The 'E' Type Forum

I am working on assessing/costing the purchase and restoration of a 67 4.2 etype. I know about the length of pieces of string, but it would be very helpful to get estimates of the time to complete some of the major common repair works, eg replace wheel bearings, replace cylinder head gasket, overhaul triple su carbs, replace cooling hoses, brakes etc

Actual experienced or billed timing would be ideal, but best guesses also appreciated, thanks.

You really are asking an open ended question.....is the car a runner with everything working....or in need of a full restoration......then depends who does the work......best to spend as much as you can for the best car you can find...for example you could diy refurb a set of carbs for around £200....or send them off for the full works for £2000....Steve

Depends on your level of experience, knowledge and skill. Who knows what that is? - Only you.

It is a relatively simple car mechanically, the main skill required is bodywork with restorations. If the body is good, then everything else is straight forward.

Its not like their is anything complicated-like replacing the air-con compressor on an Audi R8 or replacing the cylinder heads on a BMW V12. For these you need loads of time, special tools, experience and work shop manuals. These cars are complicated.

The Jaguar only needs simple tools in comparison.

On the other hand if you are an inexperienced mechanic, get someone else to do it or you could damage something or do something dangerous.

Replace wheel bearings-a morning you may need a puller for the rears.

Replace cylinder head gasket-A morning, it takes an hour to remove the head, more if it is frozen through corrosion. Could be a week to put it back on if it needs work.

Overhaul Triple SU carbs- to Take them off (1 hour) and give them to Andrew Turner to clean, polish and rebuild to new spec- £900. The spindles and throttle plates benefit form an expert eye. Then put them back on again 2 hrs.

Replace cooling hoses 3 hrs

On the other hand all old cars car throw up surprises - when a bolt snaps you could lose a day, so as far a "book times" are concerned it is not predictable.

The simple rule is, if the body is good,- buy it.

Blimey James...it takes me 1/2 a day to jack the car off the ground and get the wheels off

James, come and work for me! Jaguar quoted 7 hours to change a head gasket back in the day. I think your 4 hours is a bit light!

Full list of Jaguar service times in the knowledge base section .....Steve

Rust is one of the biggest cost areas together with the resultant body panel replacement and painting. There has been no mention of this but figures of £100k are often used as a level for a complete professional rebuild, body, paint and mechanicals.......so how long is a piece of string?

Stuart

I think you'd struggle now for a proper restoration at 100k.

As Steve says, check out the official Jaguar work times for various jobs:

Jaguar labour schedule times: https://www.dropbox.com/s/imlz2y8rmf8r8 ... 1.pdf?dl=1

Bear in mind these times were calculated when the cars were new with ready OEM parts availability!

Quadruple any times you estimate!

Took me an entire day to get the head off my 4.2, and a day and a half to put it back including timing etc. Love to be able to do it in an hour as per above! There again, I'm pretty mechanically incompetent

I can tell no one believes I can get a head off in an hour. I will have to make a video next time!

I removed the head with the manifolds attached, two of us lifting it off with the bonnet still on.on.

I was lucky enough to be able to refit the cam sprockets to the cams on the bolts as I had wired them up, so I didn't have to re-time the cams.

It was a fresh-ish engine that just suddenly started spitting steam out the exhaust. New head gasket fixed it. N cleaning up to do, just reassemble.

Honest!

Hi James...i believe what you have said but thats not typical.......a head is normaly difficult to remove and takes time to clean everything up to replace the gasket......yours was obviously fresh......but you could double your hours becaus you had a helper

Can you do a video of you changing all 4 wheel bearings in a morning as well James? Can’t see how you can set/check the end floats or reshim the rears in that time!

You could get the head off in an hour - on a recently reassembled car -
Drain coolant - and while draining remove cam covers and electrical wiring, disconnect cams from timing sprockets, remove throttle slave shaft, fuel pipe, water hoses , choke cable and air filter plenum. Disconnect exhaust downpipes and oil feed pipe remove all head nuts - finally lift head - complete with carburettors and intake/exhaust manifolds. If you had two people who know what to do it could be quicker.
We all know you could be at it for a couple of days if things don't go to plan though !

Barrie

Many thanks to all for your helpful replies

Well, you are all correct. Ill have to post some speedy videos!

Old cars are unpredictable.

Yes that engine was all fresh and nothing needed checking, and I had a helper to lift the head! He wasn't very happy about it though if I recall.

It can all go equally as wrong though, I will admit - it often does for me.

If you had asked me yesterday, I would have said you could bolt on steel wheel rear hubs onto an XK120 in about 10 minutes-

Today it took me 4 hours.

Key in half shaft-Hub would not slide on far enough to even allow the hubnut on the splines on the end of the drive shaft.

Loads of interference between the tapered spline and half shaft, only when the key was in the slot.

Turned our the wood-ruff key was too high, messing up the tapered fit of the hub to the driveshaft as it slid in. Figure that one out if you have never seen it before.

If you had just wound the hub nut on with a zip gun, it would have damaged everything irreparably. Salisbury axles are very expensive.

I would like to say I reduced the height of the woodruff key by 20 thou'. In reality I put the key in the vice and filed it down in a vice until the hub slid into the correct position on its taper.

Trial and error. A complete waste of an afternoon, Why dont new parts fit?

That is the life I have chosen for myself.

Good exercise I suppose, better than watching telly.