Chuck's Jaguar D Type Build

[Chuck]

Dave:

The tools I use are fairly basic. Thin aluminum for small pieces (like the hinge covers) is mostly cut with a small Eastwood combination shear / bender tool. The removable multiple bending blades permits creating some double folds, although that is of limited value. It does make nice cuts on thin aluminum.

Thicker aluminum is cut with either a hand sheer or sabre saw. I use a metal blade specific for thin metal, typically Bosch from Home Depot. An important trick is keeping the speed low and letting it cut with minimal pressure on aluminum. The aluminum is firmly clamped and marked with a sharpie or masking tape.

A really handy tool is the power sander. This same unit is sold by several different companies, typically painted differently for each. Made in China. This one came from Harbor Freight. It is handy for smoothing small parts and can actually remove quite a bit of material. It is useful for getting a precise length on tubes, as well as beveling the ends.

On virtually every larger piece of aluminum a sanding block at least 18" long with 180 grit is used to assure the cut surface is straight. Cuts are typically made a 1/32 to 1/16 inch oversize to permit trimming

When ever an inside corner is present it is first drilled out, sometimes up to a quarter inch, and then the cuts made up to the round hole. Sharp corners are generally avoided since stress cracks can develop.

A hole punch is the best way to cut a round hole, but they are expensive and usually I don't have the correct size. A hole saw is often used and cut slightly undersized, then sanded to the proper size to assure a smooth opening.

Finally, working slowly and not rushing is important. (Which may explain why this project has taken years). Hope this helps.

 

[Neil]

Dave:

The tools I use are fairly basic. Thin aluminum for small pieces (like the hinge covers) is mostly cut with a small Eastwood combination shear / bender tool. The removable multiple bending blades permits creating some double folds, although that is of limited value. It does make nice cuts on thin aluminum.

View attachment 140986

Thicker aluminum is cut with either a hand sheer or sabre saw. I use a metal blade specific for thin metal, typically Bosch from Home Depot. An important trick is keeping the speed low and letting it cut with minimal pressure on aluminum. The aluminum is firmly clamped and marked with a sharpie or masking tape.

View attachment 140987

A really handy tool is the power sander. This same unit is sold by several different companies, typically painted differently for each. Made in China. This one came from Harbor Freight. It is handy for smoothing small parts and can actually remove quite a bit of material. It is useful for getting a precise length on tubes, as well as beveling the ends.

View attachment 140988

On virtually every larger piece of aluminum a sanding block at least 18" long with 180 grit is used to assure the cut surface is straight. Cuts are typically made a 1/32 to 1/16 inch oversize to permit trimming

When ever an inside corner is present it is first drilled out, sometimes up to a quarter inch, and then the cuts made up to the round hole. Sharp corners are generally avoided since stress cracks can develop.

A hole punch is the best way to cut a round hole, but they are expensive and usually I don't have the correct size. A hole saw is often used and cut slightly undersized, then sanded to the proper size to assure a smooth opening.

Finally, working slowly and not rushing is important. (Which may explain why this project has taken years). Hope this helps.

If you have access to a 4" to 6" belt sander I think you would find that it works better than the disc type. Whichever you use, see if you can find 3M "Cubitron" abrasive. It is an oriented ceramic that has very sharp grains and wears very slowly. I found that it is the absolute best for metal removal.

 

[Fred W Ballinger]

Great work Chuck. To add a few notes from my experience

I use a wood working band saw for cutting sheet. Works very well. Anything that can cut wood will cut aluminium.

Deburr edges with files and a deburring tool.

As Neil says a large belt sander is very useful, can use it to quickly straighten edges if you work carefully. Present the part to the belt trailing edge first, otherwise it catches and tears the belt.

Aluminum scratches if you look at it. If you don't have material supplied with a protective film on it you can cover the material with wide strips of masking tape on the side to be visible while you work it.

 

[Neil]

Great work Chuck. To add a few notes from my experience

I use a wood working band saw for cutting sheet. Works very well. Anything that can cut wood will cut aluminium.

Deburr edges with files and a deburring tool.

As Neil says a large belt sander is very useful, can use it to quickly straighten edges if you work carefully. Present the part to the belt trailing edge first, otherwise it catches and tears the belt.

