1971 XKE Series II
2R14220

Stew:
I was finally able to remove the center console & the tunnel cover to inspect the u-joint. Everything looked & sounded fine. It appears that the strange rattling noise was actually the base of the ashtray vibrating on the metal panel below it. The ashtray was not screwed to anything just sitting loose. Lucky me...

The only thing I did find was that there is a hose connected to the top of the gearbox that was completly disconnected... naturally I reconnected it, but I cannot find any explanation for the purpose of this hose in any of the manuals that I have. Info would be appreciated.

As I get deeper & deeper into this project I'm finding that who ever worked on this car in the past was not a mechanic, but a butcher. Screws, nuts and bolts missing everywhere, parts not fitted properly, wiring left disconnected, etc. Even the tunnel cover that I just described was not screwed down, just a bunch of caulking around the perimeter to hold it in place. Anyway, little by little I'm making progress in getting everything back in order. I've gotten ALL the gauges and indicator lights working and I'm now working on restoring the heating unit and fan (another mess).

Fortunately I've been getting a lot of help on this forum and mostly (a good word is in order here) from John Costanza at XK's Unlimited. They deserve a word of praise for their great technical support and wealth of information. Thanks John!

I'll let you know how the progress goes!

Submitted by jsolo61654@aol.com on Thu, 01/15/2004 - 15:57

Steve:
Thanks for the ideas. I researched the Koolmat product & I'm definitely going to line the interior with it before I install the new carpet. You're right, at almost $30. a linear foot it is expensive, but if it does what they claim, it should be well worth it.

When I removed the gear box tunnel cover there was a piece of foam insulation in it which I'm going to replace. Believe it or not the insulation is available from from the usual suspects, but the cover itself is only available for the S1 and S3. Fortunately I was able to restore the the cover I removed to "like new" condition.

Thanks!
Jeff

Submitted by NE52-32043 on Thu, 01/15/2004 - 13:12

Jeff,

While you're at it, you might want to consider putting some insulation in the transmission tunnel, if it is open and accessible. You'd be surprised at the amount of heat (and noise) that gets transmitted through the tunnel walls, especially on long trips or hot days. Alternatively, consider putting something under the console and carpets. I've done this on both my cars and it makes a huge difference, particularly in the amount of heat you have to suffer with.

I used a product called Heat Shield, a fiberous material similar to the jute, with an aluminum foil backing. You can find it in speed shops, or from J.C. Whitney or Summit Racing. In the Ser. III car, I used a more expensive product to line the footwells and under dash area. It was called Koolmat. It's a silicone product, with fiberglass backing. Made a huge difference (previously cooked feet are now comfortable, even on long, hot trips). The extra cost was well worth it, for what it did.

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
'72 E-type 2+2
'70 XKE FHC

Submitted by cleavefamily@c… on Wed, 01/14/2004 - 19:32

Jeff,
Talk about luck - 5 minutes compared to 5 weekends. While you have it accessable, please grease the u-joint. I have something on the heater that I did that I'll e-mail you off forum. And send some of that luck my way please.
Stew Cleave
JOCO Chief Judge
\'69 E-Type 2+2 and other LBC\'s