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But First I needed to Treat myself to an early Christmas Present!
Just what I always wanted a Flexible Drill Shaft and this one's heavy duty and 55 inches long
How I ever managed without one of these I will never know as it comes in handy for so many things, which in this case is Cleaning the Engine on my XJS 'Cherry Blossom' especially the Intake Manifolds
But first I wanted to make some rotary pads to do the job, where looking around a Hardware Store I came across these Scourers at only 50p each
Then having removed the Scouring Pad from its handle, I put a bolt through the Pad to make an arbour to go on the drill
The Coloured ones are Nylon and the Silver ones are made from a very soft metal
And I also got some hard and soft Wire Brushes, which were only One Pound each with an Angle drill attachment which I bought in the Sales last year
Then using the Flexible drill shaft, I got to work cleaning the Engine
After Wire Brushing the Inlet Manifolds, I polished them with the Scourers
Its still a work in progress as when this Photo was taken, I'd just done the one on 'A' Bank on the right
Sorry not to get back sooner, been out Christmas Shopping and got myself some Polishing Soap to Shine those manifolds up, as what you see in that Photo, is only a 'lick and a promise' that took less than 10 Minutes to do
But the Weathers not great at the moment and isn't really getting any better, so I'll put the finishing touches to her in the Spring, though what I didn't do and should have done, is to get myself a proper Polishing Mop
Time to use some elbow grease and get the Polish out as by the time I have finished with her she should shine like a mirror, talking of which those Photos were not 'mirrored'
As if you look very carefully 'SONY' is reflected in the base of the Screen, which was purely accidental as I'm not as clever as 'Someday' when it comes to 'special effects'
What you see in that Photo took less than 10 minutes to do!
So I haven't even really started getting into it yet, as it was more to test out that Flexible Shaft, which I ran from my Table Top Drill Press, that I got from a Scrapyard with a broken Chuck, where the cost of replacing that Chuck could have been £20
Which was about 1/3 of the price of buying a brand new drill press complete, so maybe not surprising that they decided to chuck it away but as for me I got a New Chuck from China for a Fiver! that was exactly the same and works great
And so much better than a Hand Drill when using a Flexible Shaft but its just too wet and miserable to do a proper cleaning job on the Inlet Manifolds at the moment
Broken Chuck on drill press with a new one from China for a Fiver!
Scrap Drill Press which I got for nothing!
Looking a bit better after an hours restoration and fitting the New Chuck
I keep it in the Kitchen 'as you do'
The Flexible Shaft works better with a drill press, or at least it does with what I am using it for
There are not many Jobs on an XJS that couldn't be done a lot easier if only you were able to open up the Bonnet/Hood just a little bit wider than the 'Gas Struts' will allow
So how about we start with a Lot Wider!
Which could come in really handy for taking out the Rad and things like changing Fans, Injectors and Spark Plugs to name but a few, all of which can be easily done without the need of taking the Bonnet/Hood off
Unless you feel you absolutely have to, in which case you need some reliable mates to help make sure that you don't graunch the paintwork, when either taking it off or putting it back
Though having said that, I much prefer to take the 'Gas Struts' off and then tie the Bonnet/Hood up in the Air as high as I dare it will go, while at the same time being mindful that I don't break the 'Grill'
And while I know you can take that off, those self tapping screws can be a real pain to undo, as so can those Bonnet/Hood Struts if they haven't been off for a while
So with some unusual free time on my hands, I decided that I would now do a 'mod' that I had been longing to do for quite some time and make myself some quick release Bonnet/Hood Struts
Which first of all means removing the 'Gas Struts' from the Car and then tying the Bonnet/Hood up in the Air, so that it is out of the way for the time being
Where my plan was to replace the Bolts that hold the 'Gas Struts' with some Quick Release ones that I made and since I didn't have any 5/16 Stud, I just cut the heads of some 5/16 X 1.5 inch UNF Bolts that I had got left over from another job
And then drilled a hole right through them for some 'R' Clips which as unbelievable as it sounds my local DIY Shop had in stock, as I usually have to go to a Specialized supplier for that kind of stuff in the UK
Apart from a drill and some washers this is all you are going to need!
Clamping a Bolt at each end of the drill vice gets a firm grip on those bolts and then as a bit of a bonus the other one's ready to drill!
Once I had measured the length required, I cut off the head of the Bolt and trimmed it to size then swapped out this 'modded' Quick Release Bolt for where the OEM Bolt used to go
'Modded' Quick Release Stud in place of the OEM Bolt
Bonnet/Hood 'Gas Strut' with the 'Now' Quick Release 'R' Clip and a Washer to hold things in place
Taking off those 'Gas Struts' is now just a 'Walk in the park'
'Easypeasy Lemon Squeezy' to remove those 'Gas Struts' now!
But Why Stop There!
