Chuck's Jaguar D Type Build

[Randy V]

I have found that some alloys do not anneal well enough to be “worked”. It’s better to start with something that is already cold workable, anneal while in the process of working it (aluminum work-hardens exceptionally easy)…
Just my $.02 worth

 

[Neil]

I have found that some alloys do not anneal well enough to be “worked”. It’s better to start with something that is already cold workable, anneal while in the process of working it (aluminum work-hardens exceptionally easy)…
Just my $.02 worthView attachment 132684

If anyone is fabricating anything from aluminum, post this up on your wall!

 

[Chuck]

Annealing aluminium makes it way easier to work with.
Bead rolling, hammer forming, shrinking stretching.

Excellent information JP. I need to try anealing. I am sure it would have made fabrication the instrument panel easier. Thanks for posting that information.

 

[Chuck]

Randy:

Good information.

The panel was my first experience with shaping aluminum. Obviously there is a lot more for me to learn.

 

[Chuck]

Throttle Cable

Considerable time was spent connecting the throttle pedal to the center carburetor. A conventional cable was tried but the tight angles prevented it from working as well as we had hoped.

I have seen cables and pulleys used with Weber carbs in custom Porsches and decided to explore that option.

The center carb required a bottom mount linkage kit which we obtained from Pierce Manifolds.
https://www.piercemanifolds.com/product_p/pm40930.htm The bottom plate was mounted opposite so that the connection point was downward rather than upward. An aircraft pulley was then attached where the cable would normally be. Note that a thin metal guard was added to make certain the cable would not slip from the pulley.

A support for the bell crank was made from steel with the edges welded together. Several prototypes were made first from cardboard, then aluminum, until the geometry was confirmed. The goal was to keep the cable centerd with the pulley as the bell crank moved through its arc.

The bell crank came from Allstar Performance and is a nice piece with a ball bearing pivot point. A bit of material was milled from the cable connection point to provide proper clearance for the cable connector. https://allstarperformance.com/throttle-bell-crank-all54150/

A tab was welded to the throttle pedal arm to provide a connection point for the rod ends, which are also Weber carb linkage parts.

One benefit of this arrangement is that the pedal response can be changed by simply moving the attachment point to the bell crank. At this point we have not yet driven it enough to know what the final settings will be. At this point I can say that this arrangement is very smooth.

By moving the carb connection point to the forward rather than center carb, a conventional cable may well be an option since the longer length would make the bends in the cable less severe.

 

[Chuck]

Knobs and Switches

The switches originally found on the D Type include headlights, side lamps, panel dimmer, push to start, and ignition key. Pretty simple. But it took many hours finding original looking parts.

Current registration requirements in most states require wipers, horn, turn signals, and hazard warning, so those needed to be added. (Our wipers will be manual, avoiding the need for a switch). To keep the layout as close to the original as possible, a single switch will be used for both the headlight and side lamps. This left a switch to be used for the emergency flashers. There remained enough space at the top of the panel for a turn signal. The horn button will be added to the right kick panel just forward of the door, as seen on several original D Types.

Obviously, a D Type race car does not use turn signals, so if turn signals had been added in the mid-fifties, how would Jaguar do it? How about with the pneumatic self-cancelling panel mounted device used on other Jags of that period? It will be located at the top of the panel below the center spine where it will be only visible from the driver’s seat.

The switches we used:

1. Headlight and side lamp switch Lucas 34477 https://www.bpnorthwest.com/switch-3-position-pull-type-5-terminal-lucas.html (This is a near perfect copy of the original, although the original had a deflector that snapped on it, which will be a project for another day)

2. Panel dimmer switch Lucas 78405. This will be wired to the panel light for the tach and speedo. The other gauges will not be illuminated. https://www.holden.co.uk/p/off_dimmer_for_panel_light

3. Panel light (Which is a license plate light. This exact one was seen on two original D’s at Goodwood) BHA4283 https://bpnorthwest.com/license-plate-light-mgb-63-to-69-71-to-74.html

4. Horn button Lucas. This will be mounted on the right kick panel just forward of the door hinge. https://bpnorthwest.com/switch-button-type-large-lucas-brand.html

5. Push to start button and switch. Special order from Robin Human, England. This a NOS switch with a new backlight button. [email protected]

6. Turn signal switch.
a. Lucas 31250 pneumatic auto off https://mossmotors.com/162-400-turn-signal-switch

b. Lucas 27H5511 switch https://mossmotors.com/catalogsearch/result/?cat=&q=27H5511

7. Ignition and Turn signal panel indicator lights. (Used on many period Jaguars). Moss part number 142-200. https://mossmotors.com/142-200-lamp-ignition-warning-red

8. Headlight dimmer switch Lucas 542-120. It looks like a foot switch but was in fact used as a panel switch on several British cars of the period. https://mossmotors.com/542-120-switch-headlamp-dimmer

9. Headlight dip indicator light. This is an excellent copy of the original. Large vintage light sourced from: https://www.dashswitches.com/collec...h-indicator-lamp-green?variant=20668446244975

10. Keyed ignition switch. Cole Hersee 9622-01-BX. This is a simple on – off switch, necessary to provide clearance from the starter switch. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HFLAI5O/ref=pe_2313400_752984900_em_1p_0_lm

11. Hazard warning switch. A simple pull on switch matches the others. Lucas SPB-104

With the switches on hand, we can start laying out the panel.

