Sunday run

Gave the Jaguar a good wash today. No time for polish. Oil and water both looking good.

I've got Total LRP four star in at the moment and the car seems to start better. Mind you, it's much warmer weather too.

Went for a joy ride. Still fretting about that diff. After 15 miles it was almost too hot to touch and hold, but not quite. Hadn't kept off the brakes through the village, so it could be that heat transfer from the discs.

Calm down

Drove back to Peterborough from Flitwick via Shefford to avoid traffic around Bedford this morning. Slowly up the A1, easy on the brakes into work. No smelly diff oil today either but I'm tuned-in to every bump and whirring noise.

Cooler diff

Enjoyed a lovely early morning run down to Flitwick Manor for the classic magazines' conference. Diff quite hot on arrival at the hotel but not smelling of hot oil.

Hot diff!

Drove to Essendine to meet a restorer this afternoon. It was warm and sunny.

After driving down to Peterborough on the back roads I noticed a smell of hot gear oil as I got out of the car. The diff was very hot to the touch and all the heat was in and around it. It always has a thin film of oil on it.

I'm not sure if the heat from the inboard rear discs (they sit either side of the diff casing) is causing the smell. There is no rumble or whine from the final drive, but a slight clunk when power is transferred.
Please God, don't let it be a diff-out job again!

Nobody wants to send me a light lens, then...

Nearly bought another Series 1 XJ6 today. It's light blue with dark blue leather, just like mine. It's a 1968 4.2-litre automatic and it looks destined for the scrappy. Dragging it back from the West Country put me off when all I need right now is that interior light lens!

Lost lens

Noticed the driver's side interior light lens is missing. It's a push fit on the door pillar and falls off every now and then, usually into the rear footwell. Nowhere to be seen this time. Must've come off during all the fun and games at Rockingham yesterday.

Found a long-lost glasses case, though. Scant compensation. Anybody got a light lens they can sell me?

The Top 100 shoot

Met Karen (Practical Classics art editor and director of today's photo shoot) at work at 07:30 and set off in the sun for Rockingham.

Greeted owners at the gate with goody bags then drove down through the tunnel, past the pits and out onto the track. Took up position on the grid with 90-odd other classic cars.

Four photographers, one on cherry-picker, two on startline gantry, one on track. Staff positioning cars, owners very patient. Two parade laps of Rockingham, one for stills one for TV. Clouds gathering.

Live TV (ITV lunchtime news) interview from top car park. Heavens opened. Still wet as I write this, four hours later.

Getting the 'goody bags'

Drove out to office with daughter Katy. Big Practical Classics photo shoot tomorrow at Rockingham Motor Speedway and the XJ6 is in the top 30 of Britain's favourite 100 classic cars, voted for by the readers.

Loaded 100 'goody bags' (snack, magazine, instructions) for car owners coming to the photo shoot. Storm broke just as we started to fill the car.

Pockmarks

First good wash in weeks. Discouraged by number of blisters and pockmarks that have appreared over the winter. Still looks good, though.

Checked all hoses for weak spots and adjusted alternator belt. Got my daughter Charlotte to take my picture for Practical Classics while my hands were dirty!

What's that smell?

Two roundabouts out from work I detected a whiff of coolant. By the time I joined the slow queue onto the business park the temperature gauge had nosed its way above normal. I steered into a convenient slip road just as the steam emerged from the side of the bonnet.

Split top radiator hose, less than a year old and bought from Martin Robey because the kit promised Kevlar reinforcement. Very disappointing performance. It's split like a rotten tomato.

Sat in the car proof-reading pages for Practical Classics until the engine cooled and the traffic queue had died down.

Borrowed the Porsche at lunchtime and went home for the old hose I replaced a year ago. It hadn't failed so I kept it – waste not want not, as we say in Yorkshire.

Day two CCL!

Another early start. Took the planned route into the show from the Ace Cafe but it had a couple of awkward traffic light junctions. Should have done the 'wrong' route again.Good drive home with the publisher's PA listening to Chris Rea and heading into a huge storm at sunset. Neat.

Cheerleader in the back

Left hotel early for the Ace and then followed the Starsky and Hutch Gran Torino down to the show with the Capital Gold VIP competition winners. The motorcycle escort rode straight past the A1000 turn-off and we all followed him. He took us a much better route, though.

Oh yes, I had a Starsky and Hutch cheerleader in the back, too.

Interior smells lovely. Called at office just to check my emails. Bomb scare. Left keys on desk and couldn't leave for London until after lunch.

Drove to hotel in Hendon then up to Alexandra Palace. Show looked good.

Damp patch

Cleaned inside of car for VIPs at Classic Cars Live! this weekend. Found damp patch in driver's footwell. It seems to radiate from the floor-bolted hinge of the accelerator pedal.

New gaiter fitted

Finally got round to fitting the offside steering rack gaiter. Pulled it over the track rod keeping locknut in position to avoid wheel alignment problems.

Replaced light switch (last one from a spare set). Got MOT certificate sorted too. Legal again.

Ace night

Drove down to the Ace Cafe for the Classic Cars meeting. Left early to try the Alexandra Palace drive-in route. All OK round the North Circular but got lost at Fortis Green. Made it up to Alexandra Palace eventually. City looked amazing.

Took winding route home and burned out another headlight switch. By-passed the switch to get home. Must fit a relay.

Plug scrub

Topped-up oil and water. Cleaned spark plugs. Most are a very light brown or grey with light carbon deposits on outside of bend in outer electrode. Cleaned, gapped and oiled threads.

Didn't start engine. Not going anywhere. Home DIY hell.

Free those windows

Gaiters didn't arrive this morning. So went out with the intention of washing away the salt and giving the car a quick polish, if only to spoil what started as a lovely spring day. It always rains if I polish the Jaguar.

Got bogged down in the repair of the door pocket instead, and decided it was a good opportunity to sort the creaky window action. Stripped the driver's side door and removed window winder mechanism. A flat coiled spring on the wound arm was dry and rusty. Cleaned and oiled it and then worked the mechanism, trapping a flap of skin on my finger in the gears. Ouch!

Window winds smoothly, though. Firmed up broken door pocket and had to pack up to take the kids swimming.

Drive to Brooklands

Ordered steering rack gaiters from Martin Robey - half the price quoted by SNG Barratt, hope they're not half the quality.

Drove to Brooklands for the Penrite Award lunch. Editors of classic car magazines meeting to discuss nominations for the Penrite Person of the Year Award. Enjoyable and interesting. Brooklands quite busy but it's mild and dry. Quite a few young mums with children.

Rotten drive back, caught in a jam on the M25 round the north-west section. Car never missed a beat but the slight shudder at 65mph is annoying on these long dual carriageway runs.

I thought it would disappear when the Dunlops were fitted and the wheels balanced but it hasn't. Unless a weight has flown off, I must suspect something else. Propshaft maybe? I would have expected to feel it through the gearstick if it was in the drivetrain, but there's no evidence of that.

I'll need to get the tracking checked after fitting the steering rack gaiters, so I'll get the wheels balanced at the same time.

Droopy pocket

Driver's side door pocket fouled on door trim when opening door. Temporary fix with silver Duck tape.