Awesome attention to details Chuck. Always a perfectionist.
Please keep posting !!
Regards Brian
Please keep posting !!
Regards Brian
Chuck's Jaguar D Type Build
- Thread starter CESLAW
- Start date
Bonnet, Brake Ducts
Looking at pictures of original D Types, one can find pictures with no brake ducts, rectangular shaped ducts, and oval shaped ducts. We opted for the later.
A pattern was made. Two holes were cut and joined with a saber saw. The foam edge of the fiberglass panel was sealed with a coat of epoxy.
The plan was to place the trim ring and not connect it to the opening on the font of the bonnet, but Ryan was insistent that this detail be done. Here is a picture Ryan took of an original duct which blends into the surroundings making it a detail few will notice.
A form was made to confirm the dimensions which was then used as a pattern for cutting the .030 aluminum sections. Each was made in two halves, the bend rolled, then riveted together once the fit was confirmed.
To join the tube to the front opening a plenum was needed. A half Styrofoam ball was found at our local Hobby Lobby which was modified to fit. A nipple was added to insert into the opening on the aluminum tube. Fiberglass was applied after wrapping the foam with packing tape. To remove the fiberglass from the form a bit of acetone made the Styrofoam disappear.
The inner side trim ring was cut from .050 aluminum using a hole saw and jig saw.
The trim ring was drilled for rivets, which are cosmetic. Once the fiberglass panels are painted, the tube and the trim rings will be secured.
Compare this photo with the original. Too bad few will see it once it is finished. The things we do for our kids!
IMG0260
Looking at pictures of original D Types, one can find pictures with no brake ducts, rectangular shaped ducts, and oval shaped ducts. We opted for the later.
A pattern was made. Two holes were cut and joined with a saber saw. The foam edge of the fiberglass panel was sealed with a coat of epoxy.
The plan was to place the trim ring and not connect it to the opening on the font of the bonnet, but Ryan was insistent that this detail be done. Here is a picture Ryan took of an original duct which blends into the surroundings making it a detail few will notice.
A form was made to confirm the dimensions which was then used as a pattern for cutting the .030 aluminum sections. Each was made in two halves, the bend rolled, then riveted together once the fit was confirmed.
To join the tube to the front opening a plenum was needed. A half Styrofoam ball was found at our local Hobby Lobby which was modified to fit. A nipple was added to insert into the opening on the aluminum tube. Fiberglass was applied after wrapping the foam with packing tape. To remove the fiberglass from the form a bit of acetone made the Styrofoam disappear.
The inner side trim ring was cut from .050 aluminum using a hole saw and jig saw.
The trim ring was drilled for rivets, which are cosmetic. Once the fiberglass panels are painted, the tube and the trim rings will be secured.
Compare this photo with the original. Too bad few will see it once it is finished. The things we do for our kids!
IMG0260
Very nice details !! For you, it is what we do WITH our kids. I would have loved to have my father involved. He was a strickler for details. He built RC planes with amazing detail. He would then go crash whatever he just built. He had diabetes real bad and couldn’t see so he had no idea what the plane was doing. But it never stopped him from repairing and building a new one. His glasses had trifocals in the bottom, and bifocals in the top. He would look through the slit in between. Then he wore jewelers glasses on top of them when building. Enjoy the time with your son while he wants to be involved.
My Grandkids could care less one way of the other, and I have some cool stuff. Sorry that they are being left out.
Regards Brian
My Grandkids could care less one way of the other, and I have some cool stuff. Sorry that they are being left out.
Regards Brian
All good points, well taken. I tell folks I am following in Ryan's foot steps since none of these projects would have ever been started without his input. Indeed, I consider myself very fortunate.
Battery Relocation Revisited
Back in February, 2024, relocating the battery under the seat was started. Since then, the seat brackets have been built so this detail can be finished. https://www.gt40s.com/threads/chucks-jaguar-d-type-build.52688/post-592140
The battery box was held in place with counter sunk quarter inch screws after drilling and tapping the tub floor.
A concern about the steel cross bar being close to the terminals risking a short circuit was raised, which is a good point. I found rather hefty fiberglass angle bars at McMaster Carr and decided to give it a try. It worked well, eliminating that concern.
A 1/16” rubber sheet was added to cover the front of the battery and provide additional protection from inadvertent contact.
There is a minimum of two inches clearance from the battery to the bottom of the seat.
Now I can call the battery project really done.
The next project will be removing the rear body so that the center section can be separated from the rear section, but first some spring boat, house and airplane projects need to be tackled.
