New member (London/North italy)

[Kember17]

Hello,

I'm Peter and I've just acquired a 1967 LHD 2+2 as a project.

I have already restored an Alfa Spider (105/115 series), so am quite familiar with rust and dodgy electrics...and have a good working (and for them, lucrative,) relationship with some superb mechanics and carosserie here in Italy. (Paint and bodywork round here is still an artisan activity if you know where to look.)

I intend keeping the E Type at my house in North Italy (on Lake Maggiore) and working on it there, after some major surgery in the UK. The aim is to make a reliable long distance tourer, not least as it will make the journey back to the UK across the Alps at least once a year for its MOT.

The car is in very good order generally but has been butchered with a Chevy SBC and TH350 gearbox. My first task will be to replace the engine and gearbox with a Jaguar 4.2 engine and gearbox (probably from a XJ6 Series 3 as I am not a great fan of fettling carbs).

The rest of the car is solid and will gradually be refurbished.

I look forwards to participating in this forum.

Best wishes

Peter

[malcolm]

Hi, and welcome to the forum

[Kember17]

Thank you Malcolm,

I like your sign off line - much the same for me. Tall and, in my case, too much embonpoint!

Best

Peter

[mgcjag]

Hi Peter welcom to the forum im sure you will find it a great asset......look through the Kniwledge base section there is a wealth of info there......all the best.. Steve

[Kember17]

Hi Peter welcom to the forum im sure you will find it a great asset......look through the Kniwledge base section there is a wealth of info there......all the best.. Steve

Steve,

Thanks. I'm sure I'll be consulting the forum nightly!

Which SL have you got? I disposed of a R129 last summer after fifteen years of pain-free ownership.

Best

Peter

[mgcjag]

Hi Peter....its an r107....currently have all the rear suspension/diff/brakes etc totaly striped out and refurbed and waiting to go back in..after the new year...all the best,..Steve

[Kember17]

Hi Peter....its an r107....currently have all the rear suspension/diff/brakes etc totaly striped out and refurbed and waiting to go back in..after the new year...all the best,..Steve

Steve,

I had one back in the day. The straight six is nice to drive, if not very chuckable under spirited driving, and very reliable if given basic care, with year-round use with both tops.

I'd suggest keeping away from Konis if you are planning on uprating/changing from standard. You change the standard set up at your peril in my experience - you might get "firm" but it is at the cost of the refined ride generally, which rather misses the point of these cars. If this is your first SL experience, could I suggest that only big thing you need to watch out for is the steering set up which does get progressively sloppier over time, if not kept under review? It is, after all, a relatively heavy car and the box and idler are prone to wearing badly.

On my SLs, I'd change the oil every six months and they seldom cost more than £500 year in, year out to keep on the road. The local Merc specialist swore by the seventies, eighties and nineties SLs and swore at the 230s onwards...He laughed helplessly when I bought an old Alfa Spider to replace the last R129 SL but was very complimentary indeed about the E Type and E Types in general.

Peter