What does it take to make a cracked 4.2L Jaguar Block better than new? 

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I am a 72 year old gearhead who worked as a mechanic for 53 years. My nickname is Moparman so I guess you know my forte! I did a lot of my machine work but it was benchwork. I wish you guys were around when I was racing. One of my endeavors was a Dodge 225 slant 6 which everyone laughed at. I got lucky and found a Swedish machinist in Miami Florida who painstakingly blueprinted my short block. My end result was a 1961 Plymouth Valiant that ran 12.12 seconds quarter mile at 116 miles per hour! You guys are amazing!

Guys, for somebody who once rebuilt a 4.2 XK engine from a bare block, this is an awesome video ! Congratulations ! Way back in the late 80s, I suffered the dreaded block cracking between the bores. I was fortunate enough to find a chap whose job was rebuilding these engines, and he told me the cure was to insert lipped liners, (top-hat liners). However, he sold me an uncracked standard size bore block that just needed slight honing. Up until your video came out I had never seen the full process. BTW the low areas between the bores after your first pass on the block deck shows the effect of the cracking. The crack means the strength of the bridge of metal above the first coolant passage is lost, so sinkage occurs. This, of course, means head gasket failure occurs and will keep occuring until lipped liners are installed. Some shops will just face off the block and think all is OK !

This whole process was fascinating, you and your dad have a right to be proud. At some time in the future would love to see the E-type when the restoration is complete.

I have s friend that has his own machine shop, he has done all the Machine work on 3 complete reman engines for me, plus I have watched him do numerous jobs for others. I always enjoy watching machine work. He bored, honed, decked the blocks, and resurface the heads along with complete valve jobs, rebuild rods, and balance. I find it very interesting. Watching you and your crew is enjoyable. Thank you sir. Hope you and yours have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING. 😊

My Dad served his apprenticeship as an aircraft fitter in the RAF during the second war in the days of poured babbit bearings and hand scraping surface plates - I had the great good fortune to spend my teenage years working in the shop with him - it really warms my heart to see you working with your Dad like I worked with mine

Absolutely stellar work. With men like you and your father it seems anything is possible.

The whole process to keep this Jaguar engine in it's numbers matching Chassis was a delight, and I am so glad you decided on this methodology. I am absolutely certain that when you say "better than new" you really mean it, because your work speaks for itself. That poor engine was shot before you breathed life back into it!

I’m 70, my Dad owned a scrap yard and 2 part stores, 1 a machine shop. I watch you father and it brings back memories. My brothers and sister worked for him growing up. I didn’t follow him into those businesses. It can be a very challenging thing to do. You do a good job.

Would love to hear how the rebuilt engine performs. If the owner puts it on a dynamometer and verifies it's out put to spec etc. Really enjoyed this series. Thanks!

I have watched this block from the beginning and was sure it was scrap. What a transformation. Awesome work (even the cleaning guy)!

Craftsmanship, pure and simple. Doesn't come any better. A pleasure to watch.

Always a joy to see a craftsman taking a genuine pride in their work.

Let me just say, this is the only machine/mechanic channel I watch. I love your videos and the educational quality you provide. Keep on keeping on!

Amazing work. My father passed before I was old enough for him to teach me automotive repair and watching you and your dad is like gaining the teachings I never got. I'm a backyard mechanic but I enjoy rebuilding motors when I can.

The cleaning guy has become such a star ⭐️ recently… I’d forgotten what he was like early doors.

Hope we get to see that motor running when finished. Absolutely awesome workmanship, unfortunately getting harder to find someone who actually cares about their work like you guys!

You guys should smile nice and wide for the work you both put in to save and return this block to service for the customer. Numbers matching means a great deal nowadays. Thanks for your time guys!

The owner of this Jag is lucky to have you guys to do the machining. Very interesting, and informative.

as a cleaning guy with a 13 year old that just completed his first soldering project, I inspected his work a couple times and had the same reaction as your cleaning guy...pride in my sons work.

I spent nearly all my working life behind a desk but find this type of work extremally interesting and entertaining. No regrets, I just admire all types of excellence.

Always a pleasure to watch a true craftsman ply his trade. You and your father do beautiful work.

I know it's probably been said a thousand times before, but just watching all the steps that go into getting the block back to perfect is astounding and so watchable. Glad I found your channel.

