When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Here is the glass jar of staples, nails, and hog rings I took off the front and rear seats.
And here are the covers, patiently waiting for a box big enough to FedEx them Lseats.
I've re-upholstered MGB seats twice, I disassembled the seats in my Mercedes 300SD to add seat heaters, I rebuilt the seats foams in a Lexus LS430, and I totally recovered the seats in my first-gen Saab 900. These were the hardest seats I have ever worked on and I am not excited about the prospect of rebuilding them. I am half-way tempted to pick up something like this and bolt them in. But for now I am going to stay the course.
I think I have a winner for the rear brakes. The Wilwood 170-0208 rotor hat paired up with 11.75” x .81” vented rotors seem to be a winning combination. This mounts the rotor out of the narrow part of the wheel but not so far inward that the caliper fouls the springs.
The Wilwood rotor hats are made from aluminum and not pressed steel like the first hats I tried. Even though the aluminum hats are thicker than the steel hats they are far easier to machine. It only took about 30 minutes for me to open up the center bore to the correct ID as well as open up the lug holes. I was taking my time and stopping often to measure.
The calipers are from a 1980 Cadillac Eldorado, part numbers 33146610 and 33146611. These were more expensive than the fronts - they ran about $90 each. But they included a really nice parking brake mechanism so all things considered it's not too bad.
I'll be sending my mounts to SendCutSend to have a set cut from 3/8" steel. It feels good to have this part behind me.
I've been starting to loose sleep over the brake and clutch pedal assembly but I'll share my ideas on that in the new year.
On the topic of brake/clutch pedals, I would enjoy hearing people's opinions.
My first thought was a Mark VII clutch pedal and integrate that into what I have today. I spent time looking on UK Ebay and the classifieds and came up empty handed. I wasn't too upset because I want to move away from the single line braking system anyway.
My next thought was a Wilwood Brake/Clutch pedal assembly. This keeps the bottom pivot on the pedals (which I thought was cool with the stock setup). I also have my choice of master cylinder bore sizes and pedal leverage ratios which give me the ability to customize pedal feel. The brake pedal uses two master cylinders and has a balance bar between them to adjust brake bias. I could have it set so the rear brakes see less pressure than the fronts to prevent the rear from locking up first. The pedals would mount inside the car but the master cylinders would be on the other side of the firewall, requiring me to cut 3 holes. I would need to come up with an accelerator pedal too but that's not too hard to do.
I also came across the Tildon 3 Pedal underfloor assembly. This is very similar to above with the exception that it mounts under the floor board just like the stock Jaguar setup. I would probably need to cut a hatch in the floor to service the master cylinders. This setup has two brake master cylinders like the Wilwood assembly. It also includes the accelerator so all three pedals would match which is nice. This kit also has adjustable pedal leverage ratios and a choice of master cylinder bore sizes to customize pedal feel. I don't love that this one is more exposed to road grit which would have a big impact on service life. I also need to make sure there is enough room under the floor board to fit this - I suspect the frame rail will be in the way.
Thorsen
Any of these would do; but my initial feeling is that the most secure mounting method, including master cylinder protection, would be the major consideration. Overhead pivots are far better orthopaedically, if that is the right word, by the way.
This is a link to a UK racing parts business, and they have an overhead pivoted set (linked below ) with master cylinders inside the car; but whether in the MkVII they would be accessible, I doubt. A bit pricey, and it does not even include the master cylinders! but maybe the US has something similar to offer at 20% of the price! Then, of course, the structure to carry them has to be thought out.
Of your list, I would favour the first, with the M/Cs the other side of the firewall, rather than under the car. Interestingly, I recall that my Alvis TF21 had the clutch master cylinder under the floor, topped up though an access hatch, and it did not give me any trouble. I am not sure I would want a brake M/C so mounted though, as seeing the cylinder and reservoir easily whenever the hood is open is an important safety matter, I feel.
