1998 Jaguar XJR Cooling Fan Conversion

The other day we started on a 3d printing project for a customer’s 1998 Jaguar XJR Cooling Fan Conversion. One of the customer’s radiator cooling fans stopped working and the engine started to overheat. The fan assembly from Jaguar were quoted between $1100 and $1400 (for 2 fans and the shroud) We told the customer that there was a second option. The other option was to convert the fans over to brushless slimline style cooling fans.

The Process

I took about 20 measurements and traced the mounting holes. Then I scanned the tracings on my flatbed scanner. After that, I digitized the files and imported them into Fusion 360. After a few hours, the CAD files were done and it was ready to print. I stayed up until about 3am, making sure the first bracket was printing ok. It wasn’t. Some of the settings needed tweaked. I changed the settings and hit print again, praying that when I woke up the print would be good.

When I woke up 3 hours later the print was almost done and looked really nice. When that was done I removed it from the build plate. Then, I hit print again. I went into the shop to start modifying the shroud.

One of my techs ended up taking the motor apart and we extracted the OEM harness connectors. I wired and loomed that electrical connector to the fan harness. Furthermore, this made for a really nice, cohesive OEM looking connection.

Fitment

This bracket will fit the following Jaguars:

  • Vanden Plas – 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, & 2003
  • XJ6 – 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, & 1997
  • XJ8 – 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, & 2003
  • XJR – 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, & 2003

How was it made?

The XJR Cooling Fan Conversion is printed on a highly modified AnyCubic Kobra Max 3d printer with Priline Polycarbonate CF. For example, here are the A-Z photos of how it was done, and how it all turned out.

Gallery

Question / Contact Meister Werks

For more information on how to get your XJR Cooling Fan Conversion installed, please call 425-254-0627. You can also contact us by clicking here. Meister Werks European & Import is located one block south from The Renton Landing in Renton, WA, across the street from the former Boeing Store and on the westside of the Paccar / Kenworth plant.

HVAC Fan Motor Resistors

HVAC Fan Motor resistors are responsible for controlling the blower motor speed. They do this by varying the voltage supplied to the blower motor. They are prone to shorts, corrosion, and overheating. When the resistor fails, typically, the highest setting is the only option that still functions. 

When replacing your heat, A/C, & ventilation blower fan motor or HVAC van motor, we always replace the resistor. We do this due to the potential that the old resistor may damage the new motor. We also replace the inexpensive relay just to ensure that you HVAC motor will not prematurely fail and that you’ll always have air flow though your HVAC system.

Another reason your fan motor might not be working is the switch on your dash. Although very unlikely, we have seen these fail on some cars. Vehicles with more modern digital temperature controls are a little more complex. These digital controllers are also known to fail, however diagnosing the problem is sometimes a little easier. Using a OBDII factory scan tool, we are able to scan the entire vehicle for fault codes. The HVAC system will typically tell us what to look at, although it never says, “replace this part”. We would have to manually inspect the components related to the fault codes and identity the exact problem.

Sometimes performing a service on your air conditioning system will fix the problem. Systems that have leaks and are low on refrigerant will not function. Other times too much pressure will cause it not to work as well. One thing we see a lot of is people trying to charge their own A/C systems with a over the counter bottle. This is by far the best way to damage your A/C system. We see more damage to A/C systems cause from owners thinking they can fix it with a bottle for $25. In the long run you might pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to repair this. Over pressurizing the system will damage sensors, pumps and expansion valves. Bring it to the professional with the correct A/C service machine and avoid costly repairs in the future.

For more information on how to get your European cars HVAC, A/C or Fan motor repaired in Renton, call 425-254-0627. You can also email us by clicking here. Meister Werks European & Import is located one block south from The Renton Landing in Renton, WA, across the street from the former Boeing Store and on the westside of the Paccar / Kenworth plant.

Digifiz Manual for Volkswagen Mk2 Digifiz

This is the link for the factory Volkswagen Mk2 Digifiz Manual study guide. Also has the wiring harness diagram and explanation of how the digifiz works. Feel free to post this link. In exchange, all we ask is to leave us a 5 star review on Google, click here.

Manual as of July 1987
PN: 700 2809 04 20 / 700.2809.04.20

• Digifiz Factory Manual – Click Here

• Digifiz Owners Manual Insert – (Deutsche/German) – Click Here

 

Complete Kit – Everything you need

(For Reference Only – Please do not contact us
about buying this, we no longer have this)

1960 Porsche 356b Shifter Rebuild

Last week our tech Jonathan and I were able to repair Craig’s (Rennfilms), 1960 Porsche 356b shifter. When driving this beautiful Porsche, It was difficult to find gears and made very sloppy shifts. This was due to the fact that it was missing the main lower ball pivot. It also had some poorly fabricated sheet metal, installed from the previous owner, which was not helping the situation. We had talked to Craig about this concern the last couple times he was in for service and seat bracket fabrication. We decided now was the time to do this.

