October 2005

Date Event
01/10/2005

3hrs

Boot Well


EMU

Today I finished painting the Boot Well closing panel  and the rear wing stays.   I started work on making a template for the heater ducts .  I drilled the right hand inner wheel arch to mount the EMU bracket.  I also sorted out the EMU wiring loom and cleaned it up.  20 years in he XJ6 meant the exposed wires and plugs were pretty grimy/. i cleaned them up with a combination of  gunk, to remove the grease and dirt  and careful brushing with a paint brush dipped in water.  Not he ideal combination to clean electrical components with but it is effective so long as care is taken to dry the loom and plugs with rags or paper towel and leave to thoroughly dry before connecting.
 
02/10/2005

5hrs

EMU

I placed masking tape in approximately the right position on the body, then using the template I had made yesterday I marked the position of the heater ducts on to he body.

I had hopes today of getting the boot floor fitted and finishing off the boot area.  I fitted the boot well closing panel sealing all the joints with translucent (non silicone) Sealing compound.  I fitted the EMU.  I spent quite along time reworking the boot slam panel to see if I could improve the fit of the boot lid and to find the most effective method of securing it to the bottom of the boot well combing.  

03/10/2005

3hrs

Boot Floor

Originally  I had intended the boot floor to be secured to the boot well using "Rivnuts" all round.  This was impractical at the back because of securing the slam panel.  I drilled the back of the boot floor to accept M6 countersunk screws. Places sealer all around the edge of the boot well combing where it would come in contact with the floor.  Secured the front and sides with M5 countersunk screws and rivnuts. I pushed the slam panel forward until the holes lined up and secured it with M6 countersunk screws , penny washers and nyloc nuts. I wish I could say I was pleased with the  fit of the boot lid once the floor was in place, but I'm not.   It never ceases to amaze me when working with GRP how you can measure something get it to fit in something like decent fashion, then fit something else (in this case the boot floor ) to find the something has moved and the quality of the fit you were striving for, is not as good as it was.  It is part of accepting that Nostalgia will fix shut lines and final fitting when the car goes to be painted and trimmed.
 
04/10/2005

1hr

Body Boot

I finished off the boot area today by fitting the newly painted wing stays, pushing the LH side and pulling the RH side in to line then tightening the wing stay bolts to hold them in place.   I fitted the drain pipe to the fuel tank breather and in turn secured it to the LH rear wing brace.
 
05/10/2005

5hrs\

body Demister vents

I set myself the task of fitting the demister vents  (often referred to as fishtails because of their shape)) and chrome finishing strips to the scuttle.   I had already marked the position of the slots in the scuttle using a template.  The template is a good idea because it ensures that both slots are in exactly the same position with respect to the centre line and the cockpit edge of the scuttle.  I cut the slot in the LHS of the scuttle by drilling  at each end with an 8mm drill and cutting inside the line marking the slot with a cutting wheel fitted to the "Dremel".   I then carefully opened out the the slot to match the profile of the fishtails.  My  build manual warns you that the holes for mounting the fishtails and the chrome strips are very close together and care is needed when drilling and fitting.  As I offered up the fishtails to match the slot , this was the first time I had examined them in detail the mounting brackets are simply twisted extensions to the fishtail metal. They are slightly below the  top opening of the fishtail but not enough for any of the fishtail to enter in to the slot if it was opened out.  I could see a difficulty in mounting the fishtails because the mounting holes were not  central to the bracket.  I could feel a question coming on so I called Nostalgia. I spoke to Chris about the problem and discovered that Nostalgia now modify the fishtails by welding a 5mm washer to either end so that the mounting holes for the fishtails and the chrome finishing strips line up.  If you don't have a welder then the washers can be soldered. I decided to do it differently because I don't have a welder and I felt a butt solder joint might be too weak. I made 2 extension to the fishtail brackets 20 mm long from 10mm aluminium strip.  I drilled a hole in the extension to coincide with the hole in the fishtail bracket. I then pop riveted the extension to the fishtails.  Back on the scuttle  I marked the centre line of the slot both  length and width wise.  I worked out the fixing centres of the chrome strip and marked these on the body. I checked the chrome strip covered the slot and was central with respect to the slot in both directions. Make sure that the chrome strip is mounted the correct way around, The thickest edge of he slot would be facing the rear , in other words directing the air towards the windscreen.  I drilled one end and temporarily secured the chrome strip. Rechecking the position of the strip was still correct I drilled through the other end and mounted the strip to the body.  I then took it off to expose the mounting holes.  I placed the fishtail underneath the scuttle making sure it was central and symmetrical about the slot.  At one end I marked the position of the mounting hole  on the extension with a pencil inserted through the hole. Removing the fishtail I could see the pencil mark on the extension. I made a small adjustment to the position of the hole to make sure that when the mounting bolt and nut were fitted they would not interfere with the pop rivets in the fishtail.  I drilled a 5.5 mm hole in the extension at the position indicated.  I fitted the fishtail to the scuttle without the chrome strip and secured it with an M5 bolt and nut.  I checked again the position of the fishtail with respect to the slot. Satisfied that it was central I marked the position of the mounting hole on the extension bracket  with a pencil as before.  I removed the fishtail and drilled the other mounting hole.  I removed the masking tape from the scuttle that I had used to mark the position of the slot and mounting holes. I fitted the chrome strip and  the fishtail securing them with M5 x 25mm stainless countersunk screws , plain washers and nyloc nuts.   I repeated the procedure for the RHS of the scuttle
 
