1967 E Type FHC (Skip) Full restoration

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Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows: Another Team CJ special!

1/4 light windows installed	Screen pillar chrome in place

More AC progress....

Firewall couplings neatly installed  through RHD blanking plates	Console coming together	Dryer will live behind RH mudguard

We now have all the AC components we need to finish the installation.

We have now modified and trimmed out the new AC panel that you bought from England and installed the stereo speakers and tweeters, etc. The car is progressing very nicely.

Door panels now installed		Modified and retrimmed AC console
Speakers installed in footwells	Tweeters discretely installed

As you can see, the interior installation is now almost completed. We are currently installing the door panels and trimming out the custom AC console - all of which should be installed early next week.

Moving ahead with the interior installation...

At the time of writing there is still no sign of the AC components from England, although we are pressing on and getting as much of the interior retrimmed as possible. The photographs are a little dark as it is difficult taking bright pictures inside a black coupe!

Rear bulkhead is trimmed first	Followed by rear wheel arches	Trial fitting cubby panels
Rear floor boards going into place	Carpeting glued into cubby	Sam trimming out cubby  flap
Lining up the luggage runners  from one panel to the next	As with most things, the finished result is worth the extra effort	I forgot to mention that we have now installed your new HRW

Maiden voyage time! I am happy to report that the first test drive passed without incident and all systems seem to be functioning perfectly. Click on the largest photograph to view a short video clip of the car moving under its own steam for the first time in many months. Notice also that the seats and centre console are also now retrimmed in their new bisuit hides.

Temporary seat installed	One final check of all the major operating systems	Maiden voyage time!

Time to put the car up in the air and to finish off the underside. This gave me an opportunity to photograph the oil cooler kit we installed last week!

Aluminium scoop is actually higher than the exhaust	Modified sump oil line	Horns had to be relocated to make room for scoop
A few shots of the IRS from beneath	Changed out to 9" springs	Another view of the scoop
Another worm's eye views of the oil filter	Not a drop of oil in sight	Pro-Race dampner
Underside of your car is as nice as the topside!
		Installing stainless clamps to the new fuel line

Air scoop for Beere oil cooler kit	I couldn't bring myself to use the blue oil line - sorry!	Everything fits together very nicely
We will make our own mounting brackets	Fittings don't fit cooler so we will obtain alternatives	Trial fitting under car

We are still waiting for the AC system from England and can't go too far with the interior installation until we know what the AC kit entails. In the mean time we have been installing the remainder of your new glass, including the new Triplex screen. After a further attempt at saving your front bumpers we decided to replace them altogether.

Installing door glass	Heated rear window switch now installed	New Triplex screen
Re-plated bonnet latch hardware now installed	Installing front lights	Note fit between door window frame and quarter light

Your IRS is now completely rebuilt and reinstalled under the car. Despite the fact that it had been reworked recently, I'm glad we decided not to take a chance with it.

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More shiny stuff....

Tailgate now in place	Tex S2 style door mirrors look good	Installing rear quarter windows
Gas flap installed	Starting to look like  something now!

More shiny stuff going into place....

Andy says I have to put you out of your misery and show you your engine running!

More Dynamat....	Fire in the hole!

As we approach the initial firing later today, the guys in the CJ workshop prove they have a sense of humor. Check out the simulated burn out!

 
 

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Your car continues to swallow up Dynamat XTREME at an amazing rate. We have so far installed 56 square feet and we are still not done! As we wait for reinforcements from Dynamat, we have turned our attention to the wiring.

New alternator shields	This car may be TOO quiet and TOO  cool when we are done!	Dynamat EXTREME is very easy to work with
A shame to cover up all Mike's paintwork	Wiring in the handbrake switch harness	Wiring in the dashboard

Time for some sparks!

Installing the new plug wires	Racing conduit tidies up wiring very nicely	Crank case breather installed

The reassembly process continues apace....

