Hello from a new member

[rubyfloriley]

Hi all,

Just starting out on the restoration of my series 2 roadster, will have loads of questions although looking on here many of the answers are at my fingertips. I have restored cars before but not the full hands on that this one will be.Just tried to post a pic of my last restoration but its lost somewhere so will keep this one simple no pic.
Is there a member near to Cambridge with an original RHD roadster as i will need some pics to work with as i am converting to RHD.

[mgcjag]

Hi...welcom to the forum...whats your name....put it in as a signature if you can.....lots of lhd to rhd conversion details in the knowlledge base section.....all the best.. Steve

[rubyfloriley]

Steve,

Hi Steve my name is Brian Sewell my previous restoration was an XK 140 which was a doddle compared to the e.type, that said i was only the grease monkey did the fetching and carrying made the tea etc, really looking forward to the challenge love the fabricating and putting together but not that mechanically minded when it comes to the engine and moving parts.
Just going through the what have i done phase but its onward and upwards to make the old girl feel really well again. Currently taking everything off ready for the metalwork repairs.

Brian

[Mark Gordon]

Hi, Brian, and welcome to the forum. A few years ago, I was in your shoes when it comes to internal engine stuff. When my clutch started slipping, it meant engine out to replace and since the engine was tired and burning oil badly, it was time for a complete rebuild which was a job I'd never done and was too intimidated to try. Pete Crespin told me that it was, "dead simple" and that he would be willing to talk me through it. (His definition of dead simple and mine are somewhat different, but he wasn't too far off the mark!) With his help and advice from the forums (this and J-L) I managed the job and now have a MUCH better understanding of the XK engine, its mechanicals and its trouble shooting. Although I would not welcome any breakdown problems while on a trip, I am now confident in my car's performance and reliability combined with my basic knowledge such that I have no hesitation in taking her on 1000+ mile jaunts and getting the real joy of owning an E. My advice to you would be to dive in to whatever repairs that your car needs. You will find more than willing advice and help here on the forum and I have no doubt that you will find members in your vicinity that would be happy to lend a hand when needed. Along the way, you will gain valuable knowledge and an appreciation of what a fine job the engineers at Jaguar did in designing and developing the E Type.

[Herzeg]

Steve

Let people know where you are in the UK. You may find helpful members in the vicinity.

I have used professionals so far in my work (Angus) but want to deal with the nitty gritty stuff a bit if I can so it's good to talk to people who've got the T-shirt!

John

[rubyfloriley]

Thanks for the encouragement i will do as much as i can but the engine i may just have to leave to the pros there is so much other stuff to do. Its great going through stuff on the forum as the problems we encounter have been overcome before.

[rubyfloriley]

The roadster has given me a few surprises in the first few weeks of stripping everything off, having stood unloved for 36 years in the Texas sunshine i was pleasantly surprised to discover she has still got clean engine oil, and to my amazement when i cut through the bottom hose clean water with anti freeze gushed out so i hoping that both these factors mean not too much damage has occurred although i am prepared for the worse i think you have to be when tackling such a task you can but be pleasantly surprised if its not as bad as anticipated.
As i scanned my eyes over the engine bay i was again surprised to discover a spare ignition key screwed to the bulkhead at low level this coupled with the two that came with it gives me the luxury of 3.A couple of days later as i stripped the dash panel out i lowered the instrument panel down and hey presto there was another ignition key screwed to the rear of the panel.
My question is was this good old British Leyland being very helpful or was it a clever idea by the only previous owner, has anyone else found such keys.

[Mark Gordon]

Undoubtedly a PO who had a habit of losing his keys. BL was too penurious to give away extra keys.

[Bob.]

S3s were shipped with a spare ignition key screwed to the bulkhead under the bonnet. Usually the only evidence now is a small hole left by the self tapping screw.