1966 E Type Roadster (RJ) Full restoration

Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows: Full restoration of car that is to become a frequent driver.

The car is due to be collected at 9am tomorrow morning (7/13) and should be with you in the next few days. It has been our pleasure to build this beautiful E Type for you, Rick, and we also appreciate the enormous generosity you have shown towards Evan and Earl. Many thanks from your friends at CJ in Austin, Texas.

I thought you might like to see a video clip of your E Type's maiden voyage. The car is running exceptionally well and should be rejoining you in Indianapolis very soon!

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Installing the convertible top (that I hope you never need to raise).

New wheels and tyres and your seats are returned to the car for the first time in over a year! Not long now!

Assembling your seats	Better than new!	Your chair awaits!
Interior almost completed	New Dayton wire wheels	Latest Pirelli P4000 super touring tyres

With spring just around the corner it is now time to install your new interior!

Click on the photograph below to witness the initial firing of your engine in the CJ Workshops! Notice the mechanical oil pressure gauge showing a healthy 50psi.

MJM wants to buy your car!

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We are now literally just days away from the first road test of your car. The new steering wheel and matching knob from Saul Chaplin at British Auto Wood have now been installed and look great. The seats and centre console have been retrimmed in biscuit (the photographs don't show the colour very well because of the artificial lighting in the CJ trim room).

I'm not sure we have ever had an E Type go together as quickly as this one - I hope you are pleased with the progress!

Ray and Eric installing your new Triplex screen

Installing new SS exhaust	New washer bottle now in place	Jet-Hot coated manifolds
New British Auto Wood wheel and gear knob	Dash top retrimmed	Seats now retrimmed
As nice underneath as they are on top!	Centre console treated to new hides	New boot release installed

Installing new boot latch	Installing the boot lid	All gauges now installed
Release cable failed inspection!

Edging ever closer to that maiden voyage around the CJ carpark!

Bonnet now installed	Installing plug wires	Alternator shield
Wiring in the dashboard	New switches installed	Rebuilt wiper motor
A shame to cover the gas tank up!	Installing new fuel pump

The engine bay starting to come together nicely!

Reservoirs were already fairly new and  still in great condition	Mallory Unilite was also in new condition	We made a new firewall fuel line
Plumbing in the sparks...	Installing the carbs....

Amazing to think that just a few days ago the car was still in primer! I hope you are pleased with the latest update report, Rick.

Installing new HP dampner	CJ5 clutch disc and Team CJ alloy flywheel	CJ5 five speed
Installing the flywheel	Gear reduction starter	IRS now installed
Installing door top chrome	Sway bar reinforcement blocks installed	Uprated CJ sway bar
Stainless firewall heater pipe kit	New waterpump and side mounted timing pointer	Braided oil line
Restored heater box	Installing the 5 speed	Front raised to accept the engine and trans
Engine installed from underneath	Note uprated engine mounts	Rear stabilizer mount
Lowering car onto the engine	Done!	Just a battery tray, but nobody said it shouldn't  look nice!
Installing the adj reaction plate and CJ torsion bars	Steering column goes in....	CJ5 installed

A momentous occasion - your car has now been moved from the Team CJ Coachworks to an assembly area in the CJ workshops!

SUs now fully rebuilt	Nickel plated fuel rail	Engine frames painted 10/16
This is where your car will be put together	Time to install the engine frames	Almost time for the IRS...
Mating the picture and bonnet hinge frame	Bolting them to the side frames	Not forgetting to insert the various suspension components
Horn brackets go on now	Grade 8 bolts throughout	Ground wires for horns must be installed now
Lower control arms being installed....	Rebuilt brake booster gets in on the act	Easier to install the data  plate before the fuel bowl
		To be continued!
Brake union installed	Poly bushings throughout

We now have everything sanded and buffed and it is time to start bolting your car back together!

New boot badging	Installing sound deadening material inside the doors	A close up of the material
Installing all the new or rebuilt latches	Installing the rubber seals	Chrome has been replated
More chrome....	Window frames	Installing the RH door
Driver's door now installed	Rebuilding the carbs	Dashpots polished
Passenger door now installed	Installing the door handles	Carbs almost done

Time to paint you car at last. I hope you like the colour! We will be sanding and buffing the car today (and Monday), but I thought you might appreciate a sneak preview at what it will look like!

Masking off the interior	Your new screensaver?	Just about to sand and buff
Actually darker than it appears in booth lighting	Doors, bootlid, etc painted off the car

Body Shutz being applied to front arches	Almost ready for some colour	Inside of doors will be painted at this stage.....
	As well as the underside of the deck lid	Door in epoxy primer
Boot lid in epoxy primer	Bonnet is also sealed with epoxy primer	Base will follow in about  30 minutes.....
Opalescent Dark Green	More Opalescent Dark Green	Clear coat being applied
The colour looks beautiful!

At this stage we are painting the underside of your car, as well as the firewall, interior cabin and boot compartment. During the next couple of days the entire car will be repainted. I hope you enjoy watching it come together!

Applying epoxy primer underneath....	and in the boot compartment....	and in the interior
Underside now totally sealed	Time for some Opalescent Green	Boot compartment now green
As is the underside of the floor	Rear bulkhead is painted and clear coated	Boot floor gleaming in the sunshine

First of all, Rick, many thanks for the kindness you have shown towards Sam's boys. I can't tell you how much you are appreciated by the entire CJ team.

Lots of progress with your car over the last week or so. We now have all the outer panels in high build, blockable primer and have begun the final blocking process. The current schedule looks like we will seal the entire body and apply the Opalescent Dark Green paint on Monday, September 22nd.

Final fit of chrome...	Screen rubber is temporarily installed to trial fit door cappings in conjunction with screen pillars	Looks as if you could almost drive it away....
Chrome removed, photographed and shipped to platers	More chrome to be replated....	Gauges rebuilt and dash retrimmed
Good as new!	Time for 2 coats of high build primer	Lawrence puts a guide coat on the car - and autographs it!
Boot lid also receives a guide coat....	As do the doors	Bonnet is primed in the same high build, blockable primer
Underside of bonnet also receives  a great deal of attention

Since I posted the photographs yesterday, I have been asked to explain what is meant by the statement "block each panel in conjunction with its neighboring panel". The pictures below show Lawrence demonstrates how he uses an extra long blocking pad, blocking the front wing, cowl and door as one unit.

Every now and then he wipes the panel down with DX 330 (cleaning agent) which provides a temporary gloss and thereby highlights any imperfections or ripples. I am pleased to report that none were found during this inspection!

Since my last report we have spent many hours blocking your bodyshell striving to make this the straightest E Type we have ever built. As you can hopefully tell from the photographs below, it might just be.....

We will be applying the final coats of high build primer later this week (followed by even more blocking) then one more coat of primer and some Opalescent Dark Green.

Lawrence was making so much dust that we threw him outside....	Perfect panel gaps	Remember the back edge of the bonnet?
Each panel is blocked in conjunction with its neighbor

Lawrence had to add about 3/4" to the length of the centre section and the right hand wing. As you can see, after a little lead loading, the repair is invisible.

Acid washing the inside of the  bellypan prior to priming	Loosely bolted together for an initial trial fit - found to be 3/4" short	New sheet metal welded in place
Brace was drilled out and reinstalled - amazing to watch Lawrence do such things	Lead loading side panel and repairs to wing and centre section	RH wing now fits perfectly....
As does the cowl/centre section	That's all there is to it!	A coat of Opalescent Dark Green base prior to reassembly
Bonnet now going back together	Ducts are all loosely bolted, then glued into place	Excess adhesive will be cut away later
Trial fitting stone guard	Headlamp chrome is trial fitted with the actual glass and rubber seal that will be used in final assembly	Ready for final body prep...

At this stage we are trial fitting all the chrome and brightwork. Nothing very glamerous to photograph, but nonetheless a crucial part of any restoration. You can see from the pictures of the lights why we needed to buy new units!

Yesterday we sealed the 'new' body with PPG DP90 epoxy primer. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed a thimble full of the stuff for my Bonneville gas tank!

Bare metal shell moves into the CJ booth	Mike priming the car	Note Bonneville gas tank!
Bodyshell now better than new	Epoxy primer inside & out	Soon to be Opalescent  Dark Green!

We have been making good progress with the body this week, preparing your car for paint. At the same time we have continued building various mechanical components so that the car can be back on all four wheels within a couple of days of turning Opalescent Dark Green.

At this stage you have to temporarily install the rubber seals and latches, etc, in order to ensure perfect panel gaps once the car is fully assembled.

As you can see, we are now getting ready for the reconstruction phase. I decided to sell you a good used heater box rather than spend $$$$ reconstructing your original - which was horrible! The upper steering column has been welded and rebuilt and we have started to work our way through all the various engine bay ancillaries.

Stamping your new Team CJ  picture frame

Happy Christmas, Rick!

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The first batch of photographs show your car as it looked after bead blasting. Although it obviously looked horrible (!) I promise you they all look pretty much same before we let Lawrence loose on them! Hard to believe this was a running and driving car just a few weeks ago!

The more recent shots show your E Type with all its brand new floors, inner and outer sills, kick panels, lower firewall, complete rear boot assembly, transmission tunnel, door skins, etc, etc. The inside of the tub has been sealed with epoxy primer and the underside has been generously coated with 3M rocker guard. All of the internal box sections and panels have been coated with Wurth Body Wax

John has already rebuilt your engine, the IRS assembly, and reassembled all your nickel plated front suspension.

Welding and lead loading the nose	Making a new belly pan
Lawrence does like a spot weld!	Restored front wing goes into place

We now have your car ready for bead blasting. The engine is already at the machine shop and your front and rear suspensions have been torn down and their various component parts sent out for powder and nickel plating.

Engine already at machine shop	Steering column was snapped
Brake booster was full of fluid	John Claydon removing the interior
Every little helps!	Old frames are in the dumpster..

On the rotisserie for blasting..

Another typical Team CJ workshop project gets underway. This 1966 roadster has been butchered in the engine bay, both mechanically and structurally. We will be replacing the engine frames and a good portion of the lower bodywork, as well as rebuilding the car mechanically.

Time to take the engine out!	Not a moment too soon - really as bad a structural repair as I have ever seen
The floors are poor, all the way to the rear of the car
Horrific repairs to LH engine frame..	This flex pipe was crushed before it got to the CJ Workshop.....
Engine out....	Throw out bearing completely worn away...
Rebuilt head????? No big valves here...
Badly damaged pistons