Shoe Shopping and other bits...

Before my lovely wife thinks I've taken a sudden and unlikely interest in buying items of clothing, I am of course talking about brake shoes.The brakes from my donor xj40 are the earlier 'Girling' type. The various Jaguar parts suppliers show the part number to be JLM800, I went to my usual supplier only to be told they were obsolete and there was no alternative. A quick search online found a supplier selling JLM800 but when they arrived they were clearly wrong and a bit of research showed the ones sent were for the later ATE type brakes. I did eventually trace a set of JLM800 from a supplier near me and went to check they were the correct ones which they were.

Later - ATE Brake Shoe

Earlier - Girling Brake Shoe

Top Tip - Keep all the old donor parts, even the bits you know you'll have to replace, such as the shoes. You never know when you might need a reference.

Brake Shoes Fitted

I've fitted the shoes to the hubs, partly to double check that I do have all the right bits and partly because I wanted to do something while waiting for the kit. The task is fairly straightforward if a bit fiddly. I need to adjust these up to fit the brake disc before the job is complete.

Looking from the top at the adjuster

Pressing the Cup onto the U/J

The other job I managed to start was the assembly of the new U/Js in readiness for the replacement drive shafts from AK. I found that using a hydraulic press made the job much easier although you do have take care not to push the cup too deep onto the spider. Keep turning the spider as you press the cup into place as this ensures that the rollers are all in position. 

First half of the job done

I did pack the bearings with grease before I started in order to keep the rollers in place. I'll probably top this off with a grease gun once I finish the other half.

Some more bits..

As well as the jaguar bits there are some other key components. The steering column comes from an E34 BMW and needs to be complete including steering wheel right down to the lower column, ignition lock etc. I really struggled to trace one of these anywhere. Eventually one turned up at a scrapyard in Northern Ireland so I paid my money and all arrived a few days later.

E34 Steering Column

Handbrake

 The kit requires a Jaguar XJS handbrake assembly. This also proved difficult to source, but on a recommendation from a friend I chose stainless steel alternative. The picture doesn't do it justice, I'm really pleased with the finished piece.

The Refurbished Parts..

With a few weeks loving care from Wards the refurbished calipers and hubs are back in the garage and looking really good.

Rear Hub

Rear Hub - Detail

 I'm thinking that it'll be easier to fit the brake shoes, springs and adjuster on the workbench, so I can be getting on with that.

Rear Calipers

Front Calipers

In the beginning....

It all started on the 5th June 2014, with a second visit to the factory, an order placed and deposit paid. And now the pause, there's a 7 month waiting list so the kit does not arrive until 23rd Jan 2015.

I built a Westfield about 15 years ago so the garage is reasonably well set out & tooled up, but it needed a clear out and repaint, along with some new LED tubes for better lighting.

In the meantime I've been busy sourcing, stripping & refurbishing the donor parts. Starting with the front & rear of a Jaguar XJ40 that forms the majority of the suspension, brakes and drive train. I collected the axles, complete on sub-frames from Black Country Jaguar:

Somewhere under the rust & dirt are the bits I need

Front Hub, Disc, Caliper & Wishbone

Diff, Rear Wishbones & Half Shafts

Rear Hub

It takes some big spanners, lots of tea and a couple of gallons of penetrating oil to get this stuff apart (don't forget which one to drink and which one to soak the parts in).










Removing the front springs was "a worry" there's a lot of energy stored in here. The special tool from Jaguar is not readily available and too expensive for a one off job like this. So I had to make up a tool from a threaded bar and some steel plate.









The toughest nut to crack was the rear diff bracket (at the bottom centre of this photo). It sits on a pair of studs where it had seized completely and the bushes absorb most of the energy when you try to hammer it off. I ended up having to cut through the studs (having first sourced some replacements) and then driving the old studs out of the bushes.






The rear hubs were removed complete with the stub axle and half shaft, but removing the stub axle from the hub proved beyond the capability of my hub puller (now another piece of scrap metal on the pile). I had to use a hydraulic press to extract them, which came in handy for taking the UJ's apart.







With all the parts separated I set about cleaning, refurbishing and painting. I decided that some parts needed some specialist attention, such as the brake calipers and rear hubs, these went off to Ward Engineering for a professional job.

Rear Wishbone

Front Wishbone

These parts all need to be modified specially for the kit, that work is carried out by AK at the factory so they're cleaned up and boxed up ready to.

Front Upright

Drive Shaft