Part 14 - Jacoby Jaguars 2021 Round Up

2021 Rally Round Up:


The lack of clamour by my followers for updates during the year only confirms my suspicion that the only reader of this blog is me. Don't feel guilty if it slipped your mind!

The first six months of 2021 were light on rallying for obvious reasons. Regularly taking the XJS on the school run (35 miles round trip) kept the old girl in good fettle until a small disaster struck: On the way home we stopped at a red light just before the slip road onto the M11 (the site of many a breakdown - see previous posts) and were enveloped in steam - luckily I managed to shut down the engine before any damage was done (I hope). It was a hole in the radiator. Once again my AA membership proved its worth as our knights in yellow armour were summoned.


The school run seems to be an excellent test bed: After about 20 miles, anything that might go wrong, does.


The jolly AA man who came to our rescue was very excited...he said the V12 was the best engine ever made and he was so happy to work on a car that he could fix by the roadside. He said that with most modern cars, he plugs in the diagnostic tablet and the computer says NO. A bottle of K-Seal radiator sealant and 10 litres of water, and we were on our way.

A radiator that's over 30 years old isn't going to be a reliable partner to a V12 5.3L engine, so it was to be replaced with a new aluminium version and a complete set of new rubber hoses. The new radiator was a "suits all years of XJS V12". Given that the car was in production for 21 years, I seriously doubted this was the case, however, for the relatively low price on eBay, I was willing to take a chance.


As the aircon also wasn't functioning and to re-commission it with non-fluro-carbon gas isn't an economic prospect, Max decided that the compressor and ancillaries could be removed to save weight and improve access to the front spark plugs, as well as allowing a little more cooling air to flow between the cylinder banks...he started the job and went back to university, leaving me to finish removing the awkward parts!

In a State of Undress

Off came the bonnet, followed by the condenser, drier, fan assembly, header rail and radiator. Naturally, removing the 14 old rubber hoses was not achieved without scraped knuckles and lots of anglo-saxon expletives, but soon we were ready to assess any remedial work required.


All this dismantling allowed easy access to the grimey front of the engine. Rusty brackets were treated and painted, grime removed, the rusty fan cowling had a new corner fabricated and welded in by yours truly (practice makes perfect).

Rusted Corner

= Fixed

+ New Metal

The one-size-fits-all radiator turned out to be one-size-fits-none, however, as I'm not a stickler for total originality, with some improvisation and creative thinking, it was finally in the car with the 14 new rubber hoses. The engine now runs nice and cool, even on the hottest day.

  

Back together and looking fabulous

HERO Challenge Two

June arrived, and with it, our first event of the year, the HERO Challenge 2 (HC1 having been postponed due to Covid). Graham, my navigator and I left a sweltering Epping in bright sunshine, wearing shorts and tee shirts. On the way up to Beverley we met torrential rain (some quantity of which decided to make its way into the cabin through the ancient door seals) and arrived near the North East coast to find most people in anoraks, long trousers and the odd bobble hat.


The six months since the last event meant we were a bit rusty and made a few small navigational errors that cost us about one minute. I missed one cone on a test that cost us a maximum penalty (30 seconds). The margins are so tight on these events that together they cost us about 10 places, eventually finishing 25th out of 75, although second in class. We were beaten by an Alpine A310, but ahead of a fully prepared Porsche 911. Not bad for a big Jag.

Rough & Dusty

The organisers always seem to find interesting locations for the tests (as well as the route in general). This time it was Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, built in WW2 and thereafter a cold war bomber base with an apron big enough to accommodate 25 B52s. It was HUGE. The hangers are now just an aircraft museum.

Of course, like every crew, we have been analysing the results and coming up with the "what ifs"....on my reckoning with a small improvement in driver technique on the tests and flawless navigation, we're top 10 contenders (but I guess all our competitors will be thinking the same!).

HERO Challenge One

This was followed a few weeks later by the Hero Challenge 1 in the Peak District. Another long trip up North! This time we were faced with a heat wave which did our Winter tyres no good at all on the tests - even I could feel them going off towards the end of the stages as they overheated. However, all that sliding about was good for my car control and I was definitely feeling more confident. 

 Test results are improving as is the navigation. At one point we were running in first place, but a little brain fade by my trusty navigator saw us slip down to 30th overall, and again finish 2nd in class.

On the last section of the rally, the engine nearly stalled on a few occasions.  It was a very hot, sunny day, so I assumed it was a fuel vapourisation issue (especially as the fuel cooler doesn't function without the aircon.  However, as dusk approached on the way home, I suddenly realised that the red alternator warning light was alight (which I hadn't noticed in the bright sunshine earlier) and the voltage meter reading was slowly sinking - this was the cause of the earlier engine hesitation.

We pulled in to a service station on the A1, and not daring to switch off the engine, I openned the bonnet.  The source of the problem was immediately obvious:  No alternator belt....only shredded bits of rubber littering the engine bay.  I connected an emergency battery booster (a small lithium battery) in the hope it would get us nearer home.

