Jaguar headlights and Stag brakes
A fter last month’s work, the only job that remained to do on the Jaguar was to properly align the upgraded headlights, as these had been initially roughly set up with the car in the workshop facing the rear roller door. Prior to changing the lights, the adjusting screws were difficult to access due to the screw heads being buried deep inside the headlight pod. The new light glass protruded further forward than the old sealed beams and this increased the difficulty of getting a screwdriver onto the screw heads. So I resorted to using a flexible shaft screwdriver for the adjustments, which turned out to be a two handed operation.
After completing the adjustments and prior to replacing the Jaguar’s glass headlight covers, I went on an evening test drive to check the beam adjustment in driving conditions. Many of the roads around our house are unlit, so I did not have far to drive for a good indication of the settings. I could immediately notice a big improvement in the light output and visibility but the beams were a little low. On returning home I made the necessary adjustments and went for another short drive that confirmed that beam height was now was correct but the left-hand light needed aiming more to the left.
A return to the workshop for another round of adjustments and a further test- drive confirmed the correct settings, so the car was parked up for the night. In the morning the glass covers were cleaned and refitted to the bonnet using the old rubbers as these were perfectly serviceable. I’d purchased replacements from David Manners in the belief the old rubbers may have been perished but these were not required, so I now have spares. I believe my headlight glasses are the originals, as close inspection reveals a few minor chips and scratches, but overall they are in good condition.
The retaining screws that hold the glass in place are not easy to fit through both the rim and rubber and into the captive nuts when trying to hold the glass, rubber and chrome rim in place. To try and make this job a bit easier, I pushed a couple of scribers through the screw holes and captive nuts to hold the three items in place whilst fitting the screws – which also reduces the risk of dropping the glass. All that now remains is to have decent weather, even though it is summer time here
Australia, so I can enjoy a few Jaguar driving days.
Next, I turned my attention to the Stag as I going to attend the Triumph Sports Owners’ Association annual week long conference. Each state in Australia has its own branch of TSOA and take it in turns to host the annual get together. As 2018 was Queensland’s turn, our club had actually decided to hold the event just over the border in NSW at a relatively new resort on the coast as this reduces the travel distance for attendees from other states.
Australia is a vast country and members driving from Melbourne will have to drive over 1700km (1100 miles) to attend the meeting, which is relatively close when compared to members visiting from Perth. They will need to drive around 4400km (2700 miles) – in both cases these are each way distances. As I was aware that many of the conference drives would involve picturesque travel into the hills behind the coast with numerous climbs and descents, I wanted to fit the upgraded front discs and pads to the Stag that I’d purchased from Rimmer many months ago and had not yet fitted.
The car was raised on the hoist and after removing the front wheels the old standard pads were removed. The brake calipers were then unbolted, pulled clear of the discs and wired to the front springs so the flexible hoses wouldn’t be strained. The hub grease cap was removed to access the front hub nuts, the split pin withdrawn and the castellated nut unscrewed, which allowed the hub and disc to be slid off the stub axle and taken to the bench for the disc swap. The brake disc on the Stag is attached to the hub with four setscrews and these were undone with an impact gun.
The replacement Rossini discs could then be bolted to the hubs, ensuring the grooved and drilled discs were fitted to the correct side – the discs were supplied with a stick on label advising whether they should be fitted to right or left side. Once the discs were fitted to the hubs, the old bearings were repacked and the hubs returned to their original axel.
After fitting the washers and castellated nuts, the bearings were adjusted and locked in place with a new split pin. The disc run out was then checked with a dial gauge. As expected both discs were almost perfect, with a maximum run out of 0.035mm – only a very small amount out as the specifications for these discs are 0.040mm. This was one of the best results I’ve seen when fitting new brake discs and is a credit to the manufacture.
Prior to purchase of the brake pads I was unsure whether to buy Greenstuff or Yellowstuff EBC brake pads. People I spoke to that had fitted Greenstuff told me that when the brakes are cold they require a higher brake pressure and also generate squeal, particularly when cold. But as they perform very well once warm, I decided to purchase the Greenstuff pads. After replacing the calipers and securing the holding setscrews with locking wire, the new pads were fitted together with the old retaining springs, which had only been on the car for two years, along with new split pins. After completing both sides the wheels were refitted and the car taken on a test drive. I was pleasantly surprised with the pedal pressure, it didn’t seem any different from the old pads and I think they had an improved feel and wasn’t aware of any squeal or noise issues.
The Greenstuff pads came with a comprehensive instruction sheet for bedding in new pads, which involved using minimal brake pressure for the first 100 miles (160 km) and slightly increased pressure for the next 250 miles (400 km) I was able to achieve 150km of light use around home, but was then needed to drive to the Triumph National Meeting that involved over 100km of busy motorways with speed limits of 100 and 110 kph and hoped that I wouldn’t require any emergency breaking. I was then faced with several runs around the mountainous regions just inland from the coast but by then the brakes would have completed 400km of reasonable use and I intended taking it steady on the many long descents.
Whilst the Stag was on the hoist I took the opportunity to drain the oil, change the filter and refill the engine with my usual Penrite HPR 30. I also greased the few grease points and checked the oil levels in the transmission and rear axle. I wanted to change the coolant, which contains an inhibitor that has a limited life, but as this takes a while on the Stag due to no drain on the radiator, I decided to delay until I returned from the National Meeting. The to- do list has now gained an item, as changing the Stag oil filter drew my attention to the small leak from the ‘O’ ring between the oil pump and block. Next month I’ll run through these items and report on the full effectiveness of the Stag brake upgrade.
While the Stag was on the hoist, I took the opportunity to drain the engine oil and replace it with my usual Penrite HPR 30