Radiator was polished prior to installation	Note compact AC compressor	New lifetime silicone  hoses throughout
Radiator brackets too flimsy - we will fabricate new ones	We upgraded you to some billet K&N filters	Heater box restored and now installed
Engine bay is filling up rapidly	Dynamat XTREME will be installed tho'out interior	The best heat/sound insulation we have found yet
Braided fuel lines will be used throughout

As you can see, we have now installed the engine and JT5 transmission. We could not bring ourselves to re-use your old GTJ flywheel or the strangely mismatched clutch assembly that had been in your car previously. The old JT5 aluminium shift lever was broken (snapped) and the original (modified) bellhousing also failed inspection.

You will see why we made these decisions when you examine the photographs below. Fortunately we had an old stock JT5 bellhousing left over from when we used to sell the JT5, and we will machine you a new shifter out of stainless steel stock.

A few too many holes cut into old bellhousing	There are four significant viewing ports!	New bellhousing is the only way to fly
1,500 mile GTJ flywheel - frankly it is absolute junk	Threaded holes almost break through outer edge	Rather better made Team CJ aluminium flywheel......
Your engine deserves a proper flywheel	10" pressure plate with 9.5" disc  also headed for dumpster	Engine back where it belongs!
JT5 shifter snapped - we will machine a new one in ss	New gas tank was stripped  and painted	Installing the CJ headers
Installing the rebuilt carbs	A beautiful thing!

Bang on schedule, your car is now on all four wheels. Later today we should be installing the rebuilt engine and five speed, etc.

Installing the front end	Uprated fulcrum shafts	Installing one of the doors
Panel fit is perfect	Fuel and clutch line being installed	Pedal box and master cylinders going into place

Time to start the reassembly process! The aim is to have your car on all four (temporary) wheels by Monday afternoon.

Body in an assembly bay	new fuel line is installed before anything else....	Followed by the IRS

As you can see, the painting of the bodyshell is now complete and I could not be more pleased with the finished result. It is difficult to do justice to the paintwork with photographs taken in the artifical light of the paint booth - but I can assure you the car is absolutely spectacular!

It is now time to start applying the paint! We do this in three distinct stages, starting with the underside and the firewall, the interior, then finally all the outer panels. If we remain on schedule we should be sanding and buffing the car early next week. So far, everything is looking absolutely beautiful.

3mShutz (rocker guard) is applied  to underside and arches	Seam sealing joints on bonnet underside	Acid washed interior is primed then.....
Painted!	It will be a shame to cover this up with carpeting!	Worth the extra effort
Doors and tailgate are next......	Bodyshell to follow in a couple of hours!

As you can see from the following photographs, we have restored your E Type body using nothing more than sheet metal, lead and primer.

We have approximately two more days of blocking ahead of us before we disassemble everything and start to apply black paint. Look for the car to be rolled into the booth on Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

Final application of  DP 271 high build primer	At this stage the car is already very straight	Guide coat applied for blocking purposes
Doors are blocked in their  latched position	As is the bonnet...	Panels now beautifully straight
Awesome panel gaps throughout this car	Almost there....

The blocking process is now well underway, as well as the all important trial fitment of all the brightwork, lights and bumpers, etc. Notice how Mike has used lead to fine tune the fit of the rear hatch, lamp housings and bumpers. We anticipate the first application of high build (sandable) primer late next week.....followed by more blocking, of course!

As the body is being prepared for paint, all the various mechanical components are being steadily restored and set aside ready for the reassembly stage.

Gauges and switches restored,  dash retrimmed	Perfect bumper fit	Trial fitting lights
Lead loading for optimum fit at rear lamps	More lead loading around rear hatch	Trial fitting headlamp chrome with new glass

The following photographs show Lawrence putting the finishing touches to the bonnet fit. In the first image, Lawrence is also 'sharpening up' the upper edge of the sill. We do this because the replacement panels, while being of perfectly good quality, tend to be a little too rounded straight out of the press. Our objective is to create a look identical to the original sill line - except of course we achieve far better panel gaps than the factory ever did!

