Paul's Daimler Diary, air conditioning, steering and suspension, repairs and modifications.

Home More about My Car Main Photo Gallery Bodywork Gallery Interior Work Gallery Mechanical Gallery Modifications Gallery This 'n that Gallery Strombergs Crane Ignition Page Ignition Mods. Pages (x3) Other Mods. Pages (x2) My Favourite Links Downloads E-Mail Me My New Daily Driver Gallery Click on logo below for external link to the new OPUS ignition upgrade
Modifications Page 2 - Go to Page one two REOPUS: A BRAND NEW PRODUCT FOR THE OPUS IGNITION "PROBLEM" - CLICK ON THE LOGO. Other modifications & upgrades PHOTOS IN THE MODIFICATIONS GALLERY EXCEPT AIR CONDITIONER PHOTOS IN INTERIOR WORK GALLERY Fixed Air Conditioning. Photos can be seen in Interior Work Gallery The air conditioning unit has loads of perishable rubber tubing hidden behind the radio aperture and the foot vent panels. After replacing all the tubing and an easy fix to the vacuum valves, mine worked perfectly. The yellow silicone tubing in the photos is fuel tubing for model aeroplanes. I used it to replace the perished rubber vacuum tubing for the air con. behind the radio. Took a while to sort out what went where. I removed the console side panels under the dashboard and replaced all tubing found there. The plastic air vents for the front footwells were bent and starting to crack. I reinforced them by using bicycle spoke wire fixed with cyanoacrylate glue and activator inside the ridges at the back of each vent. Four years later and they are still straight. The controls for the air con were cleaned, checked, and lubricated and the result is a magnificent heater/air con that should be trouble free for ages. Study the photos carefully. There are rotating cams and the rods at the back of the controls. The vacuum valves have brass plugs which can drop out. Mine were found under the carpet! One photo shows the two vacuum valves minus the brass plugs that go over the springs and clip into the nylon. I pushed them back in and used a soldering iron to melt the edge of the nylon over. The springs are quite strong so make sure the brass plugs (like a flat washer without a hole) are secure. Before you do that, the rods inside the springs go through the valve and contact the cams—make sure there is a small nylon pad on the end of the rod touching the cam. If you pull the rod out it will drop off and it’s very small! If you’re working on this you need to study it carefully and try to understand it before pulling anything apart. Just behind the rotary control switch, there are micro switches and yet another rubber tube connection. Replacing the tube was a pig of a job… but it needed it ! There is also another long run of rubber vac tube that runs from the unit and up under the crash-roll on the top of the dashboard. Mine was OK, but I replaced it. This was definitely a fiddly job and one that you need to take your time over. It took me a whole weekend. If you have a digital camera, it would be useful to take pics at every stage. Especially behind the radio cavity. There are two duct tubes made from convoluted card that run from the unit to the rear footwells. Engaging these in the console body when replacing it towards the end of the job was difficult. If you are rushing and ruin the integrity of the cardboard duct ends you will never get them to fit over the control ducts for the rear footwell. They could be replaced with expandable aluminium air duct hosing, but watch out for possible electrical shorting with all the wires and switches in there! Alternator replaced. With later type from XJ-S 4.0 litre. Bolt in job. Battery charges much better now. Twin air-horns. Removed original feeble horns and installed twin air-horns that have been hanging around in my garage for years. They fit out of sight behind front number plate, but not out of earshot Pioneer Stereo Radio/Cassette/CD headset. I used the original radio frame, cut off the front and soldered it to a modern case holder. It took a bit of doing, but it now comes out like a modern unit but is firmly in place. A CD changer in the boot is planned. Replaced original Speakers. Slightly larger Alpine speakers will just fit without looking like a bodge. A largish woofer is planned for the rear parcel shelf one day. Electric Aerial. I Removed and replaced original electric aerial with an aftermarket unit I managed to find. It's a Maystar brand Multi-Head power antenna part No. B1041. One of the angled heads is just about the right angle for the rear wing side mounting on the SII cars. I managed to fit the lower part in behind the rear lamp cluster but had to put a dent in the fuel tank to get it in. It would only fit with a slight rearward angle, but it looks fine - as if the wind was bending it slightly backwards at speed. This unit would possibly be ideal for later Jags where the antenna is mounted just rear of the back window near the boot lid edge. New Monroe shock absorbers all-round. The car wallowed and steered where it wanted when I first got it— dangerously at speed. This equipment and the steering bushes below made a phenomenal difference. The ride quality of these shock absorbers is as original and the car floats over speed humps like no other car I’ve ever driven. New polyurethane steering bushes. The steering rack movement is markedly reduced with these and response and accuracy is far better. New front and rear subframe mounting bushes. The originals were not in bad condition, except a couple at the rear were suspect. As other work was being done, I replaced them all. Roll bar bushes are OK for now, but will replace one day. All dashboard switches and electric window switches. Dismantled, cleaned and re-installed. One of the advantages of this car is that a lot of this type of stuff can be carefully dismantled and repaired by the average DIY’er. Ground connections cleaned and many other electrical joints pulled apart and cleaned, although my car has not been as bad as others I have heard of in that respect. All original type glass fuses replaced (and plenty of spares carried in car). This type of fuse has a habit of looking fine, but the fuse wire inside the tube becomes detached from the soldered end cap and cannot be seen. A future project will be to replace all fuses with modern type. Many other bits and pieces dismantled, cleaned and re-installed whilst “tinkering”. Modifications Page 2 - Go to Page one two This site is for the benefit of enthusiasts. Much of the content is my own to use as you wish. However, some I have collected from various (forgotten) sources in the public domain. If you are the owner of any material used and wish it to be removed or so accredited, please contact me. Web Site © Double Six Design

Click on logo below for external link to the new OPUS ignition upgrade

Modifications Page 2 - Go to Page one two

REOPUS: A BRAND NEW PRODUCT FOR THE OPUS IGNITION "PROBLEM" - CLICK ON THE LOGO.

