1966 E Type FHC (Jim) CJ driver restoration

Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows: Another driver CJ restoration to be finished in black with red Suffolk & Turley hides and some subtle Team CJ performance and reliability upgrades, including a CJ5 transmission, uprated brakes, cooling, ignition, suspension, etc.

Dear Dan,

I'm sure that all of you will be pleased to know that my E Type won best in class at this past weekend's Delaware Valley Jaguar Club's JCNA sanctioned Concours D'Elegance. According to the judges, no one else came close to my car. There were 25 E Types entered in the Concours event.

Yesterday, the Club also had an "E Type Extravaganza", where 40 E Types gathered together and went on a cross-country tour. At this event, two of the judges from the prior day Concours told me that mine was the car that Jaguar should have built and was hands down, the best of the bunch. You should be proud as well.

I am attaching the "mirror" picture to the one on my CJ restoration blog where I am standing today in the same pose as I was in 42 years ago when I owned my first black/red E Type!

Jim Cassano

 
 

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Closing report - July 23, 2010

I am delighted to report that your car is now ready for collection and will be headed in your direction later today!

Your custom four outlet exhaust installed....

We have now completed the interior installation with the exception of the center and radio consoles, and the passenger seat. We will install those items once we have finished the mechanical shakedown - which will be underway during the coming week.

Time to install the luggage  rail runners		Carlos uses a laser to ensure that the runners from each panel all line up perfectly
	Rear compartment starting to  take shape
Rubber inserts now installed

Carlos fabricating and trimming new visors for your car...

New rear boot boards have been fabricated and trimmed out in red hide, heated rear window installed...

Time for the final push on this project. This car should be heading northward in the next few weeks!

Seats have now been restored and retrimmed	Trimming center console in hide
One hinge cover was rusted so Darrell  fabricated you a new one

Although we are still waiting for delivery of your custom four outlet exhaust system, we couldn't resist having a quick drive around the CJ carpark anyway! Click on the photo below for a short video clip of your car's maiden voyage.

 

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Your engine bay filling up rapidly, we should be firing up the car in the next day or so.

	CJ headers installed	Delco alternator, billet pulleys
	New gas tank installed

I thought you might be interested to see the tail housing for your brand new CJ5 transmission. CNC machined from a single billet of aluminum, it seems a shame that it will be hidden beneath your car.

Running the rebuilt engine and tuning your carbs on the engine test rig. I am pleased to report that the engine passed all tests with flying colors!

We have now received all your chrome back from the platers and have started the installation process. Your engine (short block) is completely rebuilt and we just flow tested your ported cylinder head this morning (see flow sheets below). We picked up 38 cfm on the intake side, which represents an exceptional gain.

	This is what $8k worth of chrome plating  looks like - ouch
Installing bumbers and lights
Base line flow numbers, before port work	We picked up 38 cfm	Carbs now completely rebuilt
Short block now assembled	Assembling and installing the windows

Progress in both the machine shop and the CJ workshop...

Boring out the old sleeves	Honing the new cylinders	Preparing to surface the block
Forged Venolia pistons	Installing the restored dash panels

Restoring your dash and gauges..

These gauges will be sent off to be rebuilt	Center dash was rough
Starting to look much better!	Mechanical oil pressure gauge is a nice upgrade

Engine rebuild in progress...

Tearing down the engine block	It was pretty grimy!
	Corroded water jackets were first ground back	A bead of weld was laid around each  of the damaged water jackets
Water jackets will be reshaped on the mill	Uprated rear crank seal

We are pleased to have this car back in the schedule and will get the ball rolling with a Stage One engine rebuild.

Matching # cyl head		Water jackets will need to be welded up and reshaped
Head pressure tested OK	New custom S&T interior kit has now arrived

Going back together with the front suspension and steering, etc.

Carlos buffing the newly painted body	Dynamat installed thro'out the cabin
	Engine frames now installed

More black paint....

Interior and underside carefully masked	Starting to apply the base coat	Paint looks great outside in the sunshine
		Seriously grimy IRS!

More black paint!

I am pleased to report that we have now applied the first of the black paint!

Trial fitting bumpers and lights		Getting ready to paint the underside
	Seam sealer is applied to all seams  and joints	Including up inside the wheel arches
Floor  sealed in epoxy primer	3M rocker guard is then applied
The underside is now painted black
Better than new!

