XK ENGINE REBUILD: PART ONE

Jaguar’s six-cylinder twin-cam XK was the company's flagship engine for almost half a century, powering anything from an E-type and Mk2 to an XJ6, Daimler 420S limousine and even a range of armoured vehicles. Almost 700,000 of these engines were manufactured between 1948 and 1992 as a 2.4-, 3.4-, 3.8- or 4.2-litre straight-six, so there was a time when they were readily available both brand new and in scrap Jags and Daimlers, but that’s now a distant memory. Instead, a rebuild is often the only option for a leaking or smokey XK engine, but fortunately spares are readily available, along with a number of upgrades. The bad news is that a rebuild is rarely cheap, but then again many of the cars they are fitted to are similarly expensive.

Stripping an XK engine doesn’t require a wide range of specialist tools, but it does help to have a substantial engine stand and a decent crane to lift it into position and help with removing the cylinder