Two miles per year
I’ve been itching to get started on reviving my Us-import E-type 2+2, bought in 2015 before prices rocketed. First priority was to get it home from the barn, so I rounded up wife Helena, son Fraser and his girlfriend Georgia to lift off the bonnet. We changed the incorrect ribbed cam covers for the correct polished ones, sourced online – and were glad we had done so before starting the engine, because I found a small bolt lying loose beside one camshaft. It could have done untold damage if left to rattle around in there when running.
Over Christmas, Helena and I set to work. First question – will it run? The engine looks very clean – it’s not the original but has a block from a slightly later E-type, what appears to be a new cylinder head and all the correct manifolds and ancillaries for a 1966 car. With lots of Redex injected everywhere (US cars that have sat a long time suffer from gummed-up valves), we were ready to try – but the fuel pump wasn’t working.
I dismantled it, to find that too was gummed up. Freed off, and with the oxidised points cleaned, the straight six burst into life – and promptly flooded the float chambers, with fuel pouring out of unions. Pump disconnected but chambers full and choke wedged open, I turned the key and pressed the button. The engine roared into life! Only for a few seconds until it had drained the float chambers, but it sounded healthy and fired on all six. A compression test showed all was well – but I didn’t want to run the engine longer with no cooling system and leaky fuel joints, so shut it down.
We bought a Burlen carburettor rebuild kit and I stripped them back. Fortunately they were complete and original with little wear, but full of muck and the rubber diaphragms were rock-hard – they wouldn’t have lasted long. Rebuilding was a satisfying job, and while I was working on that, Helena tackled the front subframes. We were pleased to find that all were rustfree and still in their original factory paint. Unfortunately, said paint looked nothing like when it had come out of the factory! It seems the Opalescent Maroon pigments were unstable, and oxidised even without sunlight to a dull pink.
I ordered a tin from Autopaints of Brighton and Helena repainted most of the frames, just leaving the area around the chassis number which I will lacquer as is, for proof of originality!