Unrequited love

I've been a Jaguar owner for 9 months. I paid CAD$1000 for a 1974 Jaguar XJ12 that was destined for the junk yard and spent the last 4 months and almost $5000 (mind you 50% of that was just tools) restoring it.


A have learned more about myself in the last 4 months than I have in my entire life. I have probably learned more about cars in the last 4 months than I would have ever learned by taking an Automotive technician course.

The last few weeks have been quite depressing, for lack of better words. The Jag spent 17 days at a garage to get its MOT safety certificate. Considering the bill was only $300, how and why I let it take that long, I don't know. This may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but in a country where the year has only 4 months, 17 days is a long long time.

The car idles nicely, revs up nicely. But once you get into gear and start driving its horrible. The power is intermittent. The car backfires so EXTREMELY loudly that it sounds like a 12 gauge round going off just behind you. The carbs are in tune and exhaust gas on both sides is smooth. However the left exhaust smoke is slightly white in colour and colder than the right hand side. I'm going to be so upset if this turns out to be a head gasket or valve issue. This car has had almost everything replaced, from shocks to brake master cylinder. The engine and body were the only things that made this project worthwhile.

The left exhaust pipe is quite moist and sooty, while the right hand side is dry and fairly clean. Which probably means the left bank is running rich. But would that cause cold white smoke as opposed to the right hand side's hot and clear?

I've put my entire summer into this car, all I want is to drive this thing for a few days before winter sets in. I hate this bloody thing.