Chuck's Jaguar D Type Build

[Chuck]

Doors, Part V

A lot of time was spent exploring options for the door latches. RCR provided Bear Claw latches which we had used on the GT 40 where they proved to be solid and reliable. Doug has raised the possibility of using a slam type latch as was seen on the original D Type. Regardless of the type of latch, the aft door jambs need to be fabricated.

Several different options and patterns were made before we came up with this design. Recall our goal is to be able to remove the fiberglass body from the chassis when the D Type is finished which was a factor in this approach.

The fiberglass around the jamb opening was carefully trimmed to three quarters of an inch. The back side was sanded to assure a smooth matting surface for the aluminum jamb. The jamb will be placed on the back side of the ¾” lip.

Two patterns were made for both the door jamb and the side section that ties it to the aft panel. The dimensions shown are approximate. Note the ¾” lips on both panels. These provide the anchoring points to the tub. By making a ‘box’ the structure will be solid enough to work well with the door latch. The corner where the two pieces meet will be joined with an angle section riveted in place.

The door jamb section was cut from 16-gauge and the side section from 18-gauge with a jig saw. The opening cut in the side provides access to the screws holding the door jamb in place and the adjusting nut on the latch stud. The opening on the side section will be completely covered by the seat cushion. Note that the panels are different on the right and left sides because of variations in the fiberglass body. Not visible is a cleco on the back side of the door jamb holding it temporarily in place. (We did some experimenting with a spacer and the latch stud, explaining what is visible in this picture.)

With the parts fabricated, the door jamb box was assembled with 20-gauge riveted angle strips after first being dulled with a green Scotch Brite pad. Since these same general dimensions will be used in multiple locations, a pattern was made so that the rivets will be evenly located.

Satisfied with the design and construction of the door jamb, latch options could be explored.

 

[Doug M]

Great job! I’ve spent much of the weekend working on my doors thanks to your guidance. The previous picture I posted of the RCR built door was a major ‘crop and zoom’ of the photo I took, which is why I didn’t really notice it until latch options were being discussed.

My main reason for seeking smaller latches was when I was planning on installing them inside the door and cutting an access hole for the claws themselves. Now that things are much clearer, I’ll probably go with the RCR supplied parts for ease of maintenance.

 

[Chuck]

Doors, Part VI

The design of the RCR fiberglass doors presents challenges. First, these fiberglass doors are hefty for their size and I am sure they are much heavier than the original D’s aluminum doors, so reasonably stout latches were indicated. Second, the setback distance between the aft side of the door and the jamb is approximately an inch. Based on looking at many original photographs, that is more than double the setback on the original D Type. The easiest solution would be to attach the Bear Claw latch provided by RCR to the outside of the door and attach the stud to the door jamb. The spacing should be close.

The picture illustrates why we opted against this option. That latch is bit unsightly. (There is a Bear Claw “Mini” which would be a better, less conspicuous, option but functionally identical to the Bear Claw “Slimline” shown).

We opted to use the Bear Claw, but mount it inside the door where it will not be seen. Only the latch lock mechanism is visible. The dimensions were plotted and the opening cut.

A pair of ¼ x ¾” screws hold the latch in place. Next, an aluminum panel was added to further clean up the look.

When the serious body work begins an aluminum panel will cover the inside surface of the door which will make the latch mechanism even less noticeable.

 

[Chuck]

Doors, Part VII

The distance from the jamb to the inside of the door latch is over an inch. Not wanting a door stud that long, we needed a way to extend the stud but make it mechanically solid and adjustable and still have an acceptable appearance. After a lot of thought, we came up with a design for mounting the studs.

It took a couple of days to turn the stud mounting brackets on the lathe. (I’m still a novice with the lathe / mill.) The advantages of this design include being able to use the studs that came with the Bear Claw kit, adjustability, and added rigidity of the door jamb.

The angle of the latch and the jamb are slightly different. To assure as smooth latching as possible, a tapered ring was cut from HDPE, tapered to match the angles, and then mounted between the brackets and the back side of the door jamb. It took a lot of sanding to get the precise dimensions to assure a proper alignment. The dimensions shown are approximate.

We temporarily assembled these parts. After a bit of trimming and adjusting the latches worked very well, closing with a solid ‘thunk’ and securing the door firmly in place with an even gap all the way around.

A trim piece was cut to cover the bottom edge of the jamb, mimicking the original. Once all the pieces were cut and trimmed, they were riveted together with 1/8” aluminum rivets after 'polishing' with a Scotchbrite pad.

When using stainless screws with threaded aluminum, anti-seize is used. Where possible a dab of torque seal is applied so we know it has been assembled for (hopefully) the last time. This is a picture of the backside of the assembled jamb.

More to do . . . . .

