1967 Jaguar 420 (WB)
Major mechanical overhaul, Suffolk & Turley interior
Restoration Log by Dan Mooney



 
 

 
Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows:

Major mechanical overhaul including a full engine rebuild, installation of modern AC, the restoration of all the interior wood trim,a conversion from disc to wire wheels and a complete Suffolk & Turley interior.

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Update report - October 30, 2018
The grille has now been repaired, re-plated and reinstalled.

























AC controls now hidden behind glove box door





Putting the finishing touches to the interior retrim.



Old lap belts are no longer worthy of the new interior
Restored and re-trimmed seats have now
been installed











AC controls will be hidden in the glove box behind
a false partition wall





With the carpets and new door seals installed, Carlos turned his attention to the center console and assembling the dash. The seats will be trimmed in sumptuous Suffolk & Turley hide over the next few days.



Several square yards of Wilton wool carpeting
Note placement of AC vents










Huge center console restored and retrimmed
Refinished interior wood now installed










Dash progressing nicely!




The door casings have now been trimmed and Carlos is about to turn his attention to trimming the rear seat.




















We have now completed the sanding and buffing process and I am pleased to report that we were able to dramatically improve the appearance of the old paintwork, eliminating the majority of the shrinkage issues and severe orange peel texture evident in the old clear coat. Carlos has now begun trimming the door casings.


































Restoring the seat frames and installing the new wool headliner.



Seat frames have been blasted and powder coated











Frames now reassembled and ready for padding
and foam











Earlier today Carlos finished installing the
new wool headliner material





Carlos has now begun the process of installing the new wool headliner. When he returns from vacation in a little over a week he will trim the seats and begin the process of installing the new Suffolk & Turley interior.




Rear screen surround panels were damaged beyond
repair
We fabricated new panels from aluminum























Carlos has been trimming the various headliner
panels in new grey wool cloth











Sanding and polishing the center gauge panel





Stripping and preparing the seat frames for trimming.




Front seats stripped to their bare frames
New burlap material will be applied to the seat
frames























Almost ready for the cushings




The restoration of the interior wood is now virtually complete. We have another couple of coats of clear to apply before each element can be sanded and buffed to a high gloss finish. We are about to start installing the Suffolk & Turley interior and have already stripped the cabin and installed Dynamat throughout. Removing the old underfelt and glue revealed pristine, totally rust free floors.



Scraping away all the old glue and underfelt
revealed pristine sheet metal beneath











Applying Dynamat throughout the cabin
New veneers sanded and ready for final clear
coat applications










Applying the first of several coats of clear
Several coats will be applied then sanded and
buffed to a high gloss





The following sequence of photographs show how Jason applies the beautiful European Walnut veneer to the main dash panels, beginning with the central minor gauge panel.



Preparing to apply veneer to the minor gauge panel
Special veneer tape is used on the front side























4 pieces of book ended veneer will be used for the
center gauge panel










Rear side of the veneer sections are secured with
masking tape












Sanding the veneer before the gluing process











Removing old veneer from the panel























Cutting relief slits for the gauges and switch panel






















Applying the special veneer glue
After gluing and taping, the panel is placed in a
vacuum press and left for about 6 hours











Removing the veneer tape










Using a chisel to remove veneer tape from
the front side of the panel











Selecting the best veneers for the main gauge and
glove box panels
An important part of the process as it's important that
neighboring panels complement each other











Minor gauge panel almost ready for sanding
and varnish










Now to repeat the process with the main gauge
and glove box panels












Main gauge and glove box panels in the
vacuum press




It is now time to start the process of applying the burl walnut veneer to the interior wood elements. The veneers are first treated with a special softener, before being pressed flat for around 24 hours. The veneers, which are by now noticeably flatter and more flexible, are then "book ended" in order to produce one continuous burl pattern throughout the width of each piece of trim.



The veneers are treated with a special softener
With the softening agent applied, you can start to get
an idea what the finished veneer will look like










Book ending the veneers to provide one continuous
burl pattern for the longer trim pieces











Selecting the best veneers for each trim element
6 book ended veneers will be used for the cantrails
above the side windows




Jason has been busy stripping all the old stain and varnish from the interior wood trim pieces. Initially this is done with paint stripper, lacquer thinner, Scotchbrite pads and elbow grease. Once the wood is stripped, it is then sanded with 320 grit, soaked in water to raise the grain, then sanded again with 400 grit.




Trim will require several repairs










Damaged veneer in the RH cantrail

















It is now time for us to remove and restore all of the interior wood trim. Some of the veneers have been damaged over time so we have chosen some very special European Bur Walnut veneer that will be matched, book-ended and applied to each of the trim pieces.



All of the interior wood trim has now been removed




































European Bur Walnut will look absolutely
beautiful inside the Jaguar's cabin




I am pleased to report that your rebuilt front and rear suspension has now been installed, as has your rebuilt engine. The AC installation is progressing well and the car has now been converted from steel disc to wire wheels.











































 
I am pleased to report that we have now completed your engine rebuild.



Machined block washed down and ready for
final assembly











Valve covers and crankcase breather have been
repaired and machine polished
Installing the crankshaft










Pistons installed
Installing the timing chains










Cylinder head now fully assembled
Setting valve lash on the Stage One cams












New timing chain cover was required











Tappet guide hold down kit has been installed
on the exhaust side of the head
Polished valve covers add the finishing touch




The front suspension and brakes have now been completely rebuilt, restored and installed back beneath the car. The rear suspension and brakes have been serviced and the IRS will be reinstalled early next week. Your engine rebuild is progressing nicely in the CJ machine shop.



Main bearing housings after completion of
the align hone
Measuring main bearings in order to calculate
requisite crank journal sizing










Torque plate cylinder hone in progress
Original timing chain cover was damaged beyond
repair, so a new cover will be used










IRS tie plate also in poor shape
New billet alloy IRS tie plate installed










New output shaft seals, bronze fulcrum bushings,
rebuilt brakes, new springs and Koni shocks
Fabricating new brake lines










Front suspension and brakes completely rebuilt
Rebuilt front suspension subframe now installed
beneath the car




We have now completed your Stage One cylinder head rebuild and have the block machine work well underway.




Block on the floating boring bar to
machine out old sleeves
Note water jackets behind sleeves










Cylinder head has now been machined
and assembled
Stage One head rebuild completed










Front subframe blasted and powder coated





We now have your engine rebuild well underway, with the Stage One cylinder head rebuild scheduled to be completed by the end of this week.



Engine as received in the CJ machine shop
Removing the cylinder head



































Tearing the cylinder head down on the bench










Valve seats were in very poor shape
We surfaced both exhaust and intake flanges











View along one of the intake runners after porting










Pressure testing the head
Installing tappet hold down kit










Front of head prior to sanding and polishing
After polishing




I am pleased to report that we now have this project underway. Our first task is to remove the engine, transmission and front suspension.
































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