Chuck's Jaguar D Type Build

Chuck

Supporter
I would be speculating, but I suspect that space was a void between the rear wall and the frame supporting the seat backs and the hole was added to provide access to a bit of space to stow the I Phone or house keys, or to provide access to the junction box located just above it, or both.

Note the 'floor' which suggests it was indeed a useable spot in this pic Ryan snapped at Goodwood last September. Good place to toss the I Phone or the house keys in our reproduction!

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Doug M

Supporter
This was touched on a few posts back, but I decided to take a bit of a chance and I bought a GM 35 amp mini alternator off of Amazon for about $60. It’s crazy small to say the least. I made a very temporary bracket setup on my engine to see how it performs when I finally get this thing running on my run stand. If it performs well, I’ll get the graph paper and design a more permanent mounting method after I get the engine sitting in the actual chassis. It certainly doesn’t look ‘period’ but I think it’s potentially a great solution considering the limited space. There are other minis with higher amps and prices, but since this was more of a ‘proof of concept’ experiment, I went low budget.

I’ll post an update if it’s a success.

I haven’t decided yet if I’ll go with one belt or two when it’s time to finalize things. Any suggestions?View attachment 107814
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Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
My apologies for the intrusion here but — Doug, do you have your own Build Log going here? If not, please feel free to get one started so we can get Chuck’s Build Log back on track....
 

Doug M

Supporter
My apologies for the intrusion here but — Doug, do you have your own Build Log going here? If not, please feel free to get one started so we can get Chuck’s Build Log back on track....

As Chuck had written many pages ago, information sharing is the ultimate goal here. If I was skewing his build thread way off track, it wasn’t my intention. It also wasn’t my intention to have three posts and really big pictures, but my iPhone wasn’t behaving with the site for some reason, and the forum software won’t allow you to delete your own posts. So for that, at least, I am sorry.


Alternator options that fit the D-Type reproduction had been discussed previously, and I had a potentially easy and budget friendly solution. This is information I thought I would share, since I have no doubt that there are people following this thread who are thinking of investing in their own RCR D-Type.

Chuck is certainly free to delete any post of mine and I would not be offended.
 

Ian Anderson

Lifetime Supporter
With that 2 belt system how do you adjust belt tension?
Much simpler on a single belt where you move alternator?
With a 2 belt system how do you tell if you throw a water pump belt, before you see steam damage engine?
Single belt the charge warning comes on immediately .... single would get my vote.

ian
 

Doug M

Supporter
Definitely valid point and I'll most likely do that. Alternator experimentation was an afterthought for the run stand, so I left the water pump belt setup as is. When I get my kit and the engine goes in, it'll get a redesign... assuming it actually works ok.
 

Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
It would be my preference if Build Logs were maintained by the Builder that owns the log. Many build logs are started months if not years before the actual car construction itself begins - please feel free to start one of your own Doug and make references to it with links in here. This way we keep the logs center-focused on the builder's own advances. Thank you.
Chuck - my apologies for the thread contamination here - please carry on sir...
 

Chuck

Supporter
Doug, Randy, whomever, I have no problem with anyone's input. Your posts are welcome here. Yea, its all about information sharing. Useful information on any D Type topic is appreciated.

I have not yet started work on the alternator issues. Ryan is visiting and we set the engine back in the chassis yesterday so hopefully we will shortly start exploring the alternator, header and the remaining engine set up issues.

My initial thought is to look into the Jag XKE alternator mount and see if it can be modified to fit, presumably with a single belt. But before we get to that topic we have some front suspension issues we are sorting out.
 

Chuck

Supporter
Front Suspension, Control Arms, Part I

The placement of the front wheels limited the turning radius. Even a minimal turn caused them to hit the wheel opening. Pictures of original D Types show the front wheels set in noticeably. A threefold solution was needed. The first two are simple; the third more difficult.

1. Trim the body. The fiberglass body has a nearly an inch wide lip around the wheel opening. It needs to be cut back to about 3/8 inch. An air saw with a fine blade worked very well. This helps, but is not enough to solve the clearance issue.

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2. Proper tires. The correct size tires for the Jaguar are 185 R 16. These radial tires have a cross section shape and overall diameter which adds a bit of clearance compared to bias ply tires. We found several tire options. One can locate original Dunlap racing tires, but they are expensive, intended for racing - not road use - and therefore not a good option.

We found two other possibilities. Pirelli Cinturato tires in the correct size, V rated, are available from Lucas Classic Tires. They are a bit pricey. https://www.lucasclassictires.com/185VR16-PIRELLI-CINTURATO-CA67-518p.htm

Another option is the Sprint Classic manufactured by Vredestein in Holland, also the correct size and V rated. It is a sticky summer tire with a 220 tread wear rating. We ordered a set from Tire Rack. They came with free shipping, directly to our local tire installer.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...c&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=8VR6SC&tab=Sizes

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Compared to the slightly larger less expensive bias ply tires we had been using, these new tires look better, have a slightly smaller diameter, better profile, and look much more original.

