Classic Workshop

Building The Legend Limited, creators of the sublime Le Mans Prototype inspired by Jaguar’s one-and-only XJ13, is proud to announce our extension of services to owners of classic Jaguars and our aim of matching their passion with our attention to detail and craftsmanship. From engine rebuilds to a full restoration - we can do it all.

Based close to Jaguar’s spiritual home in the heart of Coventry our fully-equipped and staffed new workshop opens its doors to fellow-enthusiasts and owners of Jaguar E-Types, Classic Saloons and race-cars – whether re-creations or original.

Building The Legend will collect and deliver vehicles for service, repair and rejuvenation from and to any location in the UK or, in the case of overseas customers, any UK airport or port.

The expert engineers at our Classic Workshop are ready to help preserve and rejuvenate classic Jaguar cars from around the world.

One of the many services we offer is comprehensive rebuilds of Jaguar’s classic 6- and 12-cylinder engines – professionally built to the highest standards. We can rebuild your own matching-numbers engine, supply replacements on an exchange or outright basis. Engine removal and replacement service is also available at competitive rates.

Engine undergoing final tests on our test-bed

Your “Building The Legend” Classic XK Engine

When your engine arrives it will be photographed and all serial numbers and components noted. This ensures that you will have your own unit and ancillary parts returned.

We can remove and replace your engine for you in our comprehensively-equipped workshop. We can also collect and deliver your car as required.

Your engine will be fully stripped and chemically cleaned, after which all components will be inspected by our skilled engineers .

Crankshafts, conrods, blocks and heads will be inspected for cracks and suitability for overhaul. From here your engine components will pass through the machine shop. Crankshafts will have the journals ground and polished as required. The complete crank assembly will be balanced. Conrods will be balanced, bushed, sized and matched and have new bolts and nuts fitted.

Cylinder blocks will be checked for main bearing alignment and rectified by line boring if required. Where applicable, cylinder liners will be removed and internal waterways cleaned. Replacement liners will be fitted.

At every stage, you can specify any enhancements/modifications to improve the longevity and power of your engine.

The block will be rebored and honed to suit replacement pistons and rings. It will then be surface ground and cleaned and painted. New core plugs will be fitted. The bottom end of the engine will then be carefully assembled using top quality, heavy-duty bearings, gaskets and seals. All timing chains will be replaced along with the tensioner and chain dampers. Sprockets and bushes will be checked for damage and replaced as required.

Oil pumps are replaced with standard specification rotor pumps, or up-rated units fitted.

Cylinder heads are crack tested, waterways machined and welded as required. Valve guides are inspected replaced and/or linered and are compatible for lead free fuel. Exhaust valve seats are replaced for lead free use and cut to suit valves. Inlet seats are cut to suit valves. Bucket guides are inspected and sized. Larger buckets can be installed to cater for high-lift performance cams if desired. Loose or worn bucket guides are replaced. New valves, springs, stem seals, shims and followers are fitted.

Camshafts are reprofiled as required. Chamber sizes are checked and the head face surfaced. The head casting is refurbished as per original. (Painted and polished to correct original specification). The head is carefully assembled and shimmed and vacuum tested. New manifold studs are fitted.

The head is then reunited with the block, using new cylinder head studs, chrome nuts and composite head gasket. Cam covers are either polished or repainted as applicable, fitted with new chrome nuts and copper washers. New spark plugs are fitted and installation gaskets supplied.

Crankshaft split lip seal fitted to crank

The words Jaguar, Jaguar XJ13, XJ13 are used in a historical/descriptive context and in no way suggest our recreations/replicas are approved by Jaguar. It is widely known that there was only ever one Jaguar XJ13 and any others can only ever be replicas, facsimilies, tributes, recreations, toolroom copies or similar.