1967 E Type roadster (1E 15812)
Complete driver restoration

 

 
 
Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows:

This car is a prime example of the pitfalls of buying a supposedly restored car, at a high price point, only to discover that virtually everything needs to be re-done. Having found significant rust and bondo in the boot compartment, on the engine frames and in the bonnet, our first task will be to blast the car back to bare metal, before refinishing the coachwork in Opalescent Silver Grey.

We will also be rebuilding the engine and transmission, as well as installing a number of performance and reliability upgrades.

 
 


Note: 226.21 rear wheel HP represents approximately 283 HP at the flywheel
We are now down to the finishing touches on this project...

 
   

 

Although obviously not quite finished, your car is almost whole again, and certainly close enough to justify a few photos outside in the Texas sunshine...

 
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

Interior retrim almost complete...

 
   
   
   
   
   


Lots of progress in the trim room...

 
 
   

 

 

  
   
   

 

Installing the new Suffolk & Turley interior....

 
Trimming seat backs
  

 

 

  
Assembling seats with rechromed brackets
  

 

 

  
Trimming the rear bulkhead
  

 

 

  
Light panel and light installed
B post covers installed with hardtop brackets

 

 

  
Installing the sill covers
Arm rest cubby retrimmed

 

Installing replated bumpers, lamp housings, installing gauges and switches.....

 
 
 Installing bumpers and lamp housings
 
   
Dash re-wired, gauges installed
  

 

I know you didn't care for the light color of the steering wheel as received. Zakk has now sanded it down and re-stained it a much darker hue. Do you approve?

 
 
As received, the wheel was a little too light
 Now much darker, will go nicely with the red interior

 

Maiden voyage time rapidly approaching...

 
 

Installing the rebuilt engine, CJ5/600 five speed transmission, rebuilt carbs....

 
 CJ stage one engine ready to install
 CJ6/600 five speed

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 CJ5/600 fit neatly in trans tunnel
Bird's eye view of an E Type drivetrain

 
 

 
 
 Huge stopping power up front
 

 
 

 
 
 Team CJ polished stainless headers installed
Installing rebuild SU carbs... 

 
 

Going back together is the fun part!

 
 
 Laying in the new wiring harness
 Handbrake installed and functional

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 Team CJ cooling system

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
IRS viewed from beneath the car

 
 

 

  
 
   

 

 
We have now installed your rebuilt front and rear suspensions and have your car back on it wheels...

 
 
 
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

Stage One engine rebuild now complete....

 

Bodyshell and doors now Opalescent Silver Grey...

 
 
   

 

 

  
   

 
 
 

Stage One cylinder head rebuild now completed...

 
 
Surfacing cylinder head
  

 

 

  
Flow testing head after port work
Head on assembly bench

 

 

  
Base line flow test (intake)
Picked up 59.2 cfm - which represents a tremendous gain

 

We have now painted the firewall, cabin and boot compartment. We will be painting the outer panels in the next few days. I have included a series of photographs showing the porting and polishing of your intake manifold. In the first photo in the porting sequence you can see how rough the casting is on the inside of the manifold, and how everything is gradually smoothed out during the porting procedure...

 
 
 
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
Intake manifold has rough casting surface from the factory
  

 

 

  
Midway through the porting process, you can see how 
things are cleaning up nicely
Note how much smoother everything is after porting

 

 

  
 Compare this to the first photo in porting sequence
Matching custom CJ seats to venturis

 

 

  
 
You will see a huge increase in performance as a result
of the time spent in the porting room

 

Applying the first of the Opalescent Silver Grey...

 
Masking underside prior to painting
  

 

 

  
Underside of bonnet painted
Applying rocker guard to underside

 

 

  
 
Opalescent Silver Grey base

 

 

  
Clear coat applied
  

We will be applying the first of the Opalescent Silver Grey first of next week. The last photo in the sequence below shows the difference between Opalescent Silver Grey and Opalescent Gunmetal.

 
 
We have now trial fitted all your chrome and brightwork
  

 

 

  
Placing the bodyshell back on a rotisserie jig
Underside and inside the cabin and boot will be painted first

 

 

  
Cylinder head required extensive straightening in the oven
Two of the most confused Jaguar colors are Opalescent Gunmetal
and Opalescent Silver Grey (door is Gunmetal)

Short block assembly now complete...

 
   

 

Assembling the short block in the CJ machine shop.

 
 
Balancing your crankshaft
  

 

 

  
Double checking bearing clearances
Measuring thrust

 

The following sequence of photos show Oscar getting the lead loading process underway.

 
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

Installing new outer sills, repairing rust damage in left hand rear quarter panel...

 
 
 Doors are temporarily installed for fitment of outer sills
Side cowl panel also trial fitted in conjunction with
doors and outer sill

 

 
 
 Wurth Body Wax applied to all inner box sections
 

 

 
 
 Outer sill now spot welded into place
 

 

 
 
 Jacking point then TIG welded into place
Left rear quarter requires rust repair 

 

 
 
 
 Repair panel fabricated and welded in place

 

Your IRS has now been completely rebuilt and upgraded with CJ springs, Koni shocks, etc...

 
 Your differential and IRS have now been completely rebuilt
 Rear brakes have been upgraded

 
 

 
 
 
 New CJ springs and Koni shocks

Darrell has been busy repairing your rusty door shells as well as dealing with some nasty corrosion beneath the screen pillars.

 
 Both door frames were unfortunately pretty rusty
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Cutting out the corroded metal
Trial fitting a repair panel 

 
 
 

 
 
 Repair panel welded in place
 Bare metal repairs then sealed in epoxy primer

 
 
 

 
 
 There was also some nasty rust beneath the screen pillars
With the rust cut away, a replacement panel was fabricated 
and welded in place

 
 
 

 
 
 
  

 

Welding new boot floor assembly in place.