Starting the project

First, I found a photo off the internet of the exact part we needed. This is really all we had to go by. Since we only had the shifter itself. The other measurements I had were the spring size and the dimensions for opening of the lower stick. I brought the photo into Adobe Illustrator and resized the photo so the hole size slightly larger that the known lower stick size of 20mm. Based off of that, I extrapolated the degree in which the photo was taken. After that, I calculated the outer ball perimeter, ball height and overall height. 

Next, I opened up Fusion 360 to start drafting our CAD file. Using our notes from the internet JPG image dimensions, I was able to come up with this drawing.

The 3d Printer

Since we print replacement parts with high temp resin, we must calculate the shrink rate. This is typically between 1-3%. Using a little simple math, that number needed to be around 103%. For safe measure, we printed 100% through 104%. Furthermore, there was going to be some margin of error. It takes about and hour to print these, so we wanted every option when we started assembling the shifter.. The 104% part fit best, although the 103% would have worked, we wanted some tolerance.

After the part came out we post processed it in a wash / cure station. Washing it with 99% isopropyl alcohol for 10 minutes and curing it with high intensity UV light for 6 minutes. This will harden the resin and prevent it from failing in the future.

While I was drafting and printing the parts, Jonathan media blasted the shifter housing and put a light coat of satin epoxy paint on it. We would have powder coated this in house, but the customer was picking up the same day. Powder coating will add a few hours to the project. If we need to make any adjustments in the future, we will powder coat it. Disassembly is fairly simple so it shouldn’t take too much addition time.

Assembly

After post processing the parts, Jonathan and I took them to the bench to test the sizes and fitment. You can see from this photo that the fit was spot on at 104%.

From here, we performed a dry fit before lubricating the mechanism. They dry fit felt night and day better, and that was without any grease. We removed the shifter for the last time, greased up all the components and reinstalled the shifter assembly. The feel was 100% OEM and each gear was defined, with no lateral movement while in gear. Reverse felt so much different than before, which might take a little getting use to for the customer. (In a good way)

In Conclusion

Overall we were very pleased with how this shifter turned out. The customer was very pleased with the results. Considering the short wait time to make the part and its functionality, It’s pretty amazing that we can replicate parts like this. 15 years ago, this was mythology.

Since we have six different 3D printers (SDA resin and FDM filament), we have the ability to print polyurethane and other synthetic components. With build plate dimensions from 4-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ x 6″ tall all the way up to 16″ x 16″ x 17″ Tall – The possibilities are almost endless.

Information / Schedule

For more information on how to get your classic European vehicle or Porsche repaired, please call 425-254-0627. You can also email us by clicking here. Meister Werks European & Import is located one block south from The Renton Landing in Renton, WA, across the street from the former Boeing Store and on the westside of the Paccar / Kenworth plant.

 

Project 1991 Mercedes-Benz 560sec

It’s been a long road to completion but we finally got Project 1991 Mercedes-Benz 560sec finished today. Our customer came in about 6 months ago wanting to do a air suspension install on his 1991 Mercedes-Benz 560sec. We wrote him a quote based off his needs and some suggestions from Meister Werks. After approving the quote we ordered all the parts necessary to install his custom setup. The customer also wanted us to have the bumpers, side mouldings, mirrors and door handles painted white to match the body. We contacted our friends at Automotive Solutions to come out and do all the body work, prep and paint.

Fast forward a few weeks later, Covid-19 / Coronavirus hit the Seattle area and thus started the parts delays. It took a few months of waiting to get all the parts in. A few months later in March, we finally received everything and the install started very soon after.

Install Begins

We began the install by removing the bumpers, side mouldings, mirrors and door handles. While these parts were out, we started polishing the OEM stainless steel trim. After all the parts went into paint, we began the air suspension portion. We started the air system by disassembling the custom stereo setup in the trunk. The car stereo installer had fabricated a custom enclosure to house the rose gold plated air tank, Air Zenith air compressors and Airlift 3p manifold. We bent custom hard lines, powder coated them white (to match the body) and affixed all the fittings to the components. After we did this, we install them into the custom build enclosure. After that, we wired the Air Zenith OB2 compressors with 4 gauge wires and 80 amp fuses. We also ran the harness to the Airlift 3p manifold, connected the remote wire to the ignition on circuit and installed the 3p controller in the Mercedes-Benz 560sec center console. 

