1969 E Type roadster (Ernie) Total Team CJ restoration

Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows: Total Team CJ restoration back to original BRG and Biscuit with a number of Team CJ upgrades.

I was thrilled to hear from Ernie Clark following the maiden outing for his beautiful 1969 E Type roadster at last weekend's Euro-Fest car show in Ridgeland, MS. From a field of more than 150 fellow competitors, Ernie received the Mayor's Choice Award for best in show.

Congratulations, Ernie!

 
Earlier today we put the car on the dyno and did a single pull to measure horespower and torque. For an air conditioned 6 cylinder E Type, with all pulleys hooked up, the numbers were pretty impressive.

We measured 237 rear wheel horsepower, which equates to approximately 296 HP at the engine. We also recorded 275 ft/lbs of rear wheel torque, which equates to around 343 ft/lbs at the flywheel.
 

Time for another completed restoration to head home!

Final tuning on the dyno. Car is now running beautifully...

Restoring your dash AC unit...

AC unit was in very poor shape
Original vent panel was damaged beyond economical repair	An alternative used vent panel was sourced
	New motor and fan installed
Testing the motor	This finished article
Control knob before.....	Control knob after....

Installing Weber carbs and custom braided fuel lines..

Engine and CJ5 five speed now in place....

The convertible top has now been installed, as well as the new Triplex screen and door windows. In the next few days we will be installing the engine and CJ5 transmission.

Carlos has now trimmed and assembled your seats....

Your seats are the ones in the  foreground

Suffolk & Turley interior kit	Trimming seats

Almost ready for the engine...

Time to start going back together....

	Front suspension and brakes already in place
Grade 8 fasteners and Poly bushings throughout		Almost time to install the engine and transmission

The main bodyshell is now resplendent in multiple coats of British Racing Green paint!

Applying the first pass of BRG  base coat		3 coats of clear applied over 4 coats of base
		Chrome has now been triple plated

The following photos and video show Javier painting the underside of your car. Over the next few days we will be painting the cabin, the underside of the bonnet, then all the outer panels. Watch this space!

Masking for Rocker Guard application		Sealer is tinted
Note texture of Rocker Guard	British Racing Green base applied	Clear coat finished the job off!

We now have the cylinder head completely rebuilt to full Stage One specs.....

We have now installed the new bonnet and completed all of the panel fit and bodywork - with the excption of the new boot lid installation. The Slick Sand has been been applied and the car has been set aside for paint prep and painting in a few weeks time.

Installing the new bonnet	Panel fit coming together very nicely	Applying the Slick Sand
		Bodywork now virtually complete
Slick Sand baking in 105 degree Texas sunshine!

With the bodyshell panel replacement now completed, we removed all the cheap 'shipping primer' before sealing the restored monocoque with BASF etching primer.

Starting to go back together!

Before......	After.....
Rear bulkhead will be replaced	New boot floor spot welded into place

The following photos show the bodyshell and panels after media blasting. The bonnet is much worse than expected, although the body really isn't too bad. In the circumstances, I think a new bonnet would be a very good idea.

One door is OK, the other needs a skin		Bellypan is rough
		Boot floor will be replaced
Bonnet center section is very rough

Another total CJ body restoration gets underway!

Doesn't look to good up front		Outer sills are also removed

I am pleased to report that your car is next in line for the full treatment in the CJ Coachworks. We have scheduled the bodyshell (and associated panels) to be media blasted early next week - and the sheet metal restoration will begin shortly thereafter. The photographic updates will start coming thick and fast as the body restoration gets underway!

IRS rebuild completed		Front suspension has been Nickel plated
New Poly bushings installed
AC unit being structurally repaired	Splints were fabricated and installed for the back side of the vent panel
Dash panels have been trimmed

Assembling your IRS.

Team CJ shocks	Rebuilding your rear calipers
Drilled an slotted rotors	Starting to go together
Installing the shocks and springs

We now have the powder coated IRS components back and have started rebuilding your IRS.

Differential case was cleaned and  painted prior to rebuilding		IRS components have now been powder coated
Team CJ Bronze IRS bushings will be installed	Before.....	After....

As this car patiently waits in line for attention in the Team CJ Coachworks, we have begun the mechanical rebuilding process, starting with the front and rear suspensions.

Front suspension will be sent off for Nickel plating	Disassembling the IRS	Not a pretty sight!
Shocks look quite new?	Rear suspension components will be powder coated.....	....as will be the cage

Ernie has recently bought back this 1969 roadster, a car that he first owned in back in the seventies. The first photograph below shows Ernie's two sons, Lee and Andrew, sitting in the once proud car. Lee is now 33 and Andrew is 24!

We are going to be doing something of a driver restoration on this car, re-using a number of components that ordinarily we would replace or rebuild. Having said that, the idea is to return the car to something like the condition it was  in when Ernie first saw it thirty years ago.....or perhaps a little better than that...

Lee and Andrew posing in this very car twenty odd years ago!	The car arrived at CJ in component form	The engine, as received
	Frames are rusted and bent	Paint hides a multitude of problems with original bonnet