The 'E' Type Forum

Hi, my 1969 2+2 has arrived from California and I am going through it 'head to toe'. My H&S mad engineer son is very concerned that the manifold heat shield which protects the brake fluid is asbestos. As the car is a one owner, totally unmolested example, I suspect it is the original. Can anyone calm (or confirm!) his fears? Thanks

Also I am keen to get involved in local groups in order to share stories and knowledge..............I am keen to learn! Are there groups near or in the East riding Area (Yorks) that I could attend

Thanks for reading and hopefully your responses

Paul

Hi Paul..Welcolm to the forum.....if he,s worried about the heatshied its a great excuse not to let him drive it, after all there are no air bags, crumple zones, or crash tests
Dont know exactly what the compound is but mine were broken and i replaced it with an aluminium homemade one

Yes it is asbestos and I didn't like mine either. I threw mine out while converting it to RHD.

On my MGA I painted it with epoxy resin and then spray painted it silver to match the rest of the carby heat shield it is attached to.

Paul, have you joined either or both the Jaguar Driver's Club and Jaguar Enthusiasts Club? They might have local meetings that could give you an introduction to other Jaguar (and maybe) E Type owners.

Geoff

Thanks for your replies

I have joined the etype owners club but their blurb directed me to this forum

yes a good excuse to limit the drivers! However he (son) is a fantastic engineer and his fingers can manipulate areas I couldn't get anywhere near!

I will pass on the good news to him...............................no doubt he will continue to search for other nasties

However he really likes the car, so who am I to stop him!

Thanks again

Paul

If original it will be asbestos board. Harmless unless disturbed so don't grind or snap it. If you are concerned it can be removed and replaced with e.g. cement board as used for the underclocks at the end of tiled pitch roofs. If you are to remove it soak in water first to prevent any dust/fibres escaping. Bear in mind that no domestic waste recycling place will touch asbestos.

When I binned the original heat shield from my '65, I carefully wrapped it in a plastic bag and it went out with the rubbish. I made a new one from .090 aluminium sheet and it worked very well. There are a multitude of thermal barriers on the market today, so even if asbestos were legal it would probably have been rendered obsolete long ago. Just don't tell your local hazmat authorities if you break a mercury thermometer...