The Last Throws of Summer – Workshop Update

The summer months are flying by here. With the workshop busier than ever, we have all been working harder than usual, particularly over the holiday period, with various members of staff taking well-earned breaks. There is still much of the 2024 season to look forward to, though.
We were at the Hampton Court Concours , was be another fantastic event. Interestingly, there seems to be increased interest in preservation classes at these concours events. It was great to see a Preservation Class car win at Pebble Beach. This is a trend worth keeping an eye on.
With the Goodwood Revival just around the corner, we are busy getting cars ready for our stand there. Our directors, Nik and Hazel, also have a tour planned to Angoulême for the Circuit des Remparts in September with Reggie, the XK140. Hopefully, we will have some nice photos from their trip to share. After that, we will be looking ahead to November for the NEC Classic Motor Show.
We already have a lot of work booked in for the winter, including some projects we are very excited to share with you. If you are looking to have work done on your car ahead of next spring, please do get in touch to book your car in.

Jaguar XK140 Refresh

This Jaguar XK140 drophead coupé has been in the same family from new and has a rather nice history. If you want to know more about this car's past, please let us know and we will find an opportunity to publish an article.
The car was partially restored some years ago but was now looking rather tired again. The owner has brought it in for a mechanical overhaul and a good refresh. This is by no means a restoration but more of a major 70-year service. We have now finished attending to some areas of the body that were suffering from corrosion and completed a full respray. With the car repainted, the hood and the original chrome work are being refitted. We are refitting as much of the chrome that was in good condition as possible, but we will be re-chroming components that are showing their age. Next, we will be fitting sound deadening throughout the interior before refitting the old trim.
There is also a programme of mechanical work to be completed on the car, including replacing all the perished suspension bushes with polyurethane components, fitting a new aluminium fuel tank, fitting a modern fuel pump, and upgrading the fuel system with ethanol-resistant components.

Goodwood Revival 2024

Next week (Friday 6th to Sunday 8th September) we will be at the 2024 Goodwood Revival. For those who have not visited, this is a mecca for classic car enthusiasts. This huge show has everything from genuine, full-blooded classic car racing to vintage fashion. There is a vast vintage funfair for the kids, a wide array of shops to enjoy, and great entertainment including live bands and dancing. The fact that everyone enters into the spirit of the event and dresses in period clothing really adds something special to the proceedings, making it truly feel like you are stepping back in time.
For me, what will make 2024 stand out from previous years is that the Goodwood Revival will race exclusively with sustainable fuel. This is a huge step for the event and marks an exciting move towards the future of a more sustainable classic car industry.
We will be in our usual location near Bonhams and Sky Cinema "Over the Road." Please do pop by and say hello to Ian, Nik, Martin, and Harry on the stand. We will be on hand throughout the weekend with some lovely cars for sale and to chat about all things XK and E-Type.

Hidden Stereo System

Over the years, we have fitted all sorts of stereo systems to XKs and E-Types. From modern radios hidden behind the centre drawer to period radios upgraded to receive Bluetooth and FM. We have tested them all. Not long ago, we shared a photo showing how we hide our speakers behind the trim in our restorations, giving good sound without compromising the look of the car. To follow that up, we thought it would be of interest to show our ultimate hidden stereo system.
Pictured here is an amplifier and a Bluetooth receiver hidden away in the footwell of an XK. This simple but elegant solution means you do not require an aerial or a visible unit in the car at all. It is hidden from view and connects to your phone, allowing you to stream music, radio, and navigation directly.
This system combines with our hidden speakers to provide great audio quality without a visual impact on the car. If using your phone to stream music isn’t for you, we also offer various FM and DAB radios which can be fitted behind the dashboard drawer on an XK120 or XK140 DHC or FHC, and period-looking radios for XK150 and OTS models.

Jaguar E-Type Servicing

This Jaguar E-Type was with us at the beginning of the summer for quite an extensive programme of mechanical work, including an upgraded ignition system. The owner has since enjoyed the car for a few months before bringing it back to us for some minor tweaks. Getting a classic car just right is an iterative process, especially when you want a car to be very reliable over long distances with long periods of not being used in between. The kind of use many of us want from our classics — where they will sit in a garage for days, weeks, or months on end before being taken out for a long run or a tour — puts a strain on many components and would challenge even more modern cars. We are always hugely grateful to our customers who understand the work required to get a car up to scratch and are willing to join us on the journey to make their classics as reliable and enjoyable as possible.
This E-Type is very typical of the process we work through. The current owner purchased the car earlier this year, and it had hardly been used for many years. As the new owner began to use the car, various faults came to light, as well as areas they wished to improve. It is only with use that these issues can be found and resolved. We put as many test miles on cars as we reasonably can, but we are always limited by the hours we can spend testing a car.

