#1 Nearly new to Jaguars
Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 12:57 pm
I'm nearly new because I shared in an XK140 DHC for a while with a friend in my village. It was gorgeous but we decided to pass it on a while ago. Then when I managed at last to offload my Facel Vega HK 500 (a bad buy - bought unseen, supposedly fully restored!!) I was casting around for a new investment in a decent classic sports car. I've always fancied a big Healey but I tried a couple and found them wanting - bodily and/or mechanically for the money being asked. I wanted to be sure I was getting something finished properly and that was going to be reliable. For a while, I had been aware of an S2 coupe at the Splined Hub which is reasonably local to me. I decided to go for this and managed to negotiate a reasonable deal, fixed price for a full nut & bolt restoration. Splined Hub had purchased it some 2 - 3 years earlier as a part restored E-Type. Some of the body repairs were already done and the engine, having been rebuilt and run on a dyno was good to go. I was given a 4 - 6 month restoration programme.
It was like this at purchase in February this year:
The body was fully stripped and sent to a local bodyshop for repairing and painting. The original bonnet was too far gone and was replaced with a better period item which needed stripping and re-assembly. This was done in the Splined Hub workshop.
Due to another vehicle being kicked out of the body shop mine was ready to go in and went in 2 months ahead of schedule but came out 2 weeks behind.
Nothing to do with my body, all down to the shop operation, but they had done a loverly job 
Reassembly proceeded and I gave the Hub a deadline of end of July for a running car I could use so's I could take it to my 70th birthday party. As work proceeded I began to doubt my deadline would be met. The engine and gearbox had to be stripped and checked over (all OK)
and the back axle rebuilt:
.... but eventually it emerged from the shop into the summer sunshine for the first time:
.....passed its MoT and got its personal registration and I could take it on its first journey with the wife to my birthday party which she had arranged for me, family and friends on a cruiser on the river Trent......
After a 4½ hour trip the following w/e to another birthday part, it went back to the Hub for fettling of little things like fitting a heated front screen and correcting some minor problems - all part of the settling in process. Next it went to the Goodwood revival for display on the Hub stand in the "Across the Road" trade area:
Then it returned to the Hub for yet more fettling, changing the wheels for new Dunlop Alloys of the proper type (the E-Type ones have rectangular holes not the round ones of the D-type) and I finally have it at home almost ready for some trips out next year.
Originally this car was dark blue (as it is now) but with dark blue trim. I'm not keen on unremitting blue or black so I had it re-trimmed internally with red leather. The original seats will be preserved in my attic, replaced with Mazda MX5 seats, re-trimmed in same red leather. This is mainly because I regard the headrests on the original E-type seats as neck breakers if I get rammed up the back end!! \I understand they will be better for long drives also.
Onwards ...............
It was like this at purchase in February this year:
The body was fully stripped and sent to a local bodyshop for repairing and painting. The original bonnet was too far gone and was replaced with a better period item which needed stripping and re-assembly. This was done in the Splined Hub workshop.
Due to another vehicle being kicked out of the body shop mine was ready to go in and went in 2 months ahead of schedule but came out 2 weeks behind.
Nothing to do with my body, all down to the shop operation, but they had done a loverly job Reassembly proceeded and I gave the Hub a deadline of end of July for a running car I could use so's I could take it to my 70th birthday party. As work proceeded I began to doubt my deadline would be met. The engine and gearbox had to be stripped and checked over (all OK)
and the back axle rebuilt:
.... but eventually it emerged from the shop into the summer sunshine for the first time:
.....passed its MoT and got its personal registration and I could take it on its first journey with the wife to my birthday party which she had arranged for me, family and friends on a cruiser on the river Trent......
After a 4½ hour trip the following w/e to another birthday part, it went back to the Hub for fettling of little things like fitting a heated front screen and correcting some minor problems - all part of the settling in process. Next it went to the Goodwood revival for display on the Hub stand in the "Across the Road" trade area:
Then it returned to the Hub for yet more fettling, changing the wheels for new Dunlop Alloys of the proper type (the E-Type ones have rectangular holes not the round ones of the D-type) and I finally have it at home almost ready for some trips out next year.
Originally this car was dark blue (as it is now) but with dark blue trim. I'm not keen on unremitting blue or black so I had it re-trimmed internally with red leather. The original seats will be preserved in my attic, replaced with Mazda MX5 seats, re-trimmed in same red leather. This is mainly because I regard the headrests on the original E-type seats as neck breakers if I get rammed up the back end!! \I understand they will be better for long drives also.
Onwards ...............