6/10/2005

3hrs

Body Rear Number Plate Plinth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rear Replectors

According to the build manual the next item on the list was to fit the number plate plinth. I had contemplated this for little while because my head was still concerned that the rear body section was not square with the chassis and I do not have enough room at the rear of the garage to accurately check it. I think it is right but I have pointed out before that the boot lid is not square with the chassis.   However I decided to take the plunge and using the bottom of the boot lid as a datum  fit the number plate plinth, rear reflectors and the rear lights.  I always place masking tape on the body, whenever I am going to mark the position of something or drill to mount something. So all of the following is marked on masking tape stuck to the body.   I measured from the bottom of the boot lid 4.75" and drew a line across the boot lid as defined in fig 3-8 of the Build Manual (BM) . I measured and found the centre of the boot lid and checked this against the position of the boot handle.  I marked the centre of the boot number plate plinth and positioned it such that it was aligned with the centre of the boot lid and the lower edge was aligned with the line across the boot lid. I checked to see that it looked correct and the the boot handle would still operate.  I now needed to drill the number plate plinth to secure it to the boot lid the fixing holes need to be hidden by the number plate when fitted.     I tool the plinth off and places making tape around the edges.  I places a number plate on the plinth making sure it was central and symmetrical and drew around it on to the masking tape.  I then marked 4 holes each 1" (25mm)  in from the vertical edges and ¾"  (20mm) from the top and bottom edges of the number plate.  These were pilot drilled with a 2mm drill bit.  I placed the plinth back in position on the  boot lid and held it in place with the assistance of some duck tape. I drilled through the plinth in to the boot lid. Removed the plinth again and drilled the mounting holes to accept Mr countersunk screws.  I drilled the holes the boot lid to accept M5 rivnuts. I screwed the plinth in place with M5 x 25mm Stainless countersunk screws. When the plinth is finally fitted  it will need to have a "P" seal fitted between it and the boot lid.  

Next was the rear reflectors and it was here I ran in to a problem. when I unpacked the rear reflectors the job looked simple enough. I measured the position according to Fig3-8 and drilled the pilot holes in each side.  The reflectors, as delivered, are supplied with a self tapping screw for mounting.  I fixed the LH reflector using the self tapping screw. It was obvious all was not well because the rubber mount was not tight against the body and the reflector itself was loose.  Time to talk to Nostalgia.  move on to the mounting  of the combined number plate and reversing light. the fitting of this is not covered in my build manual at all.  Fig 3-8 shows it mounted on the number plate plinth.  this lamp is much bigger and looks as if it need fitting to the boot lid. Another question for Nostalgia. What about fitting the tail light assembly. I'm going to use the tear drop  type of rear indicators, which mount on the rear dumb irons.  The positioning of the rear lights is, according to fig 3-12,  4.75"  (for  the body mounted indicator) + a further 3.5" to the tail light position above the chrome tube fro the bumper mount, A total of 8.25" . I positioned the rear light housing in this position but it was obviously wrong. I t was too close to the boot well aperture. Taking two other dimensions from fig 3-12 of  2.6" from the boot well to the rear point of the housing and 0.6"  from the boot well to the lower inboard point of the housing, this could only be  achieved by moving the housing much further up the wing.  Call Nostalgia in the Morning
 

7/10/2005

2hrs

Reverse / Number plate light

Rear Lights

I called Nostalgia at Lunchtime. "Don't use the self tapping screws supplied." "Use M5 bolts and rivnuts"  The Reflectors are usually supplied with a captive bolt fitted to the rear of the reflector. If I can not get a satisfactory fit, using penny washers and M5 bolts, Nostalgia will replace the reflectors.  The reversing / number plate light needs a bracket that fits under the plinth and is bolted in place to make a vertical plate the the lamp bolts to.  Then to the position of the rear light housing. Nostalgia have changed the measurement datum point to the top of the boot well aperture. This s a fairly straight edge across the body making it easier to measure from. The housings are placed 370mm from this point to the rear point of the housing. The housing is then positioned to the best matching contour across the body shell with a distance of  8--10 mm between the boot well vertical edge and the lower inboard  point of the housing.   With my questions answered ,  I masked the body with tape and measured the position of the housings. I positioned the housings for the best fit contour wise, and to meet the 370 mm and 10mm dimensions.  Holding them in place I drew round the housing to mark their position on the body.  I rechecked the measurements to make sure the position each side was the same and  that the face where the rear light assembly will fit was approximately at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the car. In other words it looked right.     The outcome is that the housings are positioned 1" (25mm) further up the body than indicated by fig 3-12.
 
