1955 XK 140 roadster (CK) Total Team CJ restoration

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Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows: Another total CJ restoration to be finished in Pacific Blue with grey hides and a number of Team CJ reliability and performance upgrades, including a CJ5 transmission, uprated brakes, cooling, ignition, etc, etc.

We tied for best in class with John (1963 E Type roadster) at the Houston concours yesterday with a perfect score ... but we trumped John with best in show honors! That gives us perfect 10.0's in Austin and Houston, and a 9.998 in San Antonio (a couple of spots I missed on the headliner).

Should be enough (hopefully) to win national JCNA honors in the S3 division (modified) for the second year in a row !!!

On 10/23/11, this CJ restored 1963 E Type received a perfect 100 point score at the Houston Jaguar Club Concours. Congratulations to the car's owner and driver, John Knock. By a strange twist of fate that day, John beat another CJ alum, Chip Keener and his 1955 XK140 roadster, into second place.

Chip will no doubt take some consolation in his defeat from the fact that his 99.99 point score, when added to his two previous 100 point scores, makes him a lock for a National Championship in his class.

Congratulations to both John and Chip - and thanks for flying the CJ flag!

Another 100 point score and Best of Class win at the JCNA sanctioned Jaguar Club of Austin Concours last weekend. Congratulations, Chip and Lynne!

Some of the XKs on display at the Austin Concours	Congratulations, Chip and Lynne!

Hi Dan! Racking up the trophies! Best in Class & Best of Show. We showed the car in the S3 division (modified) at the Jaguar Clubs of the South West JCNA sanctioned concours last weekend. Stunned to get Best of Show! We're going to try to make it to Austin for the JCOA event next month.  We'll check in with you all if we do. All the best, Chip

The CJ crew	Chip and Lynne with their trophy

Chip has been excited to track down the widow of the very first owner of his XK140, a gentleman by the name of Orrin Dodge Jr. from Buhler, Kansas. Mr. Dodge passed away in 2002, although a surviving friend of his turned up the black and white photos below, taken shortly after Orrin bought the car new in 1955.

Click on the large photo of Chip with his car at the Keels and Wheels Concours for a video describing how he came to own and restore this beautiful Jaguar. The video highlights just how derelict (and incomplete) the car was at the outset of the project. Certainly one of our more challenging restorations!

 
Home at last...

Test driving on the roads behind Classic Jaguar. Click on the photo for a short (rather blustery) video clip.

Installing bonnet brightowrk and grill.

This car is rapidly approaching the road testing and shake down stage...

Trial fitting top in conjunction with side screens
Trimming header rails in vinyl
Fabricating and installing canopy straps	Time to install new canvas

Fabricating side screens, restoring heater box, installing convertible top window...

Trial fitting convertible top frame	Preparing to install conv top window	Carlos stitched new side screens
	Original side screen used as template	New heater core
	Heater box now looks virtually new

Lots of progress in the trim room...

Carlos has now finished making and installing your new seats. We had intended trimming the seat frame bases in grey vinyl but limited space between the seat base and the seat back led us to paint the frames instead.

Cutting out the hides for the seat backs
Hide covers now finished and installed
Untidy welds will be cleaned up prior to painting	Seat frames painted machine grey
		The finished article

Carlos has been busy fabricating new custom seat covers for your bucket seats...

		Making seat base panels
	Eric Suffolk picked out a beautiful oversized hide for the job
Skiving hide for the hinge covers
Cutting out hide for seat bottoms	Stitching the pleats
	Checking all pleats are straight
One seat bottom completed		Note perfectly straight beading
		Time to make the seat backs

We have ordered a new hide for your custom bucket seats...

Front bumper installed, trimming interior door panels and crash rolls...

More progress in the trim room...

I am delighted to report that we now have this project back underway. Next up, the restoration and trimming of the dash and seats..

	Wooden seat frames are rotten and will be replaced
	Dash being trimmed in grey hide

Your new custom wood rim steering wheel...

The engine bay has been filling up rapidly and we are in the process of installing your Dynamat inside the cabin.
 
 
 
 

We custom made K&N filter housings for your Sand Cast SU carbs		Wiring in the front lamps
	Installing Dynamat inside the cabin	Also used on the verticalsections of  the firewall

Installing the restored body back onto the chassis...

 

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We now have your engine rebuild completed. Next we will be installing the engine and transmission to the chassis, then installing the body to the frame.

We now have all your chrome plating  completed
Resurfacing the intake flange		Custom CJ ss valves
Note upgraded rear seal	We also machined the freeze plug holes to accept later style plugs	Next step is to lower the engine onto  the chassis

 

Unfortunately this cylinder head was in terrible condition when we got hold of it. As well as being very badly warped, it had extensive corrosion damage and was also cracked in one of the chambers between the seat pocket and the spark plug hole. Although this has been one of the more challenging cylinder head rescues we have performed, I am pleased to report that it is now as good as new and hopefully ready for another fifty years of service!

Head had to be repeatedly heated for straighteneing and welding	Never a good thing when a cylinder head has to  spend time with Darrell in the Coachworks!	Installing new custom CJ seats
After cutting the valve job, the welded chamber cleaned up quite nicely	Cutting the repaired water jackets back  to the required shape	Intake flange was also welded due  to extensive corrosion issues
	Look for photos of the finished article  in the next few days!
Preparing to resurface the intake flange

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Building up the restored chassis ....

