Jaguar XJS progress.

jdogg said:

Oh man I love an XJS V12 project, my little PP has now become the big PP. I still want one, bad, I grew up watching Tom Walkinshaw flogging his XJS around Bathurst on TV. I've got too many projects going right now but as soon as I finish one I'm getting an XJS and giving it the TWR treatment

I debated for a long time about the TWR treatment.  It's much closer to Original than the Group 44 treatment I selected. I just debated about the ability to get those big 17" wheels with the right offset.  Group 44's 15x10 Minnilites  are still available.  
      Shop carefully for a good price.   Buy one that doesn't run for the best price   If it's had a engine fire that's even better, chances are you'll need to change color anyway.  I know for sure you'll want  to replace all the wiring.  

  But that will make a great car.   
    The rules then required the stock intake EFI and cast Iron exhaust headers. A fortune was spent making the Stock EFI deliver enough fuel.  
    Stock the fuel was delivered in batches but since there is some fuel savings going to timed injection  Jaguar had to figure out a way to do that. Plus the rules wouldn't allow Dry sumps. As a result practice used one engine, qualifying another and the race a 3rd engine  plus at least one spare. times the number of Jaguars entered.
   Ever wonder why Jaguar put the oil cooler in the rear?  Apparently  the surge of oil from back there offset  the surge of oil to the front of the engine under hard braking.  While there was plenty of baffles,  the severe GForces under braking pulled oil away from the pickup. They'd start the race with 120+  PSI and finish the race with little or no pressure. 

chandler said:

Make sure you offer flare kits up, plenty of people looking for that type of flare for that size wheel well.

     That's getting into the not fair region.  While John told me to make a mold for use in racing accidents.  He didn't give me license to copy his work and sell it.  
    Besides adapting something designed  for one car  to another tends to produce ugly results.  

 Aside from that if you have any vision at all I'm sure you can make perfect fender flairs yourself.  
it's not hard.   Tools are simple.  Go to a second hand store and buy a electric carving knife. That and a hand grater.  You'll also need a round DA sander.  
     Stop at Home Depot, Lowes, Menards and buy some pink foam sheets. (4x8') two inches thick.  Pick up some  spray rubber adhesive.  And a can of spray foam ( for windows and doors) it doesn't expand as much and won't force the foam away from the fenders. 
     Carve the foam the shape of the existing cars fenders. + or -  a lot.  When it's close enough, spray the rubber adhesive  wherever the foam is going to contact the fender and then spray the foam itself. Let it dry a bit.  Then stick the foam on the fender.   Now spray the foam into any gaps.  Perfection isn't critical at this point. Slight gaps will be filled with Bondo.  
     Using the spray adhesive  build up the flairs as big as is required.  I suspect it was about 3- 4 sheets  thick for my flairs.  Probably took 2 sheets per flair.  Cut in 1/2 ( or thereabouts)  glued on top of each other.   Then using the electric carving knife a rough approximation was done.  Using the hand grater get the shape closer. . Bondo  in pattern making can be very thick.   I use an air file.  A cheap one,  long before Harbor Freight started business. Still have it.  If you don't do body work as a business  almost anything will last. 
     It's just body work from here. Make a cardboard template of the various curves so you can replicate them on the other fenders. 
    Once you're happy with all 4 fenders. Take them off and make a splash mold. Plenty of U tubes will show you how. No you don't need gel coat or frame work.  You are only going to take one set off maybe 2 if involved in an accident.  
 The first flair will take most of your time., by the 3& 4th one they will go a lot faster. Same thing with the molds. And the actual fenders. 
    

Ah, didn't realize they were commercially available. I'd only ever seen the ones marketed by "showcar body parts" lol.

In reply to chandler :

If you want I'll provide you with John's phone number.  John is the guy who actually made Group 44's flairs. 

So uh, when and where will your first races be at? Somewhere in Minnesota and Wisconsin I assume. It would be cool to see and hear this beast race.