8/10/2005

6hrs

Rear Lights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rear Reflectors

 

 

The rear light housings have a rubber gasket that fits between them and the body. These gaskets are the exact size of the tail light housing and have 4 holes cut in them, 3 for the position of the screws and 1 for the position of the wiring. I used these gaskets to mark the position of the screw holes and the wiring hole on to the body.  Starting with the LHS  I then carefully measured the holes to find the centre's. I drilled pilot holes to accurately centre the hoe and then drilled 6mm holes through the body work.  The  housings are drilled and tapped to accept ¼" UNC bolts.  I found it necessary to clean out the holes with a tap before mounting the housings using ¼"UNC x ¾ long set screws, plain and spring washers. . Of course the holes did not line up exactly. The rear hole next to the point was almost exact but ht front ones were too far inboard.  Because I had marked the exact position I was trying to achieve on to the masking tape on the body I knew which direction and how far I had to move the holes.  I adjusted the position of the holes with a round file. Then I drilled the holes again with a 7mm drill to circularize the holes again.   The position was  improved but needed a little more adjustment with the round file. Finally I opened out  all the holes to 8mm ( Nostalgia had told me they use oversize holes to adjust the position of the housing) this way you have the minimum oversize holes whilst still being able to achieve the exact  position on the body.   The bottom outboard bolt is quite difficult to fit and I suggest you get this started by a couple of threads before fitting any of the other bolts. I repeated the operation for the RHS but this time the holes were too far outboard  but the same procedure of  marking, adjusting with a round file and redialling worked to get the housing in the exact position. The housings are pre-drilled and tapped with 6BA threads.  I had to rummage around in my old screw boxes and eventually came across some 6BA countersunk screws. the screws have to be countersunk to fit under the the lens which is retained in he rubber surround by a chrome bezel.  The light fitting and rubber surround are ales pre drilled to match the housing.  I found it necessary to countersink the mounting holes in the light fitting to accept the 6BA  screws.  The 3 holes in the rubber surround and the light fitting are not symmetrical and will only line up in one position to ensure the fitting is mounted the right way up.   I aligned the lamp holder, rubber surround and fitted the screws before I fitted the assembly to the housing.  I inserted the assembly, lining up the screws with the holes in the housing and tightened them up. The bulb functions as tail and stop light which is why it is important to get the fitting the correct way up. The bayonet  pins in the bulb are offset so the bulb will only fit in one direction.  I finished by inserting the lens lifting the rubber surround until it was over the rim of the lens and holding it in place. the hole assembly is completed by fitting the chrome bezel. This s places over the lens and the outer rim of the rubber surround is lifted over the rim of the bezel to retain it in place.

I decided that I would be possible to use the rear reflectors supplied. The problem was that they are intended to be fitted with a small washer and self tapping screw  through the centre of the rubber surround.  with the screw  done up tight the washer press on the centre of the surround and the rubber  outside the area of he washer lifts away from the body. the reflector is flat and held in place by a chrome bezel similar to the rear lights. This s insufficient to press the rubber surround back against the boot lid, The end product look unsightly and is still loose.  You can see from the manufacture of the reflector that it  has the ability to have a captive bolt fitted to the back of the reflector (Nostalgia normally use this type). This would press on a wider area of the rubber surround and hold it firmly in place against the body.  the reflector would be firmly fixed to the body and the chrome bezel would really only be there for decoration.  You cant split the reflector from it's backing to fit a captive bolt so I had to find another way.   I made a circular backing plate about 48mm in diameter from a piece of 18 gauge aluminium and  drilled a 5mm hole in the centre. The central hole was countersunk to accept an M5 x 15mm stainless C/S screw.  I opened up the hole in the boot lid to accept an M5 rivnut.  Placing the backing plate inside the rubber surround I screwed the assembly to the boot lid and tightened it up. The backing plate now held the rubber surround  much closer to the body at its circumference. I took the back plate off again to modify it.  The reflector has to be fitted the right way up . The surround is marked "top"  and has a small indentation at the bottom. The reflector is similarly marked "top" and has a small bump on the  back at the bottom to correspond with the surround indentation.  I needed to drill a hole in the backing plate to accept the bump on the bottom of the reflector so that it would lie flat on the backing plate.  I refitted the surround and the backing plate, making sure the surround was the correct way up and the hole in the backing plate was at the bottom.  I fitted the reflector in to the surround aligning the bump with the hole in the backing plate. I placed the chrome bezel over the top of the reflector and lifted the edge of the surround over the rim all the way round the circumference , to retain it.  The solution works on two levels the backing plate holds the surround closer to the boot lid. the backing plate also packs the reflector tighter against the bezel such that it is more tightly retained by the rubber surround. 
 
9/10/2005

4hrs

Rear Relpectors

 

 

Reverse / Number Plate Light

 

 

The LH reflector has been in place overnight and whilst it is better than the self tapping solution, it is not perfect.  I started to by making another  backing plate for the RH reflector.  I thought that what was really needed was to increase the pressure on the surround to hold it even tighter to the boot lid when it was tightened  up.   Once I had cut and drilled the backing plate as  before I supported it on an old bearing case and slightly dished it with a ball pein hammer. I mounted the backing plate ot the rubber surround with the dish facing inwards.  Now as the mounting bolt is tightened the pressure on the rubber surround is increased. I fitted the reflector and bezel as before. This time there was a definite improvement in the fit.  I removed the LHS reflector, backing plate and surround.   I dished the backing plate as I had done on the RHS.   I refitted the surround and dished backing plate, reflector and bezel again with a improved finished result.