Jaguar MKII Gearbox Rebuild

Here we have the internal components from a Jaguar MKII saloon, all-synchromesh, overdrive gearbox. The car in question is a rather nice 3.8 manual overdrive model, which is with us for some ‘over winter’ work, including paintwork. The gearbox had developed a number of serious oil leaks which we had been monitoring for a few years. These had gradually worsened to the point where simply topping up the gearbox at each service and keeping a drip tray under the car was no longer sufficient. The owner also reported that the synchromesh on 2nd gear was not as good as it should be. With this in mind, the decision was made to remove the gearbox from the car. Given that this involves removing both the engine and gearbox together, it was decided to completely strip down and overhaul the gearbox.
We offer a full range of rebuild services, from carburettors to rear axles. If you require anything from an engine rebuild to having your carburettors rebuilt with ethanol-resistant components, please get in touch. We are pleased to offer this service both for cars in-house and for enthusiasts working on their cars at home.

Jaguar XK120 Restoration

Here’s a photo of a Jaguar XK120 OTS on which we completed a full nut and bolt restoration earlier in
the summer. It is always a great joy for us to hand over the keys of a completed restoration and send another happy owner off to enjoy their car. These projects take a long time to complete, with a very high level of attention to detail and much thought put into the specifications. Each restoration is as individual as its owner, requiring substantial input from the owner to ensure the car is just what they dreamed of. As such, we tend to build up a very close relationship with our customers, and because most of our customers keep and use their restorations long term, we maintain ongoing relationships with them and their cars, often lasting decades.
It is an honour to be trusted to build someone’s dream car. Taking a rusty, unloved wreck and turning it into a functional and enjoyable piece of art is one of the best parts of what we do. We have many more restorations in the pipeline, so if you are thinking of having a classic XK or E-Type restored, please get in touch and visit us to see what we do.

Another Controversial Tyre Post

Two months ago, we shared what we thought was a fairly innocuous post about tyres. In the post, we outlined some of the common faults we see resulting from age rather than wear. We pointed out that some safety groups suggest tyres should be replaced once they are five or six years old, but we recommend replacing tyres that are over ten years old. Most of all, we wanted to highlight the dangers that deteriorating tyres can present, especially given that many classic cars no longer have an annual MOT. We received some pushback on social media, suggesting that we were trying to get people to throw away perfectly good tyres, which is, of course, not our intention. We have no desire to see parts go to waste — indeed, what we do here is repair and restore old cars and parts. However, we do want to ensure that people's cars are safe to use on the road.
As if to reinforce my point, we had an XK120 come into the workshop with tyres in a terrible state. This photo shows the worst of the cracking on the sidewall, but these cracks were present all over the tyres. These are a good set of modern radial tyres with plenty of tread, but through age and lack of use, they have deteriorated. So please do check your tyres.

Jaguar E-Type Restoration

We thought it was time to share some more progress on the Series 1 fixed-head E-Type we are currently restoring. If you have read previous updates, you will know that this car came in as a running and driving vehicle. It was known to have some problems with the metalwork, and the owner bought it as a nice, complete car, knowing that he wanted to take it back to bare metal and do a full nut and bolt restoration. Once stripped to bare metal, we found that the body was in worse condition than anyone could have guessed from its outward appearance. It goes to show that the only way to really do a car properly and to know what is hidden underneath is to take it back to bare metal.
Great progress has been made, with new floors and sills being fitted, along with many other minor repairs along the way. The new door skins are in place, and we are setting about repairing the rear wheel arches. Much work will go in at this stage to ensure everything lines up and that the panel gaps are as good as possible. Time spent now to get the details right can save a huge amount of time, and trouble further down the line.

Jaguar XK120 Five-Speed Gearbox

Pictured here is a five-speed gearbox ready to be fitted to the XK120 OTS in the background. Our five-speed gearbox upgrades have consistently proved popular over the years, particularly for the XK120, as overdrive gearboxes weren’t an option. XKs and E-Types are brilliantly designed cars and wonderful to drive, but without a fifth gear or overdrive, they can become tiresome when cruising at 70 miles an hour on a motorway for any length of time. This, of course, wasn’t an issue when the XK120 was designed, as there were no motorways. However, if you want to drive comfortably in modern conditions, having a fifth gear can make all the difference.
We have fitted, tested, and experimented with many different gearbox upgrades for XKs over the years. The gearbox we currently use is robust, reliable, and easy to use without feeling overly slick and modern. It attaches to the original bell housing using an adaptor plate, and the gear stick emerges in almost the exact same location as the original, so no one need know the car has been upgraded. If you would like to discuss our gearbox upgrade or rebuild options, please get in touch.

Jaguar E-Type Series 3

Much like XKs, it is becoming quite rare to see an E-Type on its original wheels. I know that these steel wheels are not to everyone’s taste, and I completely understand why many people choose to switch their cars over to chrome wire wheels. However, it is rather nice to see a car on its original wheels, as it came from the factory. The Series 3 E-Type 2+2 is not generally considered the most desirable of the E-Type range, but we feel they have a lot to recommend them. They are eminently practical, with enough room for taller drivers, plenty of space for luggage, and even room for passengers in the back (as long as they can live with limited legroom). They also offer excellent value for money compared to some of their more sought-after siblings.
These days, we see plenty of V12 E-Types coming through the workshop. As they have become increasingly popular and valuable, more owners are seeking out experienced specialists to work on them. These aren’t the easiest cars to maintain, but with the right experience and knowledge, they can be made into wonderful cars to drive. This particular example is with us due to a very bad power steering leak, amongst other jobs. It will soon be back in good order and ready to be returned to its owner.