Update report - April 16 2018

One last photo opportunity on a gorgeous spring day in Austin.

Finished photos of the underside of the car

We have been pushing really hard to get this fantastic project finished this week, and we almost made it! We should certainly be able to wrap everything up next week. Earlier today we road tested the car and it performed flawlessly. I snapped the pictures below when Alex was checking the ride height and stance after adjusting the torsion bars. In these photos the car is sitting on its Borrani wire wheels shod with Dunlop R70 SP radials. We also have a set of traditional wire wheels with bias ply tires for the show ground.

Checking the stance and ride height after adjusting the torsion bars	Opalescent Dark Blue looks stunning in the sunshine
Panel fit is perfect throughout
Borranis being used for road testing with regular Jaguar knock offs	Gerardo hand painting the JAGUAR lettering in the spinners
German/Swiss knock offs look fabulous	If you look carefully, Jake is lurking in the photo!

Putting some of the finishing touches to this incredibly challenging restoration.

This heater air intake is original to 885013	Although in poor condition, we have to  restore rather than replace as new ones are not the same
	Note the wavy lower edge, something that is common to the very early intakes
Repairs in progress	Trial fitting prior to handing off to Gerardo for paint
Early heater intakes were painted body color
	Left hand engine bay panel is unique to early cars
Note corrosion along left side caused by battery	Jake repaired the panel
Trial fitting	Trial fitting with the left inner mudguard, which is also a slightly different shape on early cars
Mike Mueller saved the day with the supply of this early right hand engine bay panel
Later style quarter light window latch	From the Haddock/Mueller originality guide, showing the early style quarter light latch
Corey in the CJ machine shop machined new early style handles from stainless stock	Very early, original brake reservoir caps and switches
Early style visors - note how a visor from 885013 is the example in Haddock/Mueller originality guide	Restored visors now installed
Carlos in the process of installing the carpeting
Assembling the radio console	885013 was in the bay area 1963 to 1999, so a very appropriate Jaguar club badge!

Carlos has been trimming the rear luggage compartment and installing the luggage rails to the two piece rear mat.

Installing the bonnet for the first time (rear wheels are slaves used for tuning on Dyno)	Carlos busy trimming the rear luggage area
Plotting the location of the luggage rails
Restored original wiper motor is date stamped 12/60	Carlos installing the rubber luggage rail inserts

We are now entering the finishing straight of this very special project.

I am pleased to report that we have now run the engine through several heat cycles and everything is working perfectly. We have also installed all of the glass, including the front windscreen.

Trial fitting quarter light windows
New windscreen installed
Rear of the car starting to look complete	Red Top battery is temporary

Once again using the Haddock/Mueller Originality Guide, we managed to replicate the original Marston radiator tag. Interesting to note that Marston, the company that supplied Jaguar with their radiators, did not have a letter "L" of the same font size as the rest of the numbers and letters they used when stamping the radiator tags prior to delivery to the  Jaguar factory at Browns Lane. As a result, they used either a larger letter "L" or, more commonly, an upside down number "7". We decided to use an upside down 7 on our new tag.

Lots of interesting info about radiator tags in the Haddock/Mueller Originality Guide	Note original dome headed screws used to secure the radiator tag on this original radiator
New Marston tag installed using original screws	Note original very early Otter switch
Mike Mueller supplied this original 1961 coolant hose	Note Jaguar part number still visible in canvas
	Restored speedo and tach now installed
Tailgate, rear window and chrome trim now installed	Assembling the front marker lights
	Carlos installing the restored marker lights

A few shots taken standing beneath the car earlier today.

Carlos has started installing your re-plated chrome	Exhausts were originally satin black, so we had the new system coated to replicate the original look
Looking up into the rebuilt rear suspension	Note spacers at the bottom of the road springs
Another view of the new exhaust system
Original Bees and GKN bolts used throughout, even where invisible beneath the car	Original fan shroud cleaned up beautifully
	Tail pipes and rear resonators are chrome plated

The speedometer for 885013 was always going to be a challenge. MPH stickers had been glued to the face when the car was imported from Germany to the United States and there was no way to remove the stickers without damaging the face. The original speedo face was marked with a serial number (6322/02) and final drive ratio code (760) that is unique to cars with a 3:31 final drive that were supplied new in Germany and Italy, it was important to us that the new face should also have these markings.

My thanks are due to Nisonger Instruments in NY who came up with a correct early, German/Italian km/ph face, and did a beautiful job restoring the speedometer for us.