The final piece to fit  was the reverse / number plate light.  I knew from my discussions with Nostalgia that I needed to make a "lazy L" shaped bracket i.e. not one at right angles but less.  The bracket needed to fit under the number plate plinth and hold the lamp vertical when in position.  The lamp is quite substantial so the bracket needs to be  quite sturdy.  I removed the number plate plinth. I found a piece of 2mm thick aluminium. Measuring the back of the lamp. I determined the bracket needed to be 90mm wide. with a sloping back of 45mm and a 25mm. A piece 90 mm W x 70 mm H will do it.  I cut the sheet to size and marked a line 25mm from the bottom edge. Accurately placed this in the vice and bent it along the line. It took a couple of attempts, checking it in position on the boot lid,  re-bending until the upper potion was vertical.  The bottom of the bracket that attaches to the boot lid was  drilled to accept  2 x M5 set screws.  I positioned the bracket on the boot lid and marked where the holes came.  I drilled the boot lid and fitted 2x M5 rivnuts. I bolted the bracket in place.  I put the number plate plinth back in place and marked where the bracket came in the upper edge.  I cut and filed a small cut out in the edge to accommodate the thickness of the bracket.  I refitted the number plate plinth and secured it in place.  I positioned the lamp by hand to determine how high it should be mounted and the vertical position of the mounting bolts.  I removed the plinth  and the bracket  marked where the centres of he mounting bolts should be and drilled them out.  I measured the back of the lamp to find out where the hole for the wiring  should be drilled. 22mm  inboard and 10mm below the centre of the RH mounting bolt.  The bracket and plinth were refitted. I then mounted the lamp. I decided that the top corners of the bracket should be rounded fro SVA reasons but other then that it looked good.  I took the opportunity with the lamp and bracket off the car again to sort out the wiring. I covered the wiring supplied with the lamp with heat shrink sleeve making sure the sleeve when right in to the lamp. I refitted the bracket to the lamp making sure the grommet fitted to the lamp, through which the wiring passes, also fitted through the bracket.  I refitted the bracket plinth and lamp.

Not a bad weekends work.  The rear lights, reflectors and reverse / number plate light are all fitted. 
  

10/10/2005

 

3hrs

Indicator side repeaters

 

 

 

 

 

Body Tie Tod

I took a look at fitting the indicator side repeaters yesterday. The dimensions relating to the position of the repeaters in  fig 3-11o f the build manual are not clear but look like 19.50" measured from the "A" post and 19.50" measured from the bottom of he body work. This looks compatible with photographs I have of the demonstrator vehicle I drove back in 2002.  I called Nostalgia today to check the dimensions for sure to find that the position of the repeaters has moved to 60mm above and central to the air box vent in each front wing.  I also took the time to identify the front wing closing panels but more of this when I come to fit them.   I also have the new style indicator repeater holders which are surrounded by a rubber grommet and are a push fit in to the wing.   I marked the position of the repeater on to masking tape on the LH front wing.  The air box vent is not fitted but there is a rectangular indentation where it will fit marked in  each wing.  I placed a strip of masking tape 60mmn above the top of where the air box vent will fit . The indentation is approximately 80 mm wide, so I centred the repeater on 40mm and drew a 25mm circle to denote the position of the lamp holder.  The repeater needs a 22 -26mm hole to be a tight push fit.   I drilled a pilot hole and opened it out with a stepped drill to 21mm.   I opened the hole to 25 mm with a half round file, correcting any misalignment and ensuring the hole remained circular. I tried fitting the repeater but the hole was slightly too small. Holding the repeater in place I drew around the back of the fitting so that I could fine tune the shape of the hole for the  best fit.  Further careful work with the file and the repeater fitted perfectly.  I repeated the exercise for the RH repeater.  

I now need to fit the tie rod in front of the radiator (for added stiffening). Before I did that I tightened up all the radiator mounting bolts and adjusted the clearance between the radiator and the bonnet aperture by cutting a little more from the cut-out.  I already had some M12 threaded rod and some 14mm steel tube (sourced from B&Q)  to make the tie rod. Fig 3-15 shows where the rod is fitted but gives no dimensions.   I made an approximate measurement across the engine bay at roughly the right position and added 40mm (20mm intrusion each side in to the wheel arch). The plan is to cut the bar to length and secure it either side of the inner body with plain nuts and large washers. Then to measure the centre section and  cut the steel tube to length. Finally assembling the hole thing so that with the tie rod in position the tube covers the centre section.  I cut the M12 rod to 570mm long and cleaned up the threads so that the Rod easily accepts M12 plain nuts.  I had some large penny washers but the centre hole was slightly undersize. These I drilled out to accept the rod.  tomorrow I'm going to mark the position of the rod by placing onn of the washers  as close to the radiator and the underside of the inner body as possible on one side.  ... to be continued
 
 11/10/2005

2hrs

Body Tie Rod

 

