1965 E Type FHC (GP) Mechanical rebuild with significant performance upgrades

Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows: Total mechanical rebuild from stem to stern, including a Stage One engine rebuild, CJ5/600 five speed, uprated cooling, ignition, brakes, suspension, new wiring harnesses, new engine frames, etc.

Click on the photo below for a video clip of us test firing your rebuilt engine!

Engine and transmission installed...

Rebuilt engine now installed	CJ5/600 transmission
	Intake gasket was port matched

I am pleased to report that we have now completed your Stage One engine rebuild - and the finished article is a thing of beauty!

Cylinder head is now better than new	Assembling the short block
	Finished engine is a thing of beauty!

Short block machine work has now been completed, front suspension and brakes installed...

Torque plate honing the engine block
Surfacing the block with timing chain cover installed	Machining a new oil pan drain plug hole
	Block is now machined, painted and ready to assemble
	Front brakes, suspension and steering going in place

SU carbs now completely rebuilt, engine firewall and new engine frames painted Dark Blue....

We stripped the firewall area to bare metal and will be repainting it Dark Blue later today...

We felt we had to tidy up the bulkhead before installing the new engine frames	Body number written on right side of bulkhead
This area looked a little worrying, although ended up being pretty solid (see image below)	Stripping the entire firewall top bare metal
Beneath the surface rust, things weren't as bad as we were expecting (not often we can say that)	Sealed with epoxy primer, Dark Blue paint later today

We have been busy rebuilding your front and rear suspension...

Front suspension has been Nickel plated and assembled with new Poly bushings
Steering rack has been completely rebuilt	Later style XJ balljoints
Your IRS cage was too rusty to save - replacement cage now blasted and powder coated
Larger front calipers moved to rear	Original gas tank cleaned up quite nicely!

The following sequence of photos show the cylinder head port work...

Intake port prior to our port work
After porting	After porting
	Honing new valve guides to size
Broken ear on intake manifold will require welding

This E Type fought us every step of the way during the disassembly process! The front suspension was as bad as any we have seen, with pretty much every nut and bolt being rusted and seized solid. Thankfully we now have everything apart and have the mechanical rebuild underway.

Engine will be rebuilt to Stage One specs	Front and rear suspension assemblies have been removed  from the main monocoque
Firewall will be stripped, repaired and repainted prior to installing new engine frames
Picture frame was very rusty and will be replaced
Dash will be completely rewired	Tub has now been placed on a roll around jig
Cylinder head will be flowed and ported	Several head studs were seized and had to be machined out
	Broken timing chain tensioner
Valve covers will be welded prior to polishing	Machining out old sleeves with boring bar
	Water jackets better than most
Magnafluxing the block did not reveal any cracks	New top hat liners about to be installed

I am delighted to report that we now have your mechnaical rebuild and upgrade underway. I hope you enjoy following the project in these pages..

Interior, while probably not original, has  a nice patina and will be retained