Chuck's Jaguar D Type Build

There certainly are a lot of fasteners between the bellhousing and the iron block! I have the FiveSpeeds bellhousing with same bolting as the OEM automatic trans.

It gets weaker with the 4 bolts into the threaded holes in the aluminum bellhousing to transmission connection. That's where I would be concerned.

There were steel brackets on horizontal surfaces at the back of the block, which provided additional bolt-and-nut connections to the bellhousing. Adaptation of these would seem a possibility.

Of concern to me is that when I saw my 4.2 in the chassis, with no cushioning (metal on metal at the engine mounts) there didn't appear to be any space at the cowl to raise the engine at all.
 

Chuck

Supporter
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?
I have not seen any good pictures showing the rear mounting points used on the D Type engine. I understand rear engine mounts were the exception, not the rule, on the Jag straight six. I do not know of any other Jags that used rear engine mounts on the straight six. As noted in earlier posts, a stabilizer link tied the rear of the engine to the fire wall on most Jag six vehicles.

Perhaps someone with more knowledge can chime in.

As an aside, the stabilizer link is now painted and setting in place. This will provide some support for the back of the engine, but is not intended to carry the weight of the engine. It will be primarily supported by the front engine mounts and the rear transmission mount.

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Chuck

Supporter
Pedals, Part VI. FINISHED

Three months after starting, the pedal project is finally finished. The pedal box was primed and painted with Eastwood Aluma Blast so it would blend in with the surrounding aluminum.

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The pedal alignment is very close to that of the RCR pedals. That was not by design, but rather the dimensions of the foot well, steering shaft, and angled frame member, we were working with pretty much dictated that outcome. For comparison we snapped a picture of the RCR pedals setting in the foot well.

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The next project is laying out and fabricating the brake lines. With the master cylinders relocated we cannot use the nice stainless steel lines provided by RCR.
 
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Chuck

Supporter
Rear Brakes, Part I

It is critically important that every part of the Jag be examined carefully. We removed and inspected the rear calipers as part of that process and discovered that the dust cover on one calipers was torn. Since brakes are always serviced per axle, not individually, and uncertain about the status of the calipers, we decided to replace both.

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Replacement rebuilt brakes calipers are available from Summit Racing for less than $45 each plus a $60 core charge. That is so cheap rebuilding is a waste of time. Look for 1995 Mustang brakes. They are a common part used in many vehicles. Here are the links:

Passenger side

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aaz-18b4544/overview/year/1995/make/ford/model/mustang

Driver side

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aaz-18b4545/overview/year/1995/make/ford/model/mustang

In addition to replacing the calipers the stock black hoses were removed and replaced with a proper fitting. Aeroquip Brake System Adapter FBM2966. I obtained them from Summit Racing:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aer-fbm2966/overview/

3 AN to 10mm x 1.5

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A special note: The rebuilt calipers from Summit had a different mounting bracket, intended for a vehicle with a narrower disc. Be sure to swap with the ones on the existing axle before sending back the old ones. See picture below:


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Note bracket on the left was replaced with the one on the right. The difference between the two is obvious.

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Chuck

Supporter
Rear Brakes, Part II

The rear brake pads on the left went in place nicely but the pads on the right would not. They were too tight.

The obvious explanation was that the caliper piston was not fully seated. Since this system has an integral parking brake one cannot just compress the piston. It has to be rotated. A simple tool was purchased on line for less than ten dollars, delivered in a couple days. (Amazon is amazing). We confirmed it was fully seated, but the pads still would not go in.

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We got out the calipers and checked the thickness of the rotors. Much to my surprise there was a 1/64” difference between the two rotors. A trip to the local brake shop and $30 later both rotors were resurfaced and are now the same thickness.

The picture notes the before and after thickness on the left side. The difference was greater on the right.

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The pads are now in place.

As has been noted before, one must inspect carefully every component for issues before installation.
 
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Chuck

Supporter
Brake line, Part I

The brake lines provided by RCR will not work with our relocated pedal box. The first order of business was to learn how to fabricate brake lines.

Although the stainless steel brakes lines made by RCR look very nice, stainless is tough to work with. Nickel / cooper alloy is widely used by the manufacturers (including Porsche) and is much easier to use. It also has a color which looks more vintage than stainless. We ordered a roll.

A simple flaring tool was used. Ours is a K Tool, made in the USA. There are plenty of You Tube videos with many variations on how to flare the ends but taking the best from several, and after a bit of experimenting, the process was not difficult.


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A tool for bending 3/16” brake line came in handy as well. Another Chinese import.