Speedo is original to the car	Restored using correct serial # 6322/02 and differential 3:31 final drive code (760)

Very early E Types had what are known as 'short' seat tracks. We were fortunate enough to have three out of the four seat track component pieces that were original to 885013, but even Mike Mueller couldn't assist with the missing short track we needed to complete the set. In the end we had Jake modify a later (long) seat track and he was able to replicate the short track perfectly.

Early style 'short' seat tracks	Note early short track on left, later (longer) track in center
Jake was able to shorten a longer track and match the earlier short track perfectly	Seat tracks now ready for Cad plating
Patent info found on the upper surface of early seat tracks (underside on later tracks)	In very early E Types, the LEVEROL brand name is found in large script on the adjustment handles

As many of you will know, the Triplex logos etched into the window and headlamp glass on classic cars are usually dated coded. As most of the original glass for 885013 was either missing or damaged, we had no choice but to replace it with new. We therefore had to carefully remove the logos (by sanding and polishing) and have appropriately date coded logos etched on the new glass.

Once again I am grateful to Mike Mueller who actually persuaded the only person we knew who could do the Triplex etching out of retirement to etch all of the new glass for 885013. The finished results are absolutely superb and totally indistinguishable from original etchings. The dots above the lettering (in Triplex) and beneath the lettering (in Toughened) are the indicators of the date. In the case of 885013, the dot above the "T" in Triplex denotes the first quarter of the production year, and the dot beneath the "T" in Toughened denotes the year in a particular decade. Accordingly, all of the glass for 885013 is date coded for the first quarter of 1961.

Very early E Type headlamp glass has the Triplex logo etched horizontally	The dots denote first quarter of 1961
Each quarter light glass must be etched so it can be read from the outside of the car	Close up of the quarter light etching
Door glass is also date coded	Close up of the door glass date coded etching

Lots of progress with the assembly of 885013.

Starter motor casing dated Feb 61	Rebuilding the starter motor
Ready to install	Lots of new old stock goodies obtained from Dr. Mueller
	Carlos trimming the inner wheel arches
Interior coming together slowly but surely	Prior to trimming, all the interior panels are being carefully trial fitted
Early style (flat) dash top has been re-trimmed	LHD 'tripod' headlamps were original equipment
Early style pedal box has been completely rebuilt	Engine bay filling up rapidly!

Time to get the interior installation underway.

Starter motor rebuild underway - note the case is date stamped 2//61	Carlos has now begun the process of installing the interior
Trial fitting rear parcel shelf, which is unique to the very early coupes	Center section of the wool headliner is the first trim item to be permanently installed

I have previously mentioned that the Haddock/Mueller 6 Cylinder E Type Originality Guide has been an invaluable resource for me as I strive to make this car as correct and true to the original as possible. Interestingly enough, 885013 is mentioned and referenced no fewer than nine times in the book.

Having researched precisely which voltage regulator I needed using the Haddock/Mueller book, I was able to purchase a brand new old stock RB310 unit with the correct E Type specific model number of 37304B, and a highly appropriate date stamp of 10/60, from Dr. Mike Mueller himself. In fact, it is the actual voltage regulator used as an example of the original type in the book, photographed on page 214.

	Brand new old stock RB310 regulator purchased from Dr. Mike Mueller
	Rarely seen production test stamp
Yellow crayon mark applied during QC testing on the Lucas production line	Note that our regulator is the actual one used as an example of the correct type on page 214

As rough as the original data plate for 885013 obviously was (see first image below), we felt it was important that it should be retained, if at all possible. The following sequence of photos show the steps we took to achieve our goal.

Original data plate was in very poor condition	After a lot of scrubbing and a couple of passes in the English Wheel (really)
Masking off the bare aluminum sections	Jake applying Precision Brand ABC Blackener
We then applied some flat clear as the ABC Blackener stain is not durable	Original plate now looks very presentable riveted back in place on the car

With Gerardo's sanding and buffing of the paintwork now complete, Jake has begun the process of installing and adjusting the doors.

Driver's door was the first to be installed	Now fully adjusted and latched
	Passenger door now installed

Interesting to discover that the unused German/Swiss knock-off tool kindly supplied by Bruce Cox in Canada is actually clear Cad plated.