Further to this last point, apparently all these M/Cs can be used with remote reservoirs (a la XJS pre ABS), so that might be a way to get over accessibility and firewall cutting difficulties. eg https://racingpedalboxes.com/brake-fluid-reservoirs/
Today I got the engine back in so I could start lining up the mounts. I haven't really been counting - I think this is the 7th or 8th time the power unit has gone in. I've got the process pretty well figured out at this point.
I decided it makes the most sense to start with the transmission mount since there are two critical components to that. First is making sure the transmission is centered in the tunnel so the prop shaft can fit through the frame rails. Next is making sure that the rear of the transmission has the correct elevation so the prop shaft U-joints don't foul anything. I ordered some steel to start working through the mounts this week. Once I am happy with the transmission I can level out the engine and start building those mounts.
Thorsen
I expect you know this, so please excuse my mentioning it, but the vertical angle the propshaft has to accomodate between the gearbox and the diff, as well as the horizontal angle, is critical to keep with certain limits for proper operation, no vibration,etc etc. These limits depend upon the propshaft type used. So if the engine level is significantly changed in the vertical plane, the vertical angle the propshaft has to accomodate will also change, which might give operational problems if outside the limits.
Just a few more variables to consider when setting up the engine/gearbox mounts!
I had a busy week at work that kept me our of the garage and this weekend I'm visiting my parents. There's no progress on my end to report but now that the holidays are over Dad has resumed restoring the wood. Last night he was showing me his plans for re-veneering and the veneer he picked out
It's been a long time but I was able to spend tome time in the garage tonight. I started with the brake calipers because I wanted to wrap this up.
You can see the seal retainer, the bearing spacer plate I made to replace the drum brake backing plate, the brake caliper mount (bolted behind the axle flange), and the GM Metric Disc Brake Mount.
I only used the pieces circled in red from the kit. I took a gamble thinking it was going to be more useful but it was not.
Then I put the rotor, calipers and pads on.
Looking from the top there is plenty of clearance.
I checked for clearance by jacking up the axle and found the parking brake mechanism hits the rebound bumper. This wasn't caught during testing because I had the wrong side caliper on during testing - the bleed nipple was lower than the fluid inlet.
There are two fixes here - put the "wrong" caliper back on and bleed the brakes with the caliper off the car. Or re-design the bracket to rotate the caliper about 25° clockwise. That's my plan.
Next up was the transmission mount. I marked and drilled a piece of .250" steel for the mount.
If the rubber mounts look familiar then you have been paying attention. They are the same ones I put on last summer when the new Moss ones sheared. That was over 200 posts ago...
After making sure everything lined up I welded a piece of .5" half-round steel to the bottom to add some extra stiffness.
The re-designed bracket fresh off the 3d printer on top and the bracket from the last post underneath it. You can see how I moved the mounting holes for the GM metric bracket.
Bolted into place.
With the rear axle jacked up until the frame lifted off the jack stands, there is plenty of clearance around the caliper.
Definitely the right thing to do with the caliper. An example of why it takes so long to develop a new car ready for sale to the public!
Overall a very smart and workmanlike set of parts and mounts you have created, Thomas.
Last edited by Greg in France; Jan 14, 2026 at 01:32 AM.
After that, I welded the DOM tubing to the steel plates I had made last month. I added gussets to the bottom to help reinforce.
Bolted to the engine.
I need to pull the engine, clean the frame rails where I need to weld the other side of the bracket, put the engine back in and start measuring for the frame rail side of the mount.
It was a cold day in Chicago but I I cranked up the heaters and got busy. The motor mounts lined up with the tower for the upper control arm so I took the wire wheel and cleaned up the area.
I picked up some 3/16" steel this morning and took it to my press brake.
I wasn't 100% sure how things were going to turn out but I started with a 90° on the bottom and a 30° outward bend to mimic the profile of the suspension tower.
This is a fuzzy picture but it gives you the idea of how the mount will be.
Left and right mounts are done.
And welded into place. I decided the bottom 90° was not needed and cut that off before re-painting the bare metal.
Here is the passenger side mount pad ready for the "ears". I need to put the motor back in to line it up before I can finish this side.
I'm hopeful that I can finish the mounts up tomorrow so I can start thinking about exhaust.