In reply to sergio :

We will do a "2000 Challenge " northern version first. Probably go to Eau Claire Wisconsin for a test and tune night. To do the drag strip and then the Dakota county track for the autocross.  After that we'll take some pictures and write up a 3 minute "spec Sheet"  for the Concourse. Send  it in to see we can get  some comments regarding points.  The whole thing will be done with the stone stock engine originally in the car.   Over the winter I'll grab one of my spare V12's and build up a race motor. I'll plan on spending about $1000 or less and get somewhere near 600 horsepower. 
      Every Thursday evening the Mound Drive - In has a " Car Show"  and since it's only about a mile from the shop. We'll do a shake down  to make sure all the wires are properly tightened and hose clamps on properly.  If a problem happens,  I'll have the pick-up there for the tow home. 
    My favorite track is Elkhart Lake's Road America. Group 44 did very well there.  4 miles long.  3 great big straights.  SVRA & VSCDA  BOTH RUN THERE.   Brainerd has a 3 mile track but 1&1/2 miles of it is foot flat to the floor since turn 1 is banked and if you have a pair of big brass ones you can do 150 through turn 1.  VSCDA  ran there this year and I've heard they plan to go back. 

In reply to sergio :

I'll keep you informed and you're welcome to join us.  In fact if you are near Lake Minnetonka we are looking for another crew member. 

Thursday we spent a few hours working on making the rotisserie more moveable.  While the front stand had wheels on a swivel. The rear stand only had wheels that pointed straight ahead. 
   Removing those wheels we made a stand to allow the rear wheels to swivel as well.  Most of that work was done on a cheap band saw that still cuts accurately more than 40 years later. A couple of cuts needed to make everything work need to be 54 degrees  and that's exactly where they are.  
    To get the blade to cut faster I hang an iron clamp on the handle.  Yes it's cheap but it still works.  

 On the rotisserie.   
Such a simple statement but wow!  Not easy. 

Slow progress  I'm busy getting excess metal off. I'm half way done removing the metal seal that holds the rubber seal for the passenger door. 
  I'm hoping when finished it might get up to almost 1/2 pound.  But I'm ever the optimist. 

Meanwhile Jeff is welding the Taco gusset on the drivers door side bars. 

The white stuff is heat shield.  There is a nice covering in the back of the engine compartment. I doubt that weighs more than a pound and should keep  the heat off the driver. 

Question time.   
    I'll need to paint the car to look like a Group 44 car.  
Should I paint the car with lacquer. ( my comfort zone ) 

paint it with Enamel. ( I'm really not that good a painter which is why I love lacquer) 

 paint the interior and bottom and then wrap the exterior ?   
 If I do that should I do the interior & bottom  in Lacquer or enamel. ?   

In reply to demnted :

I won't be using any catalyzed paint. Period.  That requires equipment I don't have and since this is the last car I'm painting ( I'm 73) doesn't make sense to buy.   
     Enamel can't be buffed back to original brightness like Lacquer can. The only thing going for Enamel is I can probably buy  it locally.    But the fumes stay around for days. 
That's why I like Lacquer  drips,  runs, etc. are so easy to fix.  Lacquer dries in less than an hour and I've pushed it in 1/2 that time.  The fumes can be gone in less than an hour.  
Lacquer is relatively benign  too!  I've worn just a N95 mask and never had a problem.  
  Remember Lacquer  was originally used by coach builders and applied by brush. Then sanded and buffed to a high shine. 
    A wrap doesn't make sense underneath. Or for the interior.  But I'm seriously tempted to do the top and sides with a wrap. 
 

Ive been using rustoleum with hardener on my last few race cars. Cheap, easy to touch up, reasonably durable. I spray outside as well to deal with fumes. I thin the rustoleum with mineral spirits, and if i want more shine afterwards i wetsand and buff. 

