Part 5: A Step Forward
It is said that a journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step. The problem is taking that initial pace forward. I had been putting off the mammoth task of replacing the rotten front subframe for some months, more in trepidation of what might follow than lack of time. Eventually I could delay no more. The first job was to build a cradle to support the 1/2 ton engine and transmission to allow us to extract the front subframe complete with the steering rack and all the front suspension and brake components. Dire stories of injury and death surfaced from internet searches with warnings to use only the official Jaguar workshop equipment. Putting these worries to one side, I decided that four lengths of 4" x 4" timber, some custom made brackets and 4 x 2-tonne ratchet straps would be more than sufficient to hold a half-ton weight. Backed up with some sturdy supports under the transmission for extra security and after some hours struggling with nuts and bolts that had bee...