1974 V12 roadster Team CJ Restoration

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Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows: Restoration of a 17,000 mile car - colour change to black coachwork with black hides.

Putting the finishing touches to the interior, including the seats, AC unit, etc.

Interior installation now largely completed.

The following photographs were taken 11/23/05.

As you can see, the engine bay is filling up rapidly and it will soon be time to fire up the engine.

	Transmission re-sealed	Engine installed
Carbs rebuilt, although most components  were just cleaned and reinstalled	Installing the gas tank	Old SS exhaust cleaned up quite well

We now have the serviced (not rebuilt or restored) IRS back under the car. I thought you might appreciate a couple of photographs of the car outside in the sunshine for the first time in quite a while! It is difficult to photograph a black car, but hopefully you can see how straight the bodywork is and how well the doors and the bootlid fit.

Installing heat shields and fuel lines	Serviced (not restored) IRS is now reinstalled	In the Texas sunshine the car looks magnificent
	Check out the bodywork	Notice also the door fit
	I am quite proud of this one!

Having completed the sanding and buffing, we have now installed the doors, bootlid, front suspension, etc, and have the car back on it wheels. In the next couple of weeks, it will start to look like a car again!

Front suspension was cleaned, but not replated	Installing the door latches .....sorry picture is blurred!	Back on the ground!
Bootlid also installed	Door fit is excellent	New brakes, seals and springs, but otherwise the IRS was only cleaned during reassembly

3M rocker guard is applied to the bonnet wheel arches		Items to be Nickel plated

I am delighted to report that we have begun the final painting process and everything has so far gone very smoothly. Yesterday evening we finished the main monocoque and over the next couple of days we will be working on the doors, bootlid and of course the bonnet.

After stone guarding the underside the shell was sealed	Engine frames are painted in situ with the V12 cars
	Clear coat gleams in Texas sunlight
		Original data plate already reinstalled

Before applying the last round of high build primer, we adjusted the fit of the door chrome finishers. They now flow very nicely into the screen pillar chrome and are also at the correct height at the rear edge of the door.

Chrome finisher too low originally	Repositioned to be more central on door top	Fit against screen piller chrome also improved

All of your chrome has now been trial fitted. We were able to grind the new bumpers in such a way as not to damage the chrome. As you know, we are re-using your original lights and headlamp chrome without replating it. Although it is not perfect, you can see from the pictures below that it is in exceptionally good, original condition.

Time to start trial fitting all the new 1971 style bumpers and overriders...

Cyl head reinstalled	Transmission just received new  oil seals and gaskets
Flywheel will be resurfaced and  balanced with new clutch	Waterpump will be rebuilt as a precautionary measure

The photographs below show the removal of the right hand cylinder head and the repair of the loose helicoil.

Engine put at TDC	Old helicoil came away when spark plug was removed	Time to remove the head
	Carbon build-up is normal
Although we are not rebuilding the head, we have cleaned it	When the old helicoil was installed,  they cut threads all the way to the combustion chamber - which is bad!	This is what the spark plug hole should  look like from the underside. In a combustion chamber, smooth is good!
Jagged edge of spark plug hole smoothed  out and unwanted threads polished away	New helicoil is trimmed so that it does not  protrude beneath surface into chamber

Bare metal areas are first sealed woth DP epoxy primer	Those areas are spot primed with K38 high build....	Then the whole car is primed with K38 high build
Back in the bodywork area where it will be blocked once more	Viewed from above the panel gaps  are looking exceptionally nice	Boot lid fit has been dramatically improved....
As has bonnet to cowl fit, which is now pretty much perfect	Slightly blurred (sorry!) but this picture  gives you an idea of the bonnet fit

The blocking process has been going extremely well and the bodyshell is due to receive its second round of K38 high build primer tomorrow afternoon. Your car is scheduled to be painted during the first week of December.

