I spent some time tonight working on the exhaust. The sawzall made quick work of the existing system and it came out in several pieces.


The plan here is 2" down pipes from the manifolds into a collector, then 2'5" from there back.


I'll put a resonator somewhere around the mid-point and a muffler down stream of that.


Everything from the manifolds back will be stainless steel and any curved piece will be mandrel-bent. I put a very similar exhaust system on my MGB which has a 3.4L engine (albeit a v6, not straight 6) and I am very happy with the exhaust note and the complete absence of any drone.

 

A shout-out to @Bob_S who found an aluminum radiator neck in the right size for a 4-7 psi cap. This will let me simplify the radiator plumbing.


With the correct radiator neck in hand and after double-checking that my 7psi cap fit, it was time to take the sawzall to my new radiator.


The 16psi cap and neck ended up in the scrap heap. I cleaned up the hole and am hoping to meet up with the welder I use to put this to bed.


After the new radiator neck is welded on, I will flush the radiator several times to remove any debris.

 

Hi Thomas,
I'm glad I could Help.

 

Does this mean you can now use a conventional atmospheric overflow bottle, Thorsen?

 

Yes. The new radiator neck will allow me to use a 7 psi cap directly on the radiator. Any overflow will be directed to a normal recovery tank / atmospheric overflow bottle. It will help minimize clutter under the hood, eliminate a source of leaks, and make plumbing easier.

 

The original MK7 radiator system just had an overboard drainpipe and no concept of a recovery system.
That was also standard on Mk1 and early Mk2 cars.

 

My welder guy was able to weld the water pump plate and the radiator neck last night.


I was happy with the results. It's impressive to see the results of someone who is skilled at welding aluminum.


With the water pump plate ready I loosely bolted it in place and turned my attention to the AC compressor and alternator.


I made one last attempt at mounting the big alternator but the room in the engine compartment is just too tight.


I made the piggy-back brackets out of 1/4" steel. I need longer bolts that will go through both ears and some metal spacers.


At the end of the day I went with the smaller size CS-130 alternator. It's a perfect fit in the space.
I still need to fab up a mount for an idler pulley but I am getting close to being able to go belt shopping.


Adjusting the top radiator hose. It has a sensor port for the temp gauge.


After that it was time to pull the transmission. I didn't take a lot of pictures here but it was a pretty quick ordeal - maybe 90 minutes.
I did this same conversion to my XJS a few years back and the drill is the same. Remove all the connections to the transmission. Drain the fluid. Remove the 6 torque converter bolts. Remove the transmission mounts and let the rear of the transmission drop. Using all the extensions in your tool box remove the bolts holding the transmission to the engine. Go back and remove the starter because you forgot that. Slide the transmission back, lower the jack, and admire your handiwork.


Here's a view of the business side of the engine.


My new (to me) 700r4 transmission got moved to the work bench. There are a couple things that need to be done.


First up is removing the stock transmission cooler fittings and replacing them with 1/4"NPS to -6 AN adapters. This will let me run AN hose to and from the cooler.


I decided this was a good place to stop for the day so I can read the 30 page instruction manual that came with the kit. I'm curious to see how the kit handles the gear selector mechanism as well as the TV cable. The Throttle Valve controls line pressure, shift points, shift feel, part throttle downshifts, and full throttle downshifts. If this is not set up properly it can burn up the transmission quickly.

 

Thorsen, after you read the JC info on TV cable connection compare it to the proper diagram for geometry and let me know what you think. Some dimensions missing on that diagram btw and are critical. I couldn't find one easily, used to be one on bowtie overdrives but no longer, have to search.

 

@slofut will do. I almost went with an early 4l60e that has the same mounting pattern as the 700r4 so I wouldn't have to worry about the TV cable.

 

I F'ed up. The whole point of moving to the electric water pump was to have more room between the radiator and engine, not less.

I know what happened. I went from a -16 bung on the plate to a -20 bung. The larger AN sizes mean the fittings are physically larger and you can see below the incredible amount of space I have wasted. The selection of -20 AN fittings is pretty slim and there's no quick fix.

The fix is simple. Start over and machine an piece of aluminum pipe to 45°, have that welded to the plate, then use a 45° AN fitting. This is exactly why I had two plates cut and why I bought two bungs.



