That's a good question. I believe that the answer is a combination of a) we wanted to keep as much of the original car as we could; and b) the extent of how much work was going to need to be done wasn't fully apparent until we were sufficiently down the path that it didn't make sense to start over.
Gotta chime in (again) love this thread! Need to dig out old photos from my "redo" in '81 - nothing like this one though. I'm curious as it's getting time to do it all over again - what DOES a tub run these days?
Here are a few new photos of the progress. Much of the plumbing and wiring is now in place and the dynamat has been installed. The upholstery is ready to go in next week. The whitewalls are on as temporary tires to move the car about and to give me a sense of what they look like. It's a bit much for road use but I will consider having a set for show. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
More photos. This car won't be lacking for personality. I hope it's not overdone! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
A little more interior work completed. Seats won't go in until the end. Hoping to have the engine installed and running within about 4 weeks. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
A bit off topic, but here is a very cool Mark II that was in the shop when I visited. It is a customer car that has low miles on an older restoration. The car is for sale. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I grabbed two low res photos from the webcam of the bonnet. The first one is without the headlight covers or turn signals. The second one is all dressed up with headlights, glass and chrome trim - almost ready to be mated to the car (in the background). The Cotswold Blue is a color that really comes alive when the trim is added. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hello, i just came across this thread and wanted to express my admiration for your restoration. I had Dave Ferguson do some minor bodywork on my OTS and got to tour his facilities, so the jig and other shots looked familiar.... He does great work. In case its helpful, I've attached a couple photos, so you can see Cotswold Blue with a blue top (albeit on an XK) as well as a Cotswold Blue OTS with blue tonneau cover in the shade on a sunny day. Sorry that the CB is in the background, I was focused on my BRG. Finally, I thought I'd put a plug in for the local Jag club, the Jaguar Associate Group. The membership contains a diverse selection of older and newer cats. The home page is jags dot org. Best wishes for you and your car and I hope to see you on the road soon! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Neat photos and your BRG E looks great - that is a timeless color combo for the car. Thanks for sharing the Cotswold XK photo. It is a unique and pretty color and I think it looks smashing on the XK - seems to really work for that era. The navy blue top seems to work very well as well, although I'm assuming it's a navy interior - I could be wrong. With my interior being red, I'm still concerned about doing the top in other than black. We're going to try to put the whole car together and then lay large swatches of navy, black and tan on the car in order to make a final decision on the top. That should come up in about 3 weeks.
Thank you for your kind remark about my car. Given your CB/red combo, I think black, navy or tan would each be desirable. I'd offer a few additional considerations I don't recall reading earlier today: As I have a tan top, my suggestion would be to think about your likely usage pattern (top mostly up or down? sunny days only or all-weather warrior?) and willingness to devote additional time caring for the top. The tan will more easily show dirt and hence if the top is up more, you may need to clean it more frequently. Your dash will be black. Since you have red A-pillars, perhaps you don't want to introduce tan as yet another interior color, since I believe a tan top would be tan on both the interior and exterior. I don't know if a navy top would also have a navy interior or if they could be ordered with a red interior surface? So perhaps a black top pulls everything together the best, especially if you use period black rubber mats to protect the carpet. FWIW the pics were taken a couple years ago so my memory has faded, but my recollection of the XK was that the interior was gray, as evidenced by by the door trim. Hope this helps. Regardless of what you select, the car will look stunning.
Sorry for the long gap in any posts. We decided that our goal was to have the car finished in time to debut at Quail, which is now next week. With that I've not seen many photos and am now looking forward to being "surprised" when I see the car on the lawn at Quail - should be fun. Now just hoping nothing goes wrong in the next week and that the car actually makes it! Here are a couple photos of the engine, which is now in the car.
It is not going to be a shy car that is for sure . Light blue and dark blue trim would have been my choice. But your car and undoubtably beautifully executed. Pete
Nice work! I have a '67 under a full restoration as well. It was a 30,000 mile car, all original with absolutely no damage or rust. It is completely taken apart now It is a golden sand color, which is what I will no doubt keep it. The interior will be the cinnamon color.
Unfortunately the car did not get completed in time to make it to the Quail. We should be done in the next week or so. Here is a picture I was sent of the engine now in the chassis.
