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Super slick. I merely use a prop stick when my noggin is under the bonnet.
Were I still in fab mode. I'd build one to Jose's drawing. Or perhaps, just modify the original one. Just make one part longer. A cut, weld and grind process. I did a bit of that in my recent past.
Carl, el problema with modifying the original stay is that you would have to break the original flat round rivets and then you are stuck with the problema of joining two pieces with similar rivets.
Jose, I think you misunderstood Carl's comment. If you can weld well it would be simple to lengthen the stays without disturbing the rivets.
BTW, I am working on the design you graciously provided above. I think I have a way to build it with common power tools and materials you can get ar Home Depot. I hope to build a prototype next week and will share my results on the Forum. Do you have the name of the person that drew up the design? They certainly deserve the credit for the design.
I am looking forward to see how the other design works in your car. Unfortunately I do not recall the person who designed it. It was in another Jaguar forum years ago, probably 20 or more years ago.
check out the below hinge system for the classics Jaguar MK-2, S type, and 420.
it is a kind of a pantograph hinge that allows the hood to open to 90 degrees and lock in place. I tried to get the specs for those hinges but no luck, all I have is the below pictures.
Those are impressive. Very elegant engineering. Articulation exercise to be sure.
But, I suspect the bonnet articulated in the picture is smaller and lighter than the S,2 nd 3 cars we work with here. The latter hinges are of much stronger materials.
The hot rod guys change hoods from hinged to front hinged from time to time. vaguely recall hinges that resemble those in use
I saw them in person and they move incredibly smooth, no need for helper springs. The guy who designed is an engineer-aviator. Used to fly crop dusting airplanes in Alaska.
yes the MK-1, MK-2, S type, and 420 hoods (the Small Jaguar Saloons), are a lot smaller and lighter than the XJ hoods, no comparison.
I would like to make those for my S type. Undortunately all I have is the pictures. The car was sold to a guy in NJ who sold it to another in Hong Kong.
You recall I mentioned above my hypotheses that the factory springs on the hood latch springs were much stronger than they need to be. They require 20 pounds of pressure to compress them one inch. So they provide a total of 40 pounds of pressure to pop the hood open about 2". As promised, I bought some replacement springs from Grainger. Item# 41MK93. They are the same size, just half as strong. Got them installed and now instead of the hood popping open violently when I pull the lever, it pops open just right. Somewhere in between violently and gently. Just quietly pops open so I can get my fingers under the edge to release the safety catch. Have not had a chance to test drive it yet to see if it fixes the popping open problem on the road. Stay tuned.
Original 20# spring on the right, new 10# spring on the left.
I was impressed by the violence of the hood/bonnet pop from the beginning of my stewardship. My other critters, including my jeep are far less violent, yet stay closed!!! ,
One of my concerns with the use of 10 #'s springs to replace the 20 #'s would be a failure to unlatch!
A past effort to unlatch via the under the wing port failed!!!
Looking back :
My 79 IHC Scout II had a back hinged hood. But, with only one similar latch in rthe center. The release via cable had a mere knob on the dash board. At times inadequate!! And no other opening option!! Well, actually, there was, a simpler one.
Pull the knob pull the latch knob.. Fist thump over the latch. Done more than once!!!
SUCCESS! We took a drive this morning and headed to a stretch of road where they have been patching potholes for decades and have never re-paved it. At about 25 MPH it will shake the fillings out of your teeth. That is where I always had the most trouble with the hood popping open. With the new springs it stayed closed. Got home and pulled the release lever and it politely popped open. In my book that is total success. I had to buy a package of 10 springs so if anyone wants a pair, you pay the shipping and I'll send you a pair. Just PM me.
Carl, working the release with a screwdriver from under the fender is tricky. I suggest opening the hood and then reaching under the fender with the screwdriver while you look down on the latch. Once you see where the screwdriver engages the latch and you can see it working it becomes clear and is much easier to do. I find it best to kneel down on one knee to do this exercise. Of course it is a chore to get back up.
Jose, my next project is to build the extended stay mechanism. If I am successful I'll start a new thread to document it with the background we discussed above.
