Popular Post Evan Posted July 22, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted July 22, 2017 Whatever you do, don't try to rationalise any of this. I can hear everybody saying 'why would you bother?' already. About 12 months ago I was clawing my eyes out one weekend, I needed a hobby. Preferably one that could be done on the lounge coffee table as I really don't have the space for a complete vehicle (which is a bit of a laugh as I've since purchased an old car that bit of work but that is a story for another day). Anyway I was scrolling trademe one night an saw this old wooden ski boat for sale, I fizzed. I looked at that listing at least 23 times over the coming days. The lines of it were similar to an old, cheaper Chris Craft (if you don't know what a Chris Craft is do a google search and try not to drool on your keyboard). I didn't buy that boat, someone else made the terrible life decision and spent $2500 on it. But all along I thought 'man it would be cool with a V12 Jaguar engine in it'. Now this isn't a project of how a V12 Jaguar engine gets turned into a coffee table, well, not yet at least. I starting doing various googlings of V12 Jaguar motors and thought they looked cool with Weber IDFs on them. more googling said that 40mm Weber IDFs were the size of choice (don't ask me why, it just seemed to be the most common size). Trademe searching continues. One day a 40mm Weber IDF appears on trademe, perfect I think, I can pull it apart, clean it and put it back together on a coffee table (the whole plan of a hobby to begin with). The carb is in Christchurch, Runamuck is a champion and puts it in a box and sends it to me, Ka pai. I pull this thing apart, glass bead bast it at a buddys place and put it back together with a new throttle shaft, bearings and gaskets purchased off Ebay. All along wondering why it looked different to other 40mm IDFs on google images. More research ensues and it turns out it is a model unique to the Fiat 124 (I think the 124 Spyder specifically) and would have been one of a matched pair. Anyway I now have this tidy looking carb. Awesome, now what? 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yetchh Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Buy the gasket set for a bmw v12 and you'd be off to an even better start.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowzer Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Can a Jag V12 fit on your coffee table while still leaving room for the coffee? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.H. Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 3 minutes ago, yetchh said: Buy the gasket set for a mercedes v12 and you'd be off to an even better start.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowzer Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 I don't think either of those gasket sets will fit a Jag engine, so seems like silly suggestions to me. Might as well buy one for a Toyota V12 while you're at it though. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 So, as it turns out, that type of Weber is reasonably hard to find. Hmmmm I think. There's some one Ebay but they're spendy. No matter, I'm in no rush, We'll see what happens... 6 months go by, in this time I buy a new desktop computer as I really want to teach myself how to use CAD, problem is I really have no interest in just drawing this that and the other thing as it doesn't relate to anything. This next bit is a bit of a blur. Scrolling Trademe one night and a matched pair of 40mm Weber IDF type 13 and 15s have been listed. I immediately hit buy now. So now I have three of these things. These 2 arrive in the post a week later and they are properly shagged, I think Freddie Mercury was alive the last time these carbs had fuel in them. One of the throttle shafts won't rotate at all and they're both just gross. This presented a bit of a dilemma as the carb above could actually function as a carb again, like, it's a happy carb. These two however, nope. Don't mind the DCOE on the left, that was stop gap between the first Weber being finished and #2 and #3 showing up. I pulled these two apart, which involved a bit of heat and having to cut the throttle shaft out of both of them, along with a few broken/seized components - Emulsion tubes, idle screws, that kind of thing. They then proceed to do laps of my desk, generally getting in the way for awhile. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Evan Posted July 22, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 22, 2017 While that is going on, a couple of months back another weirdo (I say weirdo because you have to be to own one of these things) lists a V12 Jaguar engine for sale here on Oldschool. On this particular night I'm 3 or 4 Coronas deep, which to me is the perfect amount to assist in making rash decisions without worrying about the consequences. So I message the guy and say I'll take it, and fire some money away. Oh man, It's in Dannevirke. How is this going to work, luckily a buddy was going to a wedding down Wellington ways and picked it up for me on the way back, I then picked it up from his place in the Waikato. It is a Pre HE motor, out of a Series 2 XJ12 sedan according to the block number, The internet led me to believe the Pre HE motors are the ones to get when it comes to these motors, which was it's big selling point. I made a day trip to pick it up and got it back to Auckland and on an engine stand, I swear it was the worlds longest day 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyteler Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 None of the attached images work for me. Ruins the story a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 Hmmmm, they not loading? trying to host them on the forum, gimme a minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 Try that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris r Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 fuck yeah, please tell me you are going to get ali express injected IDF bodies 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 Photos working? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yetchh Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Are for me bro.. By the way I must be another weirdo.. love the jag double sixes.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyteler Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 33 minutes ago, Evan said: Photos working? Seem to be now man, golden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 cool, I'll carry on then. So CAD is a prick of a thing if you are a hobbyist, everyone wants $4.2 million for a licence for a legitimate copy of some software. I was watching a youtube video by ICON 4x4 (go check them out, they build some fancy FJ40s) where he mentioned a free CAD software called Fusion 360, I did a google then downloaded it. Since then I've started to dabble in working out how to use it, which for someone who has no prior knowledge in design work is a bit of a learning curve, Youtube videos to the rescue. After much mincing about I managed to draw a thing, well, a series of things, taking the measurements off one of the intake port gaskets. This is where I need to make honorary mention of Ned, he has the ability to make your drawing turn into an actual thing. I send him a copy of the file and the next day I get a text saying he has some things for me. 3D Printed out of PLA, whatever that is, some kind of plastic. If that isn't amazing enough, lo and behold, the things fit. The stud holes aren't quite in the right place, they're a couple of mm to close to each other, nothing a quick file can't fix though. The other flange shown above lined up perfectly with the bottom of the Weber. At this point I think I am the bees knees. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 Bead blasting things yourself is all well and good, but you need an air compressor that can keep up and it can take a bit of time. I saw a guy (Brent) advertising his vapour blasting business on here and thought I'd give that a go. and I tell you what, it's the way to go, paying someone to clean up your mess is just so easy. So the two shitty carbs got his treatment, you can see the before and after here. This has presented a problem though, as the Carb I originally bead blasted myself has a slightly duller finish than the Vapour basted ones, so it will be coming apart tomorrow to get vapour basted, hopefully it comes out looking similar. Kind of hard to tell the differnet in the photo of all 3 lined up, the one on the right being #1, It is duller than the other 2 in person Anyway, If you have grubby stuff that you don't want grubby anymore, I 100% recommend throwing it at Brent http://vapourblastingnz.co.nz/ 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Evan Posted July 22, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 22, 2017 Anyway, back to CAD. When you don't know what you are doing and someone tells you that you need to 'loft' the two holes in the flanges together to make it one part and provide the intake runner, you wonder to yourself, What the fuck is a loft? Google tells you that it is the button that joins 2 shapes on 2 different planes pretty much, cool....where's that button? Found it! (there was a bit of trail and error during this bit while I worked out what the fuck was going on but got there in the end) I then managed, after a couple of hours, to turn two into six. Each one of these is different, no two are the same. Then, again thanks to Ned and his 3D printer, six digital things turned into one real life thing. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Evan Posted July 22, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 22, 2017 Now, Will it fit? Well, by crikey, it might just work... Of course it's all good having one side line up, the real test is when #2 is made and whether or not it will simultaneously line up. On the desk it looks plausible. And with some minor filing of the holes on the cylinder head flanges (I haven't fixed the spacing issue with the stud holes) they even fit on the head, with the ID on the intake runner being on the money with the intake port on the cylinder head. It all looks plausible, but just to be sure I drop some bolts of conveniently the right diameter through the holes to see if they line up. Magic, The butterflies open like they should and it appears the intake runner and bottom of the carb line up as they should, not bad for a rookie if I do say so myself. 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty360 Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Looks very interesting. out of interest it looks like you can 3d model on fusion 360? And you can save your modeled part as a parasolid or a xt file? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CUL8R Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 If you talk to Rob Whitley (Whitley Tune) he can then use your 3d Prints to make a casting.. Also, I happen to have the same carbs on my Chevette, they have that weird air correction or something tube up top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.