1964 E Type FHC - Team CJ restoration

Another Team CJ restoration wrapped up and ready for a trip across the Atlantic!

Engine, transmission, headers and Webers installed.

Wiring the dash and gauges, starting to install chrome and lights.

Your car is now back on its wheels, almost time to install the engine and transmission.


Your car is now back on its wheels





Dynamat being installed throughout the cabin	Dunlop SP Sport radials installed on Dunlop replica alloy wheels

Installing front suspension, brakes and steering.


	Work being done under Pele's watchful eyes!

Installing engine frames and trimming the seats.


Engine frames painted and ready to install	Time to start putting this car back together


Hector busy trimming your seats

I am delighted to report that we have now completed the process of painting the body, bonnet, doors and tailgate.





View through the booth window as Gerardo starts applying the Opalescent Gunmetal base coat	Four coats of base followed by three coats of clear


	Unmasking the body





Painting the bonnet

One of the most exciting stages of any restoration project is the painting process and I am delighted to report that we have begun applying the first of the Opalescent Gunmetal paint to this special E Type. Yesterday we painted the cabin and boot compartment and earlier today we rocker guarded and painted the underside of the car.

Lots more photos to follow over the next few days!


Cabin and boot compartment was painted first


After sealing, the underside of the floors were rocker guarded	A close up of the 3M rocker guard texture


The underside was then painted and cleared

We have now completed the chrome trial fitting process and all of your brightwork has been submitted for chrome plating. In the trim room, Hector has been busy restoring and trimming the dash panels and the center console.





	All chrome and glass has now been trial fitted


Trial fitting the new Triplex windscreen


Seats have been stripped and powder coated


Dash panels have been restored and trimmed


	Center console has been restored and trimmed

We have now completed all of the bodywork and applied three coats of Superbuild Polyester primer.


Lead and filler work has been completed


Superbuild Polyester primer has been applied


	Panel fit exemplary throughout


Applying lead	Lead loading now completed along right side of body


Perfecting bonnet and door gaps with sheet metal and lead


	Right hand door fit


Starting to apply lead to left side cowl panel


	Wurth Body Wax applied to inner box sections


Inner surfaces of side cowl panels also coated in wax	Side cowl panels now welded in place


Starting to look more like a car every day	Lead loading the bottom bonnet gap between the sill and the front wings


Trial fitting window frames


	Rolling the door skin flanges


Trioal fitting RH cowl side panel with new door	Almost time to assemble and install the bonnet





Door frames have now been largely reconstructed	New tailgate gutter rail has been fabricated and welded in place


Boot floor assembly has now been welded in place





Major surgery at rear of car is now complete


Door frames are very rusty











	Time to start fabricating some new panels and reconstruct the door frames


	This little panel has a lot of complex curves and is extremely difficult to make





Top of door frame starting to look a lot better	Fabricating top drain panel





New top drain panel welded in place	Bottom of door frame has been cut away and will be completely replaced


We will begin fitting the new bonnet next week	Lead loading underway at the rear of the car


	Trial fitting rear lamp housings


Trial fitting replacement panel





Things have to get much worse before they can start getting better!	At this point, there isn't much left at the rear of the car


Tack welding rear panel in place


	TIG welding rear panel seams





	Fabricating more repair panels for the rear lamp area








Welds plaished and metal finished	Starting to look much better!


	Rear wheel wells had to be largely reconstructed before the new boot floor assembly could be fitted


Almost ready to weld the new boot floor assembly in place	But first, the nasty panel above the rear license plate will have to be replaced...


Trial fitting replacement panel....	Trial fitting hatch door with new panel...


Tan interior will look fabulous against Gunmetal paint





Fabricating inner wheel arch repair panel	Trial fitting new panel inside rear wheel arch


	Trial fitting outer wheel arch repair panel


Outer panel is first tack welded in position.....	Then TIG welded...


