good start to the new year

[gt750jim]

hello and thanks to all those who have supplied parts and knowledge it is these people who now have me grinning like the cheshire cat ! no my e type is not running but is now removed from the jig with new floors sills etc etc and is sitting on it's re-built rear end on it's back wheels looking like at least half a e type i know the is a long way to go but now i can tell people i own a e type without feeling a bit of a fraud (i owned a large pile of rust that was attached to some e type bits !) now all i need to do is fit the engine,gearbox,bonnet,front suspension,wiring,interior, oh and paint it. Still feels like i have past the point of pulling it to bits and cutting rust out and am now putting it back together :)

[1954Etype]

Great news! Why don't you start your own restoration blog with pictures?

[gt750jim]

because i have no idea what a blog is or how to post pics! when it is up and running i will ask some kind person to post some photos for me as i have been taking pics all the way through and looking at the photos of when it had no floor or sills and looking at it now sitting on its rear end gives me a warm glow !

[Heuer]

How to post pictures on the Forum (if you can add a post you are half the way there!): http://etypeuk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=850

[vee12eman]

Congratulations,

I well remember the feeling you describe, I think the one for me was when I actually fitted the bonnet and for the first time ever, the car looked like an E-type. It had not even had a bonnet when bought and did have several ventilation and drainage holes not originally envisaged by Malcolm Sayer!

Posting pictures is easier than it seems and has the advantage of providing a back up for your photos in the future - we'd all love to see some of your progress. Follow the instructions David has linked to in the previous post if you can find the time.

Regards,

Simon

[Dave K]

The nest big thrill is firing the engine up that you rebuilt with your own bare hands as it bursts into life :D Then you know you're on the home straight.

Well done, this is what makes you different from all the others who faltered and gave up.

Dave

[ChrisC]

Keep going Sir - a full do-it-yourself build is very possible.

[gt750jim]

the diy re-build is more fun when you have to make most of the bits yourself like sills bulkheads, i consider myself lucky as one of the first places i worked was a garage that specialized in old classic cars that at the time (early 80's) had little to no body panels available ( armstrong siddeley wings anyone ?) so i can roll fold steel fairly well though i imagine if the guy who taught me (who was in his 70's) could see me would be tut tutting. I am glad in some ways that i am scrimping and saving to build this as i think if a large pile of money landed in my lap the job would go a lot faster but i would be no where near as involved , the way it is i will have stripped and rebuilt every part my self, the car will never be for sale so i am building it the way i want it, i know the will be people that dont like the way it is but i am not building it for them this is as it should be ! i wonder if anyone else has a e type with abs ?

[ChrisC]

Ooooh if you are going to level of restoration - then we demand a series of posts with photos throughout Sir :)

I have kept the forum entertained with my series of errors but after several years I am close to completion so once you get going I'll hand the batten to you

[gt750jim]

i have taken lots of before and after photos and when i have it sitting on all four wheels i will do a what's what type explanation, i would call it more of a "updating resurrection" than restoration as 99% is jaguar quite a lot is from different models for instance it is a series 2 2+2 with a xjs diff and hubs with 420 wish bones and drive shafts to make it the same width as a series 3 , all jaguar bits but not as it left the factory. I estimate when finished including chrome and paint it will owe me less than the cost of a new bonnet ! (not including the man hours if i did it would be stupidly expensive)

[wol916]

It's great to do things yourself and have the satisfaction that comes with it. I've been at it for 18 months now (full bare metal nut and bolt restoration) and have got the body done and painted all suspension is rebuilt and fitted including brakes, I rebuilt the engine just before Christmas and made a start on the wiring, but with the onset of the cold weather I moved into the kitchen to restore the dash clocks and switches. On that subject for anybody wondering it is possible to change a LHD dash and glovebox into a RHD dash and glovebox it just takes patience and a bit of imagination. I can honestly say that except for setting the backlash in the diff it's all my own work including the paint.

As a young boy the only car I ever wanted was an E-Type and through my fathers business I was lucky enough to drive just about every variant during my late teens and twenty's. When I close my eyes and remembered those cars certain features stick in my mind as being an E-Type so that is what I am building "the car I remember" I know it's not 100% original but as others have said it's for me, so a few upgrade are being included. I should add for the purists out there I am doing nothing that can not be undone and I have all the parts to do the undoing.

Warren

[gt750jim]

well done warren i wish i had come as far as you i to have swapped the lhd dash and glovebox round by drilling out the spot welds and reversing the bends in the steel and a bit of steel bashing worth doing as you can pick up lhd stuff for pennies, also well done for painting it yourself if i was using celli paint i would have been tempted but i was offered 5ltrs of brg 2k paint at a price i could not turn down and i will not mess with 2k paint as you can poison yourself without the right protection, my car was originally willow green but had been repainted brg years ago and i like the brg so it is going to bare steel then etch prime, primer, base coat , then clear it's being done by a friend with a booth who owes me a favor or two

[wol916]

I should have said that my fathers business was a body shop so I have a lot of experience with paint etc, I did use 2K paint and lacquer and built a booth by lining my garage with plastic and using an old industrial kitchen extractor with some ducting to clear the fumes. I also borrowed a portable fresh air mask from a welder friend, all sounds a bit Heath Robinson but worked a treat. The 2K paint available now is nowhere near as toxic as it used to be just needs treating with respect like most things, to be honest the plating chemicals I have are far worse.

Warren