As Bill Spohn wrote, I am just back from a quick trip to Vancouver. My
brother in law Brian and I spent five days on the road to pick up parts
that, according to Bill, make up the majority of a 1958 Jaguar XK150 fixed
head coupe.
We drove my brother Scott's 92 Ford F150 Super Cab Long Box with the 300
six, 4wd and 150k on the clock. At Bismark, ND we ran into freezing rain
and drove on ice for the next 1000 miles. I only went off the road once-
driving across a T intersection on the top of an exit ramp. Luckily the
front wheels plowed up enough sod to stop us about 10 feet into the (very
steep) ditch so we could back out. In Spokane on the way out the clutch
slave cylinder gave out. This cylinder is concentric with the transmission
input shaft so you have to pull the tranny to get to it. We drove without
a clutch to Everett, Wa. then we spent six hours in a Pep Boys parking lot
pulling the tranny and replacing the slave cylinder/throwout bearing. I
should have replaced the clutch disk too but we ran out of time.
We loaded the Jag the next morning. It was pouring rain. It came with
lots of extra parts including three extra engines. I figure we had 3500
lbs on the truck and another 1500 lbs on the trailer. The truck's rear
tires were all squished to Hell so at the next gas station I pumped them up
to 50 psi and we took off for home. Had a flat on the trailer in Spokane
(I hate Spokane now) then lost the middle u-joint from the rear driveshaft
in Dickinson, ND. We couldn't find a replacement that late so we pulled
the rear half of the rear driveshaft and drove her home as a front wheel
drive.
Weather was a little tough. Brian and I logged about 1500 miles on glare
ice this trip plus we got caught in two snow storms including one that had
I-90 closed near Livingston, MT. At least it was't too cold. 3600 miles
in five days so as you can imagine I am a bit tired.
When entering Canada, the usual questions were asked until "Why are you
going?" to which I answered that we were going to pick up an old car. The
boarder guard said "You mean to tell me that you drove all the way here
from Minnesota to pick up an old car?" "It's a Jaguar," I answered. At
that point he just waved us through since we were obviously too consumed by
the fever to be up to something illegal.
Tuesday night I was unloading the Jag and had everything spread out on the
front lawn while figuring out how to stack it in the garage. Nancy told me
to move it before the neighbors saw it and started to talk. I told Nancy
that I did this for her benefit. I said that she should take a picture of
it all spread out and label it "exhibit A- divorce procedings" just in case
she would need such a thing in the future. Luckily I am now too broke to
make divorce a financially viable option for her ;-)
When I got home, the XK150 was officially christened by wife Nancy. The
name seems so appropriate at this point that I think I will get a
personalized licence plate to tell the world that I drive a POS JAG.
To say that the trip was fun would be incorrect but it was an adventure.
The Jag will make a good distance tourer when it is done and will
complement the MGA nicely. Bill reccomended that I drop in a big block
Chevy but I think I'll stay with the straight six ;-) I figure it will
take two years to get it back on the road. Nancy figures 20 years minimum.
The truth will probably be somewhere in between. I have set the body on
the frame with the fenders, doors, and seats in about the right place so it
kind of looks like a car.
Regards,
Bill Eastman
61 MGA in storage
58 Jaguar parts in the garage.
PS- Bill- one of these twin cam heads is considerably shorter than the
others. I wonder what it fits? ;-)
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