Bonnet, Interior and minimal rust

Since the arrival of the car we have been hard at work. Its half 10 so I need to get to bed (so no pictures til tomorrow)

We have taken the bonnet to pieces ready to be sandblasted and for easier storage. Some of the bolts where a real pain taking off and after trying many different techniques we found the best was to spray WD-40 on the nut/bolt and then hammer in with a posi-drive screwdriver head on a ratchet then unscrew with a lot of pressure. We found a lot of fibreglass of where a previous owner had repaired a bump on the front of the car which explains why the front bullbars were missing on purchase of the car. There was minimal rust on the whole of the bonnet which is an added bonus and we didnt have to grind off any of the bolts either.

This evening we have begun taking the interior out to preserve as much of the leather and doorcards etc as we can. The next obstacle which is in our way is that of the seat runners as the rust is not allowing the seats to slide so we can't get to the front screws which hold the runners to the floor and we can't take the centre console off until the two anchors for the seatbelts have been taken off but we need to take the centre console off to get a better look of where the screws are on the runners. Catch 22 position or what?

I think this week will consist of taking the rest of the interior out and then beginning to clean up all the parts which we have taken off ready to be sent to chrome platers and zinc platers. The bonnets going to be sent off to sandblasting later this week after we've got quotes for it.

That's all for today, once I get my hands on the pictures from my dads camera (the lead for it is at his work) i'll upload them so you can see the progress in pictures.

Arrival! 28th March 2014

The car arrived yesterday and we got to work on it quickly. We've taken the bonnet off and removed the headlamp glass, chrome bumpers and headlamps themselves. There was even more good surprises for us as well, because underneath the bonnet there hardly any rust and the inside of the bonnet has minimal rust, and it is just more proof to suggest that the 21777 on the clock is actually the correct figure. We've begun taking out the interior, all glass and leather pieces so that we can preserve them and not have the chance that we could crack the glass or crack the leather even more than it is. This will also reveal any rust on the interior of the car.

I'll upload some pictures of the progress tomorrow once we've done a bit more on the bonnet. 

We haven't worked on it today because we went to source new tools (mainly airtools) and are beginning to write a list of small jobs which I can do when my dads at work such as cleaning up parts and preparing them to be sent off to the powder coaters/zinc plater/chrome plater.

Heres a mix of photos from the showroom and our garage at home. 

First Look

These are the only two pictures we have of the car at present (from the showroom)

This is what the car has the potential to look like. I believe this is within reach for a model of what we want it to look like. The question is how long is it going to take us? Keep checking back and I will be posting updates whenever I have time.

Every Man must have his project

After receiving the email from the seller saying he did want to sell the car, me and my dad went up and had a final look at the car. We struck the deal with the seller then and there and got a lot of important pieces to the restoration puzzle thrown in including a RHD steering rack, a trolley which will fit the body so we can work on the underside more easily, already restored heater, RHD full wiring loom, exhausts and a few other small pieces.

The parts are set to arrive friday 28th (possibly the car as well)

I'm very much looking forward to starting work on it.

"Every man must have his project"

Car Info:

1964 Jaguar E-type 1 Series. The car has not been driven since 1971 (which we have proof of) and has 21777 on the clock since new and was a barn find on the east coast of America. The car is Chassis No. 12 of the 4.2 OTS (Currently LHD, will convert to RHD)


New Parts list is being written up
Parts for Zinc coating is being written up
Parts for Chrome plating is being written up
Powder coat list is being written up
Full costing is being worked out
We have a plan of attack for when we get the car. Broken down to starting from the rear IRS then moving forward and the engine will be the last of the things we restore.

The only modern touch we are putting on the car is Coopercraft brake calipers and discs all round. The rest of the car will remain completely original including Transmission, engine, IRS and suspension.

Interior: Light Tan
Exterior: Opalescent Golden Sand
Hood: Black