Unused German/Swiss knock-off tool (on left) is clear Cad plated	Boot compartment looking very much like it would have in the summer of '61
	Note reverse lamp housing riveted in place

The excellent Haddock/Mueller E Type Originality Guide highlights the differences between early and late E Type gauges. This morning I used it as a reference to confirm that our gauges are correct (and in most cases original) to 885013. According to the Spare Parts Catalogue (J30), the serial number of our speedometer was exclusively used in E Types supplied to the German and Italian markets (with 3.31 final drive ratio).

Examining gauges prior to rebuilding	Early tachometers are marked RV 7403/02
The MPH stickers were applied to the speedo when 885013 was imported to the US from Germany	SN6322/02 denotes a German or Italian spec car with a 3.31 final drive ratio
The spare parts catalogue (J30) confirms our speedo found only on German and Italian spec E Types	Early oil pressure gauges were marked PE2300/01
Distributor is date stamped April 1961	Very early fuel sender was restored prior to being installed
Early fuel gauge serial number BF 2200/01	Thanks to Bruce Cox in Canada who provided us with this mint condition German/Swiss knock-off tool!

Installing the fuel tank.

Can you tell which are the restored originals and which are modified US spec knock-offs?	Preparing to install the fuel tank
Cheney clamps on fuel filler pipe

I am pleased to report that 885013 is now back on its wheels! The following sequence of photographs also shows the restoration of the brake vacuum tank, including reproduction of the 'Trico Reservac' label. Some time ago we were fortunate enough to restore a totally original 15,000 mile E Type from which we were able to create a template for the Trico markings. The Trico label was originally painted fairly haphazardly, so we have done our best to replicate the factory markings.

About to install the front rotors and hubs	BEES bolts used throughout
Car now back on its wheels
Original brake vacuum tank from a 15,000 mile E Type previously restored by CJ	Making a template of the original TRICO label
TRICO label painted in white on the restored tank	In place on the firewall

885013 was supplied new in Germany and as a result would have had the rare two eared knock-offs which were unique to the German and Swiss markets. We were lucky enough to obtain a couple of original German/Swiss knock-offs from Dr. Mike Mueller, but after several months of searching, we have been unable to complete our set.

As a result we decided to modify a pair of US spec knock-offs to precisely match the appearance of the original two eared versions. This was not as simple as trimming the larger ears on the US spec component, as the side profile was also slightly different. Corey in the CJ machine shop did a fantastic job of machining the the US knock-offs to look exactly like the German version.

Another example of getting creative in order to get some of the tiny details correct involved the fuel tank drain sump. The very early cars had male threads on the sump, which was quickly reversed early in E Type production. The early male thread sumps (and female thread gas tanks) are obviously no longer available, so huge thanks to Dave Ferguson at Images Auto Body in Campbell, California (who recently restored 885010), who had an extra male thread sump made (when he needed one for 885010) and made a gift of the spare to us for use on 885013. That was very generous of Dave and much appreciated!

With our beautifully machined male thread sump in hand, we then had to modify a new gas tank to receive the early style sump. We achieved this by cutting the female threaded section of a later sump and brazing it to a new tank. The finished result is indistinguishable from an early sump and tank.

German/Swiss knock-off shown on right	Note different profiles of German versus US knock-offs
First task was to cut off the much larger US spec ears	Corey then machined the side profiles to match
After hand finishing, the modified knock-offs will be chrome plated	Custom made male thread gas tank sump was a gift from Dave Ferguson at Images Auto Body
Female threads cut from a later sump	Male threads cut from new gas tank
Old threaded section then brazed to new tank	Indistinguishable from an original early tank
Job done!	Starting to install Cad plated front suspension
Steering rack gaiters secured with lock wire and 3 restored/original Cheney clamps	Close up of one of the restored Cheney clamps on the right side of the steering rack
Early propshafts were hollow	Headlamp scoops were body color on the early E Types

With the body on one of the workshop lifts to have the IRS installed, it was a good opportunity to snap a few photographs showing the underside of the car.

Always an exciting time installing the restored engine frames and hanging the suspension
Restored original BEES bolts used throughout	Even lower subframe bolts, which will be invisible when car is fully assembled, are original BEES
Mounting point for outside bonnet latch brackets	Body number was originally written in yellow crayon on the firewall behind washer bottle

Time to put 885013 back on its wheels!

First task is to install the engine subframes	Original BEES bolts have been restored and will be used during the assembly process
	IRS has been completely rebuilt and will be installed after the engine frames
	Ray installing the first of the engine frames

The following sequence of photos show some of the very early features in the painted bonnet hinge frame, as well as the restoration and installation of the all important body number tag on the firewall.