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Parts were ordered from Summit including the following:

1 Summit Racing Copper/Nickel Alloy Tubing, SUM220216
5 Allstar performance Chassis Tabs, ALL60029 (bracket from hard line to flex line)
6 Wilwood adapters, WIL-220-13124 (connects hard line to flex line)
6 Shafer’s Brake Hose Clips, SSH-BHC001 (holds foregoing in place)
3 Allstar Performance Brake Fittings, ALL50120 (adapters for master cylinders)
1 Allstar Performance Brake Line, ALL48419 (connects rear brake lines to chassis)
2 Wilwood Brake Flexlines, 220-6411 (connects rear calipers to hard lines, 14” long)
1 pkg 3/16” stainless line clamps, HLI-11068

Coming up with an appropriate layout took some time and thought, after which the fun began.
 

Chuck

Supporter
Brake Line, Part II

The rear axle was done first. The location for the hard line brackets was determined and welded in place with four tacks each. Using large sheets of plastic to mask the surrounding area, the brackets were then painted the same chassis black used previously.

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We wanted to support the junction block in a simple manner that would look appropriate. A simple “L” bracket was made. We had to cut out several patterns before it fit properly. The axle vent provided a good connection point.

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The flex line needed a connection point on the body that would clear the drive line and connect neatly with the junction block. A location was found a couple of inches outside the drive line tunnel and a bracket was mounted with a pair of 3/16” nyloc nuts and bolts. A flex line with a 90^ angle on one end will complete the installation.

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Now that the brackets are in place, the hard lines can be installed.
 

Chuck

Supporter
Brakes Lines, Part III

With the rear line brackets in place, we moved to the front. The hard line connections were centered in the opening between the lower control arm connections. 3/16” holes were drilled and the angle brackets were riveted in place after painting them with Eastwood Aluminum Blast paint. By centering them, the flex lines will be roughly perpendicular with the connection to the brake caliper.

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The brake line from the junction block on the driver side, forward and then back on the passenger side, took some time to fabricate. There are numerous bends to follow the frame requiring careful measuring and bending.

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The line from the master cylinder required multiple bends as well. The pressure switch to activate the brake lights was spliced into the line at a location where it will be less noticeable below the carburetors .

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Next we will need to fine tune the alignment of the brake lines and add the hold down clips.
 

Chuck

Supporter
Brake Lines, Part IV

The clutch was perhaps the easiest; just a short run to a bracket which was held in place with a pair of screws and Nyloc nuts. A flex line with a right angle will join this to the brake slave cylinder later.

The three master cylinder adapters (3/8”-24 to 1/8” NPT, Allstar AAF-ALL50120) were installed using a small dab of Loctite 567. A thin very thin bead is visible in the picture. We discovered this product while building the Carbon Cub airplane. This is the ideal product for NPT threads.

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Once all the lines were temporarily in place, they were removed and some time spent checking on the flared ends, cleaning out the lines with a bit of brake cleaner and compressed air, putting them in place and tightening the flared fittings. Note that NO sealant is used on the flared brake fittings; sealant is used only on the NPT fittings.

Once the fittings were properly tightened, they were marked with a black Sharpie so we would have visual confirmation.

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Except for installing the reservoirs and testing, the brake lines are done.
 

Chuck

Supporter
Transmission support

Long ago we fabricated the transmission support and then set it aside. It is finally painted with Eastwood Extreme Chassis black primer and paint.

Due to slight gaps at the ends shims were cut from 28 gauge aluminum. Perhaps we could have simply cranked down the bolts to pull it together, but I prefer not to stress the aluminum chassis. The shims minimized any such issues.

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The 1 ¼”, 3/8” bolts, fine thread, Grade 8, were torqued to 35 pounds and then marked with a Sharpie so we know this job is done.

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Chuck

Supporter
Clutch Assembly, Part I

Never having put together a drive train on a Jaguar before, many hours were spent on line gathering needed information. Moss, www.xks.com, American Powertrain, www.AmericanPowerTrain.com and Terry’s Jags, www.terrysjag.com were excellent sources.

The transmission from American Power Train is a Cobra spec T5, modified to fit the Jaguar. The input shaft is 1 1/8”, 10 spline.

The following parts diagram was very helpful in identifying the parts needed. Some of the parts listed include the reference numbers from this chart in parentheses.

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Here are the parts we ordered:

From American Powertrain:

1 Clutch kit – 9.5” clutch including pressure plate, disc, throw out bearing and clips.
3 Clutch dowel pins.
1 Pilot bushing
1 Lightweight billet aluminum flywheel, 133 tooth
1 Bell housing

From Moss Motors or Terry’s Jags:

1 Clutch s/c rod. (40) #C9798
1 Slave cylinder. (35) #C29801
10 Flywheel bolts. #C4855
1 Gearbox fork. (2) #C9797
1 Cover plate, lower bell housing (15) #C41664
1 Clutch fork return spring (5) #C5120
1 Slave cylinder spring return anchor (6) #C5178
1 Fulcrum pin, to secure gearbox fork on shaft (3) #C1207352
1 Clutch release shaft (1) #C9857
1 Clutch – slave adjuster assembly. C24147ASY

From Summit:

1 ARP #150-330, pressure plate bolts (5/16”-18 x .780)
1 Clutch alignment tool, Pioneer Automotive, #TAT5317

I was a bit surprised to see that the throw out bearing was a solid donut shaped piece of carbon like material that pushed against a flat surface on top of the pressure plate fingers. This was new to me since the few clutches I have installed before had actual bearings pushing directly on the pressure plate fingers.

