Here is a link to "Part 1" of the project:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,36697
Here is a link to "Part 2" of the project:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,37548
Here is a link to "Part 3" of the project:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,38597
Here is a link to "Part 4" of the project:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,43345
Here is a link to "Part 5" of the project:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,50240
Here is a link to "Part 6" of the project:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,61699
Here is a link to "Part 7" of the project:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,64654
Here is a link to "Part 8" of the project:
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,68003
Please note: The photos in this thread are displayed at 600x450 pixels. If you see a little box-in-a-box logo in the upper right hand corner of the photo, click anywhere on the photo to blow it up to full size - in a new window. This new window can then be maximized for a still larger image.
Interior Panels
Even though the interior of a car is installed after the body work and paint is finished, I wanted to do as much prep work for this as possible. I had some of the original interior panels from the car but they were all in pitiful condition. Besides, with all the changes I've done, I would need to fabricate my own anyway. I'm using 1/8" ABS plastic and Au-ve-co trim fasteners.
I had to do some cutting and welding before making the door panel. Previously, I had planned on fabricating my own arm rests, working around the protruding power window motor. I abandoned that plan, set the motor 3/8" into the door framework so it sat flush and I could use the original style E-type arm rest.
The easiest way to fabricate door panel is to tape a sheet of heavy duty clear plastic to the door frame and mark the cutouts and existing mounting holes. You then transfer that to the ABS plastic sheet that has masking tape applied to it, trace the cutouts and center punch the holes. A jig saw does quick work of the plastic. Photos in collage:
Previous to cutting door frame for motor
After cutting
Clear plastic on door frame
Door panel cut
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The E-type door panel has a couple of bends in it. I found the safest way to make an accurate bend is to clamp one side to the table and cover the other side, top and bottom, with plate aluminum, leaving only about a 1" strip of ABS exposed. Warm this with a heat gun and you can control where your bend with be.
Bending ABS:
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Collection of panels fabricated:
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Door panel mounted including release handle, power window switch, speaker, courtesy lamp and arm rest:
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Back to the Boot
I had a couple of things to do in the boot to make it more liveable and now was the time to construct.
The first was to make a divider, separating the fuel tank from the spare tire area. Since I had no plans to ever carry a spare tire, this would now be the "trunk". A divider would help contain things.
Fabricated from 1/16" aluminum:
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Installed:
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The other thing I wanted to do, was to provide a hinged hatch to access this trunk area using quick release latches.
Panel hinged and latched:
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Quick release latch:
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Opened and propped with rod:
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Stainless Steel Trim
Jaguar had metal trim on the door panels and what could be called luggage runners in the boot. I received none of these when I got this car. I'll have to make my own.
I choose 3/8" dia., 0.049 wall, 304 stainless tubing. With a zip saw, I cut it in half, then welded a trimmed 6/32 nut to the inside for mounting purposes. The upper pieces on the door panel had to be mitered to create an angle. Other pieces required a slight bend to follow the panel shape.
To split the tube, I clamped one end in a table vise and secured the other end to the table. Following the marked masking tape, the saw cut went quickly.
Cut setup:
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Resulting cut:
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6/32 nut tacked in place:
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End cap welded and polished:
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Luggage runners polished and ready for installation:
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Finished:
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The whole job was quite time consuming. The zip cut and welding would distort the thin wall tube and the tack would create a raised section. All that would require a file for leveling and various grades of sandpaper and buffing to gain the look of chrome. A job I wouldn't want to do full time...
Third Brake Light
A third brake light is always a good idea. I acquired one that doubled with directional lights.
The first job was to fabricate a housing to put it in and add tabs for mounting. The rear hatch door sits at 23 degrees off level in the car, so I set it up on the bench at that angle, then leveled the housing for the light.
Lamp, housing and mounted:
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Housing fastened to stand offs, welded to hatch door:
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Engine Intake Cover
My original plan was to fabricate a cover to hide the injectors and fuel rail of the engine. Next I would prep and paint the intake manifold. After going through a couple of designs, I decided to go the whole hog and cover it all. I considered using 1/16" aluminum but with all the welds, I decided 20 ga. steel would be within my capabilities. The weight difference calculated to be 1.8 lbs.
