Jaguar E-type S2

MG man’s long-held dream comes true when he gets a Jaguar E-type project.

Back in 2012, Mark Wanstall heard about a Series 2 E-type Jaguar project for sale. As he explains: 'I heard about it fourth-hand, and bought it from a chap who owns a body shop. I particularly wanted it because E-types seem hard to find as restoration projects, most of them having been done up already.'

The car Mark found was a UK-spec 1968 Series 2 with the 4.2-litre (4235cc) XK in-line six- cylinder engine. When Mark bought it, the car was a rolling shell. It had been partly dismantled in 1982 and had sat around since, but thankfully it had retained the vast majority of its parts, and those were all included as part of the package.

With the Series 2, the E-type got amendments to lighting to conform with the then current regulations, and Mark’s car is an early version of this series. 'This is the 20th righthand- drive UK Series 2 E-type,' he explains. 'Details were still changing at that point, so things like the seat flutes on this are smooth rather than perforated which came in later. Jaguar changed stuff all the time, they were always tweaking things.'

Mark had a clear goal in mind for the car, saying: 'I tried to restore the Jaguar using as many of the original parts as I could. I didn’t want a new car built from after-market bits, but instead I wanted to re-use and re-machine as many of this Jaguar's own parts as possible, to try and keep it as original as I could.'

In line with this ethos, Lucas items such as the starter motor and alternator were refurbished, even though buying new parts off the shelf may have been a quicker and easier option. It helped that Mark, through his Fisher Services business, already had relationships with local companies he knew he could trust to do the work properly. As for parts that were needed, one of the main specialists Mark used for those was SNG Barratt of Bridgnorth ( www. sngbarratt.com).

'I plated everything that I could,' he adds, 'all the nuts and bolts, everything. That's because I want Jaguar nuts and bolts, not aftermarket replacements. That's also why I had all the original chrome work replated rather than replaced.

' When I got the car, it was clear that someone had already undertaken some repairs to it. They had, for example, done the outer sills and bits of floor work along with some re-spraying, but it had gone dull and a few bits of rust had come back. In fact, we had to do quite a bit of work on the bodyshell, including all the sills, the centre crossmember, full floors and new doors. The engine frame, boot bulkhead and rear panels are fairly original with just some small repairs, but it’s not a brand new body as it didn’t need to be. The condition of the shell was more or less what I thought it was going to be, but putting the whole floor panels in was made easier because a big chunk of work had been done already, which was a nice bonus. It also helped that to make access easier, the shell was mounted on a spit.'

Mark was willing to make some changes from the original, though. This Jaguar left the factory painted British Racing Green, but he chose to repaint it in Regency Red (code TDD) instead. 'I don’t like green cars generally and I prefer the look

of Jaguars in red,' he explains. 'People say you should keep it original, but I know people who wouldn’t buy an E-type because it is green and if you don’t like it, why keep it? I’d never paint it a colour that was non-standard for the model and year, but if there is a nicer alternative colour, I’ll happily choose that.'

All the bodywork restoration and paint was carried out in-house, and the two-pack solid paint does look rather stunning. For the high level of quality Mark wanted to achieve, a few other items had to be replaced, as you might expect. These included the wire wheels and tyres, for reasons of both safety and practicality. It was a similar story with the braking system. 'There are some bits it just makes sense to change, like the brake discs and master cylinder,' says Mark, 'but I go for the best make I can buy. The original brake calipers have been retained as they could be refurbished, and all the rear suspension is the original which we rebuilt. Even on the front suspension, where parts had got pitted, I re-machined them and had them plated.'

The sumptuous interior is new, supplied by BAS ( www.

car- hood.co.uk) in Wales, who also supplied the soft top for this very detailed car. 'The top was easy to replace,' says Mark. 'BAS do full trim kits, and can even fit them for you, but I can do all that. All the seat frames were blasted and painted the correct colour grey, even

though you can’t see them.'

With the dash dismantled, Mark also addressed some issues with the gauges. The speedo and tachometer were just cleaned up and the bezels painted, but the ancillary gauges in the middle were refurbished because the faces inside just looked horrible. This was done by a company called Caerbont Automotive Instruments. Aging wiring looms can be an issue on any old car, but one of the few extras that came with this car was a new loom still in its bag, so naturally Mark fitted that.

Before the interior was fitted though, lots of Dynamat sound damping material was applied to the inner panels. We wondered if it was effective in a soft top, to which Mark replies: 'I’ve never had a car without it. This one drives lovely anyway and it’s not noisy in there – there are no creaks, it’s nice and tight and comfortable. I guess it must make a difference though, certainly it’s not tinny.'

