An MGTD breaks down but a Jaguar XJ6 impresses

We set out in my 1953 MGTD roadster to travel the hour or more across central Victoria to the town of Daylesford. It turned out to be an adventurous day.

The early winter sun was weak and the wind chill in an open car (with no heater) meant we had to be rugged up.

The MGTD was running beautifully. It sounds busy over 90 km/h, but at anything up to that speed it was running perfectly today. There is a slight exhaust leak as I have not yet fitted the correct gasket between the manifold and the exhaust pipe, but the car was as smooth and powerful as one could hope from a one and quarter litre four cylinder engine that was designed before the war.

As we approached Daylesford the smell of glycol became stronger and stronger. I tried to convince myself that it was merely overflow as the coolant expanded. Nonetheless, I kept an eye on the coolant temperature gauge in case a sudden downward shift in the needle indicated a lack of coolant. Just as the needle moved and I started to get very suspicious that the level might have been too low to operate the gauge, the MG started to cough and splutter.

Once pulled up on the verge, steam began to drift ominously from the vents on the sides of the bonnet. On lifting the bonnet, it became clear that the whole engine was dripping with bright green glycol and the steam was caused by the water evaporating off the exhaust manifold and anything else that was hot.

A check of the water pump strongly suggested that the gasket between the pump and the block had blown out. A repair was going to involve better spanners than I had on board and some silastic or a new gasket to replace the old gasket that was now in pieces in the engine bay. I had unloaded my water bottle just prior to departure so there was not even enough water to top up the car and continue into the town. As we considered knocking on the door of a nearby farmhouse, a lovely sable (i.e. brown) 1971 Jaguar XJ6 pulled up to help.

The driver, an extremely charming American named Jim, drove me into Daylesford to get water for the MG’s cooling system. Jim’s XJ6 was with its previous keeper for more than 20 years before Jim managed to persuade the proud owner to let his wife allow the car to be sold. Unusually, the car is a manual overdrive. With its pure Series 1 styling, short wheelbase and manual gearbox, Jim’s is the connoisseur’s choice of XJ6.

From the time of its release, there were a few complaints about the shortage of rear legroom and poor access to the back seat in these early XJ6 models. This led to the introduction of a four inch longer wheelbase in 1972 and the phasing out of the short wheelbase in 1974. The long wheel base was more suitable for the chauffeur driven and those seeking a luxury sedan. However, the shorter car – like Jim’s – is much the better sports saloon.

From 1973, however, the XJ Jaguars started being “federalized” to meet American safety standards, with the raising of the bumpers, shrinking of the main grille and so on for the Series II model. Although still very pretty, the purity of the original design was lost.

During my short ride in Jim’s car, I was struck, in particular, by the remarkable refinement of this 40 year old Jaguar. There was a slight wind rustle from the front pillars and the famous throaty burble from the exhausts, but it was certainly easy to see why the XJ was probably the best car in the world in 1971. At that time, the Jaguar was more refined than a Rolls Royce and a better handling car than an E-type. The latter was, of course almost a ten year old design by the time the XJ was released. Those early 4.2 litre XJ6 Jaguars are very, very good cars. With a manual transmission, they are capable of 200 km/h (124 mph) in standard 240 bhp form. 0-100 km/h comes up in about 9 seconds. They were Sir William Lyons’ last masterpiece. Certainly, Jim’s XJ6 was a very impressive vehicle.

From the outside, Jim’s car is straight, very tidy and quite charming in its sable paint. Having been in it, I can say it was very impressive inside too. The timber was good, the headlining perfect. Only the seats showed the charming patina of 40 years of careful use.

Our rescuer was good enough to drive me back to the dripping MGTD where the recently obtained water was poured into the radiator and we set off for somewhere to buy silastic and, with luck, a set of ring spanners. It was a stressful drive as I was conscious of the fact that the water was draining away rapidly. The car’s ignition electricals were soaked as the fan sprayed the pouring water back over the motor. All this meant that the car was running badly.

Nonetheless, because of Jim’s help, we were able to limp with a blown water pump gasket to the Howe Automotive Engine Centre in East St, Daylesford.

We went to Howe Auto because Google indicated that I might be able to buy some silastic and so on there. This would allow me to stop the water leak – if I could get the water pump off.

When we explained the problem, Albert, the proprietor invited me to drive up to the workshop door. He lent me some excellent tools and I pulled off the water pump while he rebuilt a five litre Holden motor (with a flat plane crank) inside his very tidy workshop.

I had to remove the fan and engine stabiliser to get the pump off, all of which took longer than it should. It is possible to unbolt the water pump with the fan still connected to it, but I couldn’t get the whole assembly out of the engine bay. The engine stabiliser is a horizontal, adjustable strut that bolts to a bracket on the water pump and stops the very tall engine from rocking too much on its mounts.

After a couple of hours, I had the pump back on and, after an interesting chat to Albert the kindly mechanic, we headed off. Albert refused payment for his tools, silastic, advice and cheery conversation.

Not only is he friendly and generous, but Albert is also clearly a very, very experienced mechanic. He works on everything from my own doctor’s supercharged 1926 Talbot GP to modern race cars. Howe Automotive is well-equipped, tidy and obviously very well run. The place reeks of common sense and good practice. The number is (03) 5348 3801.

In short, in a single brief trip to Daylesford, I met two people. The first was kind enough to drive me in and out of town to get water for my dripping MGTD in his very desirable XJ6. The second helped me repair the MG with his excellent tools and advice. Neither accepted payment, both were generous, charming and knowledgeable about classic cars.

The poor old MGTD got us home just as dusk started to demonstrate how much better modern headlights are than Joseph Lucas’ finest were in 1953. The MG might not have behaved perfectly today, but its blown water pump gasket ensured a good day out.