Other modifications & upgrades

PHOTOS IN THE MODIFICATIONS GALLERY
EXCEPT AIR CONDITIONER PHOTOS IN INTERIOR WORK GALLERY

Fixed Air Conditioning.
Photos can be seen in Interior Work Gallery

The air conditioning unit has loads of perishable rubber tubing hidden behind the radio aperture and the foot vent panels. After replacing all the tubing and an easy fix to the vacuum valves, mine worked perfectly. The yellow silicone tubing in the photos is fuel tubing for model aeroplanes. I used it to replace the perished rubber vacuum tubing for the air con. behind the radio. Took a while to sort out what went where.

I removed the console side panels under the dashboard and replaced all tubing found there. The plastic air vents for the front footwells were bent and starting to crack. I reinforced them by using bicycle spoke wire fixed with cyanoacrylate glue and activator inside the ridges at the back of each vent. Four years later and they are still straight.

The controls for the air con were cleaned, checked, and lubricated and the result is a magnificent heater/air con that should be trouble free for ages.

Study the photos carefully. There are rotating cams and the rods at the back of the controls. The vacuum valves have brass plugs which can drop out. Mine were found under the carpet!

One photo shows the two vacuum valves minus the brass plugs that go over the springs and clip into the nylon. I pushed them back in and used a soldering iron to melt the edge of the nylon over. The springs are quite strong so make sure the brass plugs (like a flat washer without a hole) are secure. Before you do that, the rods inside the springs go through the valve and contact the cams—make sure there is a small nylon pad on the end of the rod touching the cam. If you pull the rod out it will drop off and it’s very small!

If you’re working on this you need to study it carefully and try to understand it before pulling anything apart.

Just behind the rotary control switch, there are micro switches and yet another rubber tube connection. Replacing the tube was a pig of a job… but it needed it !

There is also another long run of rubber vac tube that runs from the unit and up under the crash-roll on the top of the dashboard. Mine was OK, but I replaced it.

This was definitely a fiddly job and one that you need to take your time over. It took me a whole weekend. If you have a digital camera, it would be useful to take pics at every stage. Especially behind the radio cavity.

There are two duct tubes made from convoluted card that run from the unit to the rear footwells. Engaging these in the console body when replacing it towards the end of the job was difficult. If you are rushing and ruin the integrity of the cardboard duct ends you will never get them to fit over the control ducts for the rear footwell. They could be replaced with expandable aluminium air duct hosing, but watch out for possible electrical shorting with all the wires and switches in there!

Alternator replaced.
With later type from XJ-S 4.0 litre. Bolt in job. Battery charges much better now.

Twin air-horns.
Removed original feeble horns and installed twin air-horns that have been hanging around in my garage for years. They fit out of sight behind front number plate, but not out of earshot

Pioneer Stereo Radio/Cassette/CD headset.
I used the original radio frame, cut off the front and soldered it to a modern case holder. It took a bit of doing, but it now comes out like a modern unit but is firmly in place. A CD changer in the boot is planned.

Replaced original Speakers.
Slightly larger Alpine speakers will just fit without looking like a bodge. A largish woofer is planned for the rear parcel shelf one day.

Electric Aerial.
I Removed and replaced original electric aerial with an aftermarket unit I managed to find. It's a Maystar brand Multi-Head power antenna part No. B1041. One of the angled heads is just about the right angle for the rear wing side mounting on the SII cars. I managed to fit the lower part in behind the rear lamp cluster but had to put a dent in the fuel tank to get it in. It would only fit with a slight rearward angle, but it looks fine - as if the wind was bending it slightly backwards at speed. This unit would possibly be ideal for later Jags where the antenna is mounted just rear of the back window near the boot lid edge.

New Monroe shock absorbers all-round.
The car wallowed and steered where it wanted when I first got it— dangerously at speed. This equipment and the steering bushes below made a phenomenal difference. The ride quality of these shock absorbers is as original and the car floats over speed humps like no other car I’ve ever driven.

New polyurethane steering bushes.
The steering rack movement is markedly reduced with these and response and accuracy is far better.

New front and rear subframe mounting bushes.
The originals were not in bad condition, except a couple at the rear were suspect. As other work was being done, I replaced them all. Roll bar bushes are OK for now, but will replace one day.

All dashboard switches and electric window switches.
Dismantled, cleaned and re-installed. One of the advantages of this car is that a lot of this type of stuff can be carefully dismantled and repaired by the average DIY’er.

Ground connections cleaned and many other electrical joints pulled apart and cleaned, although my car has not been as bad as others I have heard of in that respect.

All original type glass fuses replaced (and plenty of spares carried in car). This type of fuse has a habit of looking fine, but the fuse wire inside the tube becomes detached from the soldered end cap and cannot be seen. A future project will be to replace all fuses with modern type.

Many other bits and pieces dismantled, cleaned and re-installed whilst “tinkering”.

Modifications Page 2 - Go to Page one two

This site is for the benefit of enthusiasts. Much of the content is my own to use as you wish. However, some I have collected from various (forgotten) sources in the public domain. If you are the owner of any material used and wish it to be removed or so accredited, please contact me.