Thanks for being an integral part of keeping the machines we love so much on the road.

I am a retired Automotive Machinist/Instructor. I love watching your videos. You both demonstrate mastery of your skill/profession.

It’s been over 30 years since I’ve done any machine work. Growing up next to the farm my mentor had, we would grind valves and seats which put me ahead when I went to vocational school for auto mechanics. I spent 30 years wrenching and seeing the machine processes does not get old with me. I appreciate a good machine shop as they can make or break you as a tech.

I'm an old man with no experience with anything like this. Makes me all the more amazed, impressed and blown away by your skills and craftsmanship. Total respect for all of you

I’ve watched a many hours of RU-vid in my day and I think you’ve created the greatest video series on the platform with this block. At least in the machining category. Fantastic work!

Really nice work! I enjoy your videos and the attention to detail. The block turned out fantastic. Keep us informed on the status of the build if the customer gives you updates.

The story of this Jaguar block has been fascinating to watch. Thank you for the high quality videos and for explaining all of the steps you take. I'm not a machinist but I really enjoy learning about your work.

My dad has a 1975 jaguar xjc6 with this same engine as a project and when we took the engine apart years ago we were suprised to see zero cracks in the block. And only now that i've been watcing your vids on this block i realize how much work that lucky find has saved us.

It is amazing to see this world of "repair it instead of buying new" on a whole new level and to see all the things which can be done to rescue a classic engine. I love the concept and especially the fact that you guys make a living out of it. And the cleaning guy must be so proud of the new guy for working in the same shop together. absolutely perfect!

I love to see precision work done by an expert. So satisfying.

You do beautiful work. Nothing wrong with taking pride in your craftsmanship.

The professionalism of you guys is like poetry in motion. Thank you Jim and Nick for showing us through your shop. Keep up the good work.

It’s been probably 5 years since I have ran any machines. I am retired/ disabled. I like watching your channel brings back good times.

Thanks for taking the time to share this series of videos. Excellent work!

You guys absolutely knocked it out of the park! Just know that you’re work is admired and appreciated. Thank you and keep up the great work, I love seeing the channel grow!

I have been keeping up with all of this series. This is a thing of beauty. I really hope you can post a clip of the block running when the customer finally puts it back in the car!

Wow, the 3 video process of saving this irreplaceable block was just about the most fascinating thing I have ever seen. As an old Drag Racer I’ve spent quite a bit of time in a machine shop. I am so glad I discovered your Channel. The pride you have in your work is very impressive.. thank you for sharing!!

Excellent video! Love seeing your family machine shop do these rebuilds! The longer the video the better!

I personally do not know you manage to read those gauges so accurately must be something you learned early on watching the cleaning guy! Lol I throughly enjoy your videos, you sprinkle in just a small touch of humor here and there while keeping the overall video about the work. Your explanations of the process make complete sense without the need to look up definitions. Keep up the great work!

Agree, the finished product is a thing of beauty.

I see JAMSI ... I must see 👀

Hi my name is Jim , I really like how you guys work together. All of the machine work I have watched on your channel is spot on and clean . I have been a machine technician most all my life , and I would not be one little bit concerned about having you do all my machine work for me ! Keep up the great work you guys do ! 👍 by the way I am 60 years young ! 😁

Amazing video. I had a new 1967 4.2 E Type back in the day, down in New Zealand. I loved that you lavished so much care on that block. A true work of art. You must be proud....

Love your content keep it up😊

ive loved this whole process, get a video of it running after its done!

I have to say that I am in absolute awe of the work you guys are doing and in my opinion the logic of the choices you have made, in order to try to save this block, is spot on. The attention to detail that you apply at every stage is of the highest order and it is so fantastic that there are still shops like yours working to such high standards.

It is art. Thank you for giving a classic car a heart better than new. Re-engineering out faults is an art and a true calling.

You folks are true artisans with spectacular attention to detail and equally spectacular results. I didn’t think that block could be salvaged much less rebuilt with factory spec pistons. Unfortunately that quality of work you’re doing is very tough to find these days. Keep the great content coming.

Oh come on now. Are you kidding me. Was smiling a big smile at the end here. So wonderful for me to see these processes. And for you to restore that block to better than new, so that ol Jag stays on the road. That is a thing of beauty.

I lost my "cleaning guy" about 3 years ago. He was a wealth of knowledge and experience in Chevrolet performance. I learned all I could from him. Take good care of your "cleaning guy". Very important in your life!!!!