I stuck some masking tape inside the engine bay next to the radiator approximately where the tie rod will fit. Using a spare piece of rod as a locator and to check the position of the rod with respect to the radiator. I pressed one of the washers against the inner wing and held it there. I carefully removed the rod making sure not to disturb the washer.  Using the washer as a template I marked the position of the rod on the masking tape.  I drilled a pilot hole in the centre and opened out the hole using a stepped drill.  I put the rod in to the the hole and one of the washers  on the other end. I  positioned the rod so that it  was level and parallel with the radiator and just touching the masking tape placed on the inside of the other wing.  I pressed the washer against the masking tape and held it there.  I Removed the rod taking care not to disturb the washer. Then used it to mark the position of the rod as before.   I drilled a pilot hole and opened it out with a stepped drill. I assembled the rod with 2x M12 plain nut and large plain washers on each end and fitted through the holes.  More large plain washers and M12 nuts were fitted on to the end of the rod in each wheel arch.  the whole assembly tightened up. Despite my best efforts the rod was not quite level. I removed the rod and adjusted the holes slightly to correct the position.  I refitted the rod to measure how long the tube needed to be.  I measured 495 mm between the nuts inside the engine compartment. but in order to fit  the rod and put the inboard nuts in place it needs to be shorter. I reduced the length of the tube by 10mm. The tube was cut with a tube cutter to ensure the ends were square. It was necessary to remove internal burrs at the ends of the tube to fit the rod.   The tube is 14mm OD which makes it a  snug fit over the rod.  I trial fitted the complete assembly. The holes in the inner must be big enough to accommodate the bar with the tube fitted.  Feed one end of the assembly through one of the holes and run a nut and large washer on to the other end.   Make sure this nut ands washer are fare enough along the bar so that you can place the nut and washer on the other end inside the engine bay, You will need to slide the tube along the bar to do this. Insert the end in the hole in the inner inner wing so that you have a tie bar that runs across the radiator  and has a nut and followed by a plain washer next to each hole.  Adjust the position of the nuts and the tube to get equal protrusion of the rod in to each wheel arch. I secured the tie rod  with plain nuts and large washers in the wheel arch.   Tighten the inboard and outboard nuts to tension the body but  be careful not to over tighten or stress the body.

12/10/2005

5hrs

Rear indicators

 

 

Today's tasks were to finish painting the tie rod and fit the rear indicator lights.  I gave the tie rod a final coat of Black Hammerite Smooth and hung it up to dry. 

The rear indicator lights are of the "tear drop" variety not covered in my build manual. i knew from talking to Nostalgia that they fit on "L" shaped brackets  bolted to the upper rear bumper mounting bolt.  I started with a 3" length of  25 x 2 mm flat steel. I cut a 2½" (64mm) length.  Marked of 1" (25mm) from one end and bent it to an "L" shape. I drilled a 10mm hole in the centre of the 25mm section (the base of the "L" shape) to accept the rear indicator holder.   ! drilled another 10mm hole, centred 1" (25mm) from the bend ( the back of the"L shape). This is used to secure the bracket to the Rear Dumb iron and bumper.  the bracket, when mounted is small enough to be contained within the area of the dumb iron. Doing this minimises the risk of he bracket being Non SVA compliant.  However the square end of the bracket, pointing forward is sharp and will need tro be radiused.  I mounted the indicator lamp holder and drew around the base and removed it again.  Using a combination of saw, file and grinding wheel I shaped the end of the base to the contour of the lamp holder.  This should satisfy the SVA man.  I am not a fan of square ends to brackets unless absolutely necessary so I rounded the other end of the bracket to a semicircle. I made a second bracket fro the RHS. Because of the small nature of the bracket it is necessary to modify the lamp holders by removing approx 7mm from the screw thread that mounts the holders to the brackets.  This is to give sufficient clearance between the base of the lamp holder and wring and the domed nut securing the bracket and the bumper to the dumb iron.  Whilst working on the lamp holders I took the opportunity to cover the wiring with heat shrink sleeving.   I completed the trial installation and removed the indicators and bracket for painting.
 

14/10/2005

3hrs

Body Tie Rod

 

Now the paint is dry I've refitted the tie rod.  I'm not happy with the outcome. The sides of the engine bay (inside the front wings) narrow  from back to front. This means that washers on the end of the tie rod are at an angle to the tie rod when mounted and tightened up.  Over tightening to pull the sides of the engine bay and wings in causes additional stress and if adjusted so that the body is not over stressed there is a gap at the back of he washer when it is touching at the front.  What is needed is wedge shaped washers that will follow the line of the engine bay inside the engine bay and the reverse inside the wheel arch. this would clamp the body without introducing any additional stress.  I've taken some measurements and determined that the angle of he engine bay is approx 21°.  I would like to make some spacers out of 1¼" round bar  but his will be quite difficult.  It will probably be easier to make some rectangular wedges out square bar.  I'll consult john Hopkins to see what can be done.  The rear indicator lamp brackets are also dry so I've refitted them.
 
16/10/2005

6hrs

Windscreen Wiper Motor

Most of yesterday and today I've been working on fitting the windscreen wiper motor.  I chose to use the Wiper kit from Nostalgia rather than refurbish and modify the XJ6 unit.  BM fig 3-23 shows an alternative way of mounting the motor using a bridging plate over the heater air inlet hose.   There  are not dimensions on the drawing but it give you an idea of what to do and where it fits.  I'm on my second attempt to get it right (at least to my satisfaction) the first I won't bore you with, suffice to say I earned a lot.  From a piece of 350 x 125 x 1mm steel sheet I made a bracket  like  an elongated  and inverted "N" . The first bend  is 40mm from the top to form the attachment point to the vertical  upper part of the bulkhead. The next bend is 175 mm from the first bend. The 175 mm portion forms plate on which the motor is secured and should run at the same angle as flat portion of the bulkhead.  the lower potion of the bracket should be bent down to make attachment point to the lower potion of the bullhead.
 