 

[Chuck]

Doors, Part VIII

The assembled jambs were set in place with a single cleco to temporarily secure it. Later when the body is removed (again) three holes will be drilled and tapped to secure the jambs with quarter inch screws. The side pieces were clecoed in place for now. Three holes will be drilled and tapped on the aft lip to hold it in place after the body is removed (again).

Adjusting the stud was a simple matter of closing the door and then tightening the nut on the back side, which is easily accessed through the side panel opening. The hours of time trimming and fitting were well spent. The door closes and latches in place very well.

A design for a section of weather stripping to cushion the closure of the door and prevent rattling is in the works. The next big project will be the design and construction of the seats.

 

[Chuck]

Doors, Part IX

The design of the doors with there upward opening angle means that in a moment of inattention it could slam shut with a damaging bang. A simple way of making sure the door remains in the open position when getting in or out was the goal. After a lot of head scratching a simple solution was found. Leather washers! By inserting three leather washers between the contact surfaces and tightening the 3/8” bolt to 35 inch pounds of torque (NOT foot pounds), there was enough resistance that the door would remain in the open position even if open at less than the ninety-degree point, but it still closed smoothly.

The washers with 3/8” holes came from McMaster Carr. They fit perfectly. They only come in bags of 25, but they are inexpensive and we now have plenty of spares.

All surfaces were cleaned of the lubricant that had been applied before. The nylon washer referred to in a prior post was pitched. A longer four-inch bolt was needed. A solid washer remains below the head of the bolt and the nut to assure a good mating surface for the leather washer.

I suspect that the washer will wear over time and the hinge bolt will need to be tightened, but that is a small price to pay if the door stays put in the open position.

I am wondering if anyone has come up with another solution for this issue?

 

[Randy V]

Chuck, could you maybe get away with a Bellville (spring washer) washer in a sandwich between two nylon or leather washers?

 

[Chuck]

Chuck, could you maybe get away with a Bellville (spring washer) washer in a sandwich between two nylon or leather washers?

Good idea. That may well be an option. The leather washers seem to work well but if they don't hold up we can give that option a try.

 

[Chuck]

Anyone following this build blog knows I have a penchant for preparing patterns.

The current airplane project is drawing to a close so work on the D can resume. Straightening up the shop, I laid out the collection of patterns and forms that have been accumulating for more years than I care to admit.

The seats are next.

 

[Randy V]

Chuck, your work here and on anything else you’ve shared with us, is absolutely top notch!
Are you still working (you know - that job thing) ?
I try to not over-comment on builds, but rest assured I consume every post and appreciate them a lot!

 

[Chuck]

Chuck, your work here and on anything else you’ve shared with us, is absolutely top notch!
Are you still working (you know - that job thing) ?
I try to not over-comment on builds, but rest assured I consume every post and appreciate them a lot!

Thanks Randy. Appreciate the feed back!

 

[Chuck]

Eyes on Design

Eyes on Design is a high-end car show held at the Edsel Ford House in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, on Father's Day. An impressive collection of classic cars was on display, including an original Jaguar D Type, which is what prompted me to attend. I counted and measured rivets and took a lot of pictures. This particular car was one of the last built and featured independent rear suspension and Lucas fuel injection (which was removed and replaced with Webers). Ironically, this same car was on display at Goodwood, England, when Ryan attended a couple of years ago. This D still races.

The tube for brake venting is prominent. The turn indicator is a good detail.

Note the roundels color is closer to wimbeldon white (Ford color, 1965 Mustang GT350 and GT40), not bright white.

The instrument panel is finished with a hammer tone paint.

A rubber strip serves to seal the wheel well. Note the copper rivets.

The intake horns are the short version.

The hood latch is a simple design.

 

[Randy Folsom]

It seems there is no end of detail opportunities to build an accurate replica. The hard part is deciding when to say it’s close enough

 

[Chuck]

It seems there is no end of detail opportunities to build an accurate replica. The hard part is deciding when to say it’s close enough

Typically time and money provide the answer to that question!

 

[Dino]

Eyes on Design

Eyes on Design is a high-end car show held at the Edsel Ford House in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, on Father's Day. An impressive collection of classic cars was on display, including an original Jaguar D Type, which is what prompted me to attend. I counted and measured rivets and took a lot of pictures. This particular car was one of the last built and featured independent rear suspension and Lucas fuel injection (which was removed and replaced with Webers). Ironically, this same car was on display at Goodwood, England, when Ryan attended a couple of years ago. This D still races.


View attachment 139962
The tube for brake venting is prominent. The turn indicator is a good detail.


View attachment 139963
Note the roundels color is closer to wimbeldon white (Ford color, 1965 Mustang GT350 and GT40), not bright white.


View attachment 139964
The instrument panel is finished with a hammer tone paint.

View attachment 139965
A rubber strip serves to seal the wheel well. Note the copper rivets.

