Dateline - 07/13/2013 - It was a wonderful summer day on Saturday which caused me to not spend a lot of time on the car! Instead, went for a 40 mile bike ride. But I did do a little work on the center console fascia. I realized that I needed to built out the lip of the fascia so that it does not dig into the vinyl that covers the console. So I masked all the vinyl off, wrapped it in saran wrap, taped the fascia in place and then fiber glassed a new, form fitting lip to the inside of the fascia. This should give it a lot more support and make it easier to mount.
This morning I walked into my office to find the glove box door that had been at my friend Matt's house from when we worked on the maple dash. What a beautiful piece of maple! Now that the weather is getting into the 80's, its a good time to start working on the dash. So I think this weekend I'm going to pull out the pieces and start the finishing process. This should be really fun! It really makes me feel like I'm getting this thing done!
Monday, July 15, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Center Console Fascia Work
Dateline - 07/06/2013 - Beautiful weather this weekend so I spent some time working on the car on Saturday. My focus was to work on the center console fascia. The fascia needed to be built out to hold the radio, cup holder and climate controls. All of these required brackets to be built and fiberglassed onto the back of the console. Again, because I'm making parts fit that are not supposed to, some modifications and creative sheet metal work was necessary. Yet, once again, I was able to find a good solution and I'm very happy with the results. I even put everything in the car to see how it would work ergonomically. Really nice. All controls fall "right to hand" and will work very well together.
What's left? Well, I need to add some more fiberglass around the edge of the fascia to strengthen it and make it less likely to cut into the vinyl of the center console. I also have to add mounting hardware for the console. I think I have a pretty good idea how that is going to work, but I need to execute it to see for sure. Then a final fitting with the gear selector and parking brake handle. If everything looks good I will do the final carbon fiber layup and finish it off with many coats of lacquer finish.
As a side note. While waiting for the epoxy to dry, I put the sender unit in the driver side gas tank. Still looking for the correct fittings for the tanks, but that is one more thing done!
Here are pictures of the center console:
What's left? Well, I need to add some more fiberglass around the edge of the fascia to strengthen it and make it less likely to cut into the vinyl of the center console. I also have to add mounting hardware for the console. I think I have a pretty good idea how that is going to work, but I need to execute it to see for sure. Then a final fitting with the gear selector and parking brake handle. If everything looks good I will do the final carbon fiber layup and finish it off with many coats of lacquer finish.
As a side note. While waiting for the epoxy to dry, I put the sender unit in the driver side gas tank. Still looking for the correct fittings for the tanks, but that is one more thing done!
Here are pictures of the center console:
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| Back of fascia with Radio (top) and climate control (bottom) brackets epoxied in. |
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| Back of fascia with radio and heater controls installed |
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| Fascia from Driver's seat, cup holder closed |
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| Fascia from Driver's seat, cup holder open |
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| Fascia from Passenger seat, cup holder closed |
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| Fascia from Passenger seat, cup holder open |
Monday, July 1, 2013
Emergency Brake Done!
Dateline 06/29/2013 - It's been a while since I posted last since I've not been working on the car much. Summer is always a hard time for me to get car work done. I want to do so many other things! But, I put in a good effort on Saturday and got the Emergency Brake done.
Like everything on this car thus far, this was not an easy conversion to make. The Emergency Brake (EB) on the Jag is not renown for being the best. Like most cars from the 60's (remember, this car first came out in 1968) the EB was really more of a parking brake, something the keep the car from rolling down hill if the transmission let go! They often got out of adjustment, particularly after he brake pads wore down and became next to useless after awhile.
The original EB cable runs through a lever/pulley/handle under the dash, under the driver's side of the car, into a 3' cable housing mounted at the back of the car then to the two brake activation levers, on on each of the disk brakes. The idea is that you pull the handle under the dash, which pulls the cable which then squeezes the two levers together, pushing one brake pad in each caliber against the brake rotor. Quite complicated and really didn't work well.
My challenge was that I want to remove the lever under the dash and use an aftermarket Lokar brake lever mounted in the center console. I bought the Lokar handle (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/lok-ehb-7000f/overview/) and brake mounting kit (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/lok-ec-80fu/overview/) some time ago, but didn't really think out how I was going to make the conversion. After crawling around under the car, and seeing how I'd have to mount the cables, I realized that my best bet was to bring the cable into the car underneath the back seat and along the top of the drive shaft housing. The real problem was that the original cable housing was about 20" too short. fortunately the kit I bought had plenty of cable housing. I ended up not using any of the cables and most of the housing that came with the kit, although I did use all the hardware.