These two changes help, but the biggest job remains.
 
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Chuck

Supporter
Front Suspension Control Arms, Part II

With the first two steps done, we moved on to the third.

3. Modify the control arms. The upper and lower control arms need to be shortened which required completely disassembling the front suspension. Both bottom connections and the top forward connection were shortened by ¾”. The top aft connection was shortened by ½”. (If I were doing it again a half inch would be cut off both top control arm ends, which would be sufficient). These cuts will leave a minimum of over ¾” of threaded depth. Since the shortened rod ends bolts will be fully inserted, there should be plenty of threads for a solid connection. These dimensions are noted in the photos.

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The cut line was scribed since pen marks could fade with cutting and sanding. When cutting, about 1/16” of extra material was left, to be sanded off to the final length after the initial cut. The control arms were cut with the air saw using a 24T blade which was a slow and tedious process. A band saw would have been much faster. The surface of the cut was then smoothed and surfaced with a sanding wheel for a precise vertical face.

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The threads were not tapped to the bottom, so a bottoming tap was purchased from McMaster Carr to accomplish the task. (Part #2521A727). This added a couple of additional threads of depth to assure a full ¾” of threaded surface.

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This process of shortening the control arms took several hours of time, but the final result was smooth surfaces and nicely threaded holes. Next the rod ends need to be shortened.
 
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Chris Kouba

Supporter
It's too bad you live so far away Chuck, I would have happily left the lights in the shop on for you. That's where my mill and lathe are... Would have made quick work of this task but nice job with the old fashioned way.
 

Chuck

Supporter
It's too bad you live so far away Chuck, I would have happily left the lights in the shop on for you. That's where my mill and lathe are... Would have made quick work of this task but nice job with the old fashioned way.
Ryan keeps telling me I need a mill and a lathe. It sure would have made this job go quicker.
 

Chuck

Supporter
Front Suspension Control Arms, Part III

Each of the rod ends need to be cut back a half inch. The best way to accomplish this is to put the lock nut all the way on, then use a section of ¾” tape to mark the cut point. Using a cutoff wheel the bolt was cut, leaving about 1/16” extra material to be trimmed with the sanding wheel.

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Cutting off the ends with the grinder wheel and then final trim with the sanding wheel generates a lot of heat. We paused and let things cool down during the process. Once cutting was done a file was used to bevel and dress the end thread slightly. All eight were exactly the same length when finished.

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With everything trimmed and cleaned up, the rod ends were threaded in all the way ending in a vertical position and the lock nuts tightened. No adjustment will be made to the length to assure a full ¾” of thread contact. A dab of Torque Seal provided a visual reference that this job was done.

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Next the suspension can be reassembled.
 
I decided to take a bit of a chance and I bought a GM 35 amp mini alternator off of Amazon for about $60. It’s crazy small to say the least. I made a very temporary bracket setup on my engine to see how it performs when I finally get this thing running on my run stand.

Looks good Doug. If you are going to spend much time at medium and higher RPM, you could put a larger pulley on the alternator to extend its life - it'll get buzzed pretty high with that pulley set-up. You have heaps of belt wrap-around so I'm sure you'll be fine with a single belt.

Cheers, Andrew
 
D Type Build Blog. The Question.

I have a question.

I just took delivery of an RCR Jaguar D Type kit. A detailed build blog will be forthcoming that will likely continue for a couple of years or longer, similar to the blog for the RCR GT40 started more than a decade ago. https://www.gt40s.com/threads/chuck-and-ryans-rcr-build.22083/

But where should that blog be?

I would like to keep it right here on GT40s.com even though a Jag D Type and a GT40 do not facially have much in common. But look a bit deeper and there is indeed some common ground.

First, those that patronize this site include some of the most knowledgeable car guys I know. The help and feedback provided on the GT40 project was invaluable. Hopefully many of those that visit this blog on the GT40s forum might find this Jag project interesting.

Second, the details and techniques posted will in many instances be transferable to building a GT40.

Third, the Jaguar D Type shares a common heritage with the GT40. A decade before the GT40 won at Lemans four consecutive years in the late sixties, the D Type won at Lemans for three consecutive years starting in the late fifties.

So here is the question, for those that visit this forum and for those that administer it. Would it be appropriate to continue this blog on our construction of a D Type reproduction on the GT40s forum? Or should I take my toy and go somewhere else to play?


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Loving this build thread Chuck! Lovely work. As an aside, I'm building a Mk1 GT40, and am going to finish it in the same metallic blue as yours. What paint code did you use?
 
Front Suspension Control Arms, Part II

This process of shortening the control arms took several hours of time, but the final result was smooth surfaces and nicely threaded holes. Next the rod ends need to be shortened.


I used a band saw with a good blade, followed by a bench top disc sander to square it up for a similar task. Fairly fast and easy.
 
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