Another busy day in the garage. I started with putting some vinyl-faced foam on the trunk bulkhead to replace the Hardura I pulled off.


Then I started with making AC lines from the compressor to the condenser. I am a big fan of the Vintage Air U-Bend-Em refrigerant lines but I have learned that you have to be smart to map out the bends. I'm not smart enough to do the math on where to bend them but I am smart enough to buy more than one so I can learn from my mistakes. The top one had the leg of the 90° too far away so I shortened it up on piece #2.


This is the high pressure fitting from the compressor to the aluminum line above. I now have the outlet of the compressor plumbed to the top of the condenser.


This plate was on the left hand side of the trunk and I believe it's where the original AC lines came through. Someone had plugged them with rubber caps that I removed and installed AC bulkhead fittings.


After the plate was mounted back in the trunk.


I'm using relays to control the blower fan on the AC since it's a long run of wire. The relays are upside down but from left to right is the low fan speed relay, medium fan speed relay, high fan speed relay, and the master relay that powers the H-M-L relays when the key is on.
Using relays will also keep high amp loads off the fan switch.


I made a bracket to hold the receiver/drier bottle. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that one of the caps is missing; this is an old receiver/dryer that I use for mock-up purposes. I'll replace it with a fresh one before I evacuate the system.


It was at this point that I decided I really need the lower dash shelf in place before I could do more wiring for the AC, so I decided it was time to start working on the gauges. I tested the speedometer to make sure it was working before I installed it. We have power and light.


Here are the speedometer and tach mounted in the dash.


Here's a picture of the gauge lighting.


I used the Speedhut gauges in my MGB project and have been very happy with them. The speedometer has a couple display options. It can show total mileage...


...time...


...​​​​​​​altitude...


...​​​​​​​a digital readout of speed...


...​​​​​​​direction...


...​​​​​​​Max speed...


...​​​​​​​a 0-to-60 timer...


...and a 1/4 mile timer.


I also installed the voltmeter.

​​​​​​​

 

I got the rest of the gauges mounted today - I bet with a fuel gauge that has a 270° sweep and 7 gallon tanks you're going to be able to watch that needle move!


I am struggling with the best way to route the AC lines under the car but I will start a separate thread for that.

 

I think that thread has gone well & Bob_S' advice should be heeded. The only pity is with the rear location you lose so much boot/trunk space.

 

DHL dropped off a large package this afternoon....


Inside are two meters of Hardura. I'm going to use it to cover the heater box. What's the thought of using it as a liner on the under side of the hood/bonnet? Is it a good choice for that application or would I be better suited to something like a closed-cell oil-resistant foam?

 

It works fine under bonnet/hood & that is Hardura felt! The right stuff for engine compartments especially when the original fibreglass material has been virtually unavailable since the cars were built.

 

Original: Alan Wiedie's car. Best preserved I know of globally and it's fragile.

 

I used Hardura to line the underside of my bonnet. Looks very neat and easy to clean off. It is the same stuff that is already in the boot of my car lining the under side of the boot lid (original) and used as the floor carpet material. Jaguar used it everywhere they could stuff it, behind the dash as a sound proofing material is one such place.

 

Today was a short day in the garage (I'll explain why below). The goal was to finish plumbing up the AC system. I started with the bottom side of the trunk floor where the hoses come up from underneath the car. On the left you can see the #10 suction hose and on the right is the #6 pressure hose.


This picture is what I was trying to avoid - I really wanted both hoses to be metal where they transition from the outside of the rail to the inside. The problem is that the #10 hose is about 5/8" diameter and you can't make bends as tight as you can with the #6 hose. I ended up having to run a #10 hose from the trunk of the floor to the outside of the rail.


I found this embossed aluminum heat shield last year and I like working with it. It cuts with a good pair of scissors and is easy to form. It does a great job of blocking radiant heat and in this instance it will keep the exhaust heat away from the AC lines.


Here's why I wasn't able to meet my goal today. I had to order a few male fittings and I forgot there are two kinds - the male o-ring shown on the left and the male insert o-ring on the right. I ordered the first one but needed the second one and since there's no way around it I have to wait for UPS to bring me the right ones.


I finished up the day with doing some more wiring for the AC system but I have one more special part that I am waiting on for that.

 

You are doing a great job Thomas. There will always be a few bumps in the road! I wish I had your skill set and did not shake. But thank goodness it's familial tremor & not Parkinson's. It's in the genes. .

 

Lots of progress today and while I didn't take a lot of pictures as I went along, I do have this picture which represents a substantial accomplishment. For the first time in several months the lower parcel shelf and center console are back in the car.


