Spring Fever

["Owens, Adam J." <uscuc8hc@ibmmail.com>]

Date: 1997-02-28 07:55                                                          
Priority:                                                                       

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  Another warm pre-Spring day in Boston. Children play noisily in the parks     
and most of the population seems to have an extra bounce in their step.         
Despite a definite deficiency of snow this season, there has been no doubt      
that it was Winter nevertheless. Cold, gray days slow the body and the mind,    
the last few nice ones apply a much appreciated jump-start to the New           
Englander's psyche. I get into the Oldsmobile packing cleaners,tools and        
camera. I roll down the windows and head for Jamaica Plain and Warren           
Cossitt's shop, smiling at the first tentative buds as I pass through the       
Arnold Arboretum.                                                               
  In January, my beloved 1985 XJ-6 started to make a disturbing knock when      
hot - not constant, but enough to concern me - after all, the car is 12         
years old with 100,000 miles on it. On recommendation of several friends and    
mechanics I took it to Warren. Diagnosis turned out to be a rod bearing on      
the way out, as I had feared. Silver lining to this particular dark cloud is    
that the rest of the engine checked out fantastic. I love this car like none    
other, so there is no option for me. I must rebuild the 4.2. In the past 2      
1/2 years, I've replaced all the woodwork, had it repainted and, for my         
major project of last fall, reupholstered the seats. Excepting the paint,       
I've done all these jobs myself (often for the first time) so I look at this    
as an opportunity to restore the engine bay and hopefully learn a good bit      
about how my car and XK motor are built.                                        
  I pull into the Sam Adams Brewery - Warren's shop is the old stables of       
the former Haffenreffer Brewery, now used by Sam Adams. Outside is a 64 Mk      
II, two Series I XJ-6s and an MGB-GT, inside is my XJ-6 and a Jaguar-powered    
racing special known as the Beast which had an impressive record in the late    
50s and early 60s. It last competed at Watkins Glen in 1964 and is now being    
restored and prepped for Vintage Racing. History is in the air and Castrol      
on our hands as we check out the Beast while the owner tells stories of the     
Mt Equinox Hillclimb and Lime Rock circa 1962. My block is back from the        
machine shop, cleaned, repainted and detailed. I watch as Warren fits the       
new high-compression pistons and E-type rods and dream of a fast evening        
drive through the Norfolk woods. Back to my cleaners and scrubbing. Except      
for a couple of small scratches, the right side of the bay is almost perfect    
now. Amazingly, even most of the assembly tags are still intact and ledgible    
 - I carefully clean around them. The hours pass quickly and day transits to    
evening with a spectacular sunset. I get several compliments from the others    
on the detailing of the XJ, but I still see a few more places to get to         
before the motor goes in. The JCNA Biennial is being hosted by my club this     
August and I intend to be able to show every part of this car with total        
confidence that it is done to my standards - and by me where-ever possible.     
Sportscars and classics are a hands-on experience, drive them                   
enthusiastically, work on them and the iron will talk to you in a way that      
could never happen with an econobox or minivan. Time to knock off, another      
week or so and the Jag should be back on it's feet. I slip the Olds into        
gear and head home. It's gonna be a great summer.                               

A.J. Owens - Jaguar Association of New England                                  
1985 Jaguar XJ-6 Series III                                                     
1978 MGB Roadster                                                               
1982 Harley Davidson FXRS

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