1963 Jaguar SS100

Workshop Welcome!

This week we’ve giving a warm welcome to some fantastic classics. Arriving in the workshop we’ve had a real mix, from a 1967 Jaguar MKII

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1963 Jaguar SS1000

Ady, Bridge Classic Cars’ engine specialist was called out to investigate an issue on this Jaguar SS1000. There was no spark so Ady has fitted

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Machining the SS100 head

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Work starts on replacing the head gasket of our 1963 Jaguar SS100. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”25808,25807,25806,25805,25804,25802,25801,25800″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’ve called upon the assistance of our good friends at Scholar

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Jaguar SS100’s weeping front.

Last week we welcomed back this lovely 1963 Jaguar SS100. It’s a replica made by a former business, Suffolk Sports Cars, which sadly are no more. It was reported that there was a weeping coming from the front of the car. Paul set to investigating the leak and quickly diagnosed the problem, the suspension shocks were where the weeping was coming from. They’ve now been replaced and this gorgeous classic is road-ready once more.

Workshop Welcome!

This week we’ve giving a warm welcome to some fantastic classics. Arriving in the workshop we’ve had a real mix, from a 1967 Jaguar MKII to a 1972 MG Midget.

First up, our beautiful 1951 MGTD joined the workshop this week to begin recommissioning work. She’s already had a service, a brake check, her electrics have been tended to and she’s even been treated to a thorough polish. We’re already in love with this stunning car!

Next in was our break-in survivor, our lovely 1967 Jaguar MKII. This pretty classic was broken into and is with us for back seat repair and some minor dent damage.

It’s such a shame to see a classic car purposefully damaged in this way. But, we have just the team to put her right and return her to her former glory.

Our brilliant little 1972 MG Midget came to us this week with a puncture and a cracked distributor cap. The team are going to get her repaired and back on the road in no time.

Our exquisite 1989 Jaguar XJRS TWR arrived this week for a full survey to see what work needs to be carried out by our expert classic car technicians. We’ll be keeping you posted with what we uncover in the next few weeks.

Another Jaguar arrival at the workshop this week, was our gorgeous 1963 Jaguar SS100. With us for a couple of light repairs noted on her latest MOT. We’ll be sure to have her driving smoothly once more.

So there you have it, a warm welcome to all our new arrivals this week. We’re now bursting at the seams with classic cars! There’ll be a busy few weeks ahead trying to get this beauties fixed up and back to their owners.

Two Jaguars Let Loose in The Workshop

Two beautiful classic Jaguars have arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars Workshop today. Both very different cars, but both undeniably special examples.

Firstly we have the 1963 Jaguar SS100. In for a couple of minor repairs highlighted by a MOT test. This lovely classic has already received a new steering boot and a new air filter. To fit within the SS100’s engine bay, Paul has modified the filter slightly to perfectly fit. Superb work, Paul!

The 2nd Jaguar of the day is this rare XJRS TWR. Featuring a Jaguar 6.0l V12 Engine, this big cat certainly can roar.

The XJRS is in the workshop for a general health check, as well as investigating some unwanted noises coming from the underside of the car.

The TWR in this Jaguar’s name stands for Tom Walkinshaw Racing. TWR were a race team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.

TWR became associated with Jaguar in 1982. Partnering with the successful entry of the Jaguar XJS into the European Touring Car Championship.

TWR and Jaguar formed JaguarSport initially to build tuned versions of Jaguar road-cars, such as this gorgeous XJRS. They also produced upgraded versions of the XJ220 and XJR-15 sports cars at a new facility at Bloxham. By 1994, JaguarSport had been liquidated, with the Bloxham factory being overhauled for production of Aston Martin automobiles.

Take a look at the full galleries below of these stunning Jaguars.

1963 Jaguar SS1000

Ady, Bridge Classic Cars’ engine specialist was called out to investigate an issue on this Jaguar SS1000. There was no spark so Ady has fitted a new distributor and coil. This classic Jaguar is now purring once again.