My next problem was how to keep the cable from kinking where the different housings meet. That was a really easy fix! A run to McLendon's (local hardware store) for a 1/4" x 2" brass nipple and I was in business. The nipple fits over the original cable housing end (with a little help of a file) and the new cable housing goes right in, nice and smooth!
My final bit of work was an enhancement to the brake handle mount. When I created the mount a couple of years ago, I didn't know how the cables would mount. I was more concerned with mounting the handle so I could get the console done. Now that I got the cables mounted, I realized that I needed one more brace on my mount so that that handle will not slide back. So, I cut and drilled some steel that I had from another project and voila!
Here are pictures of the work:
So, the EB is done! One more thing off the list!
I also spent some time on the gas tanks. Since I last posted, I did some work on the gas tanks. I now have two new tanks (yes!), both of which are painted and the passenger side has the sender unit mounted. But when I looked at mounting them, I realized that the fittings for the fuel pickup is different then what I have on the car! Not only that, but there are two fittings (one for the fuel pickup and one for a fuel return/surge line. This was something that was put on the Series II cars that the Series I didn't have. The tanks are a correct fit so I figured I could plug the fuel return line. But I can not find the right adapters! Standard brass pressure fittings have the wrong thread count! So I have to find these adapters before I can put the tanks in!
I had one thing left to do on the body before I could put the tanks in. There is a plate that fits into the cavity between the wheel well and the rear finder. The plate is used as sound proofing and to keep water from running into the area around where the rocker panel meets the rear fender. This panel was originally held in with a plumbers putty the was never supposed to harden. Well, after 40 years, it did and the plates didn't do much to keep water out. So, I purchased some 3M Strip Caulk (http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/3m-strip-calk-black-08578-p-10395.aspx?gclid=CIvCloXMjrgCFWKCQgodIWkA1g) which I think is the exact same stuff they used originally. One box did one fender, so I now have the passenger side ready to go. I need to get one more box to do the driver side. Then, once I can find the adapters for the tanks, I can put the tanks in and button up the rear end!
I just keep telling myself, one more thing done means one less thing to do!
Like everything on this car thus far, this was not an easy conversion to make. The Emergency Brake (EB) on the Jag is not renown for being the best. Like most cars from the 60's (remember, this car first came out in 1968) the EB was really more of a parking brake, something the keep the car from rolling down hill if the transmission let go! They often got out of adjustment, particularly after he brake pads wore down and became next to useless after awhile.
The original EB cable runs through a lever/pulley/handle under the dash, under the driver's side of the car, into a 3' cable housing mounted at the back of the car then to the two brake activation levers, on on each of the disk brakes. The idea is that you pull the handle under the dash, which pulls the cable which then squeezes the two levers together, pushing one brake pad in each caliber against the brake rotor. Quite complicated and really didn't work well.
My challenge was that I want to remove the lever under the dash and use an aftermarket Lokar brake lever mounted in the center console. I bought the Lokar handle (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/lok-ehb-7000f/overview/) and brake mounting kit (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/lok-ec-80fu/overview/) some time ago, but didn't really think out how I was going to make the conversion. After crawling around under the car, and seeing how I'd have to mount the cables, I realized that my best bet was to bring the cable into the car underneath the back seat and along the top of the drive shaft housing. The real problem was that the original cable housing was about 20" too short. fortunately the kit I bought had plenty of cable housing. I ended up not using any of the cables and most of the housing that came with the kit, although I did use all the hardware.
My next problem was how to keep the cable from kinking where the different housings meet. That was a really easy fix! A run to McLendon's (local hardware store) for a 1/4" x 2" brass nipple and I was in business. The nipple fits over the original cable housing end (with a little help of a file) and the new cable housing goes right in, nice and smooth!
My final bit of work was an enhancement to the brake handle mount. When I created the mount a couple of years ago, I didn't know how the cables would mount. I was more concerned with mounting the handle so I could get the console done. Now that I got the cables mounted, I realized that I needed one more brace on my mount so that that handle will not slide back. So, I cut and drilled some steel that I had from another project and voila!