The TIG seam is then planished and metal finished until the repair is virtually invisible


Left hand arch also needs extensive repair


LH inner arch, with corroded sheet metal cut away	Trial fitting new rear boot floor assembly in conjunction with outer wheel arch repair panels





Fabricating a repair panel for the inner wheel well	Trial fitting repair panel in LH inner wheel well


Repair panel now TIG welded in place	Outer repair panel then tack welded in place


Seam then TIG welded	TIG weld then planished and metal finished


Fabricating a new footwell side panel


New panel spot welded in place	A view of the new panel from the driver's footwell


Floors spot welded to inner sills	Wurth Body Wax is applied to all box sections that will eventually be enclosed


	New outer sill spot welded to top edge of inner sill


Spot welding lower frame anchor brackets in place	A view of the anchor brackets from the firewall side


	New outer sill is spot welded to bottom of floor with hundreds of welds


TIG welding new jacking points to floor


Unpacking your brand new bonnet	Almost ready to receive the new floors





Body wax sprayed inside reconstructed B pillar


Entire rear panel is full of corrosion and will need extensive repairs	Also a lot of work required up inside left hand quarter and B pillar


Cabin is braced at 8 points	Jake cutting out the old floor cross member


	Shipping primer is stripped by hand from all new panels


Door skins and inner sill in bare metal	All new panels are sealed with epoxy primer


This previously "restored" did not look good after blasting	Media blasting revealed all sorts of horrors under the skin





	Many panels are rivetted in place


B pillar full of corrosion	A pillars are no better


Our task is basically to build a new monocoque around the roof panel	Jake has a lot of cutting to do before he can start going back with new sheet metal


Balancing your crankshaft


	Measuring deck height in order to calculate precise compression ratio


Installing rebuilt head on short block


How your cyl head deck used to look...	How it looks today


	Using a sonic tester to measure wall thickness of intake runners


Comparing your ported intake ports (right) with a standard, unported head (left)


	You picked up 64.3 cfm - which is a spectacular gain!








Boring out the old sleeves


Custom CJ top hat sleeves	Counterbore cut in block for new sleeve flange


CJ forged pistons	Honing cylinders to size


Repairing water jacket plug - step 1	Repairing water jacket plug - step 2


Repairing water jacket plug - step 3	Repairing water jacket plug - step 4


Re-shaping welded/repaired water jackets in deck surface using an old head gasket as a template


Water jacket plugs in top of head were stripped out	They will be welded up and have new threads cut


Head has obviously been welded in the past, although they didn't bother to re-shape the combustion chambers	There are a number of stripped out stud holes


Water jackets on deck surface will be welded and re-shaped on the mill


Corrosion ground away from edges of water jackets prior to welding	Darrell spent most of yesterday welding on your cylinder head


Base line flow testing prior to port work


Pressure testing identified porosity issues beneath the deck surface (marked X)


Cross-hatch markings left on new cylinder walls after the honing process	Cylinder head now completely rebuilt and assembled


Nickel plated front suspension components	Front suspension has been re-bushed


Vented front brake conversion


Upper steering column rebuilt


Steering rack has been rebuilt	CJ pedal box conversion incorporates 4.2 master cylinder and booster


Engine has supposedly been rebuilt recently


Removing the cylinder head	Timing chain frame is broken (see upper right)


Engine now completely disassembled	Water jackets blocked up with sludge


Body will be blasted back to bare metal	Disassembled bonnet and doors will also be blasted


Everyone wants D Type wheels this month...


IRS rebuild underway


	Mis-matched wishbones - note difference between inner fulcrum ends marked A & B


438 items being submitted for Nickel plating


Engine and transmission have been removed	Engine will be rebuilt to Stage One specs, trans will be replaced with a CJ5/600 five speed


Repair panels have been rivetted into place on firewall	Most of the firewall will be replaced


Boot floor looks OK at first glance, but a lot of bondo lurks beneath the white paint, so we'll see...	All the numbers match throughout the car - engine, transmission and body


As found, nestling in Leander, Texas


Engine has matching numbers


Replacement panels appear to have been rivetted in place	Mis-shaped boot floor rails suggest corrosion beneath bondo and paint


Car now at CJ - on the ramp to the Coachworks