I hope that the enjoyment I get from watching you work is reflected on extra work that YT generates for your shop. The benefit of a shop this size is that there is a great deal of care and ownership from the people doing the work. This is not always the case in larger shops. Attention to detail is a thing of beauty here. Love these videos.

Times have sure changed. As a very young man, I had a 3.4 L XK120, well worn. I had an opportunity to buy a set of JE 3.8 L pistons that had been run in a D Type at Sebring circa 1961. The machinist decided that Plymouth piston rings would fit the pistons perfectly and bored the block. No sleeves were required or used. The engine had much improved power, and was running strongly when I decided I’d had enough and sold the car. The difference between the machine work done than and what you’re doing to this Jag block sure point out the high technology available today. Well done👍👍.

Great respect for helping an old jag back on the road ...they need all the love they can get !

It's tough as a former mechanic and life long gear head to find content that I actually enjoy. Thank you. You and your "cleaning guy" obviously know what you're talking about 😉

One thing that I admire the most is the continuously checking of the numbers, making sure the calculations are correct and Dad the QC master. It takes tremendous skill to work these machines and I see one of the most important skills: patience. There is no such thing as a rush job. I worked at various machine shops, some reman, some new and the amount of man labour going in with the reman is far superior to the robot driven new blocks. Like others, would love to see this engine reinstated in its car, matching numbers will certainly help at concours to get high scores.

Enjoy your time with the cleaning guy. He will be missed when he is gone. My dad has been gone since 97 I think about him all the time. It is awesome that you guys work together

Love the series on the Jag six cylinder. The block looked bad, and I was worried, but you did a great job saving it. Be proud. You are artists. Especially that clean-up guy!

Incredible work. That is the cleanest machine shop I've ever seen. Every button every knob might be old but they don't show years of oily hands. Lot of pride in that shop.

Really enjoyed the journey of this engine block. Fascinating process.

I remember back in high school, we could take a automotive class. The first year you brought in your own Briggs and Stratten engine. You broke it down took measurements and learned honing, valve lapping, everything. The teacher was old school and if you gave a crap, he give you knowledge second to none. The second year, was advanced automotive. Here you tore down V8 engines. Some kids acted like they new everything and he told them to leave. The rest of us kept our mouth shut and learned volumes. If he saw you were really serious, he was a great teacher and shared all his knowledge

I have to admit, I know nothing about machining engine components. But even without that knowledge, I can still appreciate and enjoy the precision and artistry of your work. Thank you for introducing me to your world. Kudos!

Coming from a machinist back ground in the bearing industry. I truly appreciate your attention to detail. Good job.

Such a good job on this Jag engine re-sleve it was almost hypnotic watching all the boring & honing processes, the finished job was definitely better than factory!

This project is what brought me from just watching the shorts to watching the full videos. You guys kick ass!

There's a machine shop and there's an artisanal machine shop. I love your stuff! Thank you.

Jaguar guy here. Wasn't always. My dad had a love for the XKE. So he bought one in the late 90's. I inherited it. That engine block is the same age as myself. If I need some work like this in the future. I'll look you up.

That cleaning guy is worth his weight in gold! Make sure you keep him around as long as possible! 🙂👍🏻🇳🇱

Its always a pleasure to see a restoration that leaves whatever is being restored in a better condition than when it left the factory brand new!! Good work.

Excellent work gents. Reminds me of a 289 block that came in. Had been sitting in a field for 25 years. Asked the owner if I needed to take it to scrap bin. Said no, we’ll be building that. I’ll just say after three sleeves and all machine work it looked like the day it was made. You and your dad do great work. Keep at it.

I've been an aircraft and tooling machinist for about 15 years and I can say that your practices and processes are top notch! I wish that we had guys like you in our shop 😆

Came here after watching a few shorts and noticing the quality of work and care you put into your work

I hope that customer is happy with this. Just watching, everyone can see the diligence and care you guys work to.

I'm late to the party but I gotta say, y'alls work on this Jag block has been nothing short of phenomenal. I'm about ready to start a course at my local tech school for machining and I can only hope I'll be able to one day achieve this level of perfection. Keep up the fantastic work!!