Engine frames have now been painted	Note spot welded radiator support brace
Note no support flange at lower anchor points	Note male threaded hinge post (nut in place to keep threads clear of paint)
This is the original factory stamping on the picture frame	Firewall body number tag still has original paint, note no paint beneath the rivets
Unpainted on rear	We will rivet the tag to the firewall prior to painting it, as they did at the factory 56 yrs ago
Rear of tag will remain unpainted, per original	Jake rivets the body tag back on the firewall
	Firewall now painted Opalescent Dark Blue
Body tag painted at the same time as the firewall	The same tag photographed before the restoration got underway

The bonnet and tailgate have now been completed. A huge amount of time and effort went into saving the bonnet for this car as 885013 is believed to be one of just three of the outside latch coupes that still has its original bonnet.

Opalescent Dark Blue is a color that really comes alive in the sunshine.

This afternoon Gerardo is painting the main body and doors.

The view through one of the booth windows as Gerardo applies the first coat	Main body and doors today, bonnet and tailgate will be painted tomorrow
The first of four coats of Opalescent Dark Blue base coat
Final pass of Opalescent Dark Blue base applied, now time for the clear coat	First pass of clear going on, viewed through the booth window
With one coat of clear applied, the true Opalescent Dark Blue color begins to appear
	Two more coats will now be applied...
All three coats of clear now applied
	Bonnet and tailgate tomorrow

Painting the underside of the bonnet and the main floors.

A huge amount of work went into preserving the original outside latch bonnet
	Original bonnet brace was stamped with the body number at the factory
Body will now be placed on one of the roll-around jigs to paint the outer panels

It is finally time to apply the first of the Opalescent Dark Blue paint.

The following images show the difference between very early bonnet hinges and those fitted to E Types beyond the first few months of production.

Using Tom Haddock's excellent originality book as a reference	Early hinge at bottom of this image is clearly a different shape to later hinge

1961 vintage Girling shock absorbers restored to pristine condition.

	Shocks were stripped, repaired and repainted correct Girling Blue
Early cars had shorter springs, a spacer at the top and thick aluminum retainers at the bottom	Shocks now restored and ready to install!

Tool kit now complete with all original and period correct tools.

Tool roll is now 100% complete, tools will be restored	Comparing to a known original tool kit from chassis # 875462 (in foreground)

Powder coated IRS components ready for final assembly.

Differential now rebuilt and reassembled using all original fasteners, hub carriers restored and rebuilt, and chrome trial fit continues...

Diff now assembled using original 'Newton' bolts and final drive ratio and PL (Powerlok) tags
Ultra early hub carriers have the same sized inner and outer bearings and seals	Hub carriers now look new
Trial fitting front bumpers	First sighting of the famous outside bonnet latches!

Early Girling shock absorbers and two eared German 'safety' knock-offs

In our quest to have everything on this car as original and correct as humanly possible, we are very fortunate to have our friend and early E Type expert Mike Mueller not only advising on some of the finer points of originality, but also coming up with some of the hard to find parts that are unique to the extremely early cars. This week Mike was able to supply us with some very early Girling shock absorbers, as well as three out of four of the extremely rare German two eared 'safety' knock-offs.

If anybody out there has a spare left hand German knock-off, we would love to buy it to complete the set we need for 885013. Our car was supplied new in Germany, which means the two eared 'safety' knock-offs would have been installed originally.

Ultra early hub carriers

In two of the photos below you can see the rear hub carriers. The very earliest cars had an undocumented hub carrier, part number C15229-4. This part number was not mentioned in the J30 Spare Parts Catalogue, which incorrectly cited part number C19063 as the earliest form of hub carrier used. We have restored numerous outside latch roadsters, as well as two of only 18 LHD outside latch coupes to leave the factory, and we have seen several cars with the C15229-4 hub carriers. Interestingly, while 885013 has clearly had the C15229-4 hubs from new, 885020 and 885036 both had the C19063 carrier listed in the Parts Catalogue. We have documented several outside latch roadsters built prior to July 1961 that had the C15229-4 hubs.