The entire car was guide coated prior to  being extensively blocked	Bonnet gap shaping up beautifully (see below)	Car almost ready for second application  of K38 high build primer

With the car now in high build (K38) primer, it is time to address the rather poor factory panel gaps before embarking upon the lengthy blocking stage.

Boot lid fit is fairly poor	Trial fitting the bonnet	We will improve significantly on the factory door gaps
Filing away lead at the top of both doors	Rubber seals all installed during trial fit process....	as are all the latches
Fit of passenger door already vastly improved	We will open up the gap at the bottom of the driver's door

With the repairs now completed to the license plate panel, it is now time to put the car into high build primer. The main bodyshell will be primed on Monday morning.

License plate panel and boot floor now repaired	Only the outer panels will be primed with K38 high build	Boot lid, doors and bonnet primed in this shoot
The firt pass of K38

The following photographs show what happens when two pieces of untreated sheet metal are welded together. Basically, moisture invades the space between the welded panels and rust begins to form.

This panel formerly supported the bracket for the rear overriders	Drilling out the numerous spot welds	Rust beneath the panel
Bonnet hinge anchors used to be attached to overrider shocks	Tack welded back in place	Bonnet will be mounted in the next few days

Acid washing bonnet	Note welded and leaded holes where overrider shocks had been	Holes also welded up and lead loaded in the bonnet centre section
Sealing the bellypan and bonnet with DP90 epoxy primer	Underside of bonnet like new	Inside the bellypan in truly remarkable condition
The rust cut away from the  boot floor	The view from underneath	This is the metal that had to be removed
New metal welded in place	Amazingly, this looks like being the only welding that will be required!

I am pleased to report that there were no nasty surprises following plastic media blasting. The rust holes in the boot floor ended up being a little more extensive than they had first appeared, although we really didn't identify any significant rust anywhere else. This might just be the closest thing to an original E Type that I have ever seen!

Floors 100% solid		The only rust is in the boot floor
	Notice how the factory used lead on the A & B pillars	Sealing the bodyshell with DP90 epoxy primer

Lots of progress in the last few days. We have scheduled the bodyshell (and the bonnet, doors, etc) for plastic media blasting on Tuesday of next week. Other than a couple of minor rust holes in the boot floor (see photographs below), the body really looks to be in great condition.

Pretty grimy underneath
Torsion bars strangely corroded -will certainly have to be replaced	Factory painted car largely assembled	Out with the engine and trans
This underseal was not dealer applied!	This spark plug hole will have to be repaired	Rust holes in boot floor
Runs in factory applied paint!	Another view of corroded torsion bars
		Factory obviously painted the boot lid installed
Grimy IRS	Lots and lots of parts!	More parts..
More parts...	More parts...	More parts...
More parts...	More parts...	Throw-out bearing was not your clutch problem..
This is the input shaft of your trans..	Which slides into the pilot bushing in the end of the crankshaft	Engine date stamped
Pilot bushing was loose in the end of  your crankshaft and spinning

I am pleased to report that the disassembly process is now well underway. Other than a loose helicoil in the right hand cylinder head, there isn't much to report so far....which is a good thing! The engine, transmission and suspensions will be removed early next week.

My thanks to Andy McCreadie for taking the following photographs during my absence last week.

Not much colour beneath the carpets	So far, no significant rust found anywhere	Darker areas are primer and trim glue
Dash completely stripped	What happened to the cross-member of the picture frame, I wonder?	Someone 'spray canned' the steering rack putting overspray on the swaybar

As you can see, your car is now safe and sound in the CJ Workshop. The car really is something of a time warp in many ways. The spare wheel is still protected by the factory cosmolene and has obviously never been on the ground. Thank you for entrusting this important project with Classic Jaguar - and I hope you enjoy watching the restoration unfold in these pages.

Spare wheel never been used	Boot compartment in truly amazingly original condition
Interior is in amazing condition	Car is 2,000 miles and 27 years overdue for an oil change!	17,000 original miles