Sharpening up the upper edge of the sill with lead	Nothing but sheet metal  and lead

More photos showing the bonnet restoration and fitting process. Although it is rather difficult to capture on film, I have tried to show you how we deal with ill fitting bonnets in the Team CJ Coachworks. The problem with your car (previously disguised with a generous layer of plastic filler) is that the right hand front wing has less of a contour to it than the side panel of the cowl. The way we remedy this problem is to remove the side brace from the inside of the fender and re-shape both it and the fender itself, before welding the side brace back in place. Hopefully the following photographs will make some sense of this for you!

Installing headlamp panels	Lawrence spent much of yesterday hiding inside your bonnet!	Installing air intakes
LH wing follows cowl contour very nicely	Not so with the RH wing	This special tool allows us to compare contours of various panels
Checking contour of RH wing...	Comparing it with RH cowl side  panel. Note the daylight at the bottom of the panel gauge	This brace will be removed, re-shaped then reinstalled. Note, this is not something we recommend you try at home!
Cutting away part of RH wing	Looks drastic at this stage!	Effectively the back half of the wing will be replaced
A flat piece of sheet metal is bent to the required shape	The brace will be shaped then spot welded to the new sheet metal	A flange is formed and holes drilled out for attachment to centre sction
Bolted in place	Lawrence checks his work with a straight edge	Fabricating the beading at the bottom edge of the new repair panel
This is much harder than it looks!	Almost ready to be welded in place on the bonnet	Welded in place
Back edge of new panel will be  trimmed for optimum gap, but note how the wing now follows the  contour of the cowl perfectly!

More progress in the coachworks....

Restoring the underside of the bonnet centre section	Applying new bonding agent to all the joints	Acid washing the main bodyshell
Almost time to prime the bodyshell	Rebuilt doors sealed  with epoxy primer	Interior of bodyshell is primed first.....
Assembling the bonnet	Installing front bumper attachments	Priming the outer shell
Almost done...	Basically, a new FHC bodyshell	As nice inside as out

Work continues on your bonnet....

Acid washing centre section	Priming bellypan...	as well as all the other bonnet componets
Lawrence using a blow torch to straighten louvres prior to priming	Sealing in DP90 epoxy primer

Lawrence has now finished the lead loading on the body and has turned his attentions to the restoration of your bonnet. We had thought that your picture frame and hinge frame might be OK, but they just weren't good enough to be used on a car of this calibre.

Nasty picture frame	Radiator support was paper thin and badly pitted	Bonnet currently disassembed
Lawrence prepares to  restore the bonnet	New engine frames and picture frame for 1E 33287

The lead loading process continues....

Lead loading seams beneath boot floor	Same on the other side	Lead loading above license plate panel
After hand filing....	then sanding....	Ready for primer
Lead loading rear RH wing and door shut panel	Top edge of doors also lead loaded for optimum fit	RH rear wing almost there....

Interesting to note that 145 hours was spent replacing all the sheet metal on the tub. It is now time to start the lead loading process.

Welding of monocoque now completed	145 hrs spent on sheet metal replacement	Time to start the lead loading process
No trace of the replacement panel	Lead loading the cowl and the side panel	Almost there....
Cowl and door shut panel completed	Rear edge of door fit is also lead loaded	One side down, one to go....

I am delighted to report that we are almost finished the sheet metal replacement on the tub. Next we will be turning our attention to the restoring and fitting the bonnet.

More rust proofing inside the side cowl panels	And inside the replacement panel itself	Outer panel welded into place
Fabricating and welding a new license plate panel	After cleaning up the welds	Upper lic plate shroud spot welded into place
Rear end cut away	Ready to start trial fitting the new rear trunk assembly	The old license plate panel
Replacement trunk ass'y	Offering it into position	Welding it in place

As you can see, Lawrence has been ploughing ahead with your sheet metal replacement. He has been using a variety of Martin Robey panels and hand fabricated panels, as in the case of the LH rear wing repair. Notice how we are rust proofing every enclosed box section (Wurth Body Wax) prior to welding the outer panels into place.

