1964 Jaguar E Type roadster
This car is for sale and may be purchased at any point throughout the restoration
 Restoration Log by Dan Mooney

 
 

 
Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows:

Total restoration to ultimate concours standards. This matching numbers roadster will be finished in its original factory livery of Opalescent Silver Grey with red hides, complimented by a black mohair convertible top and (red) leather fitted luggage.

The car will feature some mild performance and reliability upgrades, including a Stage One engine, upgraded cooling and ignition systems and exclusive CJ Borrani wire wheels.


 



Trimming the seats in sumptuous, deep red, Suffolk & Turley hides...






























Visiting the Borrani factory last week.
Lot's of stuff going on at the Borrani factory!
 Exclusive Team CJ Borrani wheel



Yours truly doing a bit of Quality Control at the
Borrani factory in Milan







We were delighted to receive the above photographs from a previous owner of 38 years standing who found his old car surfing the Internet
 


All of the heavy lifting has now been completed in the CJ Coachworks. The next stage will involve copious amounts of sanding and blocking in preparation for the application of the Opalescent Silver Grey paint.
All sheet metal repairs have now been completed
and the car is ready for a final push towards paint
 The high build primer will be painstakingly blocked
until all panels are perfectly straight










Basically a "new" E Type body
 Panel gaps are shaping up nicely



Lots of progress in the Coachworks this week..
Modifying new outer sills to match contour
of wheel arch
 Matt fabricating a panel for the front arch























TIG welding the new panel in place











Sill now matches contour of wing and wheel arch











Wurth Body Wax applied to inner cowl
side panel











Tack welding new panel in place










Seams are then TIG welded
 Right side of car now virtually complete




The following sequence of photos show Matt assembling your new bonnet and modifying the bonnet mouth, and the lower bonnet mouth tray, for a perfect fit.
New bonnet has been disassembled, blasted to bare
metal, and sealed in epoxy primer










Bonnet mouth needed some minor modification so
the upper and lower panels could meet up properly
 Corrected result worth the effort










More modifications required to air intakes
 Lower bonnet mouth tray fits poorly










Matt welded new sheet metal to both sides
of the tray, to increase the width











Tray now ready to install










Modification needed to the flange upon which
tray sits
 With all mods completed, the tray now fits
perfectly











Time to start fitting the bonnet to the car



Installing engine frames, modifying door top chrome, skinning the boot lid, fabricating a new boot latch bracket..

New engine frames now installed










Unusual view of a boot lid skeleton
 Matt modifying door top chrome finishers






















Preparing to skin the boot lid











Fit will be perfected once we have lead loaded
the welded seams at each corner











Fabricating a new boot lid latch bracket










Template transferred to new sheet metal











Trial fitting new bracket in position



As nice an original tool kit as you are ever likely to see..





We have now removed the body from the rotisserie and placed it on a roll-around frame jig so we can assemble the engine frames and begin fitting the new bonnet.
Always a good sign whenever a body shell
is removed from the rotisserie!
 We are now ready to install the new engine frames











New bonnet has been disassembled, stripped and
primed - assembly next










Lower frame mounting brackets have been replaced
 Matt installing the first of the new side frames



Beautiful Suffolk & Turley hides...

















Lead loading the lower rear quarters where they meet the main boot floor.
Lead loading RH lower quarter and boot floor























Welding the rear edge of passenger door earlier
this week, prior to lead loading



Installing new driver's door skin.
Straightening the bottom of the door frame
 Preparing to fit the new door skin










Rear edge of skin hammered over first











Using a special skinning tool to flatten the door
skin edges



Lead loading underway.














    Trial fitting new driver's door.
New door required some straightening before it could be used
 Now much improved










Initial trial fit of door looks good
 Contour of the new rear quarter panel matches the
rear edge of the door skin very well



 
 


 
 
Rust proofing inner sill surfaces and installing new outer sills.

 
 
 Weld zones masked off prior to applying Wax

 

 

  
Wurth Body Wax is applied all all surfaces

 
 
 

 
 
New lower engine frame mounting brackets installed
RH outer sill now spot welded in place

 

The following sequence of photos show Matt rust proofing the inner box sections with Body Wax, then spot welding the new floors in place.

 
 
 Masking prior to application of Wurth Body Wax
Matt applying the wax to inner surfaces that will be
enclosed when the new floors are installed

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 Spot welding the floors in place
 

 

Cylinder head machine work completed, trial fitting new floors and outer sills.

 
 Cylinder head machine work has now been completed
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 Multi-angle valve job visible in this photo

 
 
 

 
 
 Trial fitting boot floor and main floors
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Fit of floors is checked and re-checked numerous times 
before we commit to welding them in place
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 Trial fitting new outer sills

 

Engine machine work in progress.

 
Block completely stripped and cleaned
New custom top hat liners

 
 

 
 
Machining out old cylinder liners
Machining the block to accept the new top hat liners

 
 

 
 
Port work in progress (intake)
Port work in progress (exhaust)

 
 
 

 
 
A view from above
Installing and honing valve guides

 
 
 

 
 
Cylinder head water jackets reshaped after welding
 Surfacing the cylinder head

 
 

Lots of progress in the Coachworks.

 
 Trial fitting floor cross member
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 Repairing the drive shaft tunnel

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 Trial fiting new floors

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 Rear blukheads will be replaced

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 Acid washing inner surfaces of lower rear bulkhead

 
 
 
 

 
 
 Old boot floor assembly cut awy
 Initial trial fit of new left quarter panel

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 Acid washing inner surfaces of driver's B pillar

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 Time to spot weld new bulkhead panels in place
 More trial fitting of new left rear quarter panel

 


This week Matt has been busy installing both inner sills.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Rusty B pillars need to be addressed before we can
install the new LH inner sill
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Cleaning out the inside of the LH A pillar
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Trial fitting LH inner sill
 The E Type is keeping some good company
in the Coachworks

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 Melting away factory lead from RH cowl panel
This is why we do it - rust lurking beneath
factory lead 

 
 
 

 
 
 Matt starting to spot weld the LH sill in place
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 Now just about ready to weld the RH sill in position

 
 

Your cylinder head going under the knife in the CJ machine shop.

 
The first of several pressure testing sessions
  

 

 

  
Base line flow test
Machining out tappet guides, which were well
out of spec

 

 

  
Factory valve seats cut out
Head on straightening fixture in oven

 

 

  
Cam saddles being align honed
Machining new tappet guides

Cutting out the old floors, repairing the transmission tunnel.

 
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
   

 
 

Stripping 'shipping primer' from new body panels.

 
 
Shipping primer will be removed
Bare metal will be sealed with Glasurit epoxy primer

 

Back from the blasters, everything very much as we expected to see. No nasty surprises!

 
 
New left rear quarter will be required

 

 

  
   

 

 

  
 
Upper firewall is sound

 

 

  
Right rear quarter is in good shape
  

 

 

  
 
We plan on using a new bonnet for this restoration

 


It is always exciting to get another total restoration underway. In a few months, this 1964 roadster will be among the very best E Types in the world.
 
Oscar about to prepare the monocoque for blasting back to 
bare metal
Outer sills and obviously rusted panels will be cut away
prior to blasting

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 This California roadster has been off the road 
since 1975

 
 
 
 

 
 
 Original color was Opalescent Silver Grey - still evident
behind the dash
Bonnet disassembled for blasting 

 
 
 

 
 
 Inner sills are actually quite sound, although they
will be replaced as a matter of course

 

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