20. Handbrake

So I sourced an XJS hand break and will be firing it in the traditional location next to the drivers door....its all very tight there but looks like it should work.

After reading many many comments on how poor the handbrake is it will be interesting to see how I get on.

As the body will be trial fitted for a while (soon hopefully) then i can see how it all works and adjust if required.

When reading the IVA reg it does make comment that the locking mech of the handbrake i.e. teeth need to be in good order and secure......mine....well as you can see below....not really so.....

The teeth are very warn in the middle - just where I will need it i would guess - so what to do....new part which is a pain to find - buy one from Dax -quite nice but £145 for something i won't use once past IVA.......so I thought I would try an reinstate the teeth.....

So I used the faithful Dremel to cut in new teeth and checking the mating with the teeth on the lever - all fits well and seems to have done the job - now just to reassemble and see how it works when on the car!

So the instructions say to pass the H/B cable round the wheel arch (i.e. between wheel and outside of the arch).

BUT......If i do this, at worst the tire rubs on the cable and at best it JUST misses it - so seems like asking to fail IVA to me.

Maybe the final wheels are off set from the hub more or something Im not sure - but I would rather avoid the issue altogether.

So.....I brought the cable inside just before the wheel.  This will obviously create a lump in the eventual carpet but you won't see it so its fine by me.


I also moved the whole assay forward by about two inches as I had placed it too far back and I ended up having too much cable to loose somewhere.  It does say this in the instructions but I read this after i had done it - well done me.

So now its all in I pulled the hand break fully on and.......the car still rolls.....well seem REALLY effective.  I hear lots of stories of how bad the hand brake is but not sure whether my shoes are set correctly - so will pop the callipers off and check....just as i realise they are all nicely lock wired one.....think Ill loose the lock wire and just thread lock them.

19. Engine Sensors

So the Coolant temp sensor and Oil pressure Switch and Sensor all need fitting in place of the OEM parts.....this will be really straight forward - take out the old and then slip in the new....

I wish.....


So they all have different threads so need adaptors and also there is no Oil pressure switch which you need to make the dash light come on so what to do....

Coolant temp sensor.

So taking out the OEM one at the front right of the engine it has a thread of M12x15   but the new sensor supplier with the Smiths Gauges is 1/8NPT  so I bought an adaptor.

This seemed fine until the bore of the hole through the adaptor was not large enough to fit the temp sensor through - I drilled it out and then it fit...great....Until I screwed it in and sheared the adaptor off the thread....which was still in the engine.

(BY the way - I had done this wrong - leave the LS3 sensor in the engine as the OMEX ECU used this....put the the one mentioned here in the opposite corner - remove the hex head bolt in the side of the head at the rear right and put it in there)....hind sight would be good!!!

Luckily I managed to coax out the adaptor with a screw driver with out much problem - so now looking for another adaptors that will hopefully fit this time....we will see.

Bought one from Merlinmotorsport so its on it was we will see if it fits when it gets here.  The internal bore size is not listed on any of them so its all a bit of trial an error.

So the new part arrived and its exactly the same as the old one so I drilled it out once again - I did speak to Jon at AK and this seems to the be how they do it also so just need to tighten a little less this time!!

we will see how I get on.

Oil Pressure Switch and Sensor

So this is another messy job as you need a 'T' piece that is M16x1.5 to 2x 1/8NPT  - which don't exist hat I could find so I ended up with a 18/NPT adaptor T with then a 1/8NPT to M16x1.5 adaptor....

the sensor goes in the side and the switch in the top.....this is a relatively tight fit due to the proximity to the engine - but all went in ok with thread lock placed on all to ensure it is all water tight.