1961 vintage Girling shocks will be rebuilt and restored	Hard to find the correct part number front shocks
Early differential housings were red oxide color when new	Differential final drive ratio stamped on the crown wheel (3.31)
Diff cover was gloss black on the early cars
Hub carriers were stamped left and right, although I honestly don't know what the 136 denotes..	Ultra early hub carriers - Part # C15229-4
Mike Mueller previously loaned us this original early door so we could replicate the unique rear edge	Here you can clearly see the modified upper rear door edge
Carlos trial fitting door window frames and rear quarter lights	Trial fitting headlamp chrome

Special thanks to Dr. Mike Mueller, the accepted world authority on outside latch E Type coupes, who was kind enough to loan us an original outside latch coupe door and an ultra early production bonnet mouth tray, so that we could replicate each of them for our restoration of 885013. The photos below show the modifications in progress.

Note difference between upper rear corners of ultra early versus late coupe doors
After simple modification, our restored door looks exactly like the original	Comparing the two side by side
This is a very early bonnet mouth tray
Captive nut brackets spot welded to early tray
Fabricating new captive nut brackets
Spot welding new captive nut brackets in place

I am delighted to report that we have now completed the bodywork stage of this project and 885013 has been primed with Spies Hecker Raderal sprayable polyester primer. All of the panel gaps have been finalized at this stage and the car is scheduled to be painted very early in the New Year.

Car has now been put into Spies Hecker Raderal sprayable Polyester primer
Panel gaps have all been finalized and are spectacular throughout	You may never see a better fitting bonnet!
Note how the rear edge of the bonnet follows the contour of the cowl perfectly
Door top flows perfectly into rear quarter and top edge is perfectly straight across both panels	Note pronounced rectangular shape of gas flap which is a feature of the very early cars
Tailgate also fits beautifully
Another view showing how the bonnet follows the contour of the cowl panel	Front upper corner of the RH door
	Wheel arch lips were folded on very early cars for additional tire clearance

Carlos has now completed the re-trim of the first seat.

Carlos has been putting on something of a master class, trimming your seats.

Restored seat base cushion frames
First of the seat bases trimmed
	Trimming and installing seat back foam
Carving the foam to the desired shape using a sanding block
	Trimming the second seat base

We have had to fabricate several interior trim panels as there are subtle differences between the very early cars and later production models. It isn't really possible to buy a 'kit' for the very early cars, because so many things were hand built, resulting in variations from one car to the next.

A unique feature of the very early coupes are the sabre-like cantrail panels	Fabricating new cantrail ends
	Corrected template in center, newly fabricated alloy panel to right
Note slight difference in position of holes for cubby and hatch release	Trial fitting hatch release in new panel
New panels will be trimmed in biscuit vinyl
Panels around hatch itself also had to be fabricated

Your original bonnet hinge frame was unfortunately too badly damaged to restore. As there are several differences between the very early hinge frames and the later versions, Matt spent some time modifying a replacement frame to look exactly like the original. The following sequence of photographs show how we achieved this.

The original frame was manged and rusty	Radiator support plinth is fabricated on the very early hinge frames
Lower mounting bracket of the early frame	Lower mounting bracket of later frame, which is heavily reinforced
	Later radiator support plinth is pressed
Cutting away the pressed plinth on the later bracket	Flat plinth welded in place
Brace spot welded on plinth, precisely as the original had been	License plate bracket tab was not on the very early frames
License plate tab removed
	Finished frame is indistinguishable from the original

Your original outside latch bonnet has now been restored and assembled.   

Your original picture frame was too badly damaged to save, although we felt it was important to retain the original factory chassis number stamping. To that end, Matt cut away the stamped portion of the original picture frame and transplanted it to a new frame.

The original picture frame was mangled!
	Factory chassis number stamping cut out
Original chassis stamping clamped to the new frame	Job done!

Your Team CJ restoration book is already at almost 200 pages - and the car has yet to be painted!

Matt has almost finished restoring your bonnet. All that remains to be done is to reconstruct the belly pan that forms the bottom half of the bonnet mouth.

Continuing with the restoration of your original bonnet.

Some nasty corrosion in the heater intake panel
Making a card template for the repair panel
	Tack welding repair panel in place
Spot welding brackets to underside of the bonnet center section	Marking a corroded area of the RH wing to be cut away and patched
Corroded sheet metal cut away
Repair panel tack welded in place	After TIG welding and metal finishing, the repair is virtually invisible

Repairing mangled 'tea tray' panel for bonnet mouth, tack welding repaired nose section to bonnet center section...

Bonnet mouth 'tea tray' was badly damaged and also had an unwanted hole	Front edge was particularly mangled
Matt reworked the panel on the English wheel with the planishing hammer
Trial fitting the repaired panel	Tack welding repaired nose to original center section