Aluminum scratches if you look at it. If you don't have material supplied with a protective film on it you can cover the material with wide strips of masking tape on the side to be visible while you work it.

If the surface of a piece of aluminum gets some scars, don't worry- just go over it with an orbital sander using 600 grit abrasive and a little water for lubricant. This leaves a nice pattern and it is also good preparation for applying primer if you choose.

 

[Randy V]

Guys - while this is all good info, it’s Chuck’s Build Thread - Please consider starting another thread that everyone can take advantage of…
Thanks!

 

[Chuck]

Guys - while this is all good info, it’s Chuck’s Build Thread - Please consider starting another thread that everyone can take advantage of…
Thanks!

Hey Randy, not a problem. All good information!

 

[Chuck]

Seats, Part I

I do not like to post details on a project until able to confirm that it works. But construction of the seats will be a long-term project so I am going out on a limb and posting progress long before the seats will be finished. What is posted may change as this process unfolds. (That is my disclaimer).

We are starting with the seat backs. The goal is to maximize space, so the aft wall determined the back side of the seat. This is the space with which we are working:

To copy the shape of the original, a structure supporting side bolsters needed to be added. The original seats had a web around the top which snapped to the body, making the seat back easily interchangeable to fit different drivers. The look of the cushions varied considerably from car to car, but here is one example:

Hours were spent coming up with a design that ultimately proved to be rather simple. We measured seats on several cars, from a Porsche to a Honda and several in between. Remarkable consistency was found. Typically, the center section of the seatbacks was in the range of ten to twelve inches wide. Also noteworthy, the angle between the seat back and the seat base was typically around 60 degrees (adjusting for the often-seen lumbar support bulge). The rear wall of the RCR D Type is angled at 70 degrees which means the seat base will be angled at 10 degrees.

The center line of the seat back area was located and then the location of the bolsters was biased about an inch to the center line of the car, consistent with the one inch offset of the steering wheel. (Frankly these nuances will likely be inconsequential when everything is done). Several patterns for the two side bolsters were cut until we had workable dimensions.

Time was spent designing these bolsters so the angle between the back surface and the side bolsters was forty degrees on both sides. That yellow gadget for measuring angles (available at Harbor Freight) came in handy.

The side bolsters were cut from 20 gauge (.030) aluminum with ¾ inch folds added to each side for mounting. Holes were drilled and each bolster was clecoed temporarily in place.

Hey, its a start!

 

[Hans Deamer]

This is something I have read about to, but I have never seen a picture of the rear mounting. The front mounting is where the alternator or the power steering pump is on later model of the xk/xkj engine, but where did they place the rear mounting?

No rear engine mounts.
Just the two front ones and another one under the gear box.
Later 4.2’s at least in Series 3 XJ6 used front mounting points about 4” behind the earlier front mounting points but all 4.2XK blocks are drilled and threaded at both these mounting points so all 4.2 blocks can be mounted in either position although the bolt on mounting brackets are different designs for each of these positions.
Rubber mounts are the same for both positions.
E types had a stabilizing bar mounted at the top of the bellhousing with the other end bracketed to the firewall.
My Realm C Type has a 1966 4.2 and with the standard two mountings at the front and one hefty mounting under the gearbox rear extension, in my case a Toyota W58 5 speed. All solid as a rock.

 

[Hans Deamer]

I had acquired different jets with the suspicion that the "as-Delivered" jetting from Pierce Manifolds wouldnt work. But it really did work on the run stand. Engine is now set in the chassis for fitting and completion. But Michigan's clampdown has halted progress.

You may well find that the Webers seem to be fine on the run stand but under load, they behave differently, especially when transitioning from idle to 1500rpm or so. This all has to do with tiny transition holes bored behind the throttle plate on all 6 carburettors,(each twin choke Weber being two completely separate carbs operated by one spindle but each of the six with a full set of about 7 or more jets, venturis, chokes etc all of which have to be right for your engine and its tune.
It could be that your Webers (DCOE 45 152 ?) have only 3 transition holes behind each throttle plate causing stumble during transition from idle to mid range.
The latest Weber type DCOE 45 152G has 4 transition holes behind each throttle plate in an attempt to reduce this problem.
The 152S also has 4 transition holes behind each plate.
I spent several months getting my 4.2 C Type with triple DCOE 45 152 carbs, fast road cams, 9:1 compression to run well but it runs best with idle at 1000rpm and is a bit uneven from idle to 1200 rpm after which it smooths out and is very powerful.