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

I will be painting inside this winter.  Painting outside I'd risk overspray on the house 

Step up to the 2000's Frenchy. Use a single stage acrylic urethane and a modern gravity feed gun that won't create a cloud of over spray. You can buy a new gun for like $15.00-20.00 at HF that will be fine for your project.

NOT A TA said:

Step up to the 2000's Frenchy. Use a single stage acrylic urethane and a modern gravity feed gun that won't create a cloud of over spray. You can buy a new gun for like $15.00-20.00 at HF that will be fine for your project.

What sort of respirator would be needed?  
what would a gallon of white cost? 

I always use whatever paint my local auto parts store carries in both cans and spray bombs. Its a race car so touchups should be quick and simple.

For the bottom, consider using something like Interlux Brightside yacht paint.  This paint was popular a while back with the "roll and tip" car painting fans.  I used it quite a bit for painting rowing shells about 10 years ago, and it nice.  Holds up to the elements really well, and touches up fine.

Sprays with a regular gun ok - just needs a little thinning.  For the bottom of your car, I'd just roll it on with a 4" foam roller.  It's about $125 a gallon for white.  No crazy health-and-safety precautions needed - just wear a respirator and some gloves.  Easy.

Mind you, I find "real" two-stage auto paint looks way better and is actually easier to apply.  But we're talking about the bottom of your car.

demnted said:

I won't be using any catalyzed paint. Period.  That requires equipment I don't have and since this is the last car I'm painting ( I'm 73) doesn't make sense to buy.   

 

Single stage activated: CHEAP HVLP gun, a charcoal filter respirator and mixing cups, sticks with stainers..

 

Enamel can't be buffed back to original brightness like Lacquer can.

 

I call BS wet sand with 1200-2000 if you can't buff that you don't need to be painting.

 

I always use whatever paint my local auto parts store carries in both cans and spray bombs. Its a race car so touch ups should be quick and simple.

 

That is why you pick so called factory pack colors... any paint store that carries the same product should match it painlessly.

 

Just to let you know I have painted from daily beaters to 3 million dollar yachts for over 30 years, noone uses lacquer. Sorry but there are better choices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Excuse the dust, I just pulled the cover off my 46 year old lacquer paint job.  A wash and a little buffing before a wax job and I'll bring it to a car show.   
  That car has at least 20+ Races on it, 40,000 mile cross country trips and at least another 10,000 local miles. 
    For several years I wound up earning  finish awards and sometimes class awards. 
  This was my 2nd ever paint job.  ( my first was rattle cans done at age 15.). 
     My Black Jack special  is now in the Packard museum with a lacquer paint job done. In about 1980.  That too was an award winning paint job.  
 I'm honestly a terrible painter.  I just can sand away my mistakes and fix them. 
       
Frankly I may be the only person in the world painting with Lacquers ( I doubt it) but I won't quit. Coach builders for hundreds of years have painted with Lacquer.  At first with brushes and eventually by the 1920's with air. 

TVR Scott said:

For the bottom, consider using something like Interlux Brightside yacht paint.  This paint was popular a while back with the "roll and tip" car painting fans.  I used it quite a bit for painting rowing shells about 10 years ago, and it nice.  Holds up to the elements really well, and touches up fine.

Sprays with a regular gun ok - just needs a little thinning.  For the bottom of your car, I'd just roll it on with a 4" foam roller.  It's about $125 a gallon for white.  No crazy health-and-safety precautions needed - just wear a respirator and some gloves.  Easy.

Mind you, I find "real" two-stage auto paint looks way better and is actually easier to apply.  But we're talking about the bottom of your car.

So you think we should wrap the top and sides?  

In reply to frenchyd :

I've never done a wrap before, but from what I've seen it could be a good way to go.

You could use the bright side paint on the top too, it's just not super shiny and pretty like real car paint.  And it doesn't really love to be wet sanded and polished.