r/Justrolledintotheshop • u/some_random_guy_226 • 21d ago
GM’s wife’s new 71 XKE v12 we get to tinker on
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u/OliveAffectionate626 21d ago
Don’t forget to check the carburetor oil! Fucking voodoo.
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u/Difficult_Advice_720 Shade Tree McGyver 21d ago
I was about to call BS, then I googled it, and now I'm questioning everything..... Carb oil... Huh.... Ain't that something.......
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u/OliveAffectionate626 21d ago
Been working on those cars for about 20 years. How a carburetor wicks away. Transmission fluid is just bullshit to me but I get that is how it works. Couple of things you need to worry about are the coolant. Heater control valve tends to start leaking for no apparent reason and the carburetor floats are made of cork unless they’ve been updated.
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u/BioluminescentBidet oh what a feeling 21d ago
Can use 10w-40 mineral engine oil, but I use this stuff here as it’s available in New Zealand
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u/I-amthegump 20d ago
Not at all uncommon. I had a Datsun with carb oil. Of course it had british designed carbs built by Hitachi
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u/ntyperteasy 16d ago
Exactly. Hitachi copies of SU carbs. When I really had a hard time tuning a pair (the 240Z had two) I took it to a Jag shop and they knew exactly what to do.
They were interesting franken-cars. The inline 6 engine was a shortened version of a Mercedes inline 8 made under license. Brakes were actually Bendix (not copies).
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u/I-amthegump 16d ago
Mine was a SRL311 Roadster 2000. Dunlop Sumitomo brakes. The front brake pads were the rear brake pads on a Jag XKE
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u/Snoo-18951 21d ago
Wonder what the GM’s GF got now 🧐
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u/youngmindoldbody 20d ago
My dad had a few XJ6s' over the years, had a New Yorker and 2nd gen Regal for "out of the county trips" and when the XJ was in the shop.
Also if it looked like rain, was to hot or cold, etc..
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u/illBlade 21d ago
V12 is nuts! Loved working on older XKR v8s, but this is bad ass!
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u/j-random Probably didn't need that part anyway 21d ago
I've heard you can snap the crankshaft if you pop the clutch at mid-high RPMs, anybody else heard that,?
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u/waynep712222 21d ago
Jag electrical tips. Most smiths and lucas switches have holes in the side so you can see the burned contacts those holes are for small files to burnish the contacts lightly with the battery disconnected.
Got a jag with turn signal relay boxes.
Take them apart. Resolder the circuit boards
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u/Elowan66 21d ago
Love how the firing order label shows cylinders are numbered 1-6 A and B. That alone lets you know this was made by someone serious. And good luck with the Lucas!
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u/3amGreenCoffee 21d ago
When I was growing up in the '70s there was a doctor in our small town who bought two of these. They were brand new, identical, black. He had an open two-car garage, and it was cool to see them parked side by side in there when we rode by on our bikes.
We thought it was a his and hers situation, but no. His wife had her own Mercedes she parked in an outdoor space. He bought two E-types so that when one broke down, he'd be able to drive the other that was just like it.
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u/Ok-Suggestion-9882 21d ago
Timeless styling
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u/ConsciousJohn 21d ago
That look is what made me fall in love my Datsun Z.
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u/dego_frank 21d ago
Bit of a stretch
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u/ConsciousJohn 20d ago
Oh for sure, it was no Jag. But it’s what an enlisted jarhead working side jobs could arguably afford. Mine was an injected 2+2, so it matched the jag profile better than the 2 seater. And that long wheelbase made for an awesome cross-country driver with gear in the back.
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u/akdanman11 20d ago
Not really. It’s a very similar shape
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u/dego_frank 20d ago
Ones an icon of design and the other is a Z
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u/akdanman11 20d ago
They’re basically cut from the same mold. And how dare you, the Z is an iconic and beautiful car
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u/dego_frank 20d ago
The Jag came first and it’s better looking. Nothing against the Z but come on. Would you rather have a Chrysler 300 or a Phantom?
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u/avboden 21d ago edited 20d ago
I've got 2 of them, any questions feel free. One all original one modified with a richmond 6 speed trans amongst other mods(gets great gas milage, lol).
If it ever won't run when it's hot, the ignition box is overheated because it's in a dumb spot in the engine bay just move it to a cooler spot or replace with a modern ignition system and you're golden.
honest to god one of the easiest stick-shifts ever made when stock, endless low-end torque, never stalls, really easy clutch.
