Welcome to the restoration of my E-Type

This site documents the ups and downs of the restoration of my Series 2 E-Type, chassis number 1R1421. The restoration had progressed (used in the loosest sense of the word!) rather sporadically for almost a decade until I finally decided to have a concerted effort to get the car back on the road. Hopefully it will be of interest to those who are embarking on a similar project and provide a useful source of information, even if it is only to highlight the pitfalls to avoid!

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
From an early age I’d always been interested in cars and, in the late 90s, was itching for a ‘proper’ restoration project, having just completed a trial run on my parent’s old Triumph Dolomite. Initially I was looking at MGAs but wanted something more inspiring in the engine department. After all, this was to be a car I would own for a long time. So attention turned to the Big Healeys. However despite the sports car looks, the dated, under-slung rear suspension put me off.

Then one day I was reading a Jaguar World article on the restoration of a dark blue E-Type. That was it – decision made! Little did I know at the time, the task of restoring a mass produced Triumph and an E-Type was poles apart.

I had no previous experience of E-Types and it was definitely a case of researching and learning along the way. Quite often learning the hard way! So I’m certainly not an expert and the information on this website is merely my interpretation or understanding at the time.

If anyone is planning on restoring an E-Type I would strongly recommend they first read Chris Rooke’s excellent book ‘E-type Jaguar DIY Restoration & Maintenance: A Kind of Loving’. If only it had been written before I had started on this journey. Reading the problems he encountered was a certainly a case of déjà vu.

With money burning a hole in my pocket, I set about searching for an E-Type restoration project …..