I also realized that the high output AD244 alternator would fit if I re-arranged the brackets. There's plenty of room for it to swing; this will allow a good range of belt adjustment.


Then I turned the transmission upside down and bolted it to my work bench. That's the piece of angle iron I use to hold the output flange on the rear axle when I change pinion seals


I was very happy to see how clean the transmission internals were and the new gaskets throughout. I feel confident someone knew what they were doing here.


The new transmission gear selector that came with the kit was grubby. I wasn't going to install it looking like that.


After a trip through the sandblaster and some paint, it looks very presentable for a part no one will ever see.


With the radiator in place I am able to measure for a condenser that will fit.

 

As always, you never cease to amaze. I finished up my XJS's and even though I said that they were the last of the projects. What did I do? I purchased a 2001 XK8 convertible to keep me busy. GREAT JOB AS ALWAYS.

 

I didn't enjoy the feeling of being beat so I went back out to the garage after dinner. Here is my plan for more clearance between the front of the engine and the radiator. The angled pipe will be welded to the plate and the AN bung will be welded to that.



I also started mocking up a plate to mount either an idler pulley or a belt tensioner.


The tensioner I have in mind is AC Delco 38159 I have used it in the past on my supercharged MGB. The tensioner is in the upper left of the video and you can see it move upwards to take up slack in the belt.


Finally I thought I could do a better job mounting the alternator to the AC compressor and started building these brackets. V1 was a close prototype but v2 will account for the front plate of the compressor.

 

Just awesome Thorsen.

 

Yeah, that water pump discovery was a WELL,VEBERFLOBITZ!! moment for sure. But you have once again prevailed!
(';')

 

Today I was able to finish designing and mocking up the alternator mount brackets. I will use three of them with aluminum spacers in between to maintain alignment.
SendCutSend is making them from 1/4" steel and I'll pick up some longer bolts to complete this.


View from the front. This alternator is huge but will be largely hidden by the front slam panel that the hood latches to.


I finalized the design of the plate to mount the idler pulley. I'm having this cut from 1/4" steel. With 5 mounting points it should be plenty strong and not have any flex.


I haven't talked about the wiring much lately. I want to get everything done before I commit to wiring everything back up so I can hide as much of the wiring as possible. But the wiring project has been in the back of my mind lately; specifically how I want to stay with the original wire colors. It's hard to find the right wire/tracer color wire in bulk so I decided to do what I like the best - make my own. I found the file online to 3d print this little tool.....


It's pretty nifty. You stick a Sharpie permanent marker in the hole on the bottom and pull a wire through the groove...


And you get a wire with a tracer stripe of the color you chose. I picked up a big pack of Sharpies and I already have a ton of automotive wire. This should make sticking to the factory color super easy.

 

That wire trace idea is brilliant!

 

It's not my idea but I can appreciate an elegant solution! I found it on a Porsche forum and it made me think this forum might benefit from a board to share 3d print files.

 

Hmmm...
Is your Sharpie-tracer coloring tough enough to endure the Grease, Oil and Heat in your chosen environment without fading, smearing or otherwise becoming Invisible in a few years?
(curious minds always look for trouble)

 

It's a good question and I had the same one. In addition to the Sharpies I also picked up a set of paint pens as my Plan B.

I tested the Sharpie with a dry cloth, acetone on a rag, and my butane torch since I often heat-shrink. It held up fine. Carb cleaner took it right off though. I think it will be OK since my plan is to hide all the wiring inside of a loom.

 

Tonight I was able to wire up the locking torque converter inside the transmission and button everything up.

I also decided that the grubby looking governor cover had to go.


A stainless steel cover replaced it and I moved the transmission off the workbench and staged it to go under the car.


Before I can install the new transmission I need to get the old flex plate off. I spent most of my night trying to weld studs to the dowel pins that hold the flex plate to the crankshaft. Someone sure did their homework here as the dowel pins are very happy where they are and show no interest in coming out.
The instructions caution to not pry the flex plate off so in a rare show of restraint I decided to step back and order some proper weld studs. Welding while laying on my side with the head in the transmission tunnel is even less fun than lying on your back welding an exhaust system. I really need a larger garage that has a lift.

After stepping back I did trial fit the 14" x 18" AC condenser. Once I trim the mounting flange off the right edge it's going to be a perfect fit.