Clearance from the top right corner of the cover to the underside of the bonnet turned out to be 3/8". Tight fit.
Started with a CAD design, then transferred to the metal:
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I added two S.S. rails to the sides of the cover:
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At the same time, I removed the standoff mounts on the valve covers.
Done:
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Bonnet to Radiator Seal
The space between the top of the radiator and the bottom side of the bonnet is not overly large, but I thought I should at least make an effort into sealing it off. The sheet metal section splits between left and right and are adjustable up and down.
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I'll attach the closed cell foam to the brackets after they're painted.
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Air Dam
I wanted an air dam since the opening at the front of the Jaguar Series I is on the small size. Any extra air diverted to the radiator would be good as well as providing an element of front end down force.
I designed it in such a way that it would swing back and up, moving it out of harm's way. It's also adjustable in height.
Aluminum pieces cut, bent and welded:
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Air dam in down position:
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Up position:
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View of bracketry and springs:
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Transmission Tunnel Trim
Looking ahead to upholstery time, I wanted to cover the top hail of the transmission tunnel with vinyl and the bottom half with carpet.
To divide the two, I split some more stainless tubing and formed it to the tunnel.
Both side mounted:
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Again, I welded 6/32 nuts to the inside of the tubing so I could secure a 6/32 thread and use nuts on the inside of the tunnel.
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Installing Floor Pans
I originally fabricated the floor pans a very long time ago, namely 10 years. Unbelievable.
I left them out so I could comfortably do interior work standing up. Having finished everything on that list, it was time to do the installation.
My dearest helper assisting with the original fabrication:
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Both sections went in smoothly, 32 plug welds per side:
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Mounting Seat Belt Retractors
I had originally planned on mounting the Mazda Miata seat belt retractors at floor level behind the Miata seats. But after finally setting the seats in place, I realized they would push the seats 3-4 inches forward, unacceptable in such a small car. Mounting the retractors high behind the seat was the only option.
The first job was to weld tabs to the retractor so I could mount it securely.
Threaded holes top and back side:
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I then fabricated sheet metal boxing to contain the retractor:
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On the roll bar, I trimmed 5 different 16 gauge sections of sheet metal to create a base to bolt the retractor to:
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Retractor mounted:
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Seat Belt Guides
The original seat belt guides that came with the Miata seats cause too much drag, in my opinion.
I welded up a pair with the width I needed and utilizing stainless steel rollers.
Retractor ready:
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Guides fabricated:
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And installed:
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Seat snuggly in place:
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Tear Down
Having worked through many To Do lists, I finally arrived at BODY WORK.
I ran the engine up one more time, did a compression test, all 8 spark plugs looked good so I gave it a bill of good health.
Before tear down:
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Engine being yarded out:
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With the engine removed, I could metal finish the firewall and attend to a few other details that I couldn't with it in place.
Bare steel:
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Stripping paint
There wasn't a lot of paint left on the body of this car after so many panels had been replaced. The roof was on the list though.
The whole car had 13 layers of paint on it:
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I started at the rear section of the roof:
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The top layer came off the easiest:
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Here's a link to my video of the paint stripper in action:
https://youtu.be/uNeVlhk4xB0
Roof Repair
I knew the roof wasn't perfect. All the defects were reveled after I removed the paint, applied some guide coat and block sanded it with a long board.
I suspect the roof was sat upon at some point because I had four creases, one in each corner.
These were repaired using my shrinking disc, applying heat then cooling with a wet rag.
2025_03_01.jpg
Epoxy Primer and Body Filler
With the metal work finished, (I hope) it's on to body work.
First step was to put the car in epoxy primer. I'm using the RM EP 369, the same product that the bonnet was covered in some time ago.
Body filler choice is Evercoat Rage and Rage Ultra. I'm using a triple beam balance to accurately measure my filler to hardener 2% ratio. I've been getting some great body work tutorials on YouTube from Sylvesters Customs channel.
My first area to work on was the underside of the bonnet, probably the most difficult spot. Hard to reach, concave curve. The underside of the front pan was much easier.
