1956 XK140 Roadster - Jessie Total (mildly modified) restoration

Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows: Total restoration, Silver coachwork with red Suffolk & Turley interior, Team CJ suspension and brake upgrades, JT5 five speed conversion, etc.

I am delighted to report that final road testing has been completed and with the exception of a final detailing, the car is now finished and awaits your inspection!

Team CJ Special boot badge I had made for you!

Custom tonneau cover now installed	Time to start your next project!

Time for some finishing touches!

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Report date - November 12, 2003

I am delighted to report that we have now begun the shake down process, including a number of extended road trips. Other than a problematic rear wheel bearing (now cured) and one defective gauge, everything has so far gone extremely well. We have received the new tonneau cover and will be installing that in the next few days.

Sam off on his travels

Back from 1st real road test	Side screens finished	New steering wheel goes well with the red interior

Installing the convertible top. Let's hope you never need to put it up!

Top frame installed	Offering new canvas into place	Definitely a 2 man job!
Top was an excellent fit	Steering wheel now installed	Almost done....

Time to assemble and install the windscreens...

LH screen installed	RH screen putting up a bit of a fight!

More great progress to report today! As you can see, the seats are now installed and we are moving on to the side screens and the convertible top.

First of all, Don, many thanks for the wonderful donation we received from you today towards the cost of the car we are building for Earl and Evan Herrera. Sam was visibly moved when I showed him the cheque. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your kindness to the boys.

As you can see from the photographs below, Sam is continuing to make great progress with your car which really is starting to look quite spectacular.

The following photographs show the rear boot access panel being trimmed out and installed. We then moved on to trimming out the crash pad roll around the cockpit, with which Sam has done an exceptional job.

Rear boot access panel for your skis...	Trial fitting tack strip....	After shaving tack strip to fit....
Beading is trial fitted....	Time to assemble the seats	Trimming out door cubby boxes
Installing the hides beneath tack strip and beading	The hide will eventually be folded over and under rubber crash pad	Important to get the beading totally straight
Adding extra screws through the hide into the tack strip	This is the rubber crash pad	Offering crash pad up beneath the hide
What it looks like with the hide wrapped around the rubber	Almost done...	Hide is first glued underneath, then screwed into the tack strip
Seats ready for installation

The rear bulkhead area is particularly tricky on these XKs. As you can see, Sam has done a superb job with your car.

With the underside of the dash now completed, it is time to trim out the main cabin.

It was great to see you again, Don, and thanks for letting me drive your Cobra! As you can see, we are now finishing up your car's interior, begining with the floor boards. More photos later in the week.....

Floor boards in place	Installing underfelt	Trimming out and  installing side panels

We finally gave up trying to find replacement glass for your windscreens and had a pair custom made, using the old glass as a template. We are aiming to complete the car within the next 6 to 8 weeks.

Almost there....

All chrome now to hand	Custom made tinted screens

Best of luck for Friday, Don, from your second family in Austin!

Latching mechanism installed	Second door panel installed	Impresive looking front end!

Starting to go in with the interior....and the spot lamps.

Time for the spot lamps....	Front end completed!

Installing door panels	Silver/red a great colour combination	Second re-chrome of grill passed inspection

More shiny bits!

Ron takes a break from his Rolls Royce duties to install lighting at the front of your car!

Nice to see some chrome going back on the car, Don!

I am delighted to get this project back underway! Ron has been finishing off the dash and starting to install the bootlid hardware, and will shortly be installing the front lamps and front chrome, etc.

Starting to go in with rubber seals, etc	Installing the new boot latch
Finishing off the dash	Installing front bumper irons

I am delighted to report that the mechanical rebuild is now virtually finished and the car is patiently waiting its turn for David in the trim room. The following photographs were taken immediately after we took the car up to the Jaguar Junk warehouse where the car is safely under wraps.

Starting to go in with the dash....	Plaque will go behind grab handle
Fully operational (except for one gauge)	She runs beautifully

Time to trim out and assemble the dash - complete with all the rebuilt gauges.

I am delighted to report that we ran the engine today for the first time and everything is looking and sounding fabulous! Click on the photograph below to link through to a short video clip of John Claydon firing Jessie up.

In the foreground you can see the Triumph Sunset Tripper I was telling you about!
 

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Report date - June 28, 2002

Back on all four wheels for the first time in ages. Suddenly looking like a car again!

As you can see, John has now installed the cooling system complete with new Team CJ radiator, silicone hoses and a brand new heater beneath the dash. After a week off the car he has been making outstanding progress this week.