Setting off again, the light began to fade, and with it our chances of making it home.  We pulled off the A1 just outside Stamford, north of Peterborough and found a petrol station just before the engine died.  The chances of finding a replacement alternator belt for a 30 year old Jaguar in Stamford late on a Sunday night are zero, so I called the AA.  It was a Bank Holiday weekend, it was hot and the AA was very busy.

A few hours later a cheerful subcontracted mechanic arrived.  No, he did not have an alternator belt, and no, using stockings as a substitute would not work.  I asked what was the biggest battery he had on board his truck.  He swung open the side door to reveal a veritable Aladdin's cave of car batteries.  I picked the biggest - there was no way this would fit in the Jaguar's battery tray, so I connected it in parallel with the existing battery with jump leads and we calculated how much driving time this would give us with the headlights on (by it was now very dark) before that new battery was exhausted.

The mechanic was delighted with our can do attitude and made me promise to let him know if we made it the 90 miles home without an alternator.  It was a race against time:  The faster we went, the more juice we would have in reserve in case of any hold ups.

Luckily, being the Sunday night of a holiday weekend meant the roads were very quiet.  Graham casually asked whether I was worried about losing my licence.  I was more concerned about spending the night on the side of the A1.   If we were going to make full use of the car's 5.3L, now was the time.  On the way south we were even able to have a little fun with a Nissan GTR who was in hot pursuit!

We got home with plenty of sparks to spare.

It was an exciting, if not intended end to our trip to the Peak District.




It was time for a little self criticism: I knew I could do better on the tests, but I needed more experience. I decided to enlist Dexter, our youngest son, to sit in the left hand seat for a couple of events. Throwing him in at the deep end once more, we competed in two rounds of the national Motoring News Historic Road Rally Championship. Graham kindly provided pre-event rally navigation instruction to Dexter, whilst I prepared the car for it's outing.


Cotswold Historic

The first was the Cotswold Historic: 70 European classics from the 1930s, 60s, 70s and 80s, plus a very wide 1963 Ford Falcon from the USA (quite a handful on the single track lanes and hairpin bends in The Cotswolds).

We competed in the Clubmans class, for which roadbook navigation was provided (happily we were able to study the night before the event), whilst the hardcore rallyists had old fashioned "plot & bash", which has to be plotted on 1:50,000 maps, with handouts given at points along the rally with very little or no advance preparation (and the clock is still running).

Many of the cars in our class we had seen before on HERO rallies, so it was nice to chat to some familiar crews and make new acquaintances.






Giving her the beans on the loose.




As one of the marshals commented, the Falcon and the XJS were "Team Unsuitable"...but for me that's what makes it even more enjoyable (and comfortable - as we were in the car for about 14 hours on the Sunday, we were grateful for a little luxury).


Dexter proved himself a calm and competent navigator. We soon established a new and very accurate method of maintaining the average speed dictated on each regularity section. Despite a few overshoots, we completed the proper route and even managed to clean (arrive on our due time to the second) quite a few sections.


The timed tests were great fun, especially on the faster airfield based sections where the car was able to stretch its legs to catch cars starting 30 seconds in front of us (on a 2 mile test).


We finished a creditable 7th in the Clubmans Class, out of 17 finishers.

We did not spare the horses on the tarmac either. Dexter said it was "intense"!

Just as we reached the final time control, the front suspension started making a terrible clattering sound:  One of the new shock absorber bushes had failed and as we made our way home the exhaust system became increasingly noisier, and not in a good way.  

I had a fair idea of the cause of the exhaust noise.  As we had just a few weeks to prepare for the next event,  I now had to start and complete a job that I had been putting off since day one:  Take the exhaust system off (again) so that I could remove the lower exhaust manifold and replace the 30 year old aluminium seals which I suspected would be the source of the increase in exhaust noice.  I anticipated this would be a long and frustrating process,

There is not a lot of room between the V12 and the inner wings.  Having detatched the exhaust system, the eight lower manifold nuts were removed, unscrewing them one flat at a time.  Much to my amazement, none of the nuts were seized, nothing snapped and within a couple of hours the manifolds were off; but what we found was a surprise:  

BL quality control must have been on another tea break:  Both manifolds had 10cm gaps in the welding on the seams of the pipes.  As they were both on the inner faces of the manifolds these gaps were not visible when the pipes were in situ.  We pressure tested the pipes to confirm:  Those were gaps indeed.

Max got to work with the MIG welder and in a few minutes we had gas tight pipes.  Re-assembled, with fresh seals, we now had a very quiet and very smooth running V12.  Taking the car for a test drive immediately proved that this repair had a profound effect on the engine:  So much more torque and a real urgency in acceleration through the gears.  The previous rather lacklustre performance had been replaced by a free-reving and potent V12 cat.  Increased performance over 3000rpm was now addictive (that's from 80mph in top gear!):  Flexing the right foot meant three figure speeds in short order.