Back in February, 2024, relocating the battery under the seat was started. Since then, the seat brackets have been built so this detail can be finished. https://www.gt40s.com/threads/chucks-jaguar-d-type-build.52688/post-592140
The battery box was held in place with counter sunk quarter inch screws after drilling and tapping the tub floor.
A concern about the steel cross bar being close to the terminals risking a short circuit was raised, which is a good point. I found rather hefty fiberglass angle bars at McMaster Carr and decided to give it a try. It worked well, eliminating that concern.
A 1/16” rubber sheet was added to cover the front of the battery and provide additional protection from inadvertent contact.
There is a minimum of two inches clearance from the battery to the bottom of the seat.
Now I can call the battery project really done.
The next project will be removing the rear body so that the center section can be separated from the rear section, but first some spring boat, house and airplane projects need to be tackled.
The Great Separation, Part I
After years (literally) of deliberation, the decision was made to separate the rear clip from the center body section. I was reluctant to do so, fearing it would compromise the rigidity of the body. But the challenges reaching the fuel tank and rear suspension, along with the added bit of authenticity, prompted the decision to move forward with the Great Separation.
Critical to the project was assuring that a lip could be created that would fit the rear clip precisely. We came up with a somewhat unorthodox plan.
The location of the tub’s rear panel was marked on the body. Behind the seats, the cut seam is forward of the rear tub panel. This meant that the lip would have to be wider than typical. Three inches was decided upon as an appropriate width so the lip would extend about an inch aft of the rear panel.
Fiberglass will be used to create the lip. The next challenge was coming up with a means of keeping the rear clip and the center section perfectly aligned to assure that the fiberglass would produce a lip with a good fit. We decided that the fiberglass needed to be applied before the final separation occurred.
The plan was to cut most of the seam between the two halves but leave one-inch sections in place to hold it together while the fiberglass was applied. One-sixteenth-inch holes were drilled at approximately six-inch intervals to mark the cut line so that it would be visible on the back side. The holes marked with a silver Sharpie are visible in the foregoing picture.
With the body flipped over, the drill holes were connected, marking the location of the cut line on the back side. A second line was drawn three inches aft, defining the limit of the fiberglass lip.
Once these parameters were defined, the surface where the fiberglass was to be placed was sanded with 80-grit paper until our marks began to disappear to assure a good fiberglass bond.
At this point, the body was flipped upright. One-inch widths of masking tape were placed next to each of the guide holes. The tape defined the locations where the seam would NOT be cut.
A multi-tool was used to cut along the seam between the sections of tape. It worked surprisingly well, producing a thin, straight cut.
The one-inch uncut sections will keep the front and rear aligned as the fiberglass is applied. Later, those one-inch sections will be cut with the Multi-tool. This will create a thin cut in the fiberglass lip, but that can be easily remedied. I sure hope this plan works.
After years (literally) of deliberation, the decision was made to separate the rear clip from the center body section. I was reluctant to do so, fearing it would compromise the rigidity of the body. But the challenges reaching the fuel tank and rear suspension, along with the added bit of authenticity, prompted the decision to move forward with the Great Separation.
Critical to the project was assuring that a lip could be created that would fit the rear clip precisely. We came up with a somewhat unorthodox plan.
The location of the tub’s rear panel was marked on the body. Behind the seats, the cut seam is forward of the rear tub panel. This meant that the lip would have to be wider than typical. Three inches was decided upon as an appropriate width so the lip would extend about an inch aft of the rear panel.
Fiberglass will be used to create the lip. The next challenge was coming up with a means of keeping the rear clip and the center section perfectly aligned to assure that the fiberglass would produce a lip with a good fit. We decided that the fiberglass needed to be applied before the final separation occurred.
The plan was to cut most of the seam between the two halves but leave one-inch sections in place to hold it together while the fiberglass was applied. One-sixteenth-inch holes were drilled at approximately six-inch intervals to mark the cut line so that it would be visible on the back side. The holes marked with a silver Sharpie are visible in the foregoing picture.
With the body flipped over, the drill holes were connected, marking the location of the cut line on the back side. A second line was drawn three inches aft, defining the limit of the fiberglass lip.
Once these parameters were defined, the surface where the fiberglass was to be placed was sanded with 80-grit paper until our marks began to disappear to assure a good fiberglass bond.
At this point, the body was flipped upright. One-inch widths of masking tape were placed next to each of the guide holes. The tape defined the locations where the seam would NOT be cut.
A multi-tool was used to cut along the seam between the sections of tape. It worked surprisingly well, producing a thin, straight cut.
The one-inch uncut sections will keep the front and rear aligned as the fiberglass is applied. Later, those one-inch sections will be cut with the Multi-tool. This will create a thin cut in the fiberglass lip, but that can be easily remedied. I sure hope this plan works.