View attachment 139966
The intake horns are the short version.

View attachment 139967
The hood latch is a simple design.

Thanks for sharing Chuck. I'm sure you took tonnes of pics. I have the L490 lamps.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks for sharing Chuck. I'm sure you took tonnes of pics. I have the L490 lamps.

Thanks. I found a pair as well. They are even on Amazon!

Amazon.com

 

[Chuck]

Doors, Part X

The interior of D’s are typically seen painted a shade of green similar to the body or natural aluminum. Ours will be au natural. On such D’s the inner door panel was also raw aluminum while the rest of the door was painted. That is the look we want.

We started by sanding the interior surface of the door to establish sharp edges, a flat surface, and a distinct fold line between the top and bottom sections. A belt sander, followed by hand sanding, made this part of the job go quick.

A pattern was made. Twenty-six-gauge aluminum (.016) was cut about an inch larger than the pattern in the area where the cut out will be was located. The cutout perimeter was a quarter inch or more narrower than the final opening size to provide a quarter inch lip that could be hammer formed.

The form was cut from a scrap of high-density board and an eighth inch radius edge was routed.

The aluminum was hammer formed, trimmed to size per the pattern, and the fold added. Pull rivets will be added along the fore, aft, and bottom edges. These were located and drilled in the aluminum with a 1/16” bit. Just a few holes were enlarged for silver clecos used to hold the aluminum panel temporarily in place.

The aluminum will eventually be glued with a two-part epoxy, but that will likely wait until the door is painted. After it is glued in place the rivets will be added.

A couple of slight ripples could be seen in the top edge, visible in the foregoing photo. To make it lay flat a “shrinker” was used and the marks it caused sanded out. Since the top edge will probably not be riveted the goals was as flat and smooth a surface as possible. This worked well. The panel was rubbed out with a gray 3M pad to provide a smooth, dull finish.

Of course, we had to set it in the place for the final inspection.

 

[Chuck]

Doors, Part XI

A means of releasing the door latch is needed. Photos of the original mechanism are scarce, but if you look close at this picture of an original what appears to be a lever, complete with lightening holes, can be seen in the door opening. This was our inspiration.

Two aluminum bushings a half inch thick and 1 ¼ diameter were turned on the lathe and drilled for 3/16” screws. This will assure a smooth, wiggle free, movement as well as set the levers spaced back from the oval inner door opening.

A simple sketch of the lever was drawn, a pattern made, and tested for fit before cutting from ¼ x 2 x 36 inch aluminum. Lightening holes were drilled using a Unibit to assure smooth openings.

To connect the lever to the door latch, a pair of clevis rod ends were used. McMaster Carr 2447K11. These were the perfect size and easily installed thanks to the snap in pin. A length of 10-32 threaded rod connects the two. Due to variations in the fiberglass doors, there was a quarter inch difference of the threaded rod lengths right to left, so a Dymo heat shrink label was added to each to prevent any confusion when the doors are reassembled after final painting.

Two screws about four inches apart are used, as per the original, although only one is functional. These particular screws are AN Washer Head with an anodized finish which adds a bit of contrast to the aluminum covers. They are available from Aircraft Spruce, part number AN525-10R20 and AN525-10R9 (number 8). A nyloc nut holds them in place, so it can be tightened just enough to assure smooth movement without loosening.

A bit of white lithium grease will be applied to the mating surfaces to assure smooth movement when finally assembled after paint.

I can’t take credit for the general design since they are based on fuzzy images of the original. The shape and angle of the lever functions well making it easy to release the door from the inside and also reaching in and opening from the outside.

 

[Chuck]

Doors, Part XII

The doors have been a seemingly never-ending project, but are finally nearing the end. The forward door jambs were the last major detail.

The forward door jambs are cosmetic, covering the hinge mechanism. They needed to be easily removable so the hinges could be adjusted. Hours were spent coming up with patterns that would work.

The two hinge covers were cut from twenty-gauge aluminum.

An angle piece was added to the aft corner primarily for appearance purposes after first making a pattern to test the layout. With the 1/8 inch aluminum rivets it adds to the feel of the original. This detail will be visible when seated behind the wheel.

The door jambs are held in place with ¼ - 20 screws after drilling and tapping. A small screw was added that goes into a drilled and tapped hole on the hinge base to add additional rigidity to the door jamb. The horn button was the final detail. Later a section of fabric or aluminum will cover the aft edge of the hinge base.

So much time and effort for such a small detail!

 

[DaveC]

Chuck-

You may have mentioned it earlier, but I'm curious about what tools and techniques you are using to cut your aluminum panels, they look pristine with no edge irregularities, edge curling, etc. I see that you have at times used a jigsaw, any particular blade? Tips for your perfectly straight cuts? Thank you!

Dave