Having bored and honed hundreds of motorcycle cylinders, in my day. I appreciate the attention to detail throughout the process. Especially the final cleaning of the cylinder bores. Just like cleaning a gun bore; patch until the patch comes out the way it went in. Great job!

Fascinating video. I just completed rebuild of my 1970 E Type. I was fortunate enough to have a fellow, like you, who learned how to properly machine a block from his father.

Thanks for the information and enjoyment! I'm 82 and although I'll never be able to use any of this knowledge, it's fun to watch and learn!

The care and workmanship I would say equals anything that is made in the aero industry, mesmerising.

Dude! I'm not into cars at all beyond a healthy appreciation of going fast. Watching your videos has made me really start to love the art and precision craft associated with beautiful auto design and repair. Thanks!

Love the cleaning process - I was once told when 10 years old rebuilding my Sturmey Archer 3 speed bike gear box - cleanliness is next to godliness- glad you had the same teachers- so many times this is overlooked.

I love the patina on the Sunnen bore indicator sight glass when the "inspector" stopped by

Excellent work. The sheer amount of research and looking deep into this vintage block speaks volumes. I really love the joy of watching you two work together. And thank you to the Belgium folks who added their knowledge to assist you. Thank you both for the very top quality of the work you do. Jim H.

Thank you so much for posting all of this wonderful content. Specifically the Jaguar transformation was amazing, like you said yourself it’s very very close to being a work of art! But more importantly thank you for continuing the tradition by becoming a machinist. No one in our local, highly reputable shop is under the age of 65 - and no replacements in sight . . .

Hi Guys, This turned out well. I used to live across the street from the Sunnen factory in St Louis. I just watched Cutting Edge Engineering use their new Sunnen hone on a long hydrualic cylinder. The new machine shows the load on the stones just like you do manually. Science following the craft I guess.

I have no clue about engine machining and love to watch all you videos. one thing I can definitely tell you did right in this video is that you researched and consulted other professionals about it rather then going ahead with what you thought was right! 👏

Love the videos! It’s so cool to see a man make a machine do everything he wants and no more. Happy for you!

I always wanted to be an automotive machinist, worked in one for a month but they only had me removing broken exhaust bolts. Worked since1976 as Diesel Mechanic and Heavy Equip. Mechanic. I do own a Bridgeport mill and a Takisawa 1000 lathe. I have fun with them and the rest of my toys. That was beautiful work on that Jag.

Love the channel and all the work you do to make these vids for us !! Been a subscriber for long time and I'm always impressed with the quality of detail and work you and pops do ! Keep up the good work everyone 👏

I gotta say that cleaning guy comes in handy and never hurts to have a double check triple check and all that washing wow for sure clean clean clean great job customers gonna be totally happy🇨🇦🇨🇦👍👍

That's nice work! I wouldn't have thought that block could be saved. There's something deeply satisfying about the look of newly bored cylinders. I can almost hear it running!

I've been around machine shops for twenty years, but never around one that specializes in engine work. These videos are interesting from both a machining perspective and a car enthusiast perspective. The machines are not what I'm used to but their function is obvious and the specialization is intriguing. Keep em coming; I could watch that honing machine sling oil all day.

What a magnificent rehabilitation of a phenomenal piece of history. It's an absolute honor to share time & space on this little blue marble with folks like you. Thank you so very much for sharing this content.

You guys are artists!!! They should stick this block in an Art Gallery for all to see.

Very well done and the input from the cleaning guy is spot on. :) We have several German machines and in our training, they said "Clean is clean. If you have to ask, it isn't clean."

Not only a beautiful job ! But you and Dad always go above and beyond for every customer !

I've always found it amazing what machine shops do with engine blocks and parts. You mount it so perfect that a human hair is too thick to be off by, and to machine it so perfect and flat. That precession of work is just absolutely insane for me... I've built a number of engines and taken down blocks/heads/cranks to be machined and such for all my builds. After getting back the work, the shop gives me the numbers of everything, but doing the math of measuring for rings/bearings/seals and such is easy on a fresh clean machined block/heads/crank. I love using my ball hone and getting that perfect 45° crosshatch in the cylinders. I drop off a whatwhat clean but still covered in grease and oil and caked with years of crud, and get back a block that is good as new and clean as brand new...

well done. so awesome to see a small family shop do such old-school work together and teach the world at the same time. thank you

You all clearly know what you're doing. That's refreshing. Could watch you do that all day.