As the next thing that I wanted to make were some 'modded struts' to use for holding the Bonnet/Hood open without the need to tie it up into the Air, which could also be quite useful for doing a 'roadside repair'
Where after first doing some measuring up, the ideal length for the 'modded struts' on my Car 'Cherry Blossom' was 24 inches to each of the outside hole centres
Which was going to be the ideal length to hold my Bonnet/Hood open as far as it would go without breaking the Grill but if you do this 'mod' yourself, this is only a 'Ball Park' figure as your Bonnet/Hood opening may be a little bit different
In order to make these 'modded struts' I used some pre-drilled Flat Bar which I got from a Builders Merchants not because I'm lazy but Galvanized looks nice but really any Flat Bar of a similar type would do
Though don't use anything less than 5mm or it is going to bend! (ask me how I know or rather don't!)
So having cut the Bar to size in my 'Super Duper' Power Hacksaw that I picked up in a Yard Sale for only £50 all that I then had to do was to drill out the holes each end to easily slip over the 'modded' Quick Release Studs I had made
Pre-drilled Galvanized Bar 5mm thick as anything less 'might' bend!
Cutting the Pre-drilled Bar to size in my little Power Hacksaw (Yard Sale only cost me £50!)
Drilling out the holes to go over my 5/16 'modded quick release studs'
Having done that there is a word of 'Caution' and that is to round the ends off and make absolutely sure that you can 'Swing' the 'modded struts' round when they are in position or if not then a sharp edge might just cut into the Bonnet/Hood
Using a Washer to mark the ends for rounding off the Bar, so that no Sharp edges can dig into the Bonnet/Hood
Rounding off the edges of the Bar on my Bench Grinder to make sure no sharp edges can damage the Bonnet/Hood, so just make sure you can freely swing it in any direction before you clip it on to the Quick Release Studs
'Modded Struts' can now hold the Bonnet/Hood open as wide as it will go without breaking the Grill
Since the 'modded struts' are thinner than the fixing eyes on the 'Gas Struts' I just made up the space by using a 'Nut'
Job done! all done and dusted with now plenty of room to work and only took a couple of hours to do!
Last edited by orangeblossom; 12-11-2018 at 11:12 AM.
This was such a simple 'mod' that I wish I'd done it years ago, instead of having to struggle in such a confined space, with so many 'gizmos' needing lots of TLC
Except that I did it the hard way and used to unbolt the 'Gas Struts' and tie the Bonnet/Hood up in the Air either to the Washing Line or the nearest tree, where there was always a danger of it crashing down
If the rope should come undone or the Washing Line should unexpectedly break , which you wouldn't want to happen with a jug of brake fluid in your hand, especially with the stiff breezes that we tend to get down our way
But once these 'Maintenance Stays' are in place the whole thing feels very secure and also very easy to swap back to the 'Gas Struts' when the job is done
Before: Not exactly ideal for having to do any work underneath the Bonnet/Hood in such a confined space
After: Acres of Space for working now and I could easily change the Fan or even take the Rad out if I had to single handed
Last edited by orangeblossom; 12-11-2018 at 06:56 PM.
I've been reading your posts with interest, OB. This one makes me wonder if there aren't alternative gas struts you can buy that extend out long enough to open the bonnet that far, while still contracting enough to fit in the space when it's shut. That seems like the best of both worlds.
I've been reading your posts with interest, OB. This one makes me wonder if there aren't alternative gas struts you can buy that extend out long enough to open the bonnet that far, while still contracting enough to fit in the space when it's shut. That seems like the best of both worlds.
Indeed you can buy struts of any length. But to fit what you need it would be necessary to relocate the fixing points.
Yes, indeed, which is why I was sort of wondering if there is anything like a double-action strut, like the telescoping legs on a camera tripod. Probably not, no....
My original intention was just to 'mod' the Standard 'Gas Struts' with the 'Quick Release' 'R' Clips and then tie the Bonnet/Hood up in the Air as I had been doing before
Though having got to that stage, I thought about making those 'Maintenance Struts' from some lengths of pre-drilled Galvanized Flat Strip that I had laying around
Which I always keep a supply of as it really comes in handy for lots of other jobs
This comes in 1200mm Lengths and so my first thought was to cut it in half, so I could make a pair of them out of one piece of Strip so that each of those fixed struts would be 600mm long
Which coincidentally is a Stock length for 'Gas Struts' that you can buy on ebay for around £20
But while that sounds a bit of a bargain, I would have had to buy a set of these for each of my Cars which by default could then get quite expensive, whereas my home made 'modded ones' can easily be swapped from Car to Car
Though as much as I'd love proper 'Gas Struts' 600mm Long, as 'Greg' happened to mention I didn't know if they would fit without 'modding' the Fixing Brackets in the Engine Compartment (which is something I don't want to do)
Unfortunately in the UK 'Tuning Shops' are as rare as 'Rocking Horse Teeth' unless you happen to live next door to one, so its not as if I can walk in to somewhere like that and get one off the Shelf to 'offer it up'
Even my local accessory Shop, didn't even have 'Heater Hose' for another project that I am working on and have almost next to nothing in that line
Unlike in the USA where I would imagine that they sell anything that you can think of and jockey for position in the high street
And so for the time being, I'm regarding my 'Homemade' Maintenance Struts, as a 'work in progress' until I next go down the Scrap Yard and hopefully find some 'Gas Struts' that I will be able to 'offer up' to fit
Where if they do I can then get some New Ones of the same type on ebay, unless someone else can find some 'Gas Struts' that would be a perfect fit
Last edited by orangeblossom; 12-12-2018 at 07:12 AM.