 

[Hans Deamer]

After all your hard work - I would suggest you consider Jet-Hot Coatings or another Ceramic Coater that can put a nice protective coating on those pipes that won't erode away like VHT does.

Our Coatings — Jet-Hot

www.jet-hot.com

Jet Hot ceramic coatings are applied inside and outside the pipes and take over 1200 degrees F without changing colour, won’t blue, greatly reduce heat radiation, prevent corrosion and look something like polished aluminium.
Photo shows Jet Hot coating on mild steel manifolds after 2000 miles running

 

[Hans Deamer]

You can fit a vacuum connector into the intake manifold for distributor vaccum advance

 

[Brian Kissel]

Hey Guys, lets not clutter Chucks build thread. This is all good information,but you need to put it into the appropriate thread.

Regards Brian

 

[Hans Deamer]

Clutch fork travel

When the drive line was installed in September, 2022 we noted that material had to be filed away from the transmission to provide clearance for the clutch fork’s motion. Our post stated “The goal was to remove as little material as possible but enough to assure sufficient motion. We won’t know if we accomplished that goal until it is fully assembled and, in the car.”

This is what it looked like after the material was removed before the transmission was attached to the bell housing.

View attachment 125747

I am please to report that the amount removed was spot on. With the clutch fully disengaged there is about 3/16 to 1/8 inch of clearance. Here are pictures, engaged and disengaged.

View attachment 125748


View attachment 125745

Sometimes we guess right!

An alternative to removing metal from the bell housing is to bend the clutch lever.
In a vise, get it red hot just under the push rod fork and whack it a few times with a copper faced mallet the measured amount needed. This was a recommendation from Realm and it works great.
I have done this on both the CType and on the engine/ gearbox I built for the D Type.

 

[Chuck]

Seats, Part II

Securing the four panels that support the seat back required drilling and tapping for four quarter inch screws on the inner connection points. That was straightforward.

The outside screws, however, are attached to the door jambs on the door side and the vertical tunnel on the inside. The outside location by the door was tackled first.

Since the screws will be attached to thin aluminum, nut plates were used. A description follows.

With the side bolster panel in place, three 1/8 inch holes were drilled and clecos placed to define the locations. The door jamb section which gets the nut plates was then removed and the center hole for the nut plates enlarged. A nut plate was held on the top side with a black cleco so that the two side holes could be drilled for the rivets using an 1/8 inch bit. The nut plate held by the cleco serves as a drilling guide to assure exact alignment of the two rivets. One can buy a drilling guide for nut plates, but they are pricey, and this accomplishes the same goal.

Next the cleco was removed and the two rivet holes countersunk for flush rivets. A tool was used that assures consistent depths, making short work of this detail.

With the holes drilled and countersunk, the nut plate was placed in the proper position on the back side and held with a copper color cleco in one of the rivet holes. A rivet was squeezed in the open hole, the cleco removed, and the second hole riveted. A rivet squeezer is much easier than bucking these small rivets.

Three nut plates were placed on each door jamb. With the nutplates in place the outside seat bolster could be attached to the door jamb with screws.

One step closer to being ready for cushions.

 

[Chuck]

Seats, Part III

The seat bottom is proving to be much more challenging than the seat back. Since Ryan is taller the ability to adjust the height of the seat was needed. We started by marking a pattern on a section of plywood to confirm dimensions and determine an appropriate height for each of us.

One key to a comfortable seat is a good ‘butt pocket.’ Some research disclosed that the Jaguar XKE used a square rubber support called a diaphragm suspended by a frame which, to our surprise, was available for a reasonable price from several British car parts suppliers. https://mossmotors.com/39-0129-seat-diaphragm-set.

