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

Useful Resources

 
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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

Useful Resources (updated 7 September 2014)

This is a list of web resources that have been helpful in varying degrees from the beginning of our adventure in restoration. I don't warrant the information on any of these sites, and they are of variable quality. But they are worth a look. As with anything on the web, let the browser beware!

Restoration Information & Services

Jag Lovers
(http://www.jag-lovers.org/)

Jag-Lovers has a lot to offer the Jaguar enthusiast, and E-type enthusiasts in particular. The Forum requires that you set up an account to read entries, and the site conveniently sets a "cookie" into your browser so you won't be bothered with yet another login and password. Members of the Forum (and there are a great many of them) have good and practical advice, and they have an obvious love of the cars. If you have pictures to share, the site also gives you a place to upload. Be sure to check out the collections of Jaguar brochures.

Classic Jaguar
(Austin, Texas; http://www.classicjaguar.com/)

Classic Jaguar (known as "CJ" among Jag owners and enthusiasts) features Inside the CJ Workshops which is a presentation of projects currently underway at CJ. You can often resolve many questions of restoration by looking at the pictures from the workshops. Classic Jaguar's restorations have been interesting to me because they also include upgrades of varying form — some virtually invisible and others truly enhancements. But, by and large, CJ's restorations preserve the classic in the E-type, and it is a company that has provided E-type enthusiasts a great deal of information in addition to restoration services. In the past couple of years, Classic Jaguar has begun working on the full range of Jaguars and they have done some exceptional work on specialty engines, notably custom versions of the Viper V-10 engines. CJ has a complete restoration shop — covering body work, paint, interiors, performance modifications, and engine building — and they often put up some interesting photos of their work.

XKEdata.com
(maintained by Roger Los, Seattle, Washington; et al.; http://xkedata.com/)

Last time I checked, XKE Data had information on nearly seventeen percent of the E-types to roll off the line. Quite an achievement! Check out the E-Type Color Picker (also by Los). XKEdata.com is a good and central resource to us as we contextualize our own cars, if only with car numbers. (The thought of others Out There, perhaps, will introduce some light into the Dark Nights of the Soul that E-type restoration brings with it!)

Vintage Jag Works
(Blackfoot, Idaho; http://www.vintagejag.com/)

A family business that started in 1980, Vintage Jag Works does the whole classic Jaguar line, including the E-type. Of particular interest is the C-type replica. If I weren't so busy with my own restoration, I'd consider scraping together the cash to get one of these. Blackfoot is the potato capital of the world, and is in southeastern Idaho, a bit west of Yellowstone National Park.

Eagle E-type
(Uckfield, East Sussex, UK; http://www.eaglegb.com/)

Eagle GB are the UK leaders in the field of E-Type Jaguar restoration and reconditioning offering an extensive range of beautiful E-type Jaguars for sale.

3D Engineers
(Sturminster Newton, Dorsett, UK; http://www.3dengineers.co.uk/index.html)

An interesting group that produces CAD products, I think. They've arranged to transfer factory drawings of the Bugatti Type 35 into CAD, and that is an enormously useful resource for the Bugatti Preservation Trust. It would be nice to have something like that available for the C-type, D-type and E-type, too.

E-Type Lovers
(http://www.xke-lovers.com/)

This site includes an assortment of useful "technical" information (production number information, paint codes, gas tank removal tips, and such). The information provided on this site is very useful for the usual changes and fixes that E-types sometimes require.

Easy-To-Make Rollable Bonnet Stand
(http://www.inetogether.net/jaguar/bonnet_stand.php)

Storing that E-type bonnet is a pain, and people have gone to great lengths to get it out of the way. Here's my solution, made from wood that's probably just lying around. You will have to fetch some casters, though.

Enthusiast Sites

Full Restoration of a 63 Jaguar XKE FHC
(maintained by Bill McKenna, Redwood City, California; http://www.mckennasgarage.com/xke/)

Bill's site is very useful because he's taken care to photograph lots of the steps, and he's had plenty of opportunity to take pictures since he's done an amazing amount of the work himself. I've corresponded with Bill, and I believe his restoration is one to watch, since he inquired about BEES and GKN bolts I might not want anymore. Bill's done with his restoration now, though I imagine he still is tinkering away on it. Bill's is a must-see website for the new restorer and certainly an informative one for restorers of all stripes.

1964 Jaguar E Type FHC Construction and Installation Details
(maintained by Jerry Mouton; http://moutons.org/Jaguar/Photos/Details)

Jerry Mouton's E-type site has loads of pictures that are very useful to refer to as a restoration proceeds. I've found that getting a glimpse of the real ways that things were put together is something to treasure. Jerry's site has useful photographs of the frames, wiring routes, and hose routes as well as detailed shots of interior fitting, including seals. His car is "Fixed Head Coupe" (FHC) — a coupe, so there are some differences between it and the roadster.

Jaguar E-Type
(maintained by "Marcel" in the Netherlands; http://www.jaguar-etype.nl/index.php?lang=en, English version)

An adventure in the making, this one. Marcel bought his car online from a person in Cailfornia, and had it shipped to the Netherlands. It is now a work in progress. Click "Home" to hear a car — though you'll have to reload the page to get rid of the sound.

Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art
(http://www.moma.org)

It's refreshing to know that a car can be considered enough a work of art to be held in a major museum's permanent collection. The Jaguar E-type has that distinction. This page is part of a web rendering of a special show held at MoMA in 2002 called Autobodies: Speed, Sport, Transport. The Jag is the same year as ours (1963) and it is a beautiful Opalescent Dark Blue. The exhibition was done at the new museum site in Queens (of all places).

Part Suppliers

USA

Classic Jaguar, Austin, Texas
CoolCat Express Corp., Bedford, New York (aftermarket cooling fans and useful additions from Mike Frank)
Coventry West, Atlanta, Georgia
David Boger (david@everydayxj.com) & Everyday XJ, Rockwell, North Carolina (XJ6-interchangeable parts)
Engel Imports, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Motorcars Ltd, Houston, Texas
Stefan Roundy (stefanr@bealenet.com), Virginia
SNG Barratt, Manchester, New Hampshire (US address)
Terry's Jaguar Parts, Kalamazoo, Michigan (sold to Engel Imports)
XKs Unlimited, San Luis Obispo, California

UK

E-Type Fabs
Martin Robey, Nuneaton
SNG Barratt, Shropshire (UK address)
XK Engineering, Coventry