1963 Jaguar E-Type OTS
The story of a ground up restoration of a classic "XKE" Jaguar roadster

Bonnet Lower Section (26 - 27 April 2003)

 
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fetching & dismantling
sandblasting & evil rust
right "b" pillar
fixing right inner sill
basic body repair, por-15
frame removed, footwell repair
hole fixed, car flipped, etc.
sill stiffeners, rear bulkhead, etc.
various small parts
left sill, added stiffener, etc.
   - lousy weather
trunk floor (reprise)
right floor, left sill, etc.
left floor, wheel well, etc.
right upper wishbone
floor done, car righted
rack, front frame, evil rust
left door cleaned & fitted
right door, right suspension
bonnet, part 1
bonnet, part 2
bonnet, part 3
bonnet, part 4
bonnet, part 5, etc.
bonnet, part 6
bonnet, outer sill, etc.
lots of stuff
left side, bonnet internals
frame, bonnet attached
engine stand, oil pan removal
pistons removed, sanding
sanding, final filling
color, frames, primer
brushed primer test
2nd coat primer
holiday greetings!
finish prep, detail on dent fix
spraying primer
winter chores
  1. undercoat, plating prep
  2. plating, spraying color
bonnet, plate prep, cylinder head
cylinder head paint, bushes
plating saga
front frame, suspension, part 1
front suspension, part 2
front suspension, part 3
priming and painting
bonnet, part 7
painting color!
boot lid, steering wheel
gas tank
winter chores
  1. firewall sundry
  2. front suspension
  3. steering setup
  4. master cylinders/pedals
  5. the rest
data plate screed
winter to spring
  1. irs rebuild
  2. trunk floor, harness
  3. data plate (again)
data plate, door, headlights
dash vinyl, crosshatch aluminum
windshield, right door
interior, "widget"
chrome parts!
door handle details
rolling chassis
molasses rust removal
electrical, part 1
bores, thrust washers
new engine!
head differences
block differences
compression ratio
engine in place!
alternator
catchup & photos
it runs!
setback and brakes
darned close & engine diffs
driven
top and seats
driving and little stuff

Bonnet Lower Section

I took a closer look at the bonnet's lower section, which makes up the lower half of the "mouth." This section is the attachment point for the whole bonnet as well as the section where the electrical system connects to the bonnet. The hinge attachments had some stress damage and rust that needed attention, and we needed to repair the entire set of tabs that connect the lower section to the two wing sections and the upper center section. Also the mouth section itself had received the same treatment as the upper half — welded tabs, curled, and smeared with Bondo. Lots of Bondo. It seems I grossly overestimate the amount of such work that we can accomplish in a full weekend, since I was thinking these repairs would be a day or so. And then we'd go forth and assemble the bonnet in its rough form just to take a look. But it took the whole weekend to get the metalwork done on the lower section.

The mouth repair took most of Saturday, and Sunday was mainly getting the rest in shape. I want to do a few more strengthening fixes and get the final details on the tabs done before we move back to the rest of the bonnet, but these items should take about a day. Who knows, I might do some work in the evenings this week just to get the lower section ready. The remainder of the metalwork on the bonnet is tab repair and work on the center section, especially the upper mouth area. Since that mouth work is putzy, I'm thinking it will probably take an entire weekend to do, maybe more. I figure that the metalwork on the bonnet alone will take about 60 hours of work, all told. Then we'll have to do the detail finishing up with a smattering of Bondo over the remaining ripples.

That's Aaron doing the welding on the tabs in the picture, by the way.

Once again, as I was finishing up the lower mouth metalwork, I was thinking about trying out lead loading. I thought better of it, though. I can do pretty fine work with Bondo, and I think learning a new medium is something I don't want to attempt on the most visible section of this car.