With a smooth running Jaguar, we were looking forward to the next event:

Hughes Classic

In late August we were on our way to Kent for the Hughes Classic, a little treat to myself for my birthday. A very long standing event in the rallying calendar, the entry list was again split between the serious championship entries and the clubman crews (like us). Unlike the Cotswold Classic, the organisers had decided that all crews would have the same navigation, regardless of seeding or experience.

The Clerk of the Course kindly gave the novice crews (us included) a briefing the night before the start, to give us a few pointers to more difficult parts of the navigation. We sped home where Dexter spent the next few hours pouring over the maps and roadbook, plotting those parts of the route that had been issued.

Bright and early the following morning, we made our way to the start where the CoC looked over Dexter's work and suggested he look again at one or two junctions. Duly noted, we were ready for the start.

The event commenced in a forest on MoD land where confusing intersecting circular tracks were a wake up call for everyone.

Deceptively slippery under the trees (which threatened to jump in front of the car at every turn!)



A massive regularity section of around 30 miles was one of the biggest challenges of the day...here's a flavour of the changes to average speeds required. As we are timed to the second, accuracy is paramount (if you are on the right route to start with!):



Start at 22 mph
At 2.00m change to 25 mph for 1 mile then go to 20 mph
At 3.50m change to 25 mph
At 4.77m change to 26 mph
At 2.00m after IRTC C1 change to 24 mph
At 6.00m after IRTC C1 change to 20 mph
At IRTC C2 change to 22 mph for 1,760 yards (luckily I am old enough to know this is exactly one mile)
Then revert to 20 mph for 0.65m
Then change to 29 mph
At 2.75m after IRTC C2 change to 23 mph
At 3.43m after IRTC C2 change to 30 mph
At 9.50m after IRTC C2 change to 26 mph
At 11.85m after IRTC C2 change to 23 mph to end of Reg C.


and here are the route instructions for the same section...


CRO
Start at 642415NE
GD, RD, GD, >, RD, +, ead, 6, GD,
e, 59, 3GD, 89, 4GD, P, GD, 51,
6GD, 101, GD, IC, RD, C, GD, RD,
2GD, RD, 2GD, RD, 3GD, 67, 2GD,
H, +, MS, 108,
then longest way in GS 7537 and 7635
then take 91, 88, 115, 56, to Hospital LWR near the old Roman
Road.
Avoid 119 by 300m radius.
End of regularity at 848330W


So you can see that the navigator has to be on his toes.

A thoroughly enjoyable day through the byways and highways of Kent. Great experience for Dexter and much needed practice for me.




The smell of petrol in the cabin had been a persistent and growing problem over many months. Whilst I had managed to contain most of the fumes for the last event, it was only a matter of time before this might start to become a source of danger.


There was nothing for it: The petrol tank would have to be removed. I syphoned out as much fuel as possible (the tanks of the old Focus and the next project XJS were the grateful recipients) and started stripping the boot in order to take out the 20 gallon  fuel tank.

Awkward to remove, hellish to replace!

The cause of the fumes was found to be a very tiny leak at the bottom of the tank. It was a faulty spot-weld where a baffle is secured to the inside of the tank to stop the petrol sloshing from one side to the other. There was no rust, so probably this was another instance of BL quality control in 1990! I am certain this hole had been there from day one. A good blob of metal epoxy putty was applied and allowed to dry for a few days. No more leak. No more fumes.

Smaller than a pinhole - the source of the fumes

Whilst I was working on the car, I took the time to remove the mud from the wheel arches left from the Hughes Rally:

Prime Kentish Soil

HERO Challenge Three

September saw the arrival of the HERO Challenge Three at HERO's HQ at Bicester Heritage. The culmination of the 2021 Hero Challenge; Graham and I felt confident that we had now sufficient experience to be a top 20 finisher.


A misty early Autumn morning and crews had to be on it from the off: Four tests on the Bicester Airfield to start with, then straight into the first regularity.


On the second regularity section, we led the whole field, dropping just 1 second, but regularity rallying constantly throws spanners into wheels: The next section we dropped 24 seconds after being unintentionally baulked by another competitor.

©Tony Large

The official report on the rally included this slightly backhanded compliment: They were flying around the loose, dusty yet fast perimeter tracks of the Bicester Heritage Aerodrome in the unlikely, long yet somehow graceful Jaguar XJS.

Nevertheless, we must have been doing something right as we eventually finished 10th overall and 2nd in Class (for the third time running), just 10 seconds behind the class winner after 160 miles.


It was a great end to our rallying season.







2022 Preview


Next up is the HERO Per Ardua Ad Infinitum Rally in January 2022. Starting in Taunton, this will include our first night sections. Additional spot lamps will be fitted to the XJS. The brackets are being custom made to my design (obviously there are none available off the shelf for a 30 year old Jaguar) by Richard at Weald Forge. I think I might have over-engineered them...


We hope our new found confidence having finished in the top 10 on the last event will not be dashed!