Getting it on the road...... after 40 years

[Marcomears]

I have been fortunate to bump into a car that was built in 1970, S2FHC red with black interior reg no LXC 1H – sold to its second owner in 1980 ish… dropped a valve in early 80s and has been sat in a garage since early 1980s and has never been restored apart from a quick flash over with paint in the eate 70s….
The car is remarkable as its shows little rust apart from the rear very bottom of the original sills, and some bonnet corrosion in one spot.
The underside is very good
The car has all it original tools (apart from box spanner) guarantees forms etc etc.
The car has 32 k miles showing and is believed to be original.
It did do a few hill climbs with its first owner in 1970s at Shelsley Walsh (time 39.75) and Prescott (time 57.20) I do not know if these are good times but I bet he thrashed it up as fast as it would go, it also has a photo of it at Shelsley and is featured in a Etype book.
The car is too good to take apart and do a nut and bolt resto (I am a serial restorer nut and love doing it) but I am going to work my way through the car and sympathetic restore everything that is not working.
The engine is broken – so that’s the first thing to get out and have a look and see how much bending has gone on.
The car will need a respray as its full of micro blisters and some of the chrome is too bad to use.
The interior is fantastic and all its original carpets are still in great order – headliner looks dirty but is not drooping – the car has a big wabasto sunroof again I’m not sure if it was added after or a factory option.
The car has the original steel wheels
And here is my dilemma…..
I am trying to not disturb the car to much – but the list of things to do to get it on the road if I’m not carful I will take the whole car to bits….
Now its easy to get it all done, but, do I do it, and make it all better than new or just restore the internals and leave it looking like an oily rag car?
I also would like to put wires on the car…… but am I going to far……?
Normally my cars are so far gone there is no option but to restore them to within an inch of their life’s. so, it’s an easy decision.


I just don’t know if I should just do a full resto…… what would you do?

[DWW]

Depends how soon you want to use and enjoy the car. A full resto could take at least two to three years all that providing suppliers won't run out of the necessary spares that may be required. There may also be sizable budgetary considerations to come in to it. After having had mine fully restored nut&bolt (over 3 years in the making and many tens of thousands of pounds spent), I made a decision never to go this root ever again with any car. The decision is yours.....

[dlgis]

It sounds too good for a full nut and bolt restoration, I’d aim for a good drivers car with as much originality retained as possible

[Series1 Stu]

Its only original once! I would keep it that way as long as possible. Even the paint if it isn't too bad.

Seek out a specialist, such as Angus Moss on this forum, and get some good sound advice. It will save you in the long run.

It looks like your car has had a few modifications - steering wheel for one and I think the wheels would probably have been wires originally. Modifications probably done to make it better for hill climbing.

I don't think it will have left the factory with the sunroof but it was a popular aftermarket modification.

Do you have the bumpers?

[Marcomears]

The car did come from the factory with the steel wheels - twas an option! painted wires standard - steel wheels option and chrome wire were the most costly.... I guess in the 70s wires were old hat and the steel wheels were up to date designs ... how times change.
So, after having another root round its last night I will go through everything that needs it, replace seals pipes and brakes and fuel and cooling and sills and chrome and paint and engine- but not over restore and polish it to death – so its going to be a very solid car but a bit mucky ….
Is it worth doing an in-depth blog here of its progress from start to finish?
Or is the forum just for questions and help.
Questions question……

[dlgis]

As someone new to etypes I’d been keen to see a blog on progress

[DWW]

A blog will be interesting to follow.

[Gfhug]

Marco, look in the restoration stories section and you’ll see how appreciated the topics are and how comments along the way may help point out things to check, do or not do, votes of congratulations on milestones reached along the way as well as encouragement for those days when nothing seems to go well.

Geoff

[Marcomears]

Ok - so blog it i shall....
its going to be fun....

Marco

[vee12eman]

Hi Marco,

Just my 10 cent addition. Like you I have acquired most of my classics in a condition requiring full restoration, so it would be a pleasant change not to have to strip and totally rebuild. My S3 V12 has the sunroof, I have the original Tudor Webasto manual for it as a digital version if you want a copy, I think from memory it’s the installation manual. From research, the car didn’t have it from build, I have a photo showing my car without it, but I believe it was a Jaguar approved dealer option which you could also add by approaching a Webasto agent directly. Quite a few cars have had it removed, but you need a donor car for a roof or a superbly skilled panel beater.
Regarding the wheels, you are correct in the option list, although I believe they also offered painted steel wheels of the same pattern as yours, with different hub caps and chrome rings. That’s definitely the case with the S3 cars and mine was supplied that way in early 1971. S2 options may differ.
However, the chrome plate wheels and hub caps with the larger black cap and the badge, which you have, are quite valuable in good condition. They are sometimes called “Turbo Disk” wheels. Oh yes, S3 wheels are 6 inch whereas the S2 has 5 inch width. You can get them re-plated, but because they have to be split and rebuilt, the cost is high. I was lucky enough to find a nice chrome set after having been fooled with a worthless set on eBay. That’s years back now and they are hard to find. They are shared with Daimler Limousines and some XJ6/12 coupes, I think they are the 6 inch version, albeit with different hub caps.
Even those hubcaps have become valuable since someone figured out the badge in the centre is shared with the steering wheel horn push, in your case, you may have a stalk horn button, but I’m not an S2 expert. Anyway, reproduction horn pushes are poorly produced and people started cutting them out of the hub caps, pushing the price up. I believe that there may now be a good horn push available, but it is expensive. I used a badge from of my spare hubcaps to convert my S3 horn push to look similar to S1/S2 cars but now they are very hard to come by.
Personally I prefer the steels to the wire wheels, but then I would say that, wouldn’t I? Still, it will make your car different to the majority of E-types and are SO much easier to clean and maintain. I’ve had wires and I wouldn’t go back…
Lovely car and good luck.

[Marcomears]

Hi Simon

Thanks for your comments.

I agree with you - I think I will keep the steel wheels - at the mow they look like they need chrome - but then they have not been cleaned for 40 Years - one good thing - the spare is faultless
The Wabaso I will keep - I am quite tall and helps with the infinite headroom.
I’m just on with a 1937 Allard special at the mow and will be done end of the year, and I try only to do one car at once - but I’m been drawn to the I’m E Type.....
However tonight I’m taking the bonnet off ready to get the engine out and sent off.
But I will be posting all my resto the blog here.
Regards

Marc