With all of the blocking now complete, your car has been put in high build primer. Look for it to start turning black in the next couple of weeks!

The bodywork has now been completed on this car and the Slick Sand has been applied.

I am pleased to report that your car is now on one of the frame jigs and the bonnet fitting process is underway.

Tail gate now fits beautifully	Installing the engine frames
Time to start the bonnet fitting process

Installing the new boot floor assembly, inner rear wheel arches and license plate surround panels.

Trial fitting/trimming new RH  inner wheel arch		The new panel is then blasted  and primed
Installing the new license plate  panel

Repairing the rear wings....

New repair panel is shaped for contour  then trial fitted and trimmed	New sheet metal is TIG welded into place
Corroded inner skin has been cut away. Bare metal is sealed......	Coated with Wurth Body Wax	Inner repair panel was fabricated
Inner repair panel welded into place

Installing the new floors, skinning doors, etc..

Inner sill support gussets are spot welded into place	New lower subframe mounting brackets installed	Trial fitting sill end closing panel over subframe mounting brackets
Trial fitting new floors	Afte a little trimming, they fit beautifully	Inner sills are coated with Wurth Body Wax
More wax applied to inner box sections of rear bulkhead and cross-member	Radius arm anchors are rivetted into place	Hundreds and hundreds of spot  welds
	Rear brace finishes off  installation of the new floors	Fitting a new door skin
Trial fitting the re-skinned door

Installing new inner sills, etc...

Old inner sills and cross-member were left in place until now		New RH inner sill was first to be installed
	Cutting out the old cross-member and RH trans tunnel panel
Bound for the dumpster	Installing new trans tunnel panel	Trial fitting new cross-mmber
Tunnel and cross-member are spot welded into place		Almost ready for the new floors

Assembling the restored bonnet.

The following photos show Darrell repairing the bonnet center section as well as most of the replacement panels that will be used when we start the restoration of the monocoque next week.

First the repair panel is tack (MIG) welded into place	It is then TIG welded along the seam
Good as new!	Top of the bonnet mouth req'd a little massaging	Pulling out a couple of small dents
	Years ago, someone apparently put some  lead on top of rust..	The problem starts to become apparent as lead is melted
A rusty panel and some ugly old welds	Shaping the replacement panel
Newly fabricated panel is a perfect fit	The seam is then TIG welded....
A perfect repair		A clue to what is coming next!

We now have the body and all the various panels back from the media blasters. After a thorough cleaning we sealed the bare metal in BASF etching primer. While the body was away we have been busy repairing the bonnet and we will have the panel replacement underway in earnest in the next couple of days.

Lower edge of RH front wing being replaced	Repair panel was fabricated and TIG welded into place	Both front wings are now as good as new
Leading edge of bonnet center section  also received new sheet metal	Back from the blasters, full extent of rust now clearly visible	Both rear arches will be replaced
Rear bulkhead and upper floors are sound	One side of trans tunnel will be replacd	Door skins were cut away prior to blasting
All the bare metal was immediately sealed with etching primer	Floor cross-member will be replaced
Unusual view up inside one of the A post structures	Firewall is sound

Sheet metal repairs on the bonnet while the main bodyshell is at the blasters.

Denise Cole has complained that I only  ever photograph her son from the rear...	So here he is, Denise	Bare metal has been acid washed
Bonnet will need only minor repairs	Conversely, the body will require major panel replacement!	Off to the blasters...

The following photographs show Darrell cutting out the floors and the outer sills prior to sand blasting. (No point paying the sand blaster to strip panels we know we are going to replace).

Time to get this project underway in earnest. Once the car has been completely disassembled, it will be placed on one of the rotisserie jigs and sent for blasting. Watch this space!

People have cars built for all sorts of different reasons. In this case, Jim has fond memories of the 67 E Type that he shared with his late wife, Lin, back in the sixties. That car was sold to finance Jim's MBA, despite Lin's protestations that they should keep the Jaguar and sell the Mustang they also owned at the time. She apparently loved the E Type, driving it to the high school where she taught  - and where she must have been a hit with all the students!

Although Lin sadly passed away four years ago, you just know she would have approved of the car we are building for Jim
 

1967 FHC that Jim wishes he had never sold....	One cool school teacher, circa 1969	Jim will repeat this pose when we have his 66 FHC ready for him