Help w/varnish in fuel system

Yes, Bob, I have a very busy weekend planned, but it's all here at home. I'll be around and would welcome a break in my action.

Ed

Ed, I was going to call you one evening and haven't been home to do so. Can I give you a call on Sunday afternoon?
Bob

Bob Stevenson- I sent you an email a couple of days ago, and haven't received a reply. Our server is a very secure U. of M. and sometimes doesn't like to 'talk' to unknown email addresses. Did you receive my note? I'll watch here.

Best. Ed in Ann Arbor

Bob Stevenson- I sent you an email a couple of days ago, and haven't received a reply. Our server is a very secure U. of M. and sometimes doesn't like to 'talk' to unknown email addresses. Did you receive my note? I'll watch here.

Best. Ed in Ann Arbor

Ed, What part of Michigan are you in? Please contact me direct.
Thanks, Bob

I removed in. & ex. manifolds because I'm obsessed with cleanliness (does a clean car or motorcycle run better than otherwise???). I want to be able to clean the block to bone-dry. I was very careful w/gaskets, and shall follow your recommendation regarding re-sealing. I've got fairly sound mechanical instincts- do ALL my own motorcycle work, and most of auto. At this point I need to stay focused and not allow myself to just keep going further and further into minutea.

An aside- you might be interested to know my grandfather was middle management at Coventry Climax. My mom bought the car at the factory (March '64), drove in U.K. for a month, back to factory for service and shipping to Falvey's, Detroit. I inherited car in '89 and put it in a sealed bag until I could find time and money to delve into it. It's all original, and I have all pre-purchase and subsequent documentation. My intent is to make it a solid, original driver, not a high point restoration. Touch-up paint and elbow-grease.

I'm very grateful for this forum and folks like you.

Best Regards. Ed in Michigan

Ed,

Glad to hear things are progressing. Don't know why you removed the manifold. I usually just take the carbs off and leave the manifold in place so that I don't disturb the gasket. When you reinstall the manifold, use a very thin coating of Hylomar sealant on both sides of the gasket for a good seal. But I mean VERY thin and keep it away from the water passages.

I've bought most of my parts from SNG Barratt also. I find their quality to be good and their prices to be good as well. Sometimes if they are out of stock in New Hampshire, they will exclude something and ship what they have. There are several other sources out there, like Terry's Jaguar, Welsh Enterprises, Coventry West, Moss Motors and XK's Unlimited. You can shop on line or call around and see who has what, and what the prices are. Different places are good for different things. IMHO, Terry's Jaguar is the best for rebuilding water pumps. Things vary from place to place, but price usually motivates me the most, other things being equal. Otherwise, it sometimes comes down to who has what in stock. NAYYY with any of them, just a customer.

Keep us up on the progress.

Steve

Thanks for your detailed reply, Steve. I'm comforted to find that for the most part I'm on the right path: I've already pulled the tank, pump, carbs w/manifolds. Plus I have a new pump screen on hand. Nice to know I can rebuild the pump. It is literally varnished externally. I'd also oiled the pistons and have turned the crank by hand. Next question: so far I've ordered parts solely from SNG Barratt. Been pleased with quality of parts, had two issues with parts excluded from order. Are they my best source? Again, many thanks for your attention.

Ed in Michigan

Edited on 2005-06-12 11:04:33

Ed,

Hopefully, you didn't try to start the car. Probably, most of the system can be saved, with a little work to clean it up. The gas tank can be removed from the car and taken to a local company that will boil out the tank and, if the inside if rusted, coat it with a new lining, essentially bring it back to as good as new. It's not expensive but well worth it down the road. At the same time, you should check the pickup tube, make sure it's not clogged, and also replace the mesh screen that goes on the end of the pickup.

Pull the fuel pump out and check it on the bench. You can test it with a couple of short lengths of tubing. Just see it you can run some gas through it. There are rebuild kits available for the SU pumps, to replace the points and the diaphram, the two things that usually go.

You will probably want to change the flexible fuel lines both in the boot and under the bonnet. Be sure that if you buy clear plastic, that it is actually fuel line otherwise the gas will melt it. Use new clamps, also. You should pump some gas through the hard lines, from boot to engine, to be sure that they are not clogged. Change the fuel filter in the engine compartment and be sure that fuel is flowing freely from boot to filter housing. You should definitely pull the carbs and clean, or better rebuild them. Rebuilding is not hard and kits are readily available. Or send them to someone like Joe Curto (Queens, NY, 718-762-SUSU, www.joecurto.com) who specializes in that.

Assuming you take the time to clean the system, front to back, you should have no problem. Then, on to the brakes, radiator, hoses, belts, etc. Obviously, be sure to dump the oil and filter and put in fresh. Open the spark plugs up and put some engine oil down each piston NOW so that it can start working on the rings. Before trying to start it, turn the engine over a few times by hand (wrench on the crank), and then disconnect the ignition and turn it over with the starter until you build up oil pressure to assure that internal parts are well lubricated before you fire it up.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
'70 XKE FHC; '69 XKE OTS