Yesterday evening we finished painting the body and doors. I think the Pacific Blue looks absolutely spectacular - I hope you like it!

Yesterday saw the first of the Pacific Blue paint being applied. It is difficult to represent the true color in the photographs, although I would describe it as being slightly lighter than the more common Indigo Blue. I think it is going to look beautiful.

The cylinder head has some serious issues due to extensive corrosion damage. We can save it, although it is going to be a challenge!

Cleaning the head	Extensive corrosion damage on this particular cylinder head	Water jackets are really nasty
Pressure testing in process		No leaks!
Installing and honing new guides	Rock Guard is applied to the inside of the front wings....	...and the lower section of the firewall
....and up inside rear wheel arches	The first of the Pacific Blue is applied
	This car is as nice underneath as it is on top!
Cabin also painted at this stage
	I hope you like the color!

 
The final push to paint includes meticulous trial fit of the chrome and brightwork.

Windscreen and glass is trial fitted	Grill and bonnet center chrome finisher are  trimmed to fit perfectly with each other
	Almost ready for paint!

After a lengthy break in the action (at our customer's request) I am pleased to report that we now have this project back underway. First up, a complete engine rebuild.

Rare and desirable 2 inch 'sand cast' carbs	Neither of the two manifolds we have are serviceable	Unfortunately the spare is also junk
We have a choice of two cylinder heads, neither of which is very pretty	Unfortunately, even the better head will need  some pretty extensive weld repairs

Your chassis has now been stripped, blasted and powder coated - and looks absolutely brand new.

With the sheet metal replacement and the vast majority of the lead loading completed, the car went onto the alignment jig and was sealed with BASF etching primer.

Bonnet had lost of stress cracks that needed repair	Assembling the driver's door
Trial fitted numerous times thro'out fabrication process
Lead loading LH front wing		Almost ready to go back on the jig for priming

This is used to stamp out the footwell vent
More lead loading

The following sequence shows the fabrication not only of a new RH front wing, but also a new headlamp pod.

This area of the RH wing will be replaced	Fabricating the new wing	Trial fitting
Hammering it into shape....	A new headlamp pod will be fabricated
Welding up the new h/lamp pod	What it looked like before the front was cut out	After welding the new pod in place, it is lead loaded
	Wurth Body Wax	Reconstructed wing now installed

The following photographs show the completion and installation of the LH front wing. Note that the body has been put back on the chassis temporarily while we fit the doors and wings, etc.

	Offring the newly fabricated panel into place	Wurth Body Wax
	Grinding the welds	A CJ invisible mend....
Back on the body (note vent has not been cut yet)

We don't expect to see Lawrence today, at least not until after the Brazil v Ghana World Cup match   The following photographs show what he was he was up to yesterday....

Passenger footwell now replaced	Viewed from the inside	RH inner A post structure completely rebuilt
Installing newly fabricated LH  B pillar support	Fllors and sill panels now welded into place	Front wings will be tackled  next

Making a paper template for one of the front wings	New sheet metal being cut to size	Shaped appropriately.....
Installing the beading is fun to watch
	Inner A section being re-constructed
New boot floor re-assembled	B pillar repaired
Trial fitting the first of the doors		New forward shut panel has now been welded in place

With the main tub sand blasted clean, it is now time to start attaching some of the panels we have fabricated over the last week or so.

This week we have been busy fabricating all the various sheet metal panels we need to restore the tub. Check out your new floors, firewall, boot compartment, etc, etc.

Cutting away old boot compartment panels		Floors removed
All these panels will be fabricated and replaced	Passenger footwell also has to go	Boot floor removed
	First card templates are drawn up and cut to size	New rocker panels have been fabricated
Making boot side wall panels		Forming the new driveshaft tunnel
	New floor panel taking shape	Finished boot side wall panels
Making new boot floor
Floors now completed	Boot floor completed
Underside of the new floors	We have now turned out attention to the firewall and A post rames	More fabrication underway!

All the various panels for the LH door have now been fabricated. The door will not be assembled until that can be done in conjunction with the restored tub/door apertures. The right hand door is thankfully in much better condition and only needed a new side latch panel. We have now turned our attention to body. Watch this space...

New RH side latch panel screwed  and riveted in place	New door top panel fabricated	New door bottom panel
	Door skin was bent and stretched into shape
Door top, skin and leading face panels all now fabricated

Hinges being rebuilt		Both doors have some structural problems
Passenger door skin is in very poor condition
First the door is disassembled....	Then all the various panels are fabricated using new aluminum	Making the new door skin

Time to get another CJ body restoration underway!

Body will be removed and put on a special jig for blasting
	There is corrosion in the inner A posts
Inner B pillars also have some corrosion issues	Jury is out on the front wings until they are blasted
Chassis looks pretty solid		Ready for media blasting
RH sill is rusty		LH sill will also be replaced
Crude patch panel in lower  RH bulkhead

The following photographs show our latest project car, as delivered. Basically, a once proud 1955 XK140 roadster in kit form! I hope you enjoy following the restoration process unfold - and thank you for entrusting this important project to the Classic Jaguar team.