One change that I made over the winter when I put in a new heater core was changing the heater valve from vacuum-operated to cable-operated. The original setup used a vacuum operated heater valve and the core was either presented with hot water or no water. Control of the temperature of the air entering the car was done with a flap that controlled how much air went through the heater core vs bypassed the heater core. Someone was in there ahead of me and replaced the vacuum heater valve with a quarter turn ball valve from the hardware store. It's a pretty common mod in the MGB world but I already had a better idea in mind.
When I rebuilt the heater box over the winter removed the flap that controlled how much air went through the heater core vs bypassing and modified the box so any air that went through the box went through the heater core. The cable-operated heater valve will control how much hot water goes to the heater core which relates to how much hot air goes into the car. To control the new heater valve, I ran a new bowden cable from the factory Hot/Cold slider in the middle of the dash to the heater valve. I am now able to control how far the heater opens/how much hot water makes it to the heater core/how hot the inside of the car is by using the factory slider.

 

A rare school night out in the garage but time is ticking away and Spring is going to be here before I know. Plus I have a few projects scheduled for my MGB before the driving season starts so I need to get moving on the Jaguar.
One thing I wanted to address this winter was the crankcase ventilation. When I bought the car it had a draft tube from the front of the engine that exited below the car somewhere near the front of the transmission. I thought there was a better way to handle the situation so I bought a PCV catch can off Amazon. $20-ish and it was at my door the next day.


Never satisfied with the hardware that comes with these I went to McMaster Carr and bought some brass fittings and proper hose.



I mounted the catch can low down on the right side inner fender so it's not easily visible. While I'm changing the oil filter it will be easy enough to open the drain and empty the catch can.

 

Another rare school night out in the garage. The goal tonight was to finish the AC lines and I am within 6" of my goal. I started out crimping fittings on the #10 low pressure hose from the inner fender to the compressor.


Here's the inside of the left fender showing the #10 suction line going up to a bulkhead fitting and the #6 pressure line running from the condenser to the rear of the car. Other than holes for mounting clamp screws I didn't have to drill any holes - courtesy of the AC system that was there originally.
I still need to clamp these lines in place.


Something that bothered me when I got the car was the battery hold down. The original one is painted black and must have been made for a bigger battery because there was a chunk of 2x4 painted black next to the battery to help hold it in place.

I had the folks at SendCutSend laser cut a 24" x 1" piece of steel and put 4 bends in it. The bends are spaced so it will hold the battery securely without the need for any wood spacers.


I decided to drill my own holes but this fits my Group 48 battery snugly. I'll put some rubber insulation along the inside to help cushion the battery.


I welded a circuit breaker holder to the front section so I could mount circuit breakers for the lights and the trunk mounted AC unit.


I need to throw this in the sand blaster and paint it before I call it done.

 

Nice job on the AC. Handy that you have the crimping tool and handy that you had the bulkhead outlet/plate there in place. Saved a bit of effort.
Waiting for my local workshop to finish crimping the ends of my #6 and #10 hoses so I can finish my Stag's AC off as well.
The Stag's were factory designed with the AC hose bulkhead/outlet on the firewall, but I couldn't find a suitable plate to fit the factory cavity and cut a hole in some heavy-duty large rubber grommets to hold the hoses. I have successfully managed to trial fit the #6 and #10 hoses through the carefully cut grommets along with their fittings; plenty of lubricant gets them through!
I'm sure you'll enjoy the very comfortable interior!

 

I bought this a few years back when my old Atco crimper finally broke. I paid about $100 for it and it works really well.

Sounds like you found a workable solution for the Stag. This project makes me respect automotive hvac engineers - its not an easy job to package everything in a small area.

 

All the Ford Crown Victoria's with the Police package. The regular ("civilian") cars used conventional black rubber hose, while the Police package cars used blue silicone hoses.

 

How awful. I don't consider that an OE civilian car. We have a bad record with silicone hoses in SA & cuts due to wrong clamps used and the list goes on & on. Maybe something to do with our typical African conditions.

 

Thorsen on another forum you are looking for the AC controls. Here is an image of the instructions for the 420 system. It used the same dual switch as the E type. I would try Jack White at Jagnut Jag Spares in VA. The fan control switch you are seeking would require a temp. control switch as well. Will send a scan of that system also but it was a lot to hang under the dash (facia).

 

@Coventry Foundation I don't think JagNut is in business anymore. His website is dead and the phone number is disconnected.

 

Thorsen here a scan of the two controls from an AC brochure from Jaguar. It addresses the MK10 and MK2 but the illustration is ok. Date of issue is unclear but the MK10 illustrated is a 3.8L.

 

I had to take some time off to help my Dad recover from surgery but I'm back and making progress once more. Tonight I pressurized the AC system with nitrogen and I'm going to make sure it holds overnight.


I also refilled the cooling system and let the engine run until the cooling fans started spinning. This is significant in that this is the longest the engine has run since early November when I took it off the road.


A couple of observations from tonight's run:
- my new heater core and blower fan work perfectly. I was getting tons of heat out the footwell vents and there was a lot of air volume. I used the PM130 fan motor and wheel from a 1992 Buick Riviera and a 9010048 heater core from a 1968 Ford LTD.
- my Jet Hot ceramic coated headers do a great job of reducing heat. After a 15 minute run with the carbs on the fast idle cam you could hold your hand 1" away from the manifolds and feel only the smallest amount of heat

This weekend I'm hoping to get some more of the interior out of my basement and into the car