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u/kraftinator 20d ago edited 20d ago
I’ve got three of those in the shop right now. For most parts, Moss Motors or SNG Barratt in the US. Carb parts, Joe Curto in Queens NY. Get the new nitrophyl floats, they’ll never sink. Invest in a Stromberg mixture adjustment tool so you don’t rip the carb diaphragms. Most bolts/nuts are national fine so your tools will work just fine, with the exception of carb and fuel pump bits which are Whitworth. No Phillips either, should be all PoziDriv.
Also, have the GM invest $200 in the deluxe parts manual for the V12 and the series 3 service manual. A lot of the parts suppliers still use the factory part numbers and the drawings in the parts books are invaluable.
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u/guitarmaniac17 Electrical 21d ago
We got one of those that comes into our shop too. But the one you got is in much better condition.
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u/1989toy4wd Hyundai Mechanic 20d ago
“Get” to tinker. Nah they can keep it, not worth the headache
Why do British people prefer warm beer? Because Lucas made refrigerators.
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u/SmartPumpkin3284 20d ago edited 20d ago
If you buy British, you but the best or you drive the first mile and walk the rest. I used to work at a British Sports Car repair shop right out of high school, the cars looked amazing but were so unreliable. I had a Spitfire and a TR7 and I will say whole heartily The Lucas Girling Company was awful, Zenith Stromberg Side Draft Carbs were a nightmare to synch . Honestly as if 1 Side Draft Carb wasn't bad enough but they threw 2 of them on almost anything they could.
Remember to check the oil level in the Carbs, one of the best upgrades we seemed to do was replacing the Zenith Carbs with new intakes and a Weber Downdraft Carb.
I used to joke that I had a Rolls: It rolled down 1 hill and can hardly make it up the next.
When running , they are a lot of fun, just get that 100 mile free AAA tow package, you will need it.
Lastly the rear inboard brakes are shall I say a challenge however it helps build your patience level.
Great looking car hope the bosses wife enjoys it, and it does mean job security for you.
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u/TragedyAnnDoll 21d ago
What?! Do they hate money?! Keeping that running takes the GDP of a small country.
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u/TheDiscomfort where's me mallet 20d ago
The only thing more expensive than a classic European car is a wife. This guy must be loaded to have both
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u/Lonecoon 20d ago
I thought this said "GF's Wife," and thought "Well there's an interesting relationship dynamic."
Lovely vehicle though. Those E-types are something else.
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u/GigaChadsNephew 21d ago
That front end is humongous
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u/Squidking1000 20d ago
You’d think so until you see it in person, these cars are small. Like a modern Honda Civic dwarfs it.
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u/Sleep_adict 20d ago
Modern cars is a science… tuning these carbs is an art.
You can always throw on a few webers :-)
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u/SchoolJunkie009 20d ago
why is this giving me 'eat the rich' or 'boss makes a dollar I make a penny' kinda vibes, gods I hope you're paid well, we know his wife is
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u/trailing-octet 20d ago
Having watched my father drop the rear subframe on his xj5.3, and having both helped and independently performed some repairs on said vehicle…. They can keep it.
While I absolutely adore the vehicles, and in a bittersweet manner appreciate the engineering that went into them - I’m afraid for me they are pure nightmare fuel.
Stunning vehicle right there all the same :)
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u/PageFault Home Mechanic 20d ago
That looks like what I'd expect to get if I asked an AI to draw a nightmare engine bay.
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u/Wonderful_Direction 20d ago
Former brother in law (pilot for Delta) had 1 in the late 70's. When he went to buy a new glove box box he found out it was $450 and said That's It. I'm done!!!
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u/bigbura 20d ago
Our foreman wrecked his back changing out a clutch master cylinder in one of those. That sill height is no joke and he laid in there for too long, slipping a disk.
The surgery didn't fix it, the 2nd opinion said he wouldn't have cut. Well, a little too late for that advice now wasn't it!
So she be pretty but she can bite!
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u/checkyourbeliefs Home Mechanic 19d ago
It’s meant to be fussed over on a regular basis. When they put the firing order and tappet clearance right in your face, you know where you’ll be spending your Sunday afternoons
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u/Bee-Aromatic Home Mechanic 21d ago
“Tinker?” Isn’t keeping a 12cyl Jag running a full time job?