  (click on the photograph to see the full size picture ) To get the position right I  fitted the heater hose (approx 3" diameter ) laid it along the bulkhead, under the bracket and adjusted the position of the plate to give adequate clearance whilst making sure it was not too too high so that the motor world interfere with the bonnet.  I drilled just one hole at a time  in the bracket and bulkhead checking that the position after each one was correct.  The bulkhead was drilled to accept M5 rivnuts and the bracket ot accept M5 x 16mm bolts.  I finally fitted all four bolts . The heater pipe is a comfortable fit between the plate and the bulkhead.  The motor rests on a rubber pad and is secured by a hooped clamp. BM fig 3-23 shows the motor fitted as far back on the plate as possible. To achieve this it is necessary to modify the motor securing clamp by straightening one end so that it will bolt to the lower vertical face of the bracket.  The motor clamp needs positioning about 1¼" from the inboard edge of the bracket.  This is necessary to ensure that the drive cable runs inside the scuttle support bracket.  I positioned the wiper motor and securing clamp and marked the position of the  securing holes.  I've drilled the lower one ot accept and M5 rivnut. Drilling the other hole and mounting the motor is a job for tomorrow.
 
17/10/2005

3hrs

Windscreen Wiper Motor

I drilled the remaining windscreen wiper motor mounting hole and fitted an M5 Rivnut. I did a trial fit of the mounting plate  followed by the wiper motor.  the first thing to say was i could still close the bonnet, which was something of a relief.    However in the cold light of day the bracket did not look square on the bulkhead and the wiper motor was also at an angle.  I could see that the underside wiper motor. where the boss is for the spindle  was coming it ot contact with the plate.  This was restricting the angel that I could mount he motor a, to ensure the drive shaft cleared the top of the bulkhead and also was tilting the motor to one side when clamped in position.  I could cure this problem in two ways. Reduce the width of the bracket to 3¼" (83mm) or cut a hole in the bracket to accommodate the spindle boss.  The first option would mean cutting the bracket and drilling new mounting points in the bulkhead. I therefore chose option two. I measured  approximately where where the spindle boss came in contact with the bracket.  Centred it on a point 30mm from the edge and 20mm from the front fold. I drilled a hole 21 mm  diameter, using a stepped drill. this hole is oversize to allow for adjusting the position of the wiper motor and to ensure there was clearance all round the spindle boss, so that there would be no noise or vibration transmission when the wipers were operating.  I made some modification ot the bracket mounting holes, slotting them to provide alignment adjustment when fitted to the bulkhead.   I refitted the bracket, the wiper motor and inspected it with the Mk 1 eye ball it looked OK.  Took the assembly off to paint the bracket.
 
19/10/2005

3hrs

Windscreen wiper Motor

Yesterday I painted the bracket with Acid #8 etching primer and 3 coats of Hammerite Smooth Black.  The 16mm "P" clips I ordered from Unimaster have arrived and I took the opportunity ,between coats of paint on the bracket, to fit the final clips to secure the fuel tank  breather.  Today I  fitted the windscreen wiper wheel boxes.  I thought this was going to be a more difficult job that it turned out to be. There are two marks in the scuttle to indicate the position of the wiper boxes I placed masking top over them and centralized the position of the windscreen wiper over them by  placing the rubber seal centrally over the mark and drawing round the hole.  The build manual gives  350mm between centres but the marks on my scuttle were centred at 170 and 172mm.  I considered this close enough and marked the centre of the hole for drilling. I drilled a 3mm pilot hole following angle of the wiper shaft.  I opened this out with a 9mm drill at the same angle.  You need to work carefully to avoid the drill wandering and / or chipping the GRP surface.   I further open out the hole with a round file until the wheel box just fitted at the correct angle. I completed the trial installation by fitting the chrome outer cover and securing it with the nut provided.  I repeated the operation for the remaining wheel box.   The wiper motor bracket  was now dry and I fitted in position on the bulkhead. I fitted the wiper motor and threaded the drive cable through the wheel boxes.  It is important to reduce the friction of the drive cable in the guide tubes. The best way to do this is to avoid sharp bends  and make the guide tubes curve as gently as possible. With the drive cable in position I can see how to bend the guide tubes to get the best drive.  
 
21/10/2005

9hrs

Body Tie Rod

I decided to go and see John Hopkins  and ask his advice about making some wedge shaped spacers to make a better engineering job of fitting the tie rod in the engine bay. The problem, I explained above, is that if plain washers are sued to secure the tie rod there is a gap between the washer and the the GRP because the washers are at right angles to the bar and the GRP of the engine bay (inner wheel arches) is at an angle of approx 20°.  The solution is to use wedge shaped spacers to match the angle of the GRP either side of the where the tie rod passes through the engine bay. these can then be tightened up solidly without causing any torsional stress on the GRP.  I thought of  making some spacers out ot 1¼" round or square bar.  Talking it over with John he suggested a better solution would be to build up the GRP behind the washers. This would have the advantage of matching the angle of the GRP exactly and being bonded to the GRP would increase it's strength.  It seemed like a good idea but I was concerned what the final appearance would look like, knowing that I'm no "plasterer" and access  in that area was not really good. 
   I took a break, walked the dog and had a think about possible solutions.  I've done this throughout my life and it has always yielded a solution. This time was no exception.  I would make some wedges out of the plain washer I was using and some P40 glass reinforced body filler.  I used a piece of "Contiboard" as a  base drilled a hole in it to  accept an M12 x 50mm bolt.  I placed on of the 32mm over the bolt. I cut a 25mm  piece of  14mm tube, the same as I had used fro the tie rod, and l placed it over the bolt, on top of the washer, the hole thing was held in place by an M12 plain nut.   This made up the basic former around which I needed to build up the P40 filler.   The washer was approx 32mm in diameter. I calculated the circumference to be 100mm.  I cut a strip of cardboard 100 mm  that I could wrap around the washer.  

