1971 Jaguar XJ6 4.2 S1
John has to get quick and dirty with the black stuff – then the bonnet throws him a curveball…
1971 JAGUAR XJ6 4.2 SWB SERIES 1
Imust admit that I only just made the Drive-it Day event I covered for CCW at the National Arboretum back in April. I was determined to go in the Jaguar, but only retrieved it from winter storage on the Friday afternoon, intending to work on it on the
Saturday. That was scuppered by a broken boiler, so I ended up doing something that I’d never done before – changing the oil without changing the filter. I figured that at least it was better than leaving the old oil in.
Guilt got the better of me and once I’d looked at the Jag’s still very black dipstick a week later I decided to use the two gallons of oil as a sort of ‘flush’ and changed it again the
day before its next big outing – the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club’s Summer Festival at Blenheim Palace.
Thankfully I was in less of rush, which gave me time to properly clean out the filter bowl and put another two gallons of oil in. However, after the normal three turns of the starter motor with no ignition connected (so the engine wouldn’t start), I noticed that it was dripping out because I’d misaligned the bowl – it was sitting proud of the channel it should have been sitting in.
All was not plain sailing on the way to Blenheim Palace, either – the bonnet catch popped open just as I joined a dual carriageway. I pulled in to look at it, initially thinking that I simply hadn’t closed it properly. The XJ’s fronthinged bonnet has a sprung catch at either side, so I was initially mystified, then realised from the marks that the greased spring had left on the closing panel that it couldn’t have been closed at all because the plate it locks into had grease on the side in a little heap. It was then that I realised what had actually happened.
I’d cursed when doing the oil change because I’d dug the offside bonnet spring catch into my shoulder. What I hadn’t realised is that in doing this, I’d bent it to perfectly fit into the side of the catch it was supposed to fit in, so it gave the illusion of being locked when dropped, but was actually just caught on the ridge of the locking plate and had no real hold on the bonnet.
Bending it back by the side of the road wasn’t straightforward because it also needed swivelling, but I did eventually realign it and the bonnet locked shut.
It was worth all the hassle, though, because the JEC put on a marvellous event in beautiful surroundings, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also ended up with my favourite picture of the Jag so far – it just looks so elegant and correct within the regal surroundings of Blenheim Palace.
I love driving this car – it’s surprisingly fast for its age, handles very well and is very comfortable. But looking at my new favourite photograph, I think that I actually like looking at it even more…