2018-03-10 20:21:26 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 3/18
www.lloydsonline.com.au/LotDetails.aspx

Auction description:
Lot: 47
1970 Jaguar E type Series 2
Body: 2-Door Coupe
Odometer: Indicating
Engine: 4.2L 6-Cylinder
Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
Colour: Primrose Yellow
Seats: 2

This Series II E-Type coupe was first registered in the Australian state of Victoria in April of 1971, although build sheets tell us it was manufactured in November of 1970. It's a genuine right-hand drive E-Type in Primrose Yellow with all numbers matching. At the time the vendor acquired the vehicle (from a family friend in May 1989) the car had travelled 66000miles. The previous owner had owned it for eight years and the car had covered 48500miles in that time. Current mileage showing stands at 73196miles on the clock.
After several years of ownership and immense driving pleasure including rallies with other members of the Australian Jaguar Owners Club, the vendor set about the task of a full restoration of the E-Type that included some uprating of components with the aim of greater reliability and usability at minimal expense to originality of the car.
Being a resident of the state of Queensland meant that the vendor could take advantage of more than 300 days a year of sunshine to enjoy the Jaguar, the only downside being that a quality air-conditioning system and cooling system for the E-Type were a must.
In 2003 the current owner began the process of restoration and was well-equipped to take on the task coming from a lifetime in aeronautical engineering. The planning for the restoration centred on improvements that could be easily reversed at a later date if complete originality was required in the future. This decision was made with the realisation that not destroying the originality of an all numbers matching car was important.
The improvements made during the project include a custom air-conditioning system along with other refinements to keep the engine running cool. A new heater box was fabricated in stainless steel and the circulation fan was relocated to the passenger side upper foot-well as per modern cars today. This box contains the heater and cooling radiators and fits up as a neat replacement in the same position as the original unit. Conditioned air is ducted into the cabin through the original demister and heater ducts and is very effective. Demisting now occurs in seconds as the moisture is removed from the air.
For cooling the big six-cylinder engine the owner fitted an aluminium radiator to aid cooler running. The Queensland climate is extreme and these cars were not designed for Australia's consistently hot climate so the owner decided that the cooling fan setup was not good enough for our driving conditions and so redesigned and fitted a new setup. The main differences were higher capacity fans relocated such that the off-side unit was lowered, enabling air to be blown under the alternator and over the exhaust manifold rather than straight into the face of the alternator. The shroud was made to fit the whole length of the radiator, not just the top two thirds. The owner then made improvements to cooling air flow over the motor by removing the original louvered aluminium stone guards and replacing them with expanded metal guards to improve air flow. Ceramic coating inside and out of engine headers was the next step. The original porcelain coating on the headers always had a tendency to crack and peel with age so the headers were ceramic coated internally and externally which has given the car a lift in performance due to less surface friction of exhaust gases and a smooth appearance on the outside.
Next up was the stainless steel exhaust system with all exhaust mounts replaced and then it was onto the mechanicals. The crankshaft was out being ground for the rear main seal modification, and all bearing journals and bore diameters were checked and found to be within specification. New rings and shells were fitted along with a new high-performance oil pump. The cylinder bores were honed but not resized. The flywheel face was ground flat and the head was bead blasted and valves re-seated. The motor overall was found to be in good condition as was to be expected with so few miles on it but a further upgrade of a double-lip rear main oil-seal was deemed necessary. This modification is a vast improvement over the original rope seal which was the reason many E-Types leak. The seal housing had to be modified and the crank journal ground to match the new seal diameter but no oil leaks have ensued since, nor are any expected. The brakes had all pads replaced and stainless wire woven flexible brake lines fitted and the master cylinder was overhauled. The electronic ignition was the next item to be fitted. This was done to improve performance and overcome the necessity to adjust points when tuning the car. The performance difference is noticeable. An uprated 110-amp alternator was fitted from a V12 Jaguar to accommodate the extra electrical load due to the air-con system. A gel battery has been fitted for superior cranking amps and long battery life and all interior bulbs were replaced with LED's with a much brighter display the result. All the heater/radiator hoses were replaced with Kevlar reinforced rubber hoses, with other rubber items renewed being all of the body rubbers. New wiring looms were installed and much chroming of brake pipes springs and fittings was done to improve the overall visual effect.
During the strip down, the body was found to be almost completely rust free with only a small floor weld required on the passenger side floor due to moisture entering over time through the passenger side window. A full bare-metal strip down was carried out but very little needed correcting.
The cooling water pipes that run inside the firewall for the heater are mild steel and when these were removed they were found to be serviceable but were replaced with fabricated stainless steel ones so the possibility of corrosion will never be an issue.
Very little filler was found in the body with no panels requiring replacement. As evidenced by the photos the car was completely disassembled including all bonnet metal parts. Each of the bonnet panels was separated and sprayed individually both inside and out. It is not commonly known that Jaguar only sprayed the bonnet after assembly and thus created an opportunity for rusting to occur where the panels meet. On reassembly all spacer washers and screws were replaced with stainless steel components before respraying the whole bonnet assembly.
Inside the car very little work was required, with only some minor seat work carried out and the addition of a modern radio as well as a 14-inch Moto-Lita steering wheel. This smaller steering-wheel provides more leg room and better feedback from the road without being too heavy and also looks the part.
On removing the fuel tank it was found that the area underneath which rests on a felt pad had some surface rust. All of this was removed and all tank fitments were re-welded or brazed as necessary whilst the tank was out of the car, the complete unit was then powder coated.
The wire wheels were then sorted with all necessary rework carried out including re-chroming, resetting and replacing any spokes as required. Some minor re-chroming was carried out as necessary for the bright-work at this point also.
All suspension bushes and engine mounts were replaced while at the front end, upper and lower ball joints were replaced as well as tie-rod ends. The rear end was a little more involved, as it is with most classic Jaguars, as the whole assembly was removed for a complete strip down, spray and reassembly with new seals and bearings fitted.

The results are impressive to say the least with such a thorough restoration process resulting in one the nicest and most usable E-Types Lloyds has had the pleasure of putting to auction. Being on older restoration there are areas of the car which aren't perfect but wear the expected patina of 15 years and 11000-odd miles of enjoyment after the restoration was completed in 2003-04.

This E-Type has been subject to much interest at car shows and was featured in Unique Cars magazine in the March 2017 issue, with the story online here:
www.tradeuniquecars.com.au/reader-restoration/1703/series-ii-jaguar-e-type-reade ...

VIN/Chassis No: IR20857
ENG No: 7R125898

Sold unregistered