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 

Installing new courtesy light panel, door restoration underway.

 
Trial fitting courtesy light panel
Now spot welded into place
   
Time to restore the doors
With door skins removed, inner shell not pretty
   
More corrosion issues to be dealt with
  

Installing new floors...

 
 Wurth Body wax is applied to all inner box sections
Trial fitting new floors 

 
 
 

 
 
 Note trans mount and reaction plate integral part
of trial fitting floors
Installing new subframe mounting points 

 
 
 

 
 
 Floors now welded in place
 Inner sill braces welded in place

 
 
 

 
 
 
 Rear floor brace now welded in position

 
 
 

 
 
 
 Courtesy light panel will be replaced

Installing new inner sills and a new rear bulkhead and upper floor section.

 
 Inner box sections will be treated with Body Wax
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Note weld seams stripped to bare metal
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Inner sills now spot welded in place
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Fabricating repair panel at side of trans tunnel
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 Not much left at the rear of the monocoque

 
 
 

 
 
 New rear bulkhead and upper floor panel
 Trans/propshaft tunnel and floor cross-member welded
in place

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Cutting away old upper floor section
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Inner box sections will be stripped, sealed and protected 
with Body Wax
 

 
 
 

 
 
'
 
Welding rear bulkhead/upper floor in place 

Block machine work completed, carbs fully rebuilt....

 
 
 
Surfacing block with timing chain cover installed
Block machine work completed

 

 

  
Carbs now fully rebuilt
  

Lots of progress to report in the CJ machine shop. Unfortunately, your engine had mis-matched main cap bolts, which no doubt contributed to the housings being significantly out of spec. We upgraded you to a new set of ARP main bolts and performed an align hone, which has put everything right back where it needs to be.

 
 
 
Mis-matched main cap bolts
  

 

 

  
 Main caps machined square
Uprated ARP main bolts installed prior to align hone

 

 

  
Setting up to hone cylinders to size
Custom torque plate used for final sizing

 

As your body awaits its turn in the Coachworks, we have been busy stripping, polishing and plating...

 
 
Stripping shipping primer from your new bonnet
Cam covers, intake manifold and carbs all polished

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
Nickel plated items
Front suspension also Ni plated

Back from the blasters, it is clear that this was an extremely rusty car that has been the victim of some extremely shoddy workmanship.

 
Frames were pitted and full of pin holes
Chassis number obviously cut from another picture frame
and  welded to the frame on this car.....

 

 

  
Door skins were rusty and damaged
Wings rusty, crudely patched

 

 

  
Huge rust hole in left hand front wing
More rust damage

 

 

  
Underside of bonnet center section is nasty. See huge 
patch top right
More crude patching hidden beneath bondo

 

 

  
RH inner sill rotten, crudely patched
Driver's side just as bad

 

 

  
Behind driver's seat, this was hidden beneath bondo
This is the rear cowl where rear edge of convertible
top is tacked in place - again, hidden beneath bondo

We have now finished cutting away corroded sheet metal and sent your car off for blasting.
265 items have been sent of for Nickel plating
  

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
Inner sills are both rusty and have multiple crude patches
  

 

 

  
Inside view of left hand inner sill
  

 

 

  
 
Right hand sill is no better

 

 

  
Rust holes everywhere plugged up with bondo
Note broken off door check strap found inside rh cowl side panel

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
More rust holes plugged up with bondo
Cutting away rear boot floor

 

 

  
 
Corrosion found behind convertible top cowl panel

 

 

  
 
Lower firewall had bondo plastered over rust

 

 

  
This is the lower mounting point for rh engine frame!
 Rear convertible top cowl panel removed
   
 Boot floor also removed
 
   
 
 Off to the blaster!
  

 
 

More ugliness...

 
Remember obvious bondo on inside of lower right
hand quarter, where drain outlet should be?
Beneath the bondo was this big rust hole

 

 

  
 
Crude patching on left hand outer sill
  
   

 

There is literally bondo everywhere on this car, including the engine frames....

 
 Even engine frames are covered in bondo
 Prepping car for media blasting

 
 
 
 

 
 
 Rust holes in right cowl and outer sill were hiding
beneath more bondo..
 More bondo inside left hand sill, beneath battery

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 More bondo on left hand outer sill.....
 

 

More evidence of just awful workmanship in the boot compartment, I'm sorry to say. Just tapping the right hand floor support rail with a body hammer caused rusty water to seep out of cracks that appeared in the bondo smothered all over the panel. Closer examination revealed that some shameless individual had welded thin strips of metal directly on top of the completely rotten support rails - then wiped bondo everywhere, to cover his tracks.

 
Lower right hand drain pipe from boot lid gutter was
held on (barely) with some sort of epoxy
The other end of the drain pipe was blocked off completely

 

 

  
Steel and epoxy part came away with the hose
Drain on the other side was also blocked off

 

 

  
Tapping right hand support rail caused rusty water to 
appear from within
Why was this rail so 'fat'?

 

 

  
Here's why - patches installed on top of rotten
original support rail, then covered with bondo
  

 

 

  
Center rail not much better
Almost ready for the rotisserie and a much needed trip 
to the blaster

 
 

Not good news in the boot compartment, Jim. It looks as if the support rails have been carved from bondo....

 
 
 Boot floor is rusty
 Bondo caked over rusty support rails

 
 

 
 
 This sort of thing has no place in a supposedly restored car
 Drain pipes missing....more on this later....

I am pleased to report that we now have this project underway. I hope you enjoy following the progress over the coming months!

 
 
 
Panel fit will be re-worked during repainting process

 

 

  
Engine and transmission will be rebuilt
Engine already torn down

 

 

  
Convertible top removed
Removing glass and interior trim

 

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