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The gearbox fork is a casting that may have measured up to the standards prevailing seventy five years ago, but not what we would expect today. It had numerous rough casting marks, the machining was mediocre at best, and it just looked nasty. Although it won’t be seen when installed we decided to clean up the casting marks, smooth the machined surfaces, and spray it with Eastwood brake gray.

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Hardware is needed to connect the bell housing to the engine. This diagram proved helpful.

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We used Grade 8 bolts to join the bell housing to the block. Since bolts in these exact lengths were not readily available, we did a bit of trimming, shortening 3” bolts to 2 7/8”. The disc sander is a tool which is used far more than I would have ever expected and made short order of the trimming. The ends were beveled and the threads chased after trimming.

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Here are before and after images.

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We have most, but not all, of the foregoing parts. The Chinese virus has slowed delivery down a bit.
 
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Neil

Supporter
A carbon bearing is not meant to be lubricated. A sintered bronze bearing has oil contained within the sintered matrix. That is meant to lubricate it for its limited lifetime.
 

Randy V

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Staff member
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At least the clutch assembly tools don't include Rubber-Bands like a Porsche does...
The Carbon Release bearing was a high failure item in my Sunbeam Alpine which saw regular 6,000 RPM shifts when I raced it. I never did find a suitable "bearing" replacement for it - but I got pretty good at replacing it and the pressure plate.
 

Chuck

Supporter
Clutch Assembly, Part II

Before assembly can begin, the bell housing needs to be dialed in. This proved to be a time consuming project which I am going to chronicle in some detail so those that have not yet tackled this project will have some idea of the process.

“Dialing in” affects two parameters. First is the ‘concentricity’ which assures that the transmission input shaft is precisely aligned with the pilot bushing. In other words the transmission input shaft and the crankshaft must be on the same center line. The Jag uses a sintered bronze bushing rather than roller bearings, so the degree of precision required is presumably a bit less, but proper alignment is still important Second is ‘parallelism’ which assures that the transmission face is parallel to the back of the engine block. Both need to have not more than .010 variation.

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The method for checking ‘concentricity’ is discussed on many You Tube sites and on line forums. There is much less discussion of ‘parallelism’ and information on it is harder to find. There are many different specs referenced depending on where one looks. For runout the prevailing recommendation is .010 or less (some references refer to .005 each way, or a total of .010. It is a bit misleading.) For parallel some references set the spec at .002 or less. Both Ford Racing and Tilton recommended .010 or less. So maximum deviation of .010 was our goal for both measurements.

The bellhousing was placed and secured with six bolts, snugged but not torqued, enough to hold it securely in place. The magnetic base dial indicator was placed on the crankshaft end and the measurements noted. Both measurements were checked. The first measurement resulted in concentricity from .000 to .010 and parallelism was from .000 to greater than .015. Not good. (I marked the concentricity on green tape and the parallelism on blue tape.)

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Concentricity is typically adjusted with offset pins. Parallelism is typically adjusted with shims between the bellhousing and the engine block. Changing one parameter can affect the other.

Since the parallelism was the most out of spec it was the first thing we sought to correct. A section of .005 brass was cut to use as a ‘test’ shim placed on the top of the bell housing. The difference was startling. The concentricity dropped from a maximum of .010 to .006, which was excellent. The parallelism dropped to .010, just barely within the desired spec. But we wanted to see if this could be improved upon.

We removed the bell housing and spent some time lightly sanding the painted mating surfaces. That .005 shim is the thickness of a piece of paper, so smoothing the painted surfaces seemed like a good idea. Knowing that the test shim helped, we next cut out a shim that matched the mating surface of the bell housing.

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So how do you drill a 3/8” hole in a .005 section of brass? By trapping it between a fender washer with a 3/8” hole and a block of wood. This trick worked well and gave us two perfect holes.

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The bell housing was again bolted to the block and the measurements checked. The final measurements were .006 on the concentricity and .007 on the parallelism. Cleaning the surfaces and making a proper shim improved the parallelism. No offset dowels will be needed. This project took some eight hours, checking and rechecking the measurements, removing and replacing the bell housing, and experimenting with shims.

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