OB
Do you mean finding new struts that are longer than the OEM ones? If so, these are the people, who will make anything you want: https://www.sgs-engineering.com/gas-struts
My worry is that a longer strut will still have to close to a given closed length if the attachment points stay the same. Now for all I know, there is a bit of extra room, and a slightly longer strut would fit anyway. So before I get measuring, here is a question:
How much longer is the galvanised maintenance strut, fixing hole to fixing hole, that the OEM strut equivalent hole to hole distance when it is fully extended?
I knew I remembered reading about longer struts somewhere: p.470 of the XJS Bible. Palm mentions an aftermarket Honda strut that extends longer, but shuts up short enough. He says "The XJ-S requires a strut that will collapse to 13-1/4” or shorter, and the application catalog [sic] lists the Honda struts as having a minimum length of 13.4” -- too long. However, measuring the struts themselves indicates they will compress as far as 13”, perhaps even a hair under. Therefore, they work fine, and hold the bonnet a lot farther open than the stock struts. If yours end up not quite short enough, you should be able to make them work by elongating the holes in the ends a little with a file. [...] Here's the measurement from the corner of the opening for the hood to the corner of the hood when fully open with these new struts: 46.5" Go measure yours!"
While these aftermarket ones may no longer be available, something is bound to be, like in the link Greg posted.
On the Maintenance Bonnet/Hood Struts that I had 'modded up'
Hole Centre to Hole Centre is exactly 600mm (ie the fixing mount on the Bonnet/Hood to the Fixing mounts on the Car) which then gives me the Maximum Opening Access to the Engine, though maybe I could push it an extra 1/2in if I had to
Obviously I could also close it a bit more but any shortening of the Strut could make a massive difference to the access opening
This may not be a 'deal breaker' as any extra access over the 'Stock' amount, would make it a lot easier for checking the Oil and Water and doing all the usual 'Pre-flight Checks' before going out
The only time that I could use Maximum Access to the Full, would be doing stuff like Changing the Plugs or Fitting a New Fan, which you thankfully don't have to do every day, in which case I could then use my 'modded struts' for doing jobs like that
As with the Quick Release 'R' Clips in place of the Stock Bolts, taking off the 'Gas Struts' is a Breeze and pales into insignificance, when compared to doing anyone of those jobs
So in conclusion, longer 'Gas Bonnet/Hood Struts' would be great, even if they didn't give me quite as much engine access as my 'modded' ones do
The only problem to be solved is how long they are going to be when they close?
Once that length has been worked out (Someday you have the 'Stats') then maybe I could get some off ebay, as I really do not want to spend more than £20 per pair on these, if I don't need to, if Custom made ones could cost Megabucks
So if 600mm is the open length, what does a strut of this open length close to? As SDSD says we have a max closed length of 13 inches = 300mm:
According to SGS' website, a strut with an extended length of 550 mm = 21.6 inches has a stroke of 250mm = 9.8 inches. Therefore has (I calculate) a closed length of 300mm = 11.8 inches.
The question is therefore: How much longer is 21.6 inches (550mm) than the standard OEM strut open length? Anyone got one handy as it is minus 6 here and I do not feel like going out into my barn to measure!
The next size up has an open length of 650 and a stroke of 300mm, therefore a closed length of 350mm = 13.7 inches, just a tad long according to Palm/SDSD. It might just go though, or at worst need a tiny welded rearward extension on the wing fixing. But, OB, would 650mm be too long, as it is nearly 2 inches longer than your galvanised maintenance strut?
If it were, then it would just be a matter of moving the wing fixing rearward enough so the open position was not too far open; and this would be easy enough to do with a simple bolted bracket to the original fixing, so it could be returned to OEM spec very easily.
I really like this idea guys, all sorts of jobs would be far easier if the bonnet opened more; but maybe fit a wind speed indicator too, as opening the bonnet in a tail wind might be dangerous!
Last edited by Greg in France; 12-13-2018 at 08:54 AM.
Glad you like the idea, not sure about the Wind Indicator but all the same I'm Psyching myself up, just in case and in the hope that 'Someday' might decide to CGI a 'Leaper' Style of a 'Weather Vane' to bolt on the roof!
But we could be in luck!
Because as I was using pre-drilled Steel in order to make the Struts, it would be very easy to open out a couple of holes to take the 'modded' Bolts, so we could see what 550mm would look like, without having to chop anything off the Struts
Much too dark and cold tonight but I'll mock something up Tomorrow with a bit of luck and see how much difference it makes but not sure I dare push it 2 more inches, just in case it might break the Grill
11-29-2018, 03:57 PM