Rust proofing outer sills	and inner box sections	We use Wurth Body Wax
Spot welding cross-member into place on new floors	Installing rear bulkhead panels	New wing being fabricated from flat sheet metal
Rebuilding the Coopercraft  brakes	Rebuild kits arrived from England	We slotted and drilled your Coopercraft rotors
Lawrence installing new door skins	No lead yet, just an English wheel, a lot of hammering and a few welds	Trial fitting newly skinned doors
Door top was rotten....	So Lawrence made a new one

Trial fitting new floors	Inner sills being spot welded into place	Trial fitting trans tunnel, trans mount and floor cross-member
A little elbow grease....	To finish off the engine	Door skins are both rough
Rusted at the flanges	Holes in bottom RH corner	More small holes down rear edges
New door skins the only solution

What a difference a day makes! As you can see, we have already begun cutting away all the corroded and damaged sheet metal. The car will look a lot worse before it starts to look better - so don't panic!

Cutting away RH floor	Typical rust in box sections	Removing LH floor
Lots of daylight...	More rusted box sections	Rear bulkhead will be replaced
Trans tunnel has been butchered	Hit hard at one time on LHS	Removing outer sills
Apparently Lawrence & Mike want a trip to Monterey, CA !!!

I am delighted to report that your bodyshell is now on one of the rotisseries in the Team CJ Coachworks and we are about to start the sheet metal replacement. Watch this space!

It is difficult to photograph the beautiful machine work that will be forever hidden inside your engine.....but hopefully the following pictures will give you some idea!

Bottom end fully rebuilt	Billet pulleys	New HP cams
Tappet hold down kits	Large valves, spectacular machine work	Instake ports polished
Exhaust ports also cleaned up	Compression now 9.25:1	Installing new head studs
New head gasket	Installing the cyl head	Time for some new  chrome hardware

I thought you might like to see your Nickel plated and reassembled front suspension. Notice also the later style collapsible steering column that we will use during the reassembly stage.

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All in all, a very good tub has been revealed by the plastic media blasting process. Nothing too horrible to report, and certainly nothing that we weren't expecting.

Overall - very nice	Lots of 'non-factory' lead	Nasty corrosion at LH subframe mountin point
New floors will be installed	Lead all over the doors	Strange corrosion at RH firewall seam
Bellypan is really excellent	Centre section is corrosion free but will need a lot of work	Both front wings excellent

Disassembling the front suspension prior to Nickel plating. Front splined hubs are pretty worn so will be replaced during the rebuilding process (spline edges are sharp).

Control arms fairly pitted	Ready for Nickel plating	Front hubs are worn - will be replaced
	Front calipers will also be plated

Bang on schedule - your car is now fully disassembled and off to the bead blaster. On Thursday I will have John Claydon pull the cylinder head and investigate the cause of the strange compression test results.

Sam and Ray removing engine	Not much left now!	We will check engine on  Thursday
Interior totally stripped	Firewall stripped bare	Off to the blaster

As you can see, your car is rapidly coming apart and finding its way (in component form) into one of the upstairs store rooms! We expect to ship your bodyshell off to the bead blaster on Monday of next week.

Staring to come apart	Grey spots are goop filling  rust holes	Interior being removed
Custom AC system	Neat mounting of compressor	Taking the bonnet apart
Done!	About to drop the IRS	Compression test means we will have to go into the head
Your own CJ office on the balcony!	Components to be re-used are inspected and stored	Front end coming apart
Removing intake and carbs	Carbs will obviously be completely rebuilt	Ray removing the brake booster
Difficult to photograph, but 'X' marks carbon build up on valves	LH frame rail badly kinked	More mess!
Not much left inside	Picture frame sound, but needs cosmetic make-over	Underside of bonnet centre section

I am pleased to report that your car made it safely across country arriving at Classic Jaguar earlier today. I hope you enjoy watching the restoration unfold and I thank you for entrusting this important project to Team CJ.

Welcome to Team CJ!	Partially disassembled	Team CJ goodies in boot!