The E-Type (XK-E) Forum

Worked on the dash top removal. That part was easy but getting the piece next to the screen out is a real challenge. Need to get as much exposed as possible to start replacing the wiper mechanism: tight space to work in. Hopefully can finish removing the dash tonight as an expected snow storm thrashes around outside. Time is approaching when the car can be back on clear roads without salt and I want to be prepared.

Drove "Ginger" (red 69 2+2 FHC) to work today, Beatle's White Album on the cassette deck.
Ob-la-di Ob-la-da!
Life is Good.

See ya on the road!

What did my e type and me do today? Last year the starter motor drove me mad. Late August I closed my garage door and. Said. You are not coming out of there till your fixed. Well! Today I acquired a reconditioned starter motor. That looks just like a new one. Now I will ring my friend. Micheal. ( he who is a walking genius on E types)and twist his arm to find time to fix it. His answer. Being. I've got A mk11and a 3.8. E type in pieces here. However The promise Of a few cash sheckles.in his hand. Alright. Bring it round. So, I am once again like a kid with a new toy. Looking forward to Afew spring like days and its up to the Lake District PETROL. It loves it. Who cares. Once I am looking down that gorgeous long bonnet. William. And that's after I have owned 30 years. Plus

I've finally given in after 32 years ownership to modern technology and bought a 123 electronic distributor. Fed up with points adjustment every spring! Also bought silicone plug leads to go with it.

Hello all,

I spend most of my time on the MG side of the site, thus my picture is of my '70 B. If you click on the car list for the Jag I have a couple pictures of it as well. Here is a brief history of the car and what I've been doing lately:

My father purchased what is now my E Type in 1975 while we were living in Carmel-By-The-Sea, California. Dad was a Colonel in the Air Force, a former pilot, and had been appointed to the American Embassy in Malaysia. The entire family left in December of 1975 for Malaysia and thankfully my father put the car into long term storage, rather than selling it.

I returned to the States in the fall of 1975 to attend college at Fresno State and was allowed to get the E out of storage and use until the family returned in 1978. During the time I had the E, a tappet guide worked it's way up, caught the exhaust cam and broke it. This resulted in a top end rebuild.

Dad had the car for the next several decades. In 1995-1998 he had it "restored" in a shop in Illinois. The restoration included an engine rebuild. From 1998 until last August, when he gave the E to me, Dad had put under 800 miles on the car. It had spent most of it's time in storage (enclosed) except for an occasional jaunt.

Last September my wife and I took the E to the coast with our local British Car Club. Once we arrived in Eureka, the water pump went out, dumping coolant everywhere! What started out as a "simple" water pump rebuild has really SNOWBALLED. Here it is the end of March and I am now doing a full rebuild on the engine. Since the car was hardly driven, the rings never seated from the rebuild in the 90's. I guess the car knew things weren't right and wanted to let me know!

As of now, the head is in the machine shop, I just pulled the pistons, I have already completely rebuilt the cooling system and fixed issues in the engine compartment wiring. I hope to have it all back together in a couple of months. While it is apart I am also polishing all of the aluminum parts and refreshing the coatings on all engine parts.

The E now has a nickname...SNOWBALL!

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Charlie
'64 XKE 3.8 Coupe

Hi Charlie, welcome to the JagExp and thanks for sharing your story!
Great collection of cars you've got there... perfect really...

Is it called "Snowball" because fixing a few things has snowballed into a full restoration?

Skye

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Webmaster, The Jaguar Experience

Skye,

BINGO! You hit the nail on the head. But it's ok. I have the tools and mostly have the knowledge to do most of the work on my own. What I don't know I can always ask and search answers for.

This and the MG site are great. Thank you for your work in maintaining them.

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Charlie
'64 XKE 3.8 Coupe

So this past weekend I was cruising pawn shops looking for the usual movies & music; I happened to wander over to the tool section and lo & behold in a junk tool bin is a brand new 12v motor. The part number tickled my memory so I wrote it down for later. Score! It was a Dayton 2M197 listed as a cross match for the Jag heater fan motor. Ten bucks later it now has replaced my noisy, screechy, barely blowing fan motor.
That was a bit of all right.

See ya on the road!

Mando

Ginger, 69 XKE FHC 2+2

Wiper mechanism is now out, motor all cleaned up from years of old grease. Friend at work managed to get the motor working and we freed up movement in the wiper mechanism enough for me to feel I can put it back in for another 40+ years of operation. Will test the motor on the car tonight before making final decision.
I cannot wait for the new mechanism to arrive and I feel I can swap out now in an afternoon when it does arrive but of course, I still have to allow time for my first reseating of the three dash top parts which could be hours of fun gettintg all the air hoses back in place.
Loving the small stuff while I wait for the first day back on the road.

...but no go when tried in the car.
Another elctrical mystery to be sorted but at least I can see just about all the wiring right now. New switch is in place so could be connected incorrectly.
I'll find it!

Well can't report that I have done anything in weeks. The project 68 still sits in the garage. Need to load it up and get it to the body shop. It ia either weather or time that prevents moving the body.

With the help of Chris vine from Etypeuk forum, new diagram for the switch resulted in wiper motor being powered up and operating!
Still awaiting replacement wiper mechanism but have freed up enough movement for the old one to go back.

Well I am happy to report the body is gone to the body shop for final repairs/alignment then paint. Hopefully will have it back later this summer. In the meantime it is time to complete engine assembly, IRS, and the front suspension parts to get done while I have room in my garage.

Spent the vast majority of the last week cleaning, polishing and rebuilding the crabs while waiting the arival if the rings and main bearings. Turned out pretty well I think. Here are some before and after pics.

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Charlie
'64 XKE 3.8 Coupe

Sunday , Today I went to my first car show since last September. Riverside near Southport. It was a large steam country farming type show Really good. I had not had my car out for. 7 months Last year the starter kept sticking I put it in the garage and said you are not coming out of there till your fixed. ,winter set in and I just left it Until end of March. When my friend Took it it on a low loader. And put me a reconditioned as new starter moter on. Looking forward to a few sunny days and car shoes. William