Here are pictures of the work:
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| Original cable routed through back of seat (right) under back seat and though body to brake lever (left) |
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| 1/4 x 2" brass nipple used to splice cable housings together |
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| What cable housings look like spliced together. Splice ends up inside the body. |
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| View of cable looking from handle to back of car. You can see the Lokar mounting hardware in the foreground. |
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| The Lokar mounting hardware looking forward |
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| Brake lever mounting. New brace was added running from front of trans tunnel to the brake lever. You can also see the Lokar cable mounting on the hand brake (far left) |
I also spent some time on the gas tanks. Since I last posted, I did some work on the gas tanks. I now have two new tanks (yes!), both of which are painted and the passenger side has the sender unit mounted. But when I looked at mounting them, I realized that the fittings for the fuel pickup is different then what I have on the car! Not only that, but there are two fittings (one for the fuel pickup and one for a fuel return/surge line. This was something that was put on the Series II cars that the Series I didn't have. The tanks are a correct fit so I figured I could plug the fuel return line. But I can not find the right adapters! Standard brass pressure fittings have the wrong thread count! So I have to find these adapters before I can put the tanks in!
I had one thing left to do on the body before I could put the tanks in. There is a plate that fits into the cavity between the wheel well and the rear finder. The plate is used as sound proofing and to keep water from running into the area around where the rocker panel meets the rear fender. This panel was originally held in with a plumbers putty the was never supposed to harden. Well, after 40 years, it did and the plates didn't do much to keep water out. So, I purchased some 3M Strip Caulk (http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/3m-strip-calk-black-08578-p-10395.aspx?gclid=CIvCloXMjrgCFWKCQgodIWkA1g) which I think is the exact same stuff they used originally. One box did one fender, so I now have the passenger side ready to go. I need to get one more box to do the driver side. Then, once I can find the adapters for the tanks, I can put the tanks in and button up the rear end!
I just keep telling myself, one more thing done means one less thing to do!
Monday, June 3, 2013
Gas Tanks!
Dateline - 06/01/2013 - decided to start working on the gas tanks as well as more center console work. Here is a reminder of the "Saga of the Tanks." The XJ6 has two 12 gallon tanks, one in each rear fender. The filler caps are on the top of the fender and recessed into a small cup. The cup has a drain to let the water that collects there drain out. But what ends up happening is the drain gets clogged with leaves, dirt, etc. and soon the cup turned into...well...a cup that holds water. Once the water level gets high enough, it will drain past some vent holes in the gas cap and soon you have a significant amount of water in the tanks. The specific gravity of water is heaver then gasoline, so the water will settle to the bottom of the tank and eventually rust it away.
Now, in a car that is being used all the time, there is enough jostling to keep the water from settling in one place, and in general, you use both tanks, so you are continually putting new gas in. However, my car sat for several years outside and that did the tanks no good.
A couple of years ago, I took the tanks to a radiator shop to see what condition they were in. The driver's side tank was in okay shape (it was still able to hold gas when I drove the car). The passenger side tank, however, was Swiss cheese! So I went on ebay and bought a passenger side tank. I also bought a tank sealer kit from Eastwood that I planned to use on the driver's side tank.
Fast forward to this weekend. I pull the tanks out from under the car (where they were being stored) and the new tank is in great shape. So I masked off important areas and painted the tank. The drivers side tank though had continued to rust, even in the dry garage environment. I tipped the tank over and bunches of rust came out! So, girding my loins, I pulled out the Eastwood tank sealing kit and started to read the instructions. OMG. I needed to buy muriatic acid, acetone and then follow a 12 step process to seal the tank. I just wasn't up for that! So, I went on ebay and bought a drivers side tank too! So, at least I will have two brand new tanks, brand new sending units and fresh fuel hoses. What price serenity!
I also spend some more time with the body filler this weekend. I've just about got the center console done. I have a little more sanding and fitting to get the radio to work correctly, but I should be able to finish that soon.
Finally, I did some filler on the chin piece of the car. This is the last piece of bodywork that requires bondo work, so, I'm pretty pleased.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Light Work Day
Dateline - 05/25/2013 - Had a light work day on the car on Saturday. Spent the first few hours cleaning the garage! Needed to find some room on my workbench! After that, I re-installed the air vents in the dash that I took off to get the wiring done. Then I fitted the center console and started working on the center console facia. If you remember, that's the carbon fiber layup that I did during the winter that didn't turn out so hot. I took what I have and cut all the holes to the correct size and started using body filler to reshape it and fill gaps created in the molding process. I still have a little more filler work to do, but it's pretty close. Probably a couple more evenings.
