JAG PROGRESS

Sigh, I still surprise myself with how little I manage to get done 
in a weekend when working on cars (or most things really). The rule 
of "he said it took him two hours, so it'll take me two days" 
remains resolute even after ten years of trying to do this stuff. 
It is getting harder to imagine how those times that others quote 
can possibly be for real though...

Anyway the second fuel tank is out of my free Jaguar XJ6 S3 and the 
first one is ready to go back in after being de-rusted using the 
electrolytic process - a tank filled with water mixed with "washing 
soda" then a separate sacrificial piece of steel is placed nearby 
connected along with the tank to a power supply. I had lots of 
details and observations in mind to write about when I was doing 
that a month or two ago but never found time to write about them 
and now all forgotten, so others will have to figure it out for 
themselves. The main problem is you can't wipe off the rusty sludge 
that's left on the inside of the tank away because there's little 
access inside, so lots and lots of flushing with water and shaking 
it around.

Realising I'd forgotten how everything went together before I'd 
even finished taking it apart, I thought I'd solve the usual 
"where's this bit go?" problem by putting that first fuel tank back 
in right after I took the other one out, while it's all still in 
mind. But of course, I only got the second fuel tank out by 4PM on 
Sunday, and again I already couldn't say where exactly all the nuts 
and bolts I'd ended up with were from. I guess I'll just have to 
rely on my photos and the parts diagrams after all. I'd forgotten 
how hard the tanks are to pull out too - this one even seems to 
have a dent in the side from being squeezed in there at the 
factory. Getting one back in might take a day's effort in itself, 
and possibly a worrying degree of leverage.

Course it doesn't help that I'm doing all this lying in the mud 
because the Jag's still bogged in the shed. Also while undergoing 
'exposure therapy' for my fear of bees because there's a hive a few 
feet away and I was looking up from under the car at a cloud of 
them coming and going. My fear is mainly from my experience of 
being stung a couple of times out of nowhere while completely 
unaware there was even a bee nearby, so it's funny that, laying 
next to a hive all day, I didn't really get any trouble from them.

But it's progress, and although I couldn't get the last fuel tank 
looking shiny and new inside, it's a hell of a lot better now than 
this other one with flakes of rust pouring out of it, even after 
I'd tried extra hard to clean that one out in-place. No wonder the 
fuel line pre-filter I fitted keeps clogging up completely after a 
few minutes of running.

Still to do are the rear brake discs (not the easy job you expect 
on these Jags), and more bushings to replace - though I've done all 
the front ones now. Plus more fluids to change and annoying 
roadworthy fixes like the seat belt which doesn't retract all the 
way on its own. If it (and my 100 other weekend jobs) are to be 
done anywhere near this year I'm obviously going to have to take 
time off from failing to make money during the week. Which is 
indeed something I've scheduled for the next half of this year, 
except that was also scheduled for after I'd finished a project 
which was just _inevitably_ going to be on sale by _now_, and of 
course is still stuck due to various late-discovered issues that 
make it not quite ready for sale. If indeed anyone wants to buy it 
either way, which half the time they don't in the end. I'm still 
thinking about whether I should finally give up on the electronics 
and pursue a different line to making money entirely. I think at 
this point becoming a professional a Jaguar mechanic is out 
though...

 - The Free Thinker