New radiator in pace	Silicone hoses throughout
New heater core	Hoping to fire her up this week...

 
It should not be long now before we are test running the engine!

New Delco alternator in place	John has now rebuilt and installed the carbs
New stainless steel exhaust	Pedals now in place
Headers look great in engine bay	Hiding the after market booster was no problem

After a week back in England, John Claydon returned and really made some super progress with the car last week. He is back to the grindstone again this morning and has promised me some outstanding photographic opportunities later this week!

Restored handbrake installed	Wiper rack and washer assembly installed beneath dash
Restored wiper motor installed	We like the later colour oil canister much more than the original brown....
Carbs polished.....	Linkage nickel plated
Rather lovely new badging	Intake manifold in place....

New Mallory will supply the sparks....

As you can see, we now have the engine and JT5 installed. This always marks a significant stage in any full restoration and we are certainly encouraged by the progress of the last few weeks.

Dave installs the new  brass data plate	JT5 goes into place
Engine back where it belongs	Gear reduction starter motor
Braided oil line and....	Team CJ flywheel just about visible in the engine bay

John continues to make steady progress with the reassembly and has really run into very few problems. The following photographs show him restoring your wiper motor, installing the new 'J' Lucas headlamps, installing the steering rack and column, installing the new Team CJ flywheel and mating the rebuilt engine to the JT5 five speed.

The engine and transmission should be installed Monday or Tuesday this week.

Installing new Lucas J lamps	Awaiting new or replated chrome
Braided oil line, Team CJ flywheel, 9.5" clutch, gear reduction starter.......... and JT5 five speed	John Claydon is dedicated to your  car until it is maiden voyage time!

Here you can see the E Type front suspension and Wilwood brake kit installed, as well as the refinished battery box. Click on the picture of the wire wheel for a little movie fun!

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I am pleased to report that we have made some great progress with the 140 since our last report. Eric Suffolk has done a predictably magnificent job restoring and retrimming the seats, as well as building new door and dash panels, etc for the car. John Claydon is forging ahead with the assembly including installing E Type suspension uprights and steering arms so we can run cross-drilled rotors and Wilwoods at the front.

The 140 now has its own assembly area	John gets to grips with the re-wire
Hello Don (from John)	First signs of new chrome
Steering rack installed	New rear suspension, gas tank, etc
New rear lights	New rear fender beading
Harness	Magnificent work by Eric Suffolk
	Strangeley your car had (wider)  XK150 seat bottoms
E Type uprights and brakes	Looking more like a car all the time
New front marker lights about to be installed	Jennifer's new mobile (she hates it)
Testing the new wiring

The following photographs show John Claydon rebuilding the rear axle and the steering rack. You will recall that we switched to a 150 axle in order to take advantage of the brake rotors.

The discolouration on the powder coated chassis underneath the rear end is only dust residue from Cosme's repair of the damaged bootlid (see below).

Using a 150 axle in order to gain the benefit of the rotors	This car will be as nice underneath as on top!
Notice the new tyre well	Really pretty grimy...
Differential rebuilt and detailed
Rack rebuilt	We are fortunate to have John here to rebuild the rack - these XK units are tricky to get right
Axle shafts receive new bearings, narurally

Unfortunately, I have a minor drama to report since our last update!

The wooden frame for Jessie's boot lid decided to come apart on us causing damage to both the bootlid and the surrounding panel work. The frame had looked to be in perfect condition during Lawrence's body restoration last summer, but must have had internal dry rot problems as it splintered like a match stick!

As new boot frames are simply not available, we commissioned the services of a local carpenter who painstakingly reproduced a new frame using the remnants of the original as a template. I must say he did an absolutely superb job.

The following photographs show the bootlid during the repair process and then the car being repainted. With this particular drama now behind us, allow me to borrow a few words from the great Homer Simpson.....

"Let us never speak of this again"

New boot lid frame	Actually more difficult to recreate  than you might think
Lawrence, a sheet of aluminium and an English wheel	The area around the bootlid was damaged when the boot lid came apart
Once the repairs were done, we decided to repaint the entire rear 'clip'	Bootlid was painted insitu to ensure consistent metallic element
The results are stunning - Cosme has exceeded himself	The underside of the 'new' bootlid

I am delighted to report that all of the bodywork and paint is now complete and we are looking forward to beginning the reassembly process. The paintwork is truly stunning - I think you will be very pleased. Kevin has done an absolutely superb job.

Note: Lawrence was particularly pleased to see 'his' body painted. He talks about all of the cars he builds as if they were his own!