Epoxy, mud mixing, first filler:
2025_03_011.jpg
Body Working the Bonnet
With the underside of the bonnet finished, I moved on to the firewall and portions of the frame.
Next, the bonnet went back on the car so it could be completed. It had previously been roughed in years ago and now was the time for it to receive final shaping and leveling.
After finishing the front section of it, I shot it with some epoxy primer as a test, and then continued on to the rest of it:
IMG_0192.JPG
I've amassed quite an arsenal of sanding tools, mostly sanding boards. They vary from doubled up ¼" acrylic, 1/8" ABS and 1/16" Lexan. Each has their own flex characteristics, to work the complex shape of the E-type bonnet.
In this photo, you can see the brown 80 grit and the white 120 grit:
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More Body Work
After finishing the entire bonnet to 120 grit, I shot it with 2 coats of Evercoat Super Build. That will be blocked out then epoxy primer applied:
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I installed some of the rubber door seals to final fit the door position. This was locked in by putting filler in the gap to prevent the door from moving while block sanding:
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Cowl and doors straight edge finished and gapped:
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Working my way rearward:
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Fitting Tail Light Housing
The tail light housing on the Series I E-Type uses a rubber gasket to cover any discrepancies between the shape of the housing and the shape of the body shell. It would also seal out any water.
I've read this gasket can be difficult to get it to fit correctly. Frankly, I think they detract from the overall look. This was my opportunity to shape the body to fit my re-chromed housing. I used both a slip of paper and a slip of cardboard to gauge my gap, bringing the space to a minimum.
A light coat of sealant will keep the water out.
Paper and cardboard feeler gauges:
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Fitted:
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Final Primer
With the body work complete, it was time to remove the bonnet, boot, doors and apply the final primer.
I built a stand to support the bonnet, engineered so a person could access the inside.
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The doors and boot have their own stand, also on wheels.
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I'm using a HobbyAir supplied air respirator system which provides a constant flow of fresh air from a remote air location. I choose the optional hood.
https://axispro.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=4
You're dragging around two hoses now, one for the spray gun, one for your fresh air. It requires a bit of patience, but I thought the extra protection was worth it.
All kitted out:
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Masked and sprayed:
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After letting the body work and the primer set for 8 weeks, it was time for final sanding, 120,220 and 320, using dry guide coat between grits.
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Rotisserie Time
A good friend of mine built a rotisserie to restore his 1968 Jaguar OTS. He was kind enough to lend it to me. It's a well designed, well built rotisserie. Much appreciated.
To transition from the chassis table to the rotisserie, I built it one over the other:
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Planning for this long ago, I provided two bolt holes through a frame member forward of the rear wheels so I could attach a 1X3" beam. This was clamped to the rotisserie.
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At the front, I fabricated an adapter that connected to the bonnet hinge points.
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Up and turning:
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Underside accessibility is unmatched.
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It was easy to adjust the balance point of the body using the threaded rods at both ends. As it turned out, the position most favourable provided only ½" clearance between the rotated roof of the car and the connecting tube of the rotisserie.
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Next on the list is to body work the bottom of the boot and sills.
600 Wet sanding, then some colour coat
Finished body working the lower section of the sills and completed the boot. Detailed the rear license plate surround and reverse light housing:
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600 wet sanding doors, again, using dry guide coat:
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Video of completed components:
https://youtube.com/shorts/QslVVnfxaMc
Sprayed the underside, (floors), wheel wells, firewall and front frame section with a satin black. Also the bonnet wheel wells:
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Insulated the inside of the transmission tunnel, first with a CLD, Fat Mat, (constrained layer dampener), then a reflective heat shield, Boom Mat on top:
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Final Prep and Masking
I had the inside of the bonnet finished in epoxy primer but decided to take it one step further and apply the RM DP236 primer. The concave panels are a bear to sand but I eventually took it to 600 wet using guide coat:
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While the body was on still on the rotisserie, I masked the underside:
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Firewall and front frame member masked:
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Masked the roll bar for insurance sake:
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Transitioning the body from the rotisserie back to the body cart:
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One bonnet panel, engine intake cover and two valve covers to be painted body color satin:
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Fuel door to be painted separately:
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On four wheels
Call it complete for now:
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