Bob,
The 4lb cap is a big constraint to work around. Blowing a core plug is not on my list of things I want to deal with, so I am keeping the 4psi cap as a part of the cooling system design. The general rule is that every 1 psi increase in system pressure increases the boiling point of 50/50 antifreeze by 3 degrees F so the risk/reward for a 7 psi cap isn't there.

The plan as of right now is to use the new aluminum radiator I picked up, but to neuter the spring inside the cap so it does not pressurize the cooling system. I will keep the top seal of the cap intact so the only way for water and pressure to go is through the overflow port. This means that what I connect to the overflow port will control system pressure.

To that extent, I am going to build a surge tank that sits near the battery. The bottom of the surge tank will have a port that connects to the overflow port on the radiator via a hose. The top of the surge tank will have a radiator neck with a 4lb cap. This will give me the cooling benefits of the new aluminum radiator. The surge tank will allow me to keep the system full, eliminate air bubbles, and keep the system at 4 psi.

The electric cooling fan will provide cooling when needed regardless of engine speed. The fan controller is pulse-width modulated so the fan spins only as fast as needed to maintain a constant outlet temp.

If I could have found a 4 psi radiator cap in a smaller size, or if I still had a good radiator shop near me I could avoid most if this. But this is where I am.

 

My focus has been on getting the engine to run and now that I have that done, I can switch back to the wiring on the car. If you remember a few weeks back I pulled almost the entire wiring harness out. I've been waiting for a firewall grommet to get here before I spent any serious time with wiring.

I'll be using a modular fuse/relay box as the hub of the wiring. Each of the 15 individual squares are removable so you can configure this to what suits you best.


This isn't my first time re-wiring a car. I found this app which lets me design and document the wiring for each circuit. This should eliminate any surprises and re-work along the way. Having each circuit as a separate page makes it easier to plan everything out and trouble shot down the line.


Yesterday I put the cleaned up rear diff cover back in place and tonight I filled it back up with gear oil.


I accidentally dropped the original pulley and much to my surprise a large chunk broke off. I'm surprised they used pot metal for this.


With the prototype water pump block off plate and the radiator in place, I was able to start measuring for a radiator fan. It's so tight in this engine bay.

 

Thorsen
I take it that the space in your pic, reproduced here, is where the fan has to go, and no space for a pusher in front?


what is the distance between

1. the rad and that crank bolt?
2. the rad and the pulley face?
3. and how far up the rad height-wise is the crank bolt?

I am thinking that perhaps two fans might be the best solution. Also ally rad makers over in the UK often weld fixings/cowls to the actual ally rad for fans. This greatly simplifies fan fixing and means with careful measuring etc, the fan can be as close as 1/2 inch from the rad without any danger. If this close, any cowl is unnecessary, just fixings will be fine. So maybe you could get a talented ally welder to work with you to place two fans, maybe of different diameters even, to give you good coveage and good air draw?

 

WOW! What a masterclass in How do you eat an elephant! I stayed up way too late last night ready every word. This is super interesting and also has inspired me, I think, to find me my own classic at some point and do something similar. How do you source your classics? I know you've done quite a few and I've always been curious how folks find them. I just don't know where to look. I did find one at an auction while back but that was about as far away from me as it could possibly get and the shipping would have been a nightmare unfortunately.

Where do you source these from? I get similar packs but my source has crept up on price to the point where I'm looking for other alternatives.

Subscribed and in for the Long haul. Thanks!

Mike

 

I like how we think similar, Greg. When I dropped the crank pulley last night it's because I was trying to measure item 2. The limiting factor right now is the crankcase breather on the front of the head - there is 3.5" between that and the radiator. But I also need to get the AC compressor and alternator in place to account for that as well.

As far as the fans go I was thinking the same. My target was 1500 CFM of air flow at a minimum. I use this site to compare sizes and CFM ratings, and two of the 9" paddle blade puller fans will give me 1600 CFM as well as provide options to position them around the obstacles.

It's interesting to see the different CFM ratings in pusher vs puller configuration and that's why I always try to use a puller fan.

Thank you for the thoughts and questions!
Thomas

 

Sam's Club has the best ones. I tried the cheaper ones on Amazon but they aren't as absorbent. The ones from Sam's Club work well if you need to wipe up spilled oil, clean off a part, and they even work as napkins if you're eating dinner in the garage.

I find them through eBay, word of mouth, and Facebook Marketplace. Shipping is pain (especially if the car isn't running) but is often worth it. This one came from Arizona/California so the extra costs of shipping a non-running car was worth it for a rust-free body.

 

I spent a lot of time today thinking about the air filter, how well it filtered air, and how much induction noise it muffled. And how much of the the beautiful engine it covered it.

I wasn't happy with the options in front of me.


I found a Wix filter that fit on the snout of the "Sphinx" filter. That would do a better job of cleaning the air, but it still was designed to muffle the induction noise and it still covered a lot of the engine.


The Mark VII "bullet" air filter had the same issues with the exception of having slightly better filtering capacity.