I've really been tempted to work on the gas tanks. I have a band new one that I need to paint, and the old driver side one that I needs the inside sealed. It just has not been warm enough to really feel comfortable painting (low 60's) and the humidity has been high. But once I get the tanks back in the car, I'm going to be pretty close to painting. I guess I had better get on it and start talking to paint shops soon!
I've really been tempted to work on the gas tanks. I have a band new one that I need to paint, and the old driver side one that I needs the inside sealed. It just has not been warm enough to really feel comfortable painting (low 60's) and the humidity has been high. But once I get the tanks back in the car, I'm going to be pretty close to painting. I guess I had better get on it and start talking to paint shops soon!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Down to the "Wire"
Dateline - 05/18/2013 - I'm almost done with the wiring!!!!! It's been a really long haul, but I feel like I'm just inches away from being done. As far as I can tell, all the wiring inside the car is done, tied up and ready to go. I even activated the instrument lights to see if the dimmer worked. All the lights, including those in the switches worked and dimmed fine! Also wired in the power on/off and start switches. They appear to be working also. And I wired in the information center! The only wires I could do are the "Cruse On" and "Cruse Set" lights that I wanted. I ran the wires, but I will not know if I get a signal from the cruse control system until I have it up and working.
The only wiring left is in the trunk. I need to put a fuse box back there and wire in center backup light, and trunk interior lights.
Needless to say, I'm really happy!
What is next before paint?
- Mount the radio
- Mount the climate control switches
- Finish the air recirculation box
- Mount the new emergency brake cable
- Pull out the transmission speedo adapter so that I can buy one that fits my speedo transponder.
- Clean, seal and paint both gas tanks
- Mount the gas tanks
- Finish side the driver side of the car
- Get it painted!
While the car is in the paintshop:
- Finish the front center console fascia
- Stain and finish the dash board
When the car come back:
- Install sound proofing
- Put the car back together
So, my plan has changed. I thought I could get this car done this year. The way things look, I'm going to be happy if I can get the car painted before winter. That will give me three months to put everything back together (and not have to hurry through it). So, it looks like next spring I should have it running.
The only wiring left is in the trunk. I need to put a fuse box back there and wire in center backup light, and trunk interior lights.
Needless to say, I'm really happy!
What is next before paint?
- Mount the radio
- Mount the climate control switches
- Finish the air recirculation box
- Mount the new emergency brake cable
- Pull out the transmission speedo adapter so that I can buy one that fits my speedo transponder.
- Clean, seal and paint both gas tanks
- Mount the gas tanks
- Finish side the driver side of the car
- Get it painted!
While the car is in the paintshop:
- Finish the front center console fascia
- Stain and finish the dash board
When the car come back:
- Install sound proofing
- Put the car back together
So, my plan has changed. I thought I could get this car done this year. The way things look, I'm going to be happy if I can get the car painted before winter. That will give me three months to put everything back together (and not have to hurry through it). So, it looks like next spring I should have it running.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Getting Closer and Closer
Dateline - 05/12/2013 - More wiring this weekend, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel! I believe I have all the wiring done inside the car accept for the dimmer control, the power/ignition switches, connections for the Information Center and the fuse block in the trunk! All the switches are wired, all the instrument lights are wired, the radio is wired, the climate control is wired and I've cleaned up almost all the wiring harnesses! Boy it will be nice to be done with wiring!
On Sunday I worked on the dimmer control. I bought this dimmer control (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L4KKF2/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and found the box to be too big and the screw connectors were not what I wanted. So I printed a new box using my 3D printer and ABS plastic, and created a new box that will allow me to mount the dinner control and the box easily. I mounted the CB and glued the halves together using hot glue which should make it pretty water tight also. Here are pictures:
On Sunday I worked on the dimmer control. I bought this dimmer control (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L4KKF2/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and found the box to be too big and the screw connectors were not what I wanted. So I printed a new box using my 3D printer and ABS plastic, and created a new box that will allow me to mount the dinner control and the box easily. I mounted the CB and glued the halves together using hot glue which should make it pretty water tight also. Here are pictures:
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