Valve Spring Compressor

All - Discussion a few days ago concerning which valve spring compressor to
use with a Jaguar cylinder head.  Found mine this weekend.  Mfgr. is K-D
Tools, late of Lancaster, PA.  The valve sprinfg copmpressor iteself is
part number 380.  Special right-angle offset jaws are needed to go directly
down into the tappet guide to compress the spring; their part number is 36.
You might have to grind the outsides of the jaws lightly to get a loose
fit; if you do, don't grind hard or long - the jaws are hardened and will
soften if you heat them up on the grinding wheel! This tool makes the task
easy; the jaws can also be used with Snap-On tools number CF811 (manual)
and CF700 (pneumatic).  Of course, in all cases, the head must be removed
from the engine. A note to all newcomers to Jaguar servicing - while
specialized tools may
 seem like an extravagance, the saving in time, parts, scrapes, and blood
is  well worth it in the long run.  If you think you're only going to do a
task once, you're an optimist!  Borrow or rent the proper tools, or make
them, but don't try shortcuts - you might be lucky, but the odds are
against it! Enough pontificating!  I might be an old dog (grew up with
Studebakers!, but I learned a new trick  from these forums - when working
under a car, it's not a bad idea to hve a
 portable or cellular phone within reach - the unexpected sometimes happens
without warning - that's why it's called "unexpected!" - and an extra bit
of communication capability is cheap insurance, indeed.   Back in the days
before I had any brains, I once used a bumper jack to hold up an XK-140!
Yes, it fell while I was under it - fortunately, I had placed a cinder
block (with a board atop it) under the car as a parts holder!  No damage to
all concerned, but I REALLY believe in jackstands now! Incidently, I have a
damaged Series III XJ-6 front subframe (CAC-1162), damaged from contact
with a raised water pipe in the road.  The center is heavily dented and
bowed; most of the suspension parts and both hubs are OK (one upper inner
A-arm pivot is damaged (worn).  Anything is repairable, but I chose to
replace this one - available for parts (I'll strip it and junk the bent
tin, if you want).  2 hubs, springs, A-Arms ("wishbones"), lower wishbones,
springs, misc. small stuff (remnants). Good luck in your cylinder head
work.  The tapped pad exchange is a good idea; after reseating valves,
you'll almost always need thinner pads.  A surface grinder allows you to
re-size them without affecting the geometry of contact angle.   -  Larry
Schear,  Twin Cam, Inc.

Having failed to find a suitable valve spring compressor for my XK heads, I
fashioned a homemade device that works beautifully.  To the swivel end of
an 8 inch C-clamp I brazed a 1" id iron pipe coupling that was 2" long and
had two windows cut into it, leaving a 1/4" ring on top and another 1/4"
ring on the bottom joined together by two equally spaced 1/4" posts. The
flat of the C-clamp rests against the big end of the valve and the swivel
rests on top of the cotter retainer.  Crank down the C-clamp, give the
valve a tap to make the springs give up their inertia, remove the cotters
through the windows, back off the clamp and there you are.  The valves go
back just as easily.   The tool takes about half an hour and $15 to make. -
Nick Saltarelli, 1954 XK120SE OTS, 1968 E-type OTS

If you have any questions or comments send e-mail to: ted@jag-lovers.org
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