THE INTERNATIONAL JAGUAR 'S'-TYPE REGISTER FORUM

Started on the front suspension......everything coming off, cleaned, and most painted chassis black.

The front suspension is ready to be put back together. I hope I remember how. LOL

Great job Joe! A lot of time and effort has gone into all those parts by the look of it. Are you using the latest type of lower ball joints?

Nigel,
Thanks....yes, much work. And yes I am using the completely sealed ball joints. Installed the upper wishbone and ball joint mounted today. Also ready to mount the lower wish bone. These are all on the right side only.
Take care,
Joe

Nigel,

Had to use the old bump stop, but looking good. Rotor assembly later when ready to put into Miss Kitty. Easier to handle with it off. Now onto the left side. The lower ball joint SNG Barratt CAC9937# does not fit. We ended up braking the retaining clip that holds the gaiter. Ended up using the old ball joint.

Joe with the lower ball joint, did you knock out the old retaining collar from the upright?

Yes joe there is a retaining collar that the old ball joint sits in that has to be removed when fitting the new sealed type. I had the same problem and took me ages to work out why it would not fit.

No, I did not.....we tried and it would not move and did not want to ruin the spindle trying. Plan to use the old one in the other side, too, so they are the same. Help me with the rear. I read the manual and it looks complicated. How far should I take it down before I will run into trouble. My mechanic has no experience with these.
Thanks

Not sure what you mean by not ruining the spindle. To get the collar out it requires a good wack from a hammer, it will probably break up. The sealed for life ball joints are so much better than the old style, the fiber insert wears out and the lower cup requires shimming to get the right tightness, strongly suggest you try to fit the new ones.

As far as the rear IRS goes, have a look on the archived forum posts as there is loads of info including a thread I started when I did mine. It depends on how much is wrong with it to what you do. It's reasonably easy to dismantle once out of the car - putting it back together not so! If the diff is worn it might be prudent to find a specialist who has the parts and can rebuild it especially if it is a limited slip type. Everything else is DIY stuff. When you come to the brake calippers it is a good idea to fit stainless steel pistons as they will last a lot longer before needing a rebuild. If you need any advice on any particular procedure just post on here as quite a few of us have done this and someone will have come across any problem you may encounter.

Nigel,
Thanks....we will take another look at the left side and see how easy it might be. Knowing that it can come out helps. We did not know when we did the right so we were cautious. Thanks.....