentative at this time, but here is what we are planning: We’ll leave Victoria on
Monday, July 13th, take an early ferry to Tsawwassen, head east through the Fraser
Valley to Hope, on through Manning Park and stay the night in the Princeton area.
Tuesday we’ll continue east past Keremeos and Osoyoos, cross the border into
Washington state at Midway or Grand Forks, and stay that night in the Colville area.
Wednesday will see us heading south through the small towns and farms of the
Columbia River basin and the rolling wheat fields of the spectacular Palouse region,
and overnight amongst the vineyards around Walla Walla. Thursday we’ll continue
south into Oregon and into the dry, rocky canyons and wide expanses of the high
desert before turning west and staying overnight in Redmond or Bend. Friday will see
us heading westward into the Cascade Mountains, through the lava beds along the old
McKenzie Highway, then north through the mountains and down into the Willamette
Valley to Portland. Saturday we’ll attend the Jaguar Owners Club of Oregon show and
concours in Blue Lake Park on the banks of the Columbia River. Heading home, it’s a
self tour - some will make it back on Sunday while others will extend their vacation,
perhaps to the Oregon Coast or a meandering drive through Washington.
For those who don’t live on Vancouver Island,
we welcome you to join us somewhere along the way.
You can see why it’s called “The Big Loop Tour”. it’s the long way around to Portland!
If you are interested, might be interested, or need more information, contact Doug now, as bookings for our group must be made very soon. Don’t wait - call 250-370-2820 or email [email protected].
page 18
JCCV Events are in bold print.
Sun, Mar 15th, Turkey Head (Oak Bay Marina parking lot) Coffee Klatch. We rendezvous again, anytime between 9 and noon for coffee and socializing. See Feb story on page 11. Bring your Stories to tell and Stuff to sell and “LADIES” Books to swap. Please join us if you can. Info 250-656-3099.
Mar 19th – 21st. JCNA Annual General Meeting at Den-ver, Colorado. Information @ www.agm09.com/.
Tue, Mar 24th. JCCV Regular Monthly Meeting. BACK TO OUR REGULAR LOCATION. Details on page 4.
Sun, Apr 5th. JCCV Sunday Prowl, organized by Mike Skene. Details on page 16.
Sun, Apr 26th, OECC Restoration Fair & Swap Meet at Heritage Acres. Details on page 14.
Tue, Apr 28th. JCCV Regular Monthly Meeting. Details TBA.
Sun, May 3rd. JCCV Sunday Prowl, organized by Pe-ter & Hazel Bricknell. Details TBA.
Sat, May 16th. Vancouver All British Field Meet, Van Dusen Gardens, Vancouver BC. Details TBA.
Tue, May 27th. JCCV Regular Monthly Meeting. De-tails TBA.
Sat-Sun, Jun 5th-7th. Pacific Jaguar Enthusiasts Group Jaguar Show and Slalom, Pitt Meadows BC. Details TBA.
Sun, Jun 7th. JCCV Sunday Prowl. Details TBA.
Sun, Jun 21st Fathers Day British Car Picnic at Beacon Hill Park, Victoria BC. Details TBA.
Tue, Jun 23rd. JCCV Regular Monthly Meeting. De-tails TBA.
Wed, Jul 1st. Canada Day Picnic sponsored by the Gorge Tillicum Community Association with a collector car show on Gorge Road along the Gorge Waterway.
Sun, Jul 5th. JCCV Sunday Prowl, organized by Brian Evers & John Braybrooks. Details TBA.
Jul 13th - 18th, Oregon Trails V - The Big Loop Tour. Details on page 17.
Sat, Jul 18th. Jaguar Owners Club of Oregon Jaguar show, Troutdale OR. Details TBA.
Tue, Jul 28th. JCCV Regular Meeting. Details TBA.
Fri, Jul 31st to Sun, Aug 2nd. 5th Annual Jaguars on the Island—A Celebration of Jaguar Automobiles. Mark your calendars now and plan to take part and help to host the biggest and the best Jaguar event in North America! Friday evening reception, Saturday Concours / Show at Windsor Park and banquet in the evening, Sunday drive, slalom and luncheon.
Fri-Sun, Aug 7th-8th. Jaguar Drivers & Restorers Club Jaguar Show and Slalom, Redmond WA. Details TBA.
For Sale: 2 very good condition rims for Series I XJ6 - $100; 1 good condition church window style rim for XJ40 - $40; Mike Skene phone: 250-592-1448 or e-mail [email protected] (3-9)
1970 Series III E-Type Coupe. V12, silver with black interior, Serial No. P1S70014. I have owned this car for eighteen years and It has been improved steadily during that time with many JCNA North American Champion class awards, including two Fred Horner trophies. The car is located in the lower mainland and I can answer any questions and send photos to anyone interested. I am looking for offers to $30,000 Geoff 604-819-1191 (2-9)
Convertible top, for a Jaguar XK150, for sale, very good condition. [email protected] (2-9)
1985 Jaguar XJ6 VDP, 124,000 miles, very clean (interior and exterior). This was purchased about 3 years ago and has had very little use since then. It has a new starter motor and battery and has had a complete service (receipts for about $1,200 are available). The brakes were checked and serviced, the valves were set and the valve cover gaskets, plugs, etcetera were replaced. It fires up easily and runs well. Asking $5,000. Call Mike (250-877-1635) or Lynne (250-652-6620) (2-9)
1967 Jaguar Mark II 3.4 L. blue 4-door sedan, mechanically sound, air cared July 2008, disc wheels, 4-speed overdrive, left hand drive, power steering, power brakes, nice turn-key car. Detailed maintenance and service papers and pictures are available. Asking $25,000. Contact Margaret at 604-521-0055 or e-mail [email protected]. (2-9)
For Sale: Full tonneau cover (covers the folded top and the open seat area with a zipper down the middle) for Ser 1 E-Type OTS. This is new, never used or installed. I bought it a number of years ago. I believe it to be made by Robbins. Not easy to install. $325. Call Terry Sturgeon 250-370-2299 (2-9)
For sale by second owner: 1995 Jaguar XJ6 VDP Saloon. Champagne (topaz) in colour; 104,000 kms. Always maintained in excellent condition and has just been given a winter service. The car has proven very trou-ble-free and reliable. The prospect of moving to smaller quarters ne-cessitates its sale. $12,000. Don Stevens, 250-477-4160 or [email protected] (1-9)
1963 Jaguar E-Type Coupe. - has less than 5 road miles and the en-gine has run maybe 15 hours since the recent restoration was done by me and my brother. We are located in North Vancouver and need a competent Jaguar mechanic in order to adjust the carb's, lifters and Isky racing cam. The engine has been completely rebuilt and has been bored out to 0.010, Isky racing cam and custom stainless steel headers. AVAILABLE FOR SALE FOR THE RIGHT BUYER Tel # 604 312 7550 (Ken or Bob) email [email protected] (12-8)
1993 Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign for Sale; 134,000 miles, Fully loaded, Black with tan leather upholstery, sun roof, 6 pac CD Player, Pirelli tires, air conditioning etc.. Very well serviced at Jaguar Victoria and pre-owned by Jag mechanic. Reluctantly must sell due to ill health and unable to drive!! Location, Duncan BC, asking $6,100.00 or best offer. 250-746-8323 or [email protected] (12-8)
FOR SALE OR WANTED Advertisements run for three issues at no charge. Place your ad
with the editor at 250-477-4695 or [email protected]
COMING EVENTS here’s what's ahead
