Originality or perfection?

[Bobpipedream]

Hi all,

So I now have the E and I am pulling it apart, looking at bits and trying to figure out where the border is between clean, refurb and replace.

For example the seats are quite good and original. They have a couple of nicks and tears. I am sure I or a professional can fix these bits, but it will always show. Likewise some of the chrome is clean, some is cleanable with imperfections and some obviously needs binning or re-chrome.

Other options like stainless steel bumpers exist that are probably simpler than going down the rechrome route or the more expensive brand new route.

What are your general views on originality versus perfection?

Is an original E with a few scars and wounds just as valuable as a perfect car? Or is it worth spending the extra ?2-4k making it perfect with new parts wherever required?

I know that is a subjective issue, but I want to produce a valuable car as I know not what my future holds. At the same time I do hold history sacred and personally prefer a scarred veteran to a new shiny and slightly false reproduction.

I guess I am struggling whilst sorting the pile of bits to discard from the bits to keep!

[Heuer]

Firstly - KEEP EVERYTHING! You may find repro parts don't fit or are unavailable so you at least have a pattern to work from. Secondly, avoid repro bumpers as they are a nightmare to fit especially when the originals can be repaired and re-chromed. I can't for the life of me think why anyone would consider stainless steel bumpers, wheels or other trim. The car is a symphony of chrome which defines its period. Besides, stainless steel has a different hue to chrome so mixing the two will look horrible. Given the way E-Type's are now pampered weekend toys and not used as regular transport the supposed longevity of stainless (it does stain by the way!) is academic.

[MarkE]

Keep everything, Bob, at least until you have finished.

If your chrome bits are original and fit, then get them re-chromed if need be. The reproduction stuff available is nearly always the wrong shape, rarely fits properly and is often of poor quality.

I prefer original where possible, but when you complete a total restoration, sometimes the original parts are too far gone and can look out of place. For me, there's nothing worse than an over-restored car, which is all too easy to do now with two-pack paint and powder coating finishes. So usually I settle for original type of finishes which are generally more satin than gloss.

If the interior is reasonable, I would certainly keep it as it is. The leather can be cleaned up and re-dyed, and always looks better with a few wrinkles, unlike the owners.

[ChrisC]

I agree with the posts above. Repo parts are notorious for not fitting. And bumpers were originally ground down to fit the car and then chromed afterwards. If you buy a new bumper it won't fit the car but has already been chromed....

In the one extreme it is nigh on impossible to be 100% original in a restoration. It means using the original nuts and bolts for instance. Personally my route was to use as many original parts as possible but restore those parts to as close to as-new as I could get. Then when I had to buy new parts ( which is inevitable) the new parts don't look out of place.

If you do a lot of the work yourself I.e. nickel plating nuts bolts washers brackets etc. you can make a very nice valuable car.

Ultimately it's up to you but I would suggest keeping the car in the spirit of the original but restore everything. BUT an all original car is exceedingly rare....

[Heuer]

Picking up on Mark's point - if the interior is original and the leather can be rejuvenated then do it. Jaguar used Connelly Vaumol leather which has not been available for over 15 years and modern leathers are nothing like Vaumol. You can read about it here: http://etypeuk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1384

For me a sympathetically preserved car is a lot more worthwhile than a fully restored example with everything as new. Has to be that way for many cars because of the effects of time but if you can get away with keeping as much as possible, do it.

[D COUPE]

It is true that You can over restore a car. A little patina.
straight paint and good gaps are a winner over 'all new rebuilds'
for Me anyway.

DC