  I calculated that for the diameter of the washer  and an angle of 20° the opposite side would be 10mm long. Allowing for the thickness of the washer as 2mm I marked the strip of cardboard 2mm from the bottom edge at the centre and 12mm from the bottom edge at the ends. I cut along the line  to make a  flat bottomed V shape.  I wrapped this around ht washer and held it in place with masking tape. The makes a collar with a flat bottom  an it's top edge angled at 20°  This is going to form the shape of the wedge.   Anything that you do not want the P40 to bond to cover in "Vaseline" or grease.  I hade grease the base board before I put the washer on it. I had greased the bolt and the tube. I cleaned the upper side of h washer with solvent to make sure that it was not greasy and would bond to the P40 . I  did not grease the inside of the cardboard because I did not want ot interfere with the bonding of the washer by contaminating it with stray grease blobs. Beside the cardboard can easily be removed from the finished article with  a sanding disk.   I mixed up a small quantity  of P40 and hardener  and filled the cardboard  level with the top edge. I left it overnight to harden off. .
 
22/10/2005

4hrs

Body Tie Rod

The first job was to see if the experiment had worked.  Because of the grease the acting as releasing agent it was easy to remove the washer from the board and a slight twist on the tube release it from the wedge.  I trimmed the fibre glass whiskers with a pair of scissors.  I peeled as much of the cardboard tube away as I could with a "Stanley" knife,   I removed the rest with a sanding drum fitted to the Dremel. I removed any surplus material  from the circumference and the P40 angled surface to produce a flat, circular wedge bonded to a washer,   I checked this on the vehicle, holding it in position over the hole for the tie rod in the engine bay.
 

  The angle and size looked a good match. The angle doesn't have ot be perfect since it can be adjusted in the bonding process.  Satisfied, I made 3 more wedges  over the course of the day.  Once all the wedges were made and cleaned up I did a trial fit of the tie rod.  As a dry ( non bonded ) run the fit was very good. I was able to tighten up the nuts on the tie rod completely with out introducing any torsion stress.    I then made an attempt ot bond the wedges (on the engine bay side)  using P38 body filler. I should have known this wouldn't work because the compound goes off too quickly.  It would work if it was just a case of positioning the wedge and leaving it, but to get the alignment right in relation to the engine bay and the radiator, you have to position it using the tie rod.  That takes  longer than the setting time of the P38. 
23/10/2005

4hrs

Body Tie Rod

I left the tie rod in position overnight knowing that the bonding process had failed. I removed it this morning and cleaned up the wedges to remove the left over P38 material.  I decide to use "Araldite" (Epoxy - Resin) to bond the  wedges to the GRP.  I fitted the tie rod and adjusted the position  before tightening  up all the bolts. Then I  undid just the nut in the RH wheel arch to release the outer wedge on that side.  O cleaned the P40 surface of the wedge with solvent and  the corresponding surface in the wheel arch. I greased the end of the tie rod, protruding in to the wheel arch, and the securing nut, to prevent them from bonding to the wedge. Mixed up some "Araldite" and applied to to the P40 surface of he wedge. Placed the wedge in position and tightened up the securing nut to hold it in place. I Double checked the tie rod position and left it to harden. Once it had hardened I repeated the operation fro the LHS wheel arch.   I still have to bond the wedges in the engine bay but this should be easier with outer wages in place.   

While I was waiting for the tie rod wedges to set in place I Returned to the windscreen wiper wheel boxes and drive tubes.  I had threaded the "Bendix" drive cable through the wheel boxes to get an approximate idea of the shape to bend the tubes. to thread the drive through wheel boxes it is necessary to undo the tube clamp.  I drew around the drive cable,  from the motor to the first wheel box, on to some cardboard as a crude template.  I bent the tube gently by hand making sure, from time to time, that the drive would still thread comfortably through the tube.   I then tried to fit the to the motor and the wheel box, the curve was much too shallow to get the end of the tube located in the wheel box.  There then followed a process of trial and error  bending, straightening and re-bending the tube until it fitted, all the time checking that the drive would still thread through the tube.   I trial fitted the tube and drive threading the drive through the central scuttle support to the second wheel box.  I found it necessary to undo the wheel box from the scuttle to assist with this process, refitting it once the tube and drive were in place. The second tube needs much less bending. Just enough to pass easily through the central support and align from the upper position of the wheel box on the RHS to  to the lower position of the wheel box on the LHS.  This was achieved using the trial and  error process as before.  Again it was necessary to undo the wheel box from the scuttle to assist in threading and alignment. The third ,and last, tube is just a short length of  straight tube.   The whole assembly was fitted to the wheel boxes, threading the drive cable through the boxes and re-fitting the tube clamps and making sure the wheel boxes were aligned and secured to the scuttle.
 