I thought about how much I enjoyed driving my old 420 and thought about the foam air filters it had. I loved the sound it made when driving it.

I shopped around for 1-3/4" K&N filters for SU carbs. It was a mix of not available or the price they were charging was ridiculous. Coupled with the fact that K&N filters get mixed reviews between "great airflow" and "poor filtering". I felt like there was still a better option.

I fired up the Wix air filter catalog and started going through what was available. I settled on Wix 42032 as my air filter of choice, available on RockAuto for the princely sum of $7.51 each.



Then I fired up AutoDesk, imported a picture of the gasket between the air filter base and carb, and designed a plate to act as the base.


I needed a cover plate so I designed one of those too.



I'll 3d print them to make sure the dimensions are right, try them out with the air filter, then send the design to be cut from aluminum.

The front carb has a potential clearance issue with the inner fender, so I designed a matching front and rear plate that offsets the filter down.

 

The 420 sounded wonderful, Thomas! Was the exhaust stock?

On my S-Type project, I'm wondering if I need air filters like yours but with the front one offset up. No room to go down, a fuel filter and fuel line are in the way.

Cheers,

Don

 

I think the 420 had a Bell exhaust system. It really sounded great at full throttle.

 

Interesting to note in your diff photo that you still have some of the rear spring gaiters in existence.
That shows that the car was probably not driven extensively on unsealed roads.
Both of my MK7s had their spring gaiters destroyed as they operated mainly on unsealed dirt roads in country areas.
One was an ex-doctor's car from Goondiwindi, Qld, Australia and the other was a Graziers (ranch owners) car from Eulo, Qld, Australia.
I threw in the town locations so people could see the remote areas on google earth.
Incidentally both cars had their torsion bars adjusted to about 1 1/2 inches above standard height for more front-end clearance and also had heavy sump guard plates fitted.
Those modifications were offered by the then dealer "Westco Motors" in Brisbane.

 

This car has spent extensive time in the deserts of the south-west US so aside from the rubber around the windows it is an extremely well-preserved example.

How were your gaiters secured? Mine appear to be "sewn" with stainless steel wire. I've thought about buying some leather to make a new set but I have bigger concerns at the moment.

 

I never saw the gaiters on my Mk7s because they were non-existent. It was only because they were shown in the factory workshop manual that I realised they existed.
I suspect that the dry and hot atmosphere did not help the leather and the unpaved roads blasting the gaiters with sand and rocks etc. Were responsible for their demise.

 

I took the long holiday weekend off to visit my parents, but after catching up on chores tonight I had a little bit of time. I put all 4 new shoes on and rolled her out of the garage for the first time since she was delivered. She got a much needed wash and I took the opportunity to flush the coolant passages in the block and the heater core.

 

^^^
Now, THAT is a Luxury Saloon!
(';')

 

It's gorgeous, Thomas! And huge! In comparison, it's no wonder the Mark 1 & 2 were referred to as "Compact Saloons."

Cheers,

Don

 

I was looking through the notes that came with the car this afternoon and came across this about the fuel line between the carbs.
If it's tough to read, the note is "Welded a hairline crack in fuel line just ahead of the banjo fittings". Greg, your intuition was correct.


Today was the day to fix it, so I put a 6AN fitting on the end of some braided hose.


I'm starting from the front carb but I really should mount the new fuel filter and Y fitting before I cut the hose.


I put a 123 ignition on my 1967 420 Compact Saloon a few years ago and it really woke up the engine. The plan was to retire the original distributor once I knew the engine ran and I finally got around to that today.


With new spark plug wires I should be good to go as soon as I fine a set of wire separators.

 

Thanks Thorsen!
In the same vein, is that rubber engine mount in the bottom pic giving up?

 

I grabbed my 24" pry bar and pulled - the mount has a little stretch but doesn't appear to be compromised.
But to your point - it will never be easier than now to replace it. I'll put a new set in my shopping cart.

 

I'm still on the hunt for an air filter that is thin enough to fit in this tight space and still rated to flow enough air. Wix 42710 is not the right one.


Tonight I started working on the fuel system. I am using a 40 micron filter with 6an connections. The end closest to you is the outlet with the Y adapter going to the carbs.


Here is the fuel filter mounted to the frame rail, the two braided lines on the right going to the carbs, and the aluminum line on the left from the fuel tanks/pumps which do not exist at this point.

I did consider what impact road debris would have in this location and decided the risk was low.


Finally, I picked up a serpentine pulley from a 2013-2015 Jaguar XJ and determined that, with some light machining, it would fit on the front of the engine. I am not sure if I am going to go this route but it's good to have options.

 

Thorsen
Got to be something here:
https://sucarb.co.uk/air-filters-ram...r-filters.html

If you want better elements, you can get foam inserts from ITG, very unrestrictive, great filtration, I have ITGs on my XJS. Just give them the dimensions and they will send them to you, with the oil required. Very helpfull guys.:
https://www.itgairfilters.com/collections/custom-fit