The holes in the frame where the hooks fasten will be about an eighth inch beyond the non-tensioned location of the clips to assure a tight fit.

The basic frame was fabricated from ¾” and 7/8” chromoly. To assure a good alignment, time was taken to fabricate a jig from MDF board with the four mounting points precisely located. The jig defines the “high” mounting location in the D.

The angle brackets adjacent to the pipe ends in the jig provide a location for securing the pipes when tack welding. Safety wired was used to tightly secure the frame in place. Final welding will be deferred until all dimensions are confirmed.

 

[Chuck]

Seats Part IV

With a frame fabricated in a preliminary manner, the next challenge was determining how to support it. The height needed to be adjustable. Complicating the matter is the ten-degree vertical angle on the inside surface below the door and the three-degree inward taper of the transmission tunnel.

This is where things start to get complicated. Four different supports are needed for each seat. The inward face of each support had to be parallel, requiring that ‘wedges’ be fabricated. The forward frame member needed to lock into the support block. The rear support blocks needed to be secure, but did not need to lock. After a lot of head scratching, we came up with a design and then spent many hours milling the blocks.

The drivers side blocks were completed first.

The passenger side aft support blocks were different. Since the battery will be located under the seat, the rear seat height will not be adjustable. Further, the parking brake cables are very close to where the block needs to go. A plan was drawn.

The front blocks are the same on both the driver and passenger side, so the height of the passenger seat on the front can be adjusted, but not the rear.

Many hours were spent designing and milling these support blocks, but it has proven to be a good education on using the mill.

 

[Brian Kissel]

As always, well thought out and presented Chuck. Always top notch .

Regards Brian

 

[Chuck]

As always, well thought out and presented Chuck. Always top notch .

Regards Brian

Thanks Brian

This has turned into a monumental project taking far more time than building an airplane kit. So much design, fabrication, and do overs.

The RCR GT40 was a bit like a paint by number kit: the parts were there, the design was established, you knew what it would look like when it was done. You just had to follow the numbers.

The RCR D Type is a bit like a blank artist's canvas: in many places the design is up to the builder, parts need to be fabricated or obtained elsewhere, and you won't know what it looks like until it is done.

But it beats going to an office every day!

 

[Chuck]

Seats Part V

Once the eight support blocks were milled, the front blocks were located and installed. To assure that the corner supports were exactly located, the welding jig was set in the car and used as a guide to place the forward support blocks.

Once the locations were defined, the blocks could be leveled and 1/8” guide holes drilled. The holes were then enlarged and the chassis tapped for 10/24 counter sunk screws. Only the front blocks were installed for now. The rear blocks will be installed after the final welded frame can be set in place to assure good alignment of the aft blocks.

Since these blocks are held in place with only 10/24 screws into tapped holes with no nuts on the back side, I am contemplating adding an adhesive such as methacrylate to the door side when the final assembly occurs. The tunnel side blocks are accessible on the back side, so screws can be added to them. If anyone has any thoughts on that let me know.

 

[Joel Heinke]

Seats Part V

Once the eight support blocks were milled, the front blocks were located and installed. To assure that the corner supports were exactly located, the welding jig was set in the car and used as a guide to place the forward support blocks.

View attachment 142036

View attachment 142039

Once the locations were defined, the blocks could be leveled and 1/8” guide holes drilled. The holes were then enlarged and the chassis tapped for 10/24 counter sunk screws. Only the front blocks were installed for now. The rear blocks will be installed after the final welded frame can be set in place to assure good alignment of the aft blocks.

View attachment 142037

View attachment 142038

Since these blocks are held in place with only 10/24 screws into tapped holes with no nuts on the back side, I am contemplating adding an adhesive such as methacrylate to the door side when the final assembly occurs. The tunnel side blocks are accessible on the back side, so screws can be added to them. If anyone has any thoughts on that let me know.

On the aluminum chassis used in my Miura project, the chassis builder used Loctite AA H8000 methacrylate structural adhesive in quite a few places. As I've continued building upon the base chassis, I've been using it as well. In fact, I ordered up a couple of tubes just last week. It's easy to use and does form a high strength bond on aluminum, especially on large surface area bonds. I think it would do a great job holding your seat brackets in place.