24/10/2005

1 Hr

Body Tie Rod

 

I tested the bonding of thee wedges. To my dismay they had not bonded to the inner wheel arches and came away easily. The "Araldite" easily peeled off the wedges and off the bodywork.  The secret of any bonding process  is cleanliness.  To make sure of getting a good bond I cleaned the wedges and the body work with solvent again. I also lightly roughened up the surfaces with a little 60grit sand paper and finally scored the wedges and bodywork with the point of a "Stanley" knife.  The "Araldite" I was using was old and so I decided to use some fresh stuff from a new tube.   While I was at it, I cut  a new  longer (595 mm) threaded rod to allow for the the thickness of the wedges.  I used the same procedure as before, mounting the rod (without the central tube and the wedges and tightening them up. Once I was satisfied with the position I removed the nut and the wedge in the LH wheel arch.  I cleaned he surfaces again and applied grease to the bar so that it would not stick.  I mixed enough "Araldite" to apply to both the wedge and the body work I placed the wedge in position and tightened it up rechecking the position of the bar. 
 
29/10/2005

1Hr.

Body Tie Rod

I bonded the LH inner wedge inner wedge in place with the bar in situ.  I slackened off the inner nut sufficiently to allow easy access to the mating surfaces of the wedge and engine bay. Cleaned, roughened and scored the surfaces as above.  Then bonded the wedge in place using fresh "Araldite" tightening up the inner nut to hold the wedge in place I left it to set overnight.  I gave the tie rod central tube another 2 coats of paint. 
 
30/10/2005

2hrs.
Body Tie Rod

Continuing with the tie rod  by bonding the RH outer wedge in place.  I started on some tidying up jobs. I realise that  I had not greased the "Bendix" drive for the windscreen wipers  . I stripped out the whole installation and greased the drive cable with "Castrol LM"  grease.  I reassembled drive cable, guide tubes and wheel boxes .
 
31/10/2005

5hrs

Rear Number Plate / Reversing Light

I bonded the last of the tie rod wedges (inner LHS)  in place.   The proposed cable route for the rear number plate light. It exits from the rear of the lamp through the support bracket and then in through a hole in the boot lid.  I was dissatisfied with this arrangement because it left a length of cable exposed between the boot lid and the lamp , which would be open to snagging when the vehicle was being cleaned. Besides that it would look untidy/ After I fitted the lamp I had left the cable routing whilst I thought about it.   I realised there was enough space  to route the cable out of the bottom of the lamp, under the number plate plinth and then in thought the boot lid where it could not be seen.   I removed the number plate plinth, number plate light and bracket.  I removed the lens assembly from the lamp, and withdrew the cable and grommet  back in to the body of the lamp.  I drilled a pilot hole and open this out to 12mm. Take care doing this because the body of the lamp is made from chrome plated brass , very thin and very soft. Also take care not to catch the wired with the drill bit. I refitted the cable and grommet to the new hole so  that they now exit from the bottom of the lamp. I fitted a blank bung to the old hole. the back of the lamp has 5 rivets which, with the bung cause a gap between the bracket and the lamp  when it is in place. I put engineers blue on the rivets and put fitted the bracket to the lamp.  where the rivets touch was clearly marked on the bracket.  Using a combination of drills I countersunk the bracket to accept the rivet heads.  Working from the side of he bracket that is in contact with the lamp body,  I also opened out and countersunk the old cable exit hole so that the bung would almost fit through the hole but not quite. this gave sufficient clearance for the bracket to be fit close to the body of the lamp whist still pressing on the bung and helping to seal it to the body of the lamp.   I refitted the cable with heat shrink sleeving. I refitted the bracket to the boot lid and the lamp to the bracket . I drilled a hole to accept the cable and a grommet in the boot lid, where it would be covered by the number plate plinth.  I marked the top edge of he number plate plinth where the cable form the lamp would enter. I filed a semicircle to accept a grommet .  I fitted two grommets to the lamp cable.  The cable was fed in to the boot lid and the lower grommet fitted in place in the hole.  the upper grommet was slid in to the notch in the number plate plinth.  The plinth was screwed in to place pressing the grommet in to the notch and trapping it between the plinth and the bracket.  the completed lamp is very neat and tidy with he cable completely hidden.  Whilst I was working in the boot area I removed the rear lights, removed the masking tape used to position them and refitted the lights.  the final job of the day was to put some sealer around the edge of the boot floor.
 
31/10/2005

2hrs
Body Tie Bar

Another month draws to a close. I removed the tie bar today to fit the covering tube, only to find that the wedges on the LHS had not bonded to the body.  there must be something in the P40 material I made the wedges from that is not compatible with "Araldite".  I decided I'm wasting time on what is actually a cosmetic exercise. The real solution is to use the wedges to support the bar and match the shape of the engine bay so that they can be done up tight.  The bonding is a good idea but not essential.  I  fitted the tube and then painted the wedges and body to blend them in to the bodywork.   while I was waiting for the paint to dry I started sorting out the windscreen components.
 

Total Hours this Month = 82hrs

 

 

Total hours to date =1306.0hrs