The following photographs show the car painted silver - and it really is beautiful! The doors, bonnet and wings etc are only bolted very loosely into place, so ignore the panel gaps as they will have to be adjusted when everything is tightened down. I think the car will look spectacular with the contrasting red interior.

We have now made arrangements for the car to be collected on August 6th and taken to the paint shop. Kevin expects to have the car for approximately 2 months. Per your request, I have asked Eric Suffolk to somehow 'sign' the seats before he returns them to me!

Safely back in the CJ warehouse awaiting transportation down to Kevin in Florida. Not much I can say about the work Lawrence has done other than I think this is now the best 140 roadster body I have ever seen.

I am delighted today to bring you pictures of an almost finished bodyshell. Lawrence has been putting in some seriously long days, attempting to finish your car before he goes on a well deserved vacation. I am still waiting to see samples of the Glasurit Jaguar Silver but will forward a swatch to you as soon as I have it in hand.

We are expecting to have the body back at CJ on by the middle of next week.

As you can see in the photographs, the body is looking absolutely fabulous. I expect you will be relieved to see it as a 'whole car' once again!

Great to see you last week, Don! The following pictures show the progress that Lawrence has been making. As you know (you helped deliver it!) the chassis is now rolling and has been reunited with the rear body section. I am told that the body will be finished on schedule, i.e. before Lawrence leaves on vacation on July 12th.

I just had to include a picture of the aluminium door being fabricated from scratch.....amazing stuff!
 

The chassis is now being slowly built up. Once it is back on its wheels, it will be taken over to Lawrence who is chomping at the bit to start reinstalling/trial fitting the 'new' body.

The bad news this update is that the ring and pinion is badly damaged and needs replacing. A new one is on order and should be with us in the next few days.

We are looking forward to your visit next week!

I marvel at the talents of Lawrence, our body man. He is taking flat sheets of stock steel and bending them into the image of a Jaguar. It really is amazing to watch!

The chassis is back from the powder coaters and looks absolutely perfect. Danny has already begun the process of installing the suspension and I will post some photos of that for you next week. My camera died on me when I tried to take some pictures last night...

Basically, a new rear end......
	New hinge supports
Lower LH fender replaced	What lurks under bondo and paint...

Here you see the suspension components following acid washing and painting. We need the chassis back from the powder coaters!

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The following photographs show a true artist at work. To watch Lawrence take a flat piece of sheet metal and hammer it into a recognizable panel is something to behold. Here you see him working on a new boot floor and inner rear wings (so far all we have managed to get back from the blasters). The rear cowl panel was formed on the English Wheel and fits perfectly.

Mike is picking up the rest of the body on Saturday so Lawrence will be able to make steady progress from this point forward.

Having finished a number of other projects we are now ready to focus in on the restoration of this wonderful old XK 140 roadster.

After the initial paint (and bondo) strip, we have now removed absolutely every mechanical component from the body and chassis. This afternoon we delivered what was left of the car to Lawrence who, as you know, will be carrying out the restoration of the body. We expect to see the car back here in around 12 weeks.

Next task will be to remove the body from the chassis and cut her completely in two! We will then have the chassis powder coated, as per our discussions, and start to build up a rolling chassis here at CJ while Lawrence works away with his English wheel and hammers!

The first photograph shows the C Type engine rebuilt and ready for action.

PS. Don't worry when you see the body in two halves - this is how we always restore XKs!
 

C Type engine now fully rebuilt

	Off for the full treatment from Lawrence
	The reason the front left wing will have to be replaced
Rear axle as removed from the chassis	Suspension rebuild already underway

As you can see in the photographs (actually taken around 3 weeks ago) we have been busy stripping the body by hand. So far she does not appear to have any major rust issues - although it will certainly be many pounds lighter once the vast amounts of bondo have been removed! The photograph of the spare wheel well signals replacement in that regard - but otherwise work is progressing nicely with no nasty surprises.

Good news today! We managed to find you a set of the correct C type valve covers. They look dirty in the photograph below but are actually in excellent condition. Wait until they have been introduced to our buffing wheel!

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An example of the type of upgrade being incorporated into this full Team CJ restoration - a beautifully crafted alloy radiator. As well tremendously improved cooling performance, the alloy radiator weighs less than 50% of the original!

The restoration of 'Jessie' is now well and truly under way! Over the last few days we are excited to have disassembled the entire car and embarked upon yet another full blown Team CJ restoration.

Other than the usual minor rust, the car has turned out to be exactly what we thought when we bought it - a solid, complete, running and driving XK that is a perfect candidate for restoration.

We hope you enjoy watching the restoration progress on these pages over the coming months.