 

[Doug M]

Splendid stuff indeed. Chuck, have you anchored down the body yet? I’ll be installing my emergency brake setup this weekend, and after that, I feel like I can start the body process. Still to be determined.

 

[Chuck]

Splendid stuff indeed. Chuck, have you anchored down the body yet? I’ll be installing my emergency brake setup this weekend, and after that, I feel like I can start the body process. Still to be determined.

Have not. But my current thought is to anchor the body with several button head screws on the door sills into tapped holes or more likely nut-serts. The rear of the clip is anchored with the under body frame noted in posts long long ago.

The panels on the fore and aft fire walls discussed in recent posts here have made the body remarkably rigid so I believe that additional connections won't be needed.

The GT40 body panels have minimal connections to the chassis and that arrangement works well.

My goal is to use minimum fasteners and no adhesives so the body can be removed if necessary. Perhaps the body will be able to be painted off the chassis???.

I will likely be sorting out this aspect of the project in the next month or so. Hopefully.

 

[Chuck]

Panel Assembly, Part I

With the switches on hand, we could experiment with the layout and confirm the clearances for the switches. The clearances were tight most notably due to the size of the start switch. The usual cardboard templates were made. Once an acceptable arrangement was determined a drill pattern was made to assure there were no screw ups when the panel was drilled.

The start switch needed to be set back. A close look at original D’s reveals four rivets around the start switch suggesting a bracket was used. We made a bracket from .030 ally to accomplish that task. It took four attempts before it was finally right, since it needed to be precisely cut and folded to assure the button would be centered, perpendicular to the panel, and the four rivets precisely located.

 

[Chuck]

Panel Assembly, Part II

This is the fun part. Once all the holes are drilled the bits and pieces can be installed.

Now we can look forward to wiring the panel!

 

[Davidmgbv8]

awsome job my friend.

 

[Brian Kissel]

As per usual Chuck, great job.

Regards Brian

 

[Chuck]

Center Tunnel, Part I

Our goal was to replace the RCR center tunnel cover with one that more closely resembles the original but would be as as sturdy as the aluminum cover. Here are pictures of a prototype that served as the inspiration. Noteworthy features include (1) the forward end is rectangular but transitions to circular at the aft end, (2) there is a divide between the rear fourth and forward three fourths, (3) there is a noticeable starter hump forward of the shifter, and (4) the top of the aft end sets lower than the forward end.

The curved corners on the sides of the tunnel were cut straight so that the tunnel cover and the aft vertical section could be fitted.

Patterns were made for both the aft vertical section using posterboard and the tunnel, using foam core board and poster board. This was a time-consuming project with lots of adjustments until the desired form was realized.

Once the ‘skeleton’ was assembled, it could be covered. I needed paper to determine the shape of the cover and my wife’s parchment paper, made in France, used for baking cookies, was the only large enough paper I could find. After a pattern was cut from the parchment paper, posterboard was cut to match and glued in place. We now had a form that was the desired shape.

Now that the form is ready, what material should we use to construct the tunnel cover?

 

[Brian Kissel]

Chuck, not sure if it’s just me, but I could not view any of the pictures.

Regards Brian

 

[Randy V]

Pictures were all there for me…
I know you‘re experienced in fiberglass.. It’s a non-structural part, why not make it out of glass and some spruce or oak stiffeners. Since you basically have a “buck” rather than a mold, it will take a bit more work, but that wouldn’t be much of a challenge for you…

 

[Brian Kissel]

They are now here for me as well.
Regards Brian

 

[Chuck]

Pictures were all there for me…
I know you‘re experienced in fiberglass.. It’s a non-structural part, why not make it out of glass and some spruce or oak stiffeners. Since you basically have a “buck” rather than a mold, it will take a bit more work, but that wouldn’t be much of a challenge for you…

Good advice Randy. I agree fiberglass may be the best option.

 

[Markus]

Good advice Randy. I agree fiberglass may be the best option.

......but your sheet metal skills are also quite good and on the journey to become a sheet metal artist the tunnel cover out of e.g aluminun woud be the consequent next exercise ....

 

[Chuck]

......but your sheet metal skills are also quite good and on the journey to become a sheet metal artist the tunnel cover out of e.g aluminum would be the consequent next exercise ....

Ally would be nice, but would likely require that I come up with a more solid buck. I suspect it would need cross pieces to reinforce it. I want this tunnel cover to support the weight of a person since getting in and out one will likely push on the tunnel cover. So it would take a pretty stout piece of aluminum.

The tunnel cover will be completely covered with a carpet like material so no one will see it.

Appreciate your comment. At this point I'm leaning towards fiberglass.

 

[Chuck]

Center Tunnel, Part II

Decided to go with fiberglass. Shaping a thick piece of aluminum with these angles would have been a challenge.

The form was covered with clear packing tape so it would release the fiberglass.

The West Epoxy System was used. Initially three layers of glass were used with some overlapping and then Peal Ply was applied to assure a good surface for applying additional layers of glass.

The Peal Ply was removed and the cover removed from the form. It was rough trimmed using a metal shears to confirm the fit. A hole was cut for the shifter. Much more to do.