The engine was going to at least require a freshen up, having sat for just over two decades at the time. 'The block required an overbore,' he tells us. 'The engine had new pistons and timing chain, while the head has been reworked too with new cams. The car had done about 74,000 miles, which I think is right. I outsourced the engine to a company called VSC, but they have now retired after doing it for donkey’s years. Everyone talks about them as being the place to go to for the XK engine. That’s all they did, they never worked on anything else, and you waited about a year to get in there.'

As with the engine, there was no point in taking chances with the gearbox so that was assessed. For this it was taken to a local specialist close to Mark’s south London base, who stripped it and checked the bellhousing before Mark

I’d never paint it a colour that was non-standard for the model and year, but if there is a nicer alternative, I’ll happily choose that

took that away. Fortunately, all it needed was new bearings and seals. 'I had the bellhousing vapour blasted and the gearbox casing cleaned, then I etch primed it, primed it, flatted it, and painted it gloss black before the cogs went back in, so even though you can’t see it, I know it's right, which is the important thing.'

The gleaming triple HD8 SU carburettors were rebuilt as a matter of course too, a task which Mark had done by one of his specialists who also rebuilds the carburettors for the MGs he works on. 'It was the same for the starter motor and alternator in that we used the same trusted companies we use for the MG rebuilds,' he says. ' With the Jaguar components, it’s straightforward on items like Lucas and SU. There's nothing complex in it like a Ferrari, but I’d say there is more to them than an MG, even though they are similar cars really. Everything is available too, again like MG parts, but they are more expensive.'

No chances were taken with the fuel tank as they can suffer after sitting around – Mark sourced a new one and sprayed it black, polished it and then put it in the boot, even though once you have screwed the boards over it, you can’t see the tank any more. Quite sensibly, the SU fuel pump has been replaced with a new one.

One key part of the jigsaw that was missing was the windscreen, so a new one was sourced, along with door glass as the original items were too scratched.

Mark did make another departure from originality when it came to the exhaust, telling us: 'They were mild steel originally, but these ones are

Bell stainless steel exhausts. The Series 2 would have had a square rear number plate, and the tail pipes would do an S around this rather than the two straight pipes I’ve fitted. But when you go to shows, it’s a common change that makes it look more like a Series 1 car. I find the Series 1 rear exhaust layout, with the oblong number plate and the straight pipes, looks smarter than the Series 2 setup. That is about the only nonoriginal thing which doesn’t marry up with the age and spec of the car, but that’s just personal choice.'

With the Jaguar now finished, it hasn’t gone unnoticed so it has been good for business. ' We'd had a few customers with E-types in already,' says Mark, 'and a couple of Mk2 Jaguars we do too. I’d always wanted an E-type anyway, but since finishing this one we’ve had other customers who, having seen my car, have gone and bought E-types themselves. If people see you are competent and they like what they see, then they’re more likely to trust you with their restoration.' Anyone who’s visited the workshop of Fisher Services will know that they are very busy, but even so it may come as a surprise to learn that it took Mark about seven years to complete his E-type project. However, it did have to be fitted around any number of other tasks. 'I did bits here and there,' says Mark, 'but it did drag on, and for about two years I didn’t do anything to it as I built a Chevy LS3-powered MG RV8 instead – I’d had enough of the E-type, and the Jaguar needed a lot of time putting into it. Sometimes you need to concentrate on other projects and your own gets put on the back burner, but I never lost sight of the aim, to try and build a car that is effectively an example of what you could have gone out and bought brand new in 1968. And I think I have achieved that goal.'

The rebuilt engine ticks over beautifully, and the whole engine bay is a work of art. Under the bonnet as elsewhere on this car, the ethos was always to repair and reuse rather than to replace whenever possible.

With the sumptuous interior beautifully restored but not over-restored, Mark has found the E-type a pleasure to drive and has even driven it to Le Mans. The solid Regency Red paint looks quite stunning in the sunshine.

The British Racing Green E-type upon arriving at Fisher Services (www.fisher-services.co.uk). You’ll never see it once fitted, but the fuel tank is immaculate. The twin-cam XK engine being extracted from the frame – it had been sitting for two decades. Red was the only option for the Jaguar in Mark's view, in this case Regency Red. Seat frames were repainted before fitment of the leather seat kit. Shell repairs included additional strengthening in the sills, as Jaguar used in the 2+2. Re-chroming work was extensive, and enabled many original parts to be reused. Mark fitted a replacement hood to the original frame. A roll-over jig made access to the underside for paint and repairs so much easier. Rebuilt rear suspension and back axle – you can see why those inboard brakes can get neglected! Rebuilding the engine was one of the jobs that was outsourced.

With more of a nod to the Series 1 style, these stainless steel tail pipes make that classic E-type sound.