1963 Jaguar SS100 running issues

Our 1963 Jaguar SS100 is back in the workshops today for us to investigate a slight issue with the car when idle. The car is running with slightly high revs and continues to run on after the ignition is switched off.

Ady will soon be on the case to diagnose and rectify the issue.

1963 Jaguar SS100 Engine Rebuild

We have now completed the rebuild of our 1963 Jaguar SS100 engine. The vehicle has been tested and the engine is now running beautifully. We have re-faced the cylinder head and block, re-faced the inlet manifold on both sides. The bores have been honed out and new piston rings have been fitted. We have also ground the crankshaft on mains and crank for rear seal conversion. We have fitted new bearings, re-assembled engine and successfully refitted. The car is now ready to go home.

Reinstating our SS100 Engine

The engine from our 1963 Jaguar SS100 is now complete and currently being re-fitted.

All being well, we are days away from being able to release the vehicle back to the owner but before this we will carry out many test to cover a number of miles to ensure the original issues have been resolved.

1963 Jaguar SS100 Engine Rebuild Complete

The engine rebuild of our 1963 Jaguar SS100 is now complete. We’ll aim to re-fit into the car at the beginning of next week and once in, the car will undergo a full trial period to be tested for performance and to make any minor adjustments that we see fit.

Rebuilding our Jaguar SS100 engine.

The alterations and machining work has now been completed on our 1963 Jaguar SS100 engine. The rocker covers have been re-polished and Ady is currently rebuilding the engine.

Whilst stripped, the engine has been completely overhauled with all seals and gaskets being replaced. The block and exposed components have also been treated to a new paint job and she’ll be refitted into the car looking beautiful once again.

Jaguar: over-machined distance piece

We have discovered a flaw in a key component of the engine whilst rebuilding the engine of our SS100.

The Distance Piece is allocated near the front of crankshaft and is one of the intricate pieces that the oil seal runs on. At some point in its life this particular piece has been machined.

This is not an uncommon task to perform, especially due to the rarity of the part but unfortunately, on this occasion, it has been machined too much. This has created an irreversible problem.

The lip at the top of these images is where the issue lies. The lip shows the original size of the distance piece and on a perfect part this lip should not be there at all.

With the piece turned over you can see the lip at the bottom now.

We are currently on the look out for a new Distance Piece which will not be an easy task. This piece is no longer manufactured and therefore suppliers have no stock availability.

Over our many years of working on or with classic Jaguars we have some very useful contacts in the industry that we are hoping can help us with our quest to find the missing piece to our puzzle.

 

 

 

1961 Jaguar XK150 ready for refit

We are just waiting on the bright-work to return from our good friends at Wyatt Polishing where they are currently in the process of being re-chromed. Once it is all back with us we can get to work on refitting the car ready to return to its owner. For now, she is safely tucked up in our preparation area next to our 1963 Jaguar SS100.

Removing our Jaguar SS100’s engine

We have now discovered the route cause of the engine issues on our 1963 Jaguar SS100 engine. Unfortunately this does however mean the engine needs to be removed in order to rectify the problems. The block face is warped and will require re-facing. The uneven surface could have been caused by a number of factors but does suggest that we have had previous overheating issues at some stage.

 

Once removed, the engine will be totally stripped, removing pistons, crankshaft etc.

The block will need to be honed and to be reassembled with new piston rings. We have advised to replace the piston rings in case there are any imperfections in them. It makes sense to carry out this task whilst the engine is in this current state as any issues undetected would undo all of the hard work in rebuilding.

The crankshaft bungs and waterways will be removed to ensure the oil ways are free of sludge.

Machining the SS100 head

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Work starts on replacing the head gasket of our 1963 Jaguar SS100.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”25808,25807,25806,25805,25804,25802,25801,25800″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’ve called upon the assistance of our good friends at Scholar Engineering for the use of their machining tools to skim the head.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7yP_7RDuto” align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]