The first visit of Sir Carter was also to attend to one other key item...that of removing the bonnet...not an easy task as removal required it to be placed somewhere else...and safely
I had read other threads on forums of frames being built, and as I had the original bonnet mounting frames I elected to put them to good use
This photo was taken the day I collected all of the trim kit...and was in the process of checking the items prior to storage.....it all looked so well made I was lulled into a sense of serene bliss it would all go in perfectly.....apart from the fact I already new certain modifications were in store......
Sir Carter was cajoled into the second visit with the promise of less damage to his eardrums and the possibility of a test drive.......
For which he needed to assist in some other mundane but critical items....
The E-type is possibly like many classic cars, in that various items must be assembled in a certain order otherwise they cannot be put back together properly
Headlining....
Before much of the internal trim can be installed the headlining had to be put into place which is without doubt a two man job
Not quite in the engine uncertainty department..but in truth the beginning of the more constantly challenging trim department
Now that might sound a little peculiar..But in truth the trim was to become a series of challenges they didn’t particularly offer a second chance
The headline is a 6 mm dense foam layer faced with a soft felt fabric and, as back in the day needs to be glued to the underside of the metal roof with highly unmanoeuvrable contact adhesive
Both sides need two coats and once covered is utterly immobile once initial contact is made, so it is without doubt a two person job and to ensure that the headlining was to be offered to the underside of the roof in the correct alignment....various measurements had to be taken and an almost Heath Robinson type of temporary support mocked up in place using a very long cardboard tube....naturally...!...to get the lining as close to the steel roof without actually touching it before that final push into place, hope for the best, hope it isn’t in the wrong place .....because .....well let’s just not go there ...
Well it sure stuck like the proverbial..and was just about perfect
Item number 1 off the list......
Back to the noisy...”but not as”....noisy department
There is an undoubted pleasure in restoration projects, because it is the chance on certain occasions shall we say to actually meet people whose quality of work is a pleasure to discover and I delight to use
One of these rare people is a guy called Ian Stewart who has a one man band business fabricating bespoke exhaust systems who is based up in the north of Scotland, it only produces as much as he wants to, who doesn’t advertise anymore, he doesn’t even charge VAT, his work is as good as he claims it is, and above all is a passionately enthusiastic chap to talk to
I had procrastinated long enough about the exhaust, principally as I wanted stainless but had heard that the sound wasn't the same rich sound of mild steel tat makes the charismatic and classic sound of an English 6 cylinder engine from the 50's and 60's
Ian convince me it was twaddle and that it came down to quality and thickness of the steel involved....well...that adds it for me..
Sadly he is now pretty much retired from his business, but can be persuaded to produce exhaust systems once in awhile as he still loves the process and does it more for the enjoyment than creating a larger retirement fund
Simply a thing of beauty and fitted perfectly.......well .... it would’ve done if the damn floor pans which I bought from one of the biggest Jaguar pressed metal and fabrication suppliers located in Birmingham had actually managed to put the brackets in the right place, which I wasn’t to realise until I was on my back with exhaust under the car, and realised that I had no option but to enlarge some of the beautifully CNC cut mounting holes in Ian’s brackets… Did I ever mention how shite reproduction parts are… I’m sure I did…
Second lovely item was the radiator....a lovely reproduction copy of the original aluminium radiators that were created specially for the first 2/3 years of E Type production
I realise I have mentioned this in an earlier update, but it’s so gorgeous here it is again...
....., and being aluminium should dissipate heat perfect....especially as I had fabricated my own brackets to perfectly mount an upgraded multi fan blade to replace the original propellor blade design
With me having installed the exhaust we could begin with preparation for a test run....we set ourselves
First off was the brakes...and with the two of us on the “up”.....release....”down”...tighten routine the system bled easily...and (with my modified access/bleed access points on the internal rear brake system) with minimal restrictions on access
Next was the Clutch...not a problem to begin with but after 2 pumps of the pedal the fluid would not drop any further from the reservoir tank...and there was no resistance at all on the pedal.....enthusiastic stomping on said pedal provided no change so master cylinder had to be removed....pig of a job as its an “upside down and head under the pedals to release the split pin on the clevis pin” pantomime....it had been a old git of a job putting it together..but had to be done as there is no other way to extract the cylinder from the front engine compartment
As it so happened this was all needed, for when extracted, the problem became self evident...the initial pushes had pushed the piston into the cylinder but it was too firmly embedded and would not release
The clutch and brake cylinders were re-sleeved with stainless and rebuilt early on in the restoration..and the assembly grease had dried...nothing that 15 minutes of vigorous pushing and pulling from both ends of the cylinder couldn’t fix to bed the seals in more
Total time probably 90 minutes..but by coffee time the fluid systems were working just fine...clutch seemed to work after a small amount of adjustment....excellent
so let start her up again......
https://youtu.be/xhHtYseAu8Q
she ran so well...and with just the basics of a cushion on the seat it seemed tie for a drive.......and given Barry has played so much of a part in my car’s it seemed right to let him have first test....
https://youtu.be/DYcxcCJmAAg
https://youtu.be/9ACOfD3Dfuw
Looking slightly ungainly she did the job well....
A good result ...time for tea and cakes......
....but then in the quiet of the late afternoon...we listened to the engine again and decided that perhaps all was not quite as it should have been ....
Restorations are never straightforward are they.....
https://youtu.be/ALkIRrkEtU4
more soon....thanks for looking...