We had many issues with the custom air bags we purchased from a company in Germany. The bags were rubbing on the body and the upper bag mount did not line up with the control arms. Countless hours corresponding, assembly, disassembly, reassembly, photos and diagrams were sent to the manufacturers. After weeks of communications, we

finally got results and newly machined parts were shipped from Germany. After 3 additional weeks, we received new parts. Unfortunately the parts still did not work right. So we decided to machine the new parts in house to get them to work. What we machined was perfection and will be able to replicate this on any future projects. The Mercedes-Benz is now able to air up properly, lay frame and not rub on the body. These additional modifications to the air suspension was much better than the original kit.

More Custom

We also had to delete the Mercedes-Benz factory hydraulic suspension. To do this we removed the rear shocks, removed the hydraulic pump on the engine and machined a custom block off plate. We used 6061 T6 aluminum to machine this part in our inhouse machine shop. We also made a custom gasket on our CNC cutter. Everything installed perfect, with no leaks or issues.

The components now installed, we attach the air lines using OEM brake line clips to secure the air lines in place. While all the the work was being done, we assembled and sealed the custom rose gold plated AMG wheels and mounted and balanced the tires. After test fitting the wheels, we knew we needed spacers on the front to give this beautiful Mercedes-Benz 560sec a flush fit when rolling down the road.

After all this hard work, we finally were able to test the system for air leaks, button up the trunk and make sure all the small details were handled.

Project 1991 Mercedes-Benz 560sec Build List

  • Airlift Performance 3p management
  • OB2 dual air compressors
  • 4 Gallon Specialty Suspension seamless air tank – plated rose gold*
  • Custom hard lines at Meister Werks
  • Air suspension install at Meister Werks
  • Front bags & hydraulic pump block off plate custom machined at Meister Werks
  •  Rose gold plated* AMG wheels & OZ lips & barrels assembled and sealed at Meister Werks
  • Bumpers, mirrors, door handles, moldings, body work & paint at Meister Werks by Automotive Solutions
    * All custom rose gold plating done at the customer’s shop in California.

To make an appointment for your custom air ride, stop by or call 425-254-0627. You can also email us by clicking here. Meister Werks European & Import is located one block south from The Renton Landing in Renton, WA, across the street from The Boeing Store and on the westside of the Paccar / Kenworth plant.

Coding, Updating & Programming Control Modules

Meister Werks now has the ability to code, update & program control modules. We can fully scan your BMW, VW or Audi and verify that the control modules are up to date.

The manufacturers regularly update software that is necessary for a efficiently running vehicle. When cars are first manufactured, the parameters are written for very tight tolerances. As the cars age and parts start to break in, some parameters can slightly shift out. This can cause check engine lights or components to no longer function. Often, this does not mean than the part is faulty, the software just needs updated. Just like your laptop computer or smart phone.

2006 BMW M6 V10

In the case of this 2006 BMW M6 V10, there were many modules that would not function even after we replaced the faulty components. The communication between modules would no longer talk to each other. After scanning this BMW with our new software, we found many modules were out of date. After performing an update, the car ran and sounded much better. The steering column switch that failed, now is functional. The software will also tell us if there is a faulty component, a wire short and where the location of that is. This makes diagnosing you vehicle much quicker and the result is a potentially smaller repair bill.

In this instance, the screen shot shows the version ID from BMW’s plant in Munich, Germany (outlined in red) is much older than the software on the vehicle. Our software connects directly to the manufacturer, insuring the most up to date software is loaded onto your vehicle. This will update everything from engine control modules and transmission control modules to the radio, battery control modules and even the instrument cluster.

More Info

If you have any questions about this service, feel free to contact us any time for a estimate or an appointment. To make an appointment for your vehicle’s coding, updating & programming control modules, call 425-254-0627 or email us. Meister Werks European & Import is located one block south from The Renton Landing in Renton, WA, across the street from The Boeing Store and on west side of the Paccar / Kenworth plant.

 

Porsche 911 / 996 Headlight Refurbishing

Our customer brought in his set of Porsche 911 / 996 Turbo for headlight refurbishing. The lens were oxidized and dull when they arrived. This is cause from the sun light’s UV breaking down the surface of the lens. We wet sand all the contaminants out, clean and spray with our special clearcoat. This clearcoat is the same acrylic makeup as the lens which bonds with it down to the molecular structure. Not only that, but the clear coat adds a layer of protection against fading or oxidation. The clear coat also dries very glossy and there is no need for wet sanding or buffing after the clear coat dries. However, we can do this and is an additional option if you upon request.

Note: Some imperfections are within the inside of the lens area and are unable to be removed. New housing would be an alternative to getting brand new headlights.