Another Monocoque Metalworks E-Type going back together!

I just received these photos last evening from our customer from a few years ago – Bud…

Bud’s car is the earliest E-Type I have ever worked on – although not by much! We are putting the finishing touches on the monocoque shell for the 43rd LHD E-Type Coupe just now – but Bud’s car is just a tad earlier than that – being the 41st!

When we met Bud, his car was already underway at another restoration shop, but he was starting to feel that because of the extremely low serial number of this E-Type, that the restoration should probably be taken up a notch… Let me tell you – since then, Bud has taken it up about TEN notches!

He started out by asking us to build a perfect example of an early, welded-louver and welded-flange bonnet – you can read about this work in detail in our blogs – look in the category “1961 Welded-louver bonnet” on the right… We painstakingly built this bonnet using an original welded-louver center section, original R.H. and L.H valence and air duct assemblies, and original front under panel assembly — reproducing even the finest details based on another early ’61 OTS that was in our shop at that time. Patterning the wider, and slightly different flanges was very time-consuming – some of these flange patterns were re-drawn FOUR times! Since then, we have used some of the patterns occasionally to reproduce these flanges for the restoration of other early bonnets around the world – call us if you need some!

Once the bonnet was completed, we restored his frame rails, and then fitted the new bonnet to his existing monocoque shell, which was already restored and in primer – we did not do any of the work on the shell (but I did take a TON of photos of the nuances of it – which came in REAL handy for #43!). Finally, we delivered the completed shell to a new restoration shop in Virginia…

Over the past few years, Bud has struggled to find the proper restoration facility for this early FHC… Finally, Bud chose “Classic Showcase” in Oceanside, CA – a well-known E-Type restoration facility where several of the high-dollar E-Types sold at auction in the past few years have been restored. I think he is at the right place now, and coming down the home stretch!

One thing I should note about this project is that doing an early car like this – correctly – is NOT for the faint of heart! It requires a great deal of research, AND parts scrounging! Compounding Bud’s restoration are two factors working against him in my opinion:

The car was missing a few early parts when he started, and he has literally scoured the earth for the correct early bits and pieces.
Bud is a FANATIC about doing the car 100% perfectly correct! In his quest, I think he could rewrite the book on these early cars – he is continually calling me and others I know searching for original parts with obscure little differences!

Luckily for me, while the car is in California currently, Bud does not live that far away, and I promise you that I’ll be dashing down there to see this car when it is completed! The car will be finished in its original color scheme of Opalescent Gunmetal (matched against an original 1961 Jaguar paint swatch…) and red interior, and it will be very close to the original E-Type show cars unveiled to the world in 1961! Sitting in this one, restored, is as close as you can get to experiencing the newborn E-Type!

Hang in there, Bud – can’t wait to see you cross the finish line with this one! – Chuck

: Beautiful show-quality paint everywhere! Here, the engine frame rails are being assembled at Classic Showcase in California. I didn’t know the assembler, so I smudged out his face – it’s not a ghost…

: At Classic Showcase, each car gets its own “stall” for assembly. I thnk what I envy most about their shop is the SPACE!

: This shot is great – not because it shows the attention to detail of the paint on the interior of the car, but because we can see all of the E-Type parts ready to be installed on restored shells sitting on those shelves!

: Things are going to go VERY quickly at this point, as nearly all of the components have been restored. This is the restored early IRS assembly. That is the correct color for an E-Type differential – NOT orange, as is often seen…

: The restored, early-style rear hatch being fitted for interior trim.

: Time has passed in this shot, and the front suspension has been restored and partially installed.

: Headliner is glued in – flawlessly, and the foam padding is being applied to the edge support pieces. One thing about an E-Type roof – it has to be PERFECT – inside and out – since the headliner is glued directly to the metal!

: New wiring harness being installed – I’m sure that if there are nuances to the wiring of this car, Bud knows what they are and will make sure they are all present!

: Another shot of the wiring – but again, I just like looking through al of the cool stuff in the background!

: We’re just beginning to get a small taste of what the red leather interior will look like against the